The Ladybug’s new running challenge completed: Deejay Ten 2016!

The last big run of the year in Milan is probably also one of the funniest: the Deejay Ten is such an event in Milan!

Almost thirty thousand people participated this year and it is always a great party during and after the run: music, tons of gadgets and all the deejays from the radio are there to support the runners! There is always a relaxed and festive atmosphere even if this year the weather was not as nice as last year. It didn’t rain but it was quite chilly and grey…typical Milanese weather!

It was this year my second Deejay Ten, ten kilometers all around the city center of Milan passing by the most iconic areas of the town: departure from the Duomo, then Teatro alla Scala, Liberty area, Fashion District, new Business district and then Parco Sempione, the most famous park for runners in Milan!

This year it was a real challenge for me: I didn’t train enough to prepare for the race and the last time that I managed to run 10K was probably before summer. When I was there I said: Ok Angela, it doesn’t matter if you cannot finish it, just enjoy it!

This positive thought made me forget about pace, timing and other mental constraints and put me in a mood for just enjoying the run! Well, the result is that I really enjoyed it: I unexpectedly completed my 10K, probably not with my best result but very satisfied and happy…isn’t it the real goal of a run?

There was no personal after party with the running crew this year: some friends couldn’t participate and we couldn’t organize our usual after-run feast but I closed the running season by celebrating the results with some after-run shopping…not bad after all!

The Ladybug on why Running is a serious thing: the Fluo Run in Milan

Since I started running and enjoying the loads of runs happening during the year in Milan, I started a kind of personal list of my favorite ones. Those with the best course, or the ones with the most interesting goodie bags and tees, and so on. This may be the reason why this year we are trying many different runs, just to have an idea of how they feel and to make sure that we just pick our favorite ones!

I must confess that I was not impressed by what we call the “fun runs”, meaning those runs where the funny part of it is more important than the running itself. The reason of my lack of interest was the fact that all those funny things (you getting colored with powders or you hanging around in fluorescent bracelets and heart-shaped glasses) could just distract you from your real objective: running (possibly fast). Running itself is a funny thing to me and I don’t feel the need of disguising myself to make it funnier.

This is why when my friend Marina insisted for running the Fluo Run in Milan I wasn’t sure it was a good idea but I accepted anyway just because we couldn’t run the Energizer together so it was “fun” to share a night run together in Parco Sempione.

Maybe it’s because I was distracted by the funny side of it, maybe it was the heat (and the mosquitoes) or even my fluorescent gadgets but I didn’t run my best time, even though I enjoyed the run pretty much! I must say that it was a good practice and that the Japanese food following the run was the best part of it!

Once the Fluo Run is done, now I want to see who will convince me to run the next Color Run…(hard job!)

The Ladybug runs again: Energizer Night Run in Milan

I know I’ve been talking about running and what it means (and meant) to me so I won’t start here again but let me share one of my favorite running events I attended this year in Milan, the Energizer Night Run.

This was not the first time for me as I run the Energizer last year (it was my first run ever if you don’t consider the cross-country races in the middle-school!) but it was completely new in a certain way as I enjoyed it more this year: maybe my good results, maybe the good company of my friends-colleagues or the fresh air but I really had a great time. You can never forget your first run, I guess this is the reason why the Energizer Night run is always so pleasant to me!

It is also one of the most famous running events in town, a charity run for Unicef during the night in Parco Sempione, wearing a small flashlight that illuminates the night, creating a great view in the dark, especially if you think that about 7000 people were running in the park. It’s a short one (5K) but it’s fun to see so many people of every age joining the run for a good cause!

The Ladybug on Why Running is More Vintage than Aerobics or Roller Skating: My 1st 5K (Energizer Run)

(Scroll down for Italian text – Testo in Italiano alla fine della pagina)

It all started on a Milanese tram: I was going to work with a colleague and I was complaining about the fact that, although I was working hard to lose weight- it seemed almost impossible. I’d swim, go to the gym, eat properly, but nothing I committed myself to help me get slimmer.

He, a serious marathon runner, candidly said: “you should start running!”

I exploded in laughter, because the idea of these two entities, “myself” and “running,” together was really hilarious. I then started the usual list of excuses of non-runners: “I don’t need it,” “I already go to the gym,” “it is boring,” “I could never run for more than three minutes.”

He didn’t care about my excuses and proposed a challenge: he told me that he could get me to run 5K by the end of the month and that I could ready to participate in the Energizer Run (a 5K run) that was going to happen mid-June. It was beginning of May. I accepted the challenge, more for pride than personal belief, but I strictly followed his tableau de bord for a month.

I went from dying after 5 minutes of slow running to enjoying the ride a bit more every day. I had set milestones and it was so refreshing and satisfying to reach them.  I gained a lot of motivation and self-esteem and I started losing weight.  Needless to say, running quickly became “my thing.”

I know I am a vintage gal and I should have gone for ’80s aerobics or roller skating (which I adore! Roller skating, not aerobics… even if I love the trashy aerobics outfits!); still, in the end what is more vintage than the first movement ever that a man could do?! Of course, I try to make it the most vintage as I can: for example I listen to Rock’n’Roll and ’70s/’80s disco to boost my run. I also wear vintage t-shirts and ’80s shorts and the incredible terrycloth wrist and head bands (Nike has them in many flashy quirky colors and patterns!).

One of my milestones was the famous Energizer Run, a charity night run in Milan that donates the participants’ fees to the Unicef: it was a good cause and a good occasion.  After being postponed due to bad weather, I finally participated in the run: I was very scared at the beginning as it was my first one, but when I realized that I was going to run with more than 7000 people- I immediately felt better. And I was very proud of my results: 5K in 30 minutes, a lot of fun, new friends and a new passion… RUNNING!

Go baby, GO RUN!!!

 

Tutto ebbe inizio su un tram milanese:  mentre andavo al lavoro con un collega, mi lamentavo del fatto che nonostante tutti i miei sforzi per perdere peso l’obiettivo sembrasse praticamente impossibile. Nuoto, palestra, dieta sana, niente di tutto ciò sembrava funzionare.

Il mio collega, un maratoneta di un certo livello, mi ha risposto candidamente: dovresti iniziare a correre!

La prima reazione è stata una fragorosa risata: il solo pensiero di mettere insieme queste due entità, me e la corsa, mi sembrava terribilmente divertente! Solo dopo ho iniziato a snocciolare tutte le tipiche scuse di chi non corre: “Non ne ho bisogno”, “E poi vado già in palestra”, “Correre è noioso” “ E poi non potrei mai correre per più si tre minuti consecutivi”!

Come se non avesse sentito una sola parola mi ha lanciato una sfida:  “Se segui i miei consigli, entro la fine del mese potrai correre per 5 km e partecipare alla Energizer Run che si terrà a metà giugno. Era inizio maggio. Ho accettato la sfida, più per orgoglio che per reale convinzione, ma ho seguito scupolosamente i suoi allenamenti per un mese.  Così sono passata dal “sono senza fiato” dopo appena 5 minuti di corsa lenta al godermi una bella corsa di qualche km dopo pochi giorni. Risultato: più autostima e motivazione e …attenzione attenzione…meno peso! Naturalmente da quel momento ho iniziato a correre.

Lo so che sono una ragazza vintage e avrei dovuto preferire l’aerobica anni 80 o i pattini a rotelle (che adoro…i pattini, non l’aerobica…anche se amavo tanto quei completini colorati supertrash!) ma alla fine mi sono detta: cosa c’è di più vintage del correre….la prima cosa che impariamo dopo camminare? Assolutamente niente!  Certo, ci metto del mio per rendere la mia corsa un po’ vintage: ad esempio ascolto solo musica rock’n’roll anni 50 o disco degli anni 70 e 80 per caricarmi durante la corsa, oppure mi piace indossare t-shirts vintage e pantaloncini anni 80 o quelle orribili fasce da polso o da testa (persino Nike le ha riproposte in colori fluo e disegni improbabili).

Tornando al mio obiettivo, la famosa Energizer Run, si tratta di una corsa non competitiva il cui ricavato viene donato in beneficenza all’Unicef che si tiene ogni anno a Milano. Per me era una buona causa e una buona occasione al tempo stesso. Dopo un primo rinvio causa pioggia, finalmente è arrivato il giorno della gara: ammetto di essere stata molto nervosa all’inizio ma quando mi sono accorta che avrei corso insieme ad altre 7000 persone mi sono sentita subito meglio! E sono stata molto fiera del mio risultato: 5km in 30 minuti, tanto divertimento, nuovi amici e soprattutto una nuova passione:  CORRERE!

Go baby, go run!