Day 58 - July 7th: Back!
Treviso to San Stino de Livenza: 26.9 miles / 1,596 total
Today’s update has to start with a shoutout to my good friend Bob Becker, who is toeing the line at the legendary Badwater 135 Ultramarathon in Death Valley tonight at 8 PM PST. With temperatures expected to hit 115–120°F and a 48-hour cutoff, this race is as brutal as it gets. There’s a reason they call him “The Immortal”—he continues to compete at an elite level at age 80 and will be attempting to break the record as the oldest finisher in the race’s history. He’s being crewed by a dream team: my coach Lisa Smith-Batchen, ultra legend Marshall Ulrich, his wife Heather, and friend Will Litwin. Christina and I will be tracking and cheering him on from across the ocean.
Here’s a link to track him if interested: https://dbase.adventurecorps.com/individualTd.php?e=9210
Yesterday, Christina and I shared a pizza for lunch, so when we showed up at Portamevia Pizzeria, we assumed they’d have other options. Turns out, it was only pizza—and we were going to be having pizza for both lunch and dinner. The restaurant was charming: the husband worked the oven at the entrance, the wife ran the front of house, and their son was helping in between. Halfway through our meal, another young man with flushed cheeks, light hair, and blue eyes approached us and asked if we needed anything. He turned out to be the youngest son, fresh from a day working in the garden. He had just arrived for his shift and while tired, he was happy to practice his english with us. The pizza was outstanding, and the whole scene—the family working together with smiles—was a reminder of what family-run businesses can feel like at their best.
The off day was a perfect call. That massage from Valerie hit all the right places, and I was able to stay off my feet for most of the day. Christina was ecstatic about finding an H&M a few blocks away—two outfits for €14 to supplement the two she’s been rotating daily. We have both been wearing the same thing to dinner for months, now at least she has some variety!
Heavy storms came through overnight and were still lingering when I woke at 5:43 AM. But by 7:15, the skies had calmed, and I was out the door. The air was humid but cooler, with a slight chill. Looks like we’re heading into a stretch of 80°F days—I’ll take it.
Days off are always a gamble. Will the rhythm be off? Will the body stiffen? It took longer to get ready—I was being extra careful not to forget anything like I did after the last off day (sunscreen). As I got moving, I felt tightness in my lower back, which is my Achilles heel. If it locks up, I’m grounded. So I walked slowly, focused on engaging my core, and waited it out. A few kilometers later, the tension eased, and by kilometer 8, I was running okay. The day off had done its job.
The route put me on SP 53, a tight, shoulderless road that gave me flashbacks to SS 10 from last week—but only for 2 km. Then I hit a bike/ped path that paralleled the road and wound through a chain of villages: Callalta, Olmi, Borgo Verde, San Biagio di Callalta, Momesso, Bocca Callalta, and Ponte di Piave. The sky gave me a few passing showers, then cleared for a glorious late morning run with low humidity and friendly temps.
As I came through San Biagio di Callalta, I passed a powerful memorial—the Shrine to the Piave Soldiers (Sacrario Militare di Fagarè della Battaglia). It’s a stark, dignified ossuary that holds the remains of over 10,000 Italian soldiers who died during World War I, many of them unnamed. The shrine stands not just as a monument to loss, but to resolve—this was one of the furthest points reached by Austro-Hungarian forces during the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918. Inscriptions carved into stone near the site read, “Tutti eroi! O il Piave o tutti accoppati!” (“All heroes! Either the Piave or we all die!”) and “Meglio un giorno da leone che cento da pecora.” (“Better one day as a lion than a hundred as a sheep.”)
If there’s a job opening for product tester in extreme conditions, sign me up. After daily use in weather, sweat, and terrain, gear weaknesses show up fast:
Goodr sunglasses: dead after 30 days. Great price at $30, but the adage holds—you get what you pay for.
Altra insoles: two have crinkled in wet conditions, causing blisters. Customer service told me to buy new ones!
Salomon hydration vest: the elastic in the pockets is starting to fail.
I’ll still stick with Altra and Salomon—they’re great. But that was my last pair of Goodrs.
My luck with bike lanes ran out after a right turn onto SP66, another tight road. I stopped for lunch around 30 km at a small restaurant in Arzeri, right across from a vineyard. Pasta carbonara and a Coke hit the spot.
The route today brought me through the Veneto region, once part of the Venetian Republic—a maritime power for over 1,000 years. Cities like Treviso where I started and San Stino di Livenza where I finished were strategic inland hubs connected by a vast network of rivers and canals that once fueled the region’s trade dominance.
Pace was solid all day. I finished the 43 km strong, feeling energized. Christina and Jax met me along the canal near our hotel, Hotel Al Barco, and she was glowing from a productive day as well.
With the day off behind me, a new streak begins—no blisters, no injuries, no issues, the future’s looking bright.
Thanks for following along and for all your support.
Cheers,
David.
