Training Log Archive: Bash

'Bent, BazingaDog and I went to Albion Hills pick up flagging tape, pin flags and signs from Trail Fix. I did a little running and it didn't feel too bad. I've felt surprisingly good since CCC a week ago.

Happy 23rd Anniversary, 'Bent!

We spent it volunteering at Trail Fix. :) Great to see so many friends out.

Got the dogs back today so our little family is complete.

And... two trains to Milan and a flight back to Toronto. Home sweet home!

The last few days since my race have been busy with lots of time on my feet. Today I announced that I would read, pack my bag, drink coffee, go out for lunch and dinner, drink wine and eat chocolate. It was a lovely day but it turns out that I'm not cut out for sitting still. I think a nice balance after a long race would be a half-day of lollygagging and a half-day of touristing.





We did have to walk into town twice for lunch and dinner so I wasn't a total spud. And 'Bent went for a morning run.





It's our last full day in Italy so I had gelato for lunch *and* dinner. :)

'Bent made good use of the balcony for his morning coffee.



But that was the end of sitting around and relaxing with our feet up. The #1 thing to do in Stresa is a boat ride to visit three nearby islands with beautiful villas and gardens that go back 5 or 6 centuries. It's a long, interesting day and we had spectacular weather.







Isola Bella and Isola Madre have historic villas with beautiful architecture, art, furniture, clothing, dishes and more. They are surrounded by well kept grounds and gardens with statues. Isola Madre has peacocks and other large birds.







Below the villa on Isola Bella were half a dozen "caves" decorated with seashells and statues that were used as a summer palace in the days before air conditioning.



Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman's Island) is a small village with shops, narrow alleys and excellent restaurants. Mick would have liked this shop.



We had lunch here - grilled lake fish for variety after last night's grilled seafood.





After a long day of walking and stair climbing, we had a "light" dinner of pasta with fresh porcini mushrooms. Mmm.

We spent 10 nights in Chamonix in a fantastic 3-bedroom chalet apartment a few minutes from the UTMB finish line. I would definitely stay there again if we ever go back! When I booked it, we knew 10 people in the UTMB lottery so we assumed we'd share it with at least one other couple and split the cost but unfortunately, everyone failed in the lottery. We ended up having the place to ourselves except when the Cameron/Muellers visited. I'm glad we had space to host them.



'Bent and I took 5 trains in 6 hours to travel from Chamonix to Stresa. We've done a few races in Europe and we've learned that Italy is a great country for post-race recovery. The food is yummy so it's a nice place to be hungry. Our apartment had a large balcony with a terrific view of Lago Maggiore - perfect for sitting, reading and drinking wine.



Some of the art in our apartment



The price of the view was a 10-15 minute walk downhill to restaurants and shops - and uphill on the way back. Stresa has a beautiful lakeside promenade.



We picked up some food for breakfast and resisted the wine sold by the glass in the grocery store. How convenient!



Then we headed into Stresa's old town and tried the grilled seafood. Yum.