Day 105

Run to Potenza 4, originally uploaded by Ryan Runs Europe.

41.6 Kilometers.
Another very hilly run. The central part of Italy is very mountainous, and once again my run carried me along beautiful windy mountain roads, over streams and through villages. I didn't follow one road the entire way, but switched many times, cutting through alleys that ended up becoming mountain roads. I couldn't imagine a car passing through some of these roads, and was happy to see that my phone knew about them...despite the fact that this course meant that I had to stop every couple of kilometers to look at the map again.
I don't know if it was because I took things very easy, or if it was because I was finally breaking into my new shoes (maybe an explanation of the pain), but I didn't have too much of a problem running this day. I kept a continuous run except for a couple quick stops at water fountains and one stop to get some Gatorade and a banana in a grocery store in the town of Tito (last chance until Potenza).
I got into Potenza around three and just kind of wandered around for a while. My route had changed slightly to bring me here (having gone further south past Napoli to see Pompeii and Amalfi), and I had already figured out a place to stay. I was staying with Lieze and her boyfriend Fabio, and the story of how I met them is one of the longest ranging connections that I have had. I had stayed with Simonne and Joost on day 9 in Kalmthout, Belgium and on day 16 I had stayed with their relatives Lut and Philippe in Kortrijk. There, I spoke with their daughter Lieze on the telephone. She was living in Italy, and I was running there, so it was nice to talk. Now, 89 days and a couple thousand kilometers later I was in Potenza. That just seems crazy to me.
I met up with Fabio around 5, and I had a shower and put my clothes in the washing machine. I had an interesting conversation with Fabio about eliterature and Proce55ing before Lieze came home from work around 8 and we set off to dinner. I had a delicious dinner, tagliata with arugula and Parmesan in a restaurant that overlooked Potenza. It had been a long time since I had eaten a good piece of red meat, and I felt like shedding tears of joy with every bite.
Before I went to bed, Lieze and Fabio introduced me to some nearby cities that would be very interesting to visit, and I had to think about possibly changing my route once more.