04-27-2026 Run/Walk

Woke up really early, read for a while and was able to get back to sleep before getting up before 6:00. I was going to run and asked Laura if she wanted to join. Mapped out a simple-to-follow route in Strava, and this is what we took. It basically followed the main roads surrounding Bologna city center. We generally kept an 11:30 pace, lots of stops are street crossings. Laura slowed down a little toward the end but kept up her pace pretty well. It was super annoying to follow the route on my phone, Strava is not well suited for this. On the run, I didn't experience any discomfort from either my right foot or my right leg, which is great news.

Avg pace = 11:06/mi

Total distance = 4.52 mi (Actually 5.36 mi, from Laura)

Elapsed moving time = 50:12

Avg heartrate = 112 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 9

https://www.strava.com/activities/18274290992

Got home, had some crackers and coffee that Laura made using the Moka press. I'd shaved my goatee off the night before, it was getting itchy, but I trimmed some wayward whiskers in the morning. Later in the morning we went on a long walk, featuring a stop for more coffee (decaf for me) and pastries at this little stand inside a mini food court. We kept walking all around this part of the city, eventually making it to the clock tower, the Torre dell' Orologio, by the Piazza Maggiore. We bought tickets and walked up to see the clockwork from the inside as well as the clock face from close up. There was a balcony above the clockwork that had some nice views of the city. Stopped at a nice little bistro that Ann had found in one of her Bologna guidebooks, food was good. She had a charcuterie board for one that was impressively sized. Walked back to the flat for an afternoon rest after that. In the late afternoon Ann and I walked over to the Piazza Maggiore to visit the Basilica di San Petronio, the 10th largest by volume in the world (very high ceilings). It was impressive in size, but the chapels were fairly pedestrian, nothing special about the altar. It did have a cool meridian line as well as a sculpture of what Jesus' body might have looked like, recreated from the image on the Shroud of Turin. Also, it contained, in one of the chapels, the head and body of St Petronio. After this visit we walked to a nearby bar to meet Laura for drinks. She is starting to feel the stress and complexity of planning the wedding together with Joe. Stopped at a market for some dinner fast food and stuff for breakfast before heading back to the flat. I had a lot of steps on this day, and my feet were ready to take a break when we got back. Did some sorting and packing for tomorrow's bike ride, then read before getting to sleep.