Back from Venice!

That time of the year came again to return to the canal-packed city of Venice.  The city of Venice is the glass gem in the heart of the Northern Med, but this time we didn't intent to do much sightseeing - but to race against the clock and test our concentration skills through the busy bussling streets of the floating city. 

I travelled out from Liverpool to meet Jane (flying out from her new home in Karlskoga, Sweden) at Treviso for an amazing weekend which also matched up with her 25th birthday.

We got to Venice past 9.30 but did lots of sightseeing on our way to the comfy Apartment we had been invited to stay in with the Ireland-O group - and we immidiately felt at home!  We were staying with Deirdre and Faye in a 2 bedroomed (well 12 bedroom and 1 sofa bedded) apartment next to Rialto - lovely and cosy for the 4 of us while the other 6 Irish stayed in a HUGE palace near Per San Marco.  

The Park O took place on the Saturday and I got really geared up to do well - I think Middle distance is definitely my forte at the moment, I can't seem to concentrate for long enough in Classic races... anyhow - it was 3.8km in the San Marco Area of the city starting from oursite the Arsenale.  Feeling good I only made one mistake going into c14 as I lost concentration after crossing the bridge near c1.  A creat course though - pumped for the big one on Sunday!

Celebrations for Jane's Brithday resumed that afternoon after cramming my face full of paninis and showering in luke warm water.  A simple Venitian Trattoria in the Arsenale district was the place, with a lovely Italian waiter.  Wine flowed and photo and taking the piss out of Mat commenced.  Words such as average, pink cameras and other such phrases will never mean the same again!! (Thanks Faye and Eilbhe!)

The big race day came and I felt good.  Concentration was excellent for around 50-55 minutes when I suddely started to lose it.  I was forcing my way past thousands upon thousands of tourists (hitting one little girl in the head coming of a bridge near Per Le Roma at top speed and also a HEAD on collision with another Orietneer)... and then I started to make silly little mistakes - missing bridges and taking the wrong direction turns, even though i was repeating them in my head!  The later start didn't help with a 11:31 time... meant that the tourists were in full flow and all tables and charis were out from restaurants looking for people to eat out befor etheir siestas.  

Still I did an OK time in the end and came a creditable 39th out of 104 runners in the Elite Class.  Not too bad for an afternoons work.  If I hadn't made my mistakes I reckon I could have been around the 65' mark, but i'll take 72' as a positive result; I was running pretty fast all the way round!

That afternoon, me Jane and Ireland-O went to Per San Marco to go up the tower.  We wiated for Niamh to collect her prize then asked to go to the middle of the square and chase pigeons!  Crazking photos - and who'd have thought that you couldn't see any canals from the top of that tower - MINDBOGGLING! 

A great Weekend with Jane etc. with lots of chillout latte time and pigeon chasing!

Bring on next year's race!!