(Piazza Navona)
Well, after a close call with my lungs this weekend , in just a few hours and with a ton medications in tow, I’ll be on a plane to Italy for the start of my Roman adventure. This trip has been in the planning for nearly eight months and there was no way ,short of being intubated , that I was gonna miss this opportunity.
My trip begins with an 11 hour flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt followed by another 2 hour flight to Rome, followed by a 90 minute train ride to where I’ll be staying. Net travel time … 24 hours . I have a portable neb machine that I’m hauling along , so I should be OK during the transit.
Once I’ve settled into my new diggs , I have 5 full days to Roam around Rome before the marathon on Sunday. Needless to say, I have a to-see list that’s a mile long. There are also a lot of people I hope to meet up with during my stay. My good friend, and legendary racewalker/elite runner , Hansi Rigney is flying out from California to run this race. I’m also hoping to bump into some of my Facebook Rome Marathon Group and TA ( TripAdvisor.com) friends, many of whom are traveling in from the UK and France. Believe it or not, even my dentist , who I apparently inspired to become a fitness walker, will be here to attempt his first marathon. As of the registration closing date, they had over 15,000 runners/walkers registered for the full marathon (6,000 of which are coming in from 76 different countries), and over 50,000 participants for the Stacittadina 4K fun run. Talk about a Big multi cultural block party! Good luck to all!
As you might imagine , I’m very excited about this trip, and yes…a little nervous too. After all, this is a pretty ambitious undertaking for someone with such funky and unpredictable lungs… I’m stepping way beyond my safety/comfort zone on this one . If my lungs get outta hand, I just can’t call my doc and tell him that I’ll be right in.
Seriously though, short of not going at all, I think Ive taken all the precautions I can. I’ve even purchased an emergency medical-evacuation plan which would supposedly jet me back to the US from anywhere on the planet if I’m hospitalized . I’ve missed out on way too much of this world because of these “what ifs?” in my life, and I refuse to let if happen anymore. If I’m breathing half way decent and I wanna travel half way around the world to sight see and walk a marathon…. I will. Hey, I may not bring home a medal this time, but I’m pretty sure I will come back much richer in other ways.
I dedicate this trip/walk to all the severe asthmatics out there who are not as fit or as lucky as I am.
Arrivederci !
A presto!
Next post in a couple of weeks.
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