Is Walking to get Pizza or Gelato exercise???

Despite the fact that I enjoy daily exercise and could be seen running behind my double jogger most days before we moved to Rome, since we arrived I've done little more than walk quickly. And all too often that quick walking has been in the direction of our favorite pizza or gelato shops.

Sure, we've covered some good distance. And much of our day is spent outdoors. But generally my efforts don't require me to break a sweat (unless I'm pushing the stroller up a particularly steep hill) and not once have I set out in any concerted effort to "work out." So why have I not done more exercising since we moved to Rome?

Hmmm... I could start by blaming equipment issues. I don't have my double jogger here so I cannot run with the kids as I did at home. But that doesn't explain why I haven't gotten up and gone for a run on any the mornings when CJ doesn't have a 9 a.m. class. Okay, cross that off the list. I could blame clothing issues - I only brought a very limited amount of clothes - 4 pants, 4 shirts, 3 sweaters, etc., and one pair of jogging shorts, one short sleeve wicking tee and one long sleeve one. Sure, one running outfit isn't much, but with the weather warming I could go out in shorts and a long sleeve tee. Heck, I could even buy other clothes for that matter. I dont't think that excuse works either. I could blame the terrain - the roads are rough (with all those cobblestones), sidewalks are packed, and hills are everywhere. But that isn't a great excuse either. Sure we live on a hill, but we've got relatively flat terrain once you run up or down, and beyond that there is a very large public park not that far from our home that I could easily run to. Well, I'm 0 for 3, and should probably stop looking for excuses at this point.

Now that the weather is getting nicer (despite our current two day cold snap), I think it is about time to resume some more intense daily activity. My parents and their running club are days away from running yet another marathon. What number is this Mom? Dad? And tomorrow more than 10,000 runners are expected to descend on Rome for what is billed as the ideal combination of athletic challenge and sight-seeing for the 2009 City of Rome marathon. We are going to go cheer them on. If seeing all those people running 26.2 miles isn't motivation, I don't know what will be!

Despite the fact that I haven't run in the parks near our apartment, I have greatly enjoyed walking through them, playing hide-and-seek with the kids, picking flowers with Celia, and kicking the soccer ball with Augustine. Here are a few pictures of them doing what they love at the park this week.