Occasionally over the summer, we will feature articles written by Liz Johnson-Mottola, a transplanted Rhode Islander now living in Rome. Johnson-Mottola, a Pawtucket native, went to La Salle Academy (Class of ’99), where she ran cross country and track. A graduate of Stonehill College, she moved to Italy six years ago, and has been at St. Stephen’s, an international prep school in Rome, where she teaches biology and chemistry.
Johnson-Mottola started running marathons while in college. She’s completed two Boston Marathons, as well as the Bay State run. Since moving to Italy, she’s run three Rome Marathons, as well as 26-milers in Florence, Venice, Treviso, and Vienna, Austria. She is a member of a racing/running team called G.S. Cat Sports, and is married to Mike Mottola, of Scituate, R.I. (Hendricken, Class of ‘98). Another installment follows:
Summer is a fantastic time for teachers - especially those who enjoy running. I look forward to having this time for taining, eating healthy and getting back into shape. We spent a few glorious days in western Sicily, in the countryside of Umbria. Then I was off to a conference in Paris.
Traveling is great, but for us slightly obsessive distance runners, the first thoughts are always: “Where will I run?’’, Will I be ABLE to run?’’, “How much running stuff should I put in my suitcase?’’ My conference was, believe it or not, at Disneyland Paris. I was a strange location, considering the gathering was for international baccalaureate teachers from Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
I had to find a place to run, so for three days I awoke early and did laps around Kale Disney, and found refuge in the fitness center. My husband, Mike, and I spent time exploring Paris - and eating our way through it. Considering the size of the city, I assumed I would be running on busy main roads, dodging pedestrians and battling the heat.
I was pleasantly surprised when the hotel manager turned me on to a new running spot in the middle of the city. In the Bastille area, they have built a runner’s paradise called “Promenade Plantee; a 4.7 kikometer (2.9-mile) tree-lined path built above street level. It provides a safe, car-free haven for runners. There were water fountains, bathrooms and lots of shade along the well-maintained route. It made running in a city as large as Paris enjoyable, and allowed me to burn off some of those wonderful French desserts.
