Gino Bartali Resistance Route

Tomorrow, we leave for Italy. It will be a food and wine fest with good friends and family. I haven’t had a sip of alcohol in over 5 years, but that is about to change. I didn’t think I would drink until I finished my Ironman, but circumstances have changed this. I will attempt an Ironman race in 2014 but I did promise Binita that I would drink while in Italy. We will be in Tuscany; what better place to start!!

I woke up with a headache over my right temple this morning and succumbed to taking a couple of Advils. After staying drug-free for 24+ hours, I now have some in my system (although its effects have worn off by the time I am writing this). I’m still not well enough to go for a run, but I am decidedly feeling better and a bit more energetic than yesterday. My lungs are still a bit congested and I feel my back muscles spasming when I sleep on my back (curiously, it takes about 15 minutes before they tighten up into spasms).

Gino Bartali Resistance Route

I have taken my bike shoes and am hoping to do a ~100km bike ride while in Italy. I have scoped out a nice bike route from Florence to Cortona via Arezzo. The full route is called the Gino Bartali Resistance Route; and I hope to do about half of it. It has a few hills but is recommended on various websites as a 4-star ride. Ideally, I would rent a Bianchi bike with decent components.