Milano Marathon

Published April 7, 2019

Late 9am start. Showered/dressed, bib pinned, bags packed. Train to Malpensa post-marathon, hotel change – last night sleeps ‘cross from Milan’s Terminal 1.

Quiet walk thru Montanelli Public Gardens (city’s oldest Park), déjà vu mirror-moment. April last year: Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo. Birds spring-nesting/making their presence known, muddled sound of runner conversation. Did a dry run yesterday (walking off evening PASTA). No surprises – knew where to go/when to be there.

Bib shown, entry granted: Sector 7. Lot goes into marathoning international. Aside from registration/foreign language emails – medical certificates, applying for an Italian Federation ‘RunCard’, Visas (Brazil/Russia). They’re not all that way but Brazil, Italy, Russia, South Africa – jumped thru some Hula-sized loops. Learned to pace myself.

Little by little, bit by bit…one day, TODAY all comes together. Race day in MILAN, ITALY. Surrounded by centuries of architecture. All worth the effort 😊

Short heavy burst of water five minutes to Start. Short-sleeved natives noticeably shivered, muttered in Italian. Been a RAIN MAGNET this year. Cap, jacket, new gloves. Merino wool. Lesson learned from last Sunday’s COLD Indiana deluge. Il Duomo, Teatro alla Scala – first Half tour highlights.

Mentally plugged in. For me, that’s the battle. Easily noise distracted. Race horse requiring blinders. Inclement weather helps. Shifts focus. Day’s physical challenge? Cobblestone, SLICK & uneven. No slips, no falls welcome. Focus, take my time. Bloodied & bruised first mile in New Zealand, I can be taught.

Picked UP speed, mile 12. Third 10k my fastest (sub-9 min/pace, 30k timing mat). push, PUSH, push. Derailed the last 10k of course, hour-26 minutes. Yeah well, I’ll be ‘African’ next year. LOL>

Jonas. Runner tag-along Mile 23. Even young super heroes hit the wall, first marathon.

Shoulder tap. Walk, slow jog. Walk again, easy run. Quicker.

40k, two kilometers to go. Lost my run partner briefly (dude paced up too early). I’d see him again in 5 minutes. Bit rattled, outta breath. Gave him the universal ‘thumbs up’. Jog, canter, steady again – STRONG under the Banner. PRIMO! PRIMO! I shook my head AFFIRMATIVE. First marathon FINISH.

The look, the excitement. Any language, completely understood. CONGRATS man.

Metro to Centrale, train to Malpensa. Early start tomorrow. Goin’ HOME, Colorado HOME ❤️