Steve's Romanian Running 2006 Wrap Up

After last weeks incident, things did settle down. Last Saturday the 16th, I returned to Herestreau Park (the scene of the "incident") for 3 full laps of the lake totalling 11.25 miles. Thankfully, it was an uneventful event with decent weather in the mid 50's. I did freak out a couple of Romanians with my water bottle storage plan though.

What is that strange American doing?

In addition to my usual pack of sports beans, I brought a water bottle with me since the water fountains are turned off for the year. During the first lap, I stashed the water bottle in the woods near the path so I could pick it up later for a drink without carrying it the whole time. About 30 minutes later when I came back around for lap 2, I retrieved it with several Romanians watching. I re-stashed the bottle and repeated this process for lap 3. Boy, did I get some weird looks!

Last few days in Bucharest...

Last weekend was the end of our 50 degree weather for now. This week has been damp, cold, windy and rainy at times. I did get 2 runs in on Monday and Thursday (the two best days) in a nearly deserted Titan Park. I think because November was so much warmer than normal, it has made it tough for me to adjust to the cold this month. Next month should be even more fun! The park does look nice at night though since they have Christmas decorations hung around the light posts as well as a large Christmas tree.

Thanks for coming along...

I want to thank my massive (I may need two hands to count now - I'm not sure) audience for tagging along this past year for these 700 or so miles of running. Next year will hopefully be just as exciting as I tackle some new European and some different Bucharest (and maybe other Romanian) running locations. I'm really hoping the animal encounters will be a bit less exciting though. By the way, I now have 3 shots down in my rabies series. See the family blog for the details of shot #3. I guess you can say I'm 60% rabies proof now. After 2 more shots in the next 2 weeks, I will be indestructable for 2007, heh heh heh.

Crăciun Fericite şi La Mulţs Ani (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!)

Steve's Romanian Rabies Shot Experience

Just so you all know, this is kind of anti-climatic. In these modern times, the whole rabies vaccination deal is really easy. In the old days, it would have been 20 or so shots to the stomach, which would have made a really interesting post with great photos. So, I apologize if you got really fired up for a cool post after Wednesday's "take a bite out of Steve" incident. Ok, here we go.

I guess if I'm going to blog about running in Bucharest, Romania with 100, 000 to who-knows-how-many stray dogs, the story would not be complete without a rabies shot series. So, this morning, 2 days removed from the biting incident, I headed to this clinic.

This isn't just any clinic. The name "Uşa Deschisă" means "Open Door". The clinic is run by missionary Dr's Milton and Linda Hanson. Unfortunately, they weren't around today for a photo op, but you can find out about their ministry here. They have been serving the Lord here in Romania since 1994 when they gave up a successful medical practice in Minneapolis. They are so committed, they've actually become permanent residents of Romania. Milton is also a runner who has a few marathons to his credit. How cool is that? The Hanson's (as well as the Kay family) attend church with us at Calvary Chapel on Sundays.

Since neither the Hansons nor Thomas Kay was around, we had a guest shooter (or...maybe guest injector) for today. It was this pretty lady:
I couldn't spell her name, so she wrote me a note for the blog. It reads "Mean Nurse Oana". Ha Ha. Oana (think Joanna in Romanian) is about as mean as she looks. Of course, she was really nice. The shot was nothing - I barely felt it. I think on Monday when I get shot #2, she is going to show me how to do the rest (#3, #4, #5) on my own. Shot #4 will have to be done while I'm at home in South Carolina during Christmas week. I almost thought about having another blog contest, with the winner being able to administer the shot, but most of you guys won't be around. No fun!

Anyway, Romania is not only a great place to get bitten by a dog, it is also a great place to get rabies shots. Each shot is only about $30 US here. It is ALOT more in the States.

The other good thing is that I'm set for a whole year, no matter how many times I get bit. Cool!

CHOMP!!!! Dogs 2 Steve 0

So I've been looking for ways to spice up my blog, and today I got one. Errr...Uhmm...Actually it got me. Remember back in January, I had a close call with a stray. That episode was no big deal since it was just a scratch, so I blew off going to the doctor. Today, I wasn't so lucky...

Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away....

I was so psyched about the Sun finally coming out today after 8 straight days of clouds and fog. I made up my mind to hit Herestreau Park after work for 2 laps around the lake (7.5 miles). I had a nice first lap and started to pick it up for a faster second lap. As I passed a set of stairs where people access the path, I noticed a guy at the top of the steps start to come down. Just as I passed the stairs (I was really not even close to the guy), I noticed he had 2 dogs with him unleashed. Anyway, I really didn't even sense any trouble until I was well past the area and heard the barking - uh oh! I looked back and realized they were coming after me and then stopped (without facing them) and figured they would back off with nothing to chase. Wrong!

Steve: "You want a piece of me?" Dog: "Why yes, actually I do"

One of those mangy &$%*$#% mutts took a bite on the back of my leg! Boy was I mad. I got more angry when the dogs backed off and the guy kept walking down the path without even checking on me at all.

In pain and bleeding a little, I tried to assess my options:

1) Stop the run, go after the guy and give him a piece of my mind - I scratched this idea since a) I don't know any mean words in Romanian and b) the guy still has 2 dogs with him that obviously don't like me very much - next...

2) Stop the run, walk back to the car, and call the doctor. This seemed like the wisest move, but stopping the run had a real sissy/surrender sound to it. How would I explain this cowardly act on the blog? - next...

3) Stop the run and get first aid from one of the Romanian teenagers who witnessed the event and (unlike the guy with the dogs) actually showed some concern. This was even more sissy-ish than option 2 - next....

4) Walk a little, see if the bleeding stops, then continue the run (with a little bad attitude for motivation) and pound out those last 3 miles. Then, after calling the doctor, brag to my blogging audience what a real tough guy I am. - sweet!

(Below, the wound on Steve's powerful right leg....)

Well folks, when I got back to car after finishing the run, I got on the phone with Dr Thomas Kay. Thomas is a missionary serving here with his family at a low-cost clinic. As expected, since I have no idea about the condition of those dogs, I will be starting a rabies series (5 shots total) on Friday. Trying to look at the bright side (we all know what a pure optimist I am), I came up with a couple of good things about getting rabies shots in Romania:

1) After these shots, I think I can get bitten by as many dogs as I want for the next year or so! (Don't worry, I'll ask to make sure)

2) Rabies shots are much cheaper in Romania. Everyone knows I'm always on the lookout for a low cost option for anything!

3) I already have a unique topic for my next post!

Let me know if you think of any more good things about getting rabies shots in Romania...

And don't worry, I'll bring the camera. Stay tuned for Steve's rabies shot post this weekend....

The beauty of low expections....

"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone, she's always gone too long, anytime she goes away...."

Boy is this the truth! The last dose of sunshine we received here in Bucharest was on Tuesday, the day Dana and Maria flew back to the states. To add to my misery, I caught a cold which I'm still feeling the effects of today. After Saturday though, I just couldn't handle another day sitting around inside. After church, I fueled up with some pasta and took a nap to prepare for the run today.

I really did not expect much from this run today. The fog and low 30's temperatures we've had since Tuesday was still here. In addition, we had a cold wind today that made it feel like the upper 20's. The leaves are gone and it really looks like winter out there now - just missing the ice & snow but it's coming. My only goal was to run 2-3 miles and call it quits. However, my outlook improved when I finally got all my stuff on and got out there. Titan Park had more people than I expected. Mostly it was the old folks strolling, a few young couples and a few mom's out with bundled up little ones. The teenagers and pre-teens were few and far between on a day like today and that was just fine with me. It was actually kind of peaceful and I hit a nice rhythm for 6.75 miles in about 1 hour. It felt even better since I expected a miserable outing.

Another post-run carb-loading edition

Although the run was good, the display I put on in the kitchen after the run was even more impressive. I whipped up a little Thai stir fry action. Check it out. What you see is some chicken, broccoli, orange bell pepper, Thai noodles in a sir fry sauce. Lots of carbs (I added more noodles), protein, veggies, and a boat load of salt from the sauce. Everything a tired runner needs. If Julia Childs was still with us, my phone would be ringing right now for sure, heh heh heh.

The sickies strike again...

I guess the combination of foreign travel, too much time breathing the virus-filled-air on airplanes, too little sleep, and very little running left my immune system open to attack. I barely made it 1 lap around Herestrau Lake on Tuesday before it really hit me.

The good news is that I'm feeling much better today. The bad news? Just look at my little live weather tracker below. That isn't exactly the best motivation to get back out there. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a short run in on Friday. It may warm up to 48 and we may even see the Sun too... yipee.

Steve’s Nile River “Sunrise Run”

OK, it’s official. I can now add another country (and continent) to my running archives! After some additional Internet research that showed it was possible to survive a run here, I got my courage up for a morning run on Saturday. The traffic does indeed lighten up overnight, so I headed out as soon as there was enough light to see the pavement. Most of these pictures will be a little on the fuzzy side due to the lack of light. All of these photos I took looking towards the Nile. My run took me by several important downtown Cairo buildings including the Foreign Ministry and the Arab League. Security guards (fully armed) man stations at nearly every city block and photos are obviously frowned upon. I did not take any chances here.

Not in "Kansas anymore"...
From the Hotel, I headed south along the Nile for about 23 minutes and then doubled back. This is unusual in that going south actually means you go upriver, as the Nile flows northward towards the delta on the Mediterranean Sea. (Note: this is not the only river that does this - but obviously the most famous one) With the dim light at the beginning, the green lights glowing from the Minarets of the many Cairo Mosques can be clearly seen. Fundamental Islam is on the rise here despite the moderate Government lead by Hosni Mubarak. Nearly all the Egyptian women you see on the streets have head coverings and the number of women fully covered with burkas is on the rise.

Party Time!

Other sights included the many Nile riverfront hotels and dinner cruise ships. A Marriott can be seen on the right (so-so quality) photo along with the Nile Maxim dinner cruise ship. These ships, along with the small saiboats called Feluccas are all over the place.

Nice Sidewalk!
The sidewalk along the Nile was in good shape and I actually did see 1 group of 3 joggers during the run. In fact, I was actually pretty comfortable and I got less stares from the Egyptians than from the Romanians during my typical runs in Bucharest. Note that this is the center of tourism in Cairo, so this area is kept clean. The side streets quickly reveal how filthy this city really is.

The light began to improve and I snapped a pic at my turnaround point on a bridge. On the left is Rhoda Island on the river and you can see the Cairo Tower straight away in the center of the photo. I snapped a much better picture of the Cairo Tower on the way back. It is the first picture in this post. We visited Cairo Tower on Wednesday. It is the largest 100% concrete structure (no steel reinforcements at all) in the world.

It was a good run and the weather was perfect with temps in the low 60's I think. Maybe its good that I only did one run. No point in getting used to that weather now that I'm back in Bucharest.

Steve J in Cairo!

Hey all,

Just letting my massive blog audience know we arrived safely at 2:00 AM this morning. We spent the day doing a little recon of downtown Cairo either on foot or in a taxi.

I think its safe to say that this is the most NOT-run-friendly area I've ever seen. The traffic is so bad, it makes Bucharest look tame. Crosswalks are ignored by traffic. Cars will not slow down until you 2-3 meters into the street.

So, I don't want to make any promises. If I can get up early (and I feel lucky) I may do a short jog near the Nile, but we'll see.

Steve's winter weekday running haunt

Herestrau Park

With the shorter days of winter, it's now impossible to get my medium length (1 hr) weekday runs done before dark. Depending on the traffic, I usually get home with only 30-40 minutes of daylight left - and it's getting worse. So on Tuesday and Wednesday this past week, I drove directly from work to nearby Herestrau Park.

The international hood

Herestrau is one of the largest parks in the city. If it's not the largest, it is most likely the most well known. The park is located to the north of the city center. Situated around the park are some of the most expensive neighborhoods of the city and where you will also find a large group of international residents. My current parking location is just a few hundred yards from the Chinese embassy. Other embassies are nearby, so it is not uncommon to hear other languages besides Romanian - something I'm not used to hearing in my regular running spot, Titan Park, which is nearly all Romanian.

Activities galore

I visited the park earlier this year with Dana and Maria when we visited the Romanian Peasant Village which adjoins the park, but this is the first time I've run here. The park has a large lake which has a path that follows the shoreline and that's where I planned to do my running. The path is not just for walking and running. It allows access to the many restaurants, boat rentals, and other businesses at the water's edge. You can see a couple of them in photo #2 on the right.

In addition to being a cultural center, the park is also a bit of a sports mecca also. The picture on the left below shows domes for indoor tennis, while on the right you will see the Diplomat Club, which in includes the city's only golf course and an olympic sized swimming pool. It has 9 holes and is one of the few courses in all of Romania. I think the sport will be slow to catch on though. At about $20-$25 for eighteen holes, the cost is about 1/3 of the average Romanian's weekly take home pay.

As for the running, I was quite pleased. The pavement of the path is good by Bucharest standards. The park itself is pretty scenic and surprisingly quiet despite the crowded streets nearby. The fair weather crowds are nearly gone now in late November, with only the dedicated young-couples-in-love remaining; and they are usually are too busy to notice me, ha ha ha.

The other big plus was the lack of dogs. I'm guessing this place gets more attention from the dogcatchers due to the important people living around it. There are a couple of nice bridges over the small bays around the lake. One lap around the lake is 3.75 miles. I did 2 laps on Tuesday and 1 lap on Wednesday (a much nicer day) with the camera.

Of course, it wouldn't be a running post for Bucharest without the usual risk of serious injury. In order to get completely around the lake, you have to cross this really old railroad bridge. Ok, when I say really old, I was being generous. It's actually falling apart and they are building a new bridge next to it, but it isn't done:

The first thing I had to do was climb up this muddy embankment. Then I had to cross the old bridge, doing this little balance beam type running that they don't tell you about in the running books. Amazingly, before I crossed I saw an actual warning sign, which is an unusual sight at Romanian construction sites. Of course, as a true Bucharest resident, I promptly ignored it and crossed anyway. Don't worry, right before I ran across I performed a detailed structural analysis of the bridge. I stepped on the edge of the first plank and jumped up and down a few times. After that, I pronounced it "structurally sound".

Coming up...Steve runs Egypt!

No Way!.......Way, we are off to Cairo on Tuesday for 5 days. Stay tuned.

The Contest: And the winner is....

I'll let Falco make the announcement:
Chuck R was able to "correctly-enough" guess the event. He had a little mistake, but he saved his guess by providing the winner of last years race (Clue #1) - that way I knew he had the right one. I think Chuck is going to pick prize #1 (Lemon-Lime) unless he waffles in the next 24 hours.

Runner-up Ashley was 2 minutes late, but he'll get a prize as well.

Note of Thanks

Good job fellas, and thanks to all of my loyal readers for participating!!! Comments to my blog are always welcome, even if there isn't a contest going on...Hearing from different people is fun and gives this slightly homesick runner something to look forward too....

Clue Wrap-up

Clue #6 was the Austrian Singer Falco, singing "Rock Me Amadeus", his rap tribute to Mozart (Clue #2). Falco also is the orginal singer of "Der Kommisar", which was done in German, the language of Austria. Falco, like Marie Antoinette (Clue #5), was born in Vienna, the race city. Mozart was born in Saltzburg, but lived and died in Vienna.

Steve's Race

The perfect answer I was looking for was "Wien-Energie Halbmarathon", which was won last year by Charles Ngolepns from Kenya with super fast time of 1:01:07 (about 10 minutes faster than the winner of the Romanian race I did this year). This is a huge event with lots going on
including 4 shorter races, one of which Maria will will get to do for her European race debut.

The City

Vienna looks like a cool city to visit. We are also planning on at least one day trip to Prague or Munich to add another city/country to the trip!

I guess that's it for The Contest, I'll let Falco wrap things up with what could be my Spring Half Marathon themesong....

Clue #6

Ok folks, here we have the original singer of the song covered in the English language by the group After the Fire in Clue #3 (He also had a video, but it is so bad, I decided not to use it - you can find it on YouTube).

Now this song, which many consider to be the first song in the"rap" genre to hit #1 on the pop charts in the mid 1980's, is a tribute to the dude pictured on Clue #2.

This singer, the guy in clue #2, and the woman in Clue #5 all have something in common - besides being dead...they all lived in Steve's race city at some point.

Clue #5

A old hottie (that's how she's played in her movie appearances anyway - you gotta love hollywood) with some help for you,

If you don't know the city after this clue, things look bleak for you...you must hope for a mistake by the leaders today.

Tomorrow's clue, if necessary, is a video clue which will help those still stumped by clues #2 and #3.

Clue #4

A monologue....

Maria is very excited about this race. She is excited because she also gets to race on the same day. She has already run a 1 mile race and a 5k in 2005, so I expect this 2k distance to be no problem. We will have to make sure we are careful with the Champion Chip, so it doesn't fall off my little running partner's shoe like it did during the 1 mile race last year.

A critical clue for those lucky enough to be farther along....

Tomorrow, another picture clue to help bring the back-of-the-pack folks closer to the front of the guessing race...

Saturday's Long Run - The Big Building

First, an update for "The Contest"

Time for a break from "The Contest". The next clue, a good one, will be posted Monday. Actually, all the clues this week will be good. I hope to have a winner by Wednesday.

OK, now for Saturdays long run..

Big time, I'm on my way-I'm making it
Big time, I've got to make it show yeah
- Peter Gabriel

Unless you ran around the Pentagon in Washington,DC or the Boeing facility in Everet, Washington or the Aerium in Germany, you won't top this run today. I ran to the People's Palace of Parliament, one of the largest buildings in the world in terms of volume and floor space. We visited the place as a family earlier this year, but this is the first time I ran in the vicinity (My runs weren't very long back then).

Here's some stats on this monstrosity from Wikipedia:

Volume: 90,052,400 cubic feet
Materials: 35,314,670 cubic feet of marble
700,000 metric tons of steel and bronze
31,783,200 cubic feet of wood
3,500 metric tons of crystal

The building was the brain child of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. It was originally called "House of the People", but the name was changed sometime after the Romanian Revolution and Ceausescu's execution. Ceausescu was known for a lot of things, mostly bad things. His sense of architecture is definitely one of those bad things, according to this reviewer:

"the combination of cultural and aesthetic illiteracy, rigid Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy and an innate taste for gigantism was… devastating"
-Edward Behr

Much of my run today traced the path of my run last week on Unirii Blvd, which runs right into the Palace. One thing I noticed while running is the hill that the palace sits on. If you're a Big guy like Ceausescu thought he was, then you're gonna build your Big office on the Big hill in the Big City, right? Never mind the historic neighborhoods that were demolished in the process, the building needed to be there - what a guy. It is also said that, due the amount of marble used in construction (Ceausescu wanted every material to be from Romania) , people had to scramble for alternate materials for tombstones.

And always they're amazed
When I show them round my house, to my bed
I had it made like a mountain range
With a snow-white pillow for my big fat head
- More Peter Gabriel

Yeah, I had that Peter Gabriel song in my head during most of the run. Once I turned onto Unirii Blvd, the Palace can be clearly seen 2 miles away as I ran towards it. I made it there 45 minutes into the run and then proceeded to do one lap around the secured perimeter. It took me over 16 minutes to get around the thing, covering 1.75 miles. It was weird going uphill after 10 months of running in this mostly flat city.

Got coke? - WWSJD? (What would Steve J do)

Ok, here's a scenario for you. You've been running for 80 minutes and you still have nearly 30 minutes to go. You're running out of gas (that pack of sports beans you ate 40 minutes ago is long gone), the wind is in your face, you nearly got ran over by a car doing 25 mph on the sidewalk and you're getting cranky. You've past several fast food joints throughout the run (including 2 McDonalds) and literally dozens of street vendors. Then... you see this place:

Well this is what Steve J would do. If Steve J had 3 Lei in his pocket (he did), he would run in that store (he did) and get himself a 1/2 liter coke (yep, he did). Yes, oh yes, coke never tasted so good. 10 minutes (and a several belches) later I was fired up and picking up the pace for a high-energy finish. It doesn't get any better than this...

Or does it?

I got back to the apartment feeling rather pleased with myself for this 11.6 mile run. I also still had a good caffiene/sugar high going from the coke. When I got upstairs, I realized the Coolest Helpmeet Ever was making things happen. Check it out:

Yes, the woman was fixing Churros. Churros are Spanish donuts, and they rock! Apparently she and Maria found some frozen churros during their last visit to Auchan (the newest hypermarket) while I was at work this week. All you have to do is remove from the freezer and fry them in oil (can't go wrong there) and sprinkle with sugar. Sweeeeet! (literally).

Clue #3

Although some 80's music knowlege would be a plus, if you can utilize google, you should be good to go...and take a big step towards figuring it out.

The Contest, Clue #2

A little retro, but this dude is stylin'

Guesses to the previous post (11/14) will no longer count.

Let the guessing for Clue #2 begin!

Clue #3 (a video clue) will be posted in 24-48 hrs.

The Contest! Where in the world is....

Steve gonna race next?

The History

I was trying to come up with a Spring 2007 running goal (race) the other day, but as usual, living in Romania has its limitations. The first problem is trying to find any races scheduled in advance in Romania. The second problem is then trying to figure out how to register - no simple online registration seems to be available here. How am I supposed to train for a race if don't know (1) exactly when it is (2) where it is (3) what distance it is? Especially for these small races here - I may not find out until just a few weeks in advance, if at all.

Then, a thought hit me. "Why do I have to run in Romania?" (Wow, Steve J thinking outside the box - watch out!) "Instead, why don't I pick a big race in a really cool foreign city that we haven't visited yet?" Needless to say, the Coolest Helpmeet Ever was totally on-board with this plan. Yep, convincing Dana to travel and see new places - real tough! It took a little bit of Internet research (of course, this is one thing I'm extremely good at) to find the right fit, but I found one.

The Contest

Since you can't have a really cool blog until you sponsor some kind of contest, here goes nothin'. The good thing about this contest is this: with my meager blog audience, you (that's right, you!) have a good shot at winning.

So, my challenge to you is guess (1) the city I will race in (2) the exact name of the race in its native language. The first one to post a comment with the answer will win...(drum roll)

The Prize

Take your pick of (1), (2), 0r (3).

(1) A 24 pack box of Jelly Belly Sports Beans! Yes, the same product used by Steve J to achieve his fantastic 1:47:00 half marathon debut. OK everyone say "OOOoooh...Ahhhhhhh." (You choose the flavor - Fruit Punch, Berry Blue, Orange or the as pictured Lemon-Lime)

(2) A 16 pack box of Jelly Belly Sports Beans! A little scared of commitment? Decision challenged? Relax, choose this option and try all the flavors.

(3) A Jelly Belly 50 flavor gift box! (The non-athletic version is perfect for those looking to score points with the spouse or suck up to the boss at the company Christmas party)

The Rules

Place your guess by commenting to the blog. Starting today, you get 1 guess per post. If you are "blogger challenged" and are unable to leave a comment, email your guess to me at sjutton@yahoo.com. Make sure you name is in the comment, especially if you post as "anonymous" on blogger.

Note: You snooze you lose. You can only guess to the current post. You cannot go back and add a guess to an old post.

The first person to correctly guess the city and race wins!

Clue #1 (written clue) :

A Kenyan won this race in 2006 with a ridiculously fast time (go figure).

Let the guessing begin!

Clue #2 (picture clue) will be posted in 24-48 hrs.

Back on the Streets of Bucharest - Long Run Saturday

First, a quick recap of my training week:

Monday: 1 Hour massage, $10 (starting a training week right - PRICELESS...heh heh heh)

Tuesday: Speed session at Parcul National (Lots of people at that track today to observe my impressive 800 meter repeats)

Wednesday: 5 mile run (horrible - I underdressed for the cold and was sore from trying to show off on Tuesday)

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 4 miles easy (warm-up for today's long run)

Saturday: Long run at 7 am followed later by massage ($10) at 3 pm (recovering from a long run right - PRICELESS, heh heh heh)

Taking it to the streets (of Bucharest)

My long runs have become a bit dull lately. My usual route involves running to Parcul National for a few laps on the track and then heading over to Parcul Titan for more loops of my 1 mile course. The good thing about this route is the safety factor. There are not too many street crossings to make and the stray dog incidents are usually minimal. The bad thing is the continuous laps which can make any run a real bore.

That was my plan today until I was about .5 mile into my run and I started thinking about adding some variety. So, right before I entered Parcul National, I turned left and headed west towards the city center. Note: A couple of these pics were made by me earlier in the year and some I borrowed off the net.

The street in front of Parcul National pretty much follows a direct path west into the city center, although it changes names 3 or 4 times. After about 33 minutes, I reached Piaţa Unirii (United Square). Piaţa Unirii is one of the city's biggest commercial centers.

Ironically, the square from where communist dictator Ceauşescu's huge office building can be scene (1st pic), is now the center of capitalism run amonk in Bucharest. The same buildings which were intended to house the communist party faithful are covered with billboards and other monuments to free enterprise (maybe too much eh?).

After circling Unirii Shopping Center (big ugly bloc building that was turned into one of the city's first malls), I headed back towards our Titan neighborhood on Unirii Boulevard. Uniri Boulevard is a big wide street which runs from the Parliment building on the west to a large roundabout on the east side. It is actually a really nice street to run on with large asphalt sidewalks. Before the revolution, Unirii Blvd was originally named by the communists as "Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism"...Oops!

It is here on Unirii Blvd, that you see one of the contrasts of Bucharest. Right across the street from a brand new western style office building is this: (Last pic on right). This unfinished hulk of a building is the National libary, which was started in 1986, 3 years before the execution of Ceauşescu. Construction did continue after the revolution, but has now stopped completely due to funding problems. The building serves as a reminder of both past and current problems facing the city.

The run was real nice. Total distance: about 11.5 miles in 1 hr 49 min. The early morning Saturday traffic was not bad. I rarely had to stop during most street crossings. Mental note: When you run by coffee shops, pastry stops, and various other fast food joints 50 minutes into a 2 hr run - this is not good, especially if you don't have money. I was dragging when I hit Parcul Titan and I finished with a few laps of my 1 mile course there before calling it a day.

By the way, don't worry - the contest will start soon. I just have to finalize a couple of things...

Brrrrrr!, This weeks running wrap.

Before I start, let me congratulate my bud Ashley for his performance at the Ford Ironman Florida race yesterday. Ashley didn't just finish his first Ironman, he smoked it! Ashley's numbers (excluding transition times):

Swim (2.4 mile) = 1:10:59, Bike (112 mile) = 6:06:20 Run (26.2 mile) = 4:29:41

Total Time: 12:02:34, this puts Ashley in the top 1/3 of the over 2100 finishers.

Feel free to drop by Ashley's blog later this week as he reflects on his accomplishment (no pressure buddy)

November begins

The approaching Romanian winter played havoc with my running schedule this week. A cold front rolled in on Thursday bringing cold, rain, and a little zapada (that's snow in Romanian). I waited as long as I could, skipping Thursday and Friday, but had to suck it up on Saturday. It was a brisk 28 Degrees F for my run Saturday morning. I didn't go as long as I wanted due to a fast pace (Not employing any serious training strategy - I was trying to stay warm), but completed around 8 miles. The middle part of the run was actually enjoyable. Titan Park was quiet and a light coat of the white stuff was clearly visible on the grass. I needed to double up on gloves as the light pair I brought didn't quite cut it towards the end.

Sunday's Double

It warmed up a little bit today, but not much. With the wind, it felt a lot colder than the 46 degrees F that the internet was telling us. I had been promising Maria a run for a while, so it was time to cash in. Before the run, we "fueled up" at a Chinese restaurant in the Bucharest Mall after church. This Chinese place is surprisingly good, and as you know, I'm not exactly a model of perfect training nutrition. I enjoy running, but not as much as I enjoy good food! After taking a quick "power nap" to help the Chinese settle down, Maria was chomping at the bit to get out into the windy cold.

We had a nice 17 minute run (1.5 miles or so) in Titan Park. Needless to say, we received a lot of "looks" from the Romanians, especially the older ones. Bringing my poor little girl out into the cold with shorts on, I'm probably lucky someone didn't call the cops.

After the run with Maria, I decided to head back out there. I quickly changed my shirt because (a) I'm superman (b) I'm a wuss who wanted a warm dry shirt - I report, you decide. I was able to put in a comfortable 7 miler which brought my weekend total to over 15 miles and a ending a satisfying 27 mile week.

Odd running sight of the week: For me, seeing a desperate smoker pick up a used cigarette off the ground to get the last few puffs will be forever associated with Bucharest. I'm sure some of the poor, desperate smokers in American cities do this too, I've just never seen it until I came here. I've seen this several times before today and I'm sure I'll see it more. Many people here expect a hefty tax on the "cancer sticks" after Romania enters the EU next year. I'm not really a fan of the government running peoples lives, but with the high smoking rates here in Romania - this tax may not be a bad idea.

Guess Steve's 2007 Spring Running Goal - The Contest...coming soon. Stay tuned!

This week: Steve coming to grips...

with the fact that it is getting cold out. Both runs so far this week were done in 45 degree temperatures. And it's going to get colder....

with the fact that my family and I will be here in Romania far into 2007. My blog headline has been tweaked to reflect this.

with the fact that my friend Ashley is 48hrs from competing in an Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). Go Ashley!

with the fact that life (as good as it may be) is temporary. Sometimes, too temporary for the nicest of people...

David Thomson Chapman, 47, of Greenville, S.C., formerly of Seattle, Wash., died Thursday, October 26, 2006, at Greenville Memorial Medical Center....Mr. Chapman graduated from Wade Hampton High School, Class of 1977, and Clemson University, Class of 1981 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. He attended Edwards Road Baptist Church...
He was a design engineer with D3 Technologies. Mr. Chapman was previously employed with Boeing and Lockheed Martin, where he helped design both military and commercial aircraft...Surviving, in addition to his parents and wife, are two sons, Nick and Joe Chapman....Mr. Chapman was a devoted husband, father, and precious son. He was loved dearly by all of his family and friends...

with the fact that I know where Dave C is now.....

John 5:24 (New International Version)
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life"

Week wrap, A streak comes to an end...

Streaks are very common in sports. You have winning streaks, losing streaks, hitting streaks, scoring streaks, etc etc. The streaks themselves have one thing in common: sooner or later they all come to an end. Friday's run would prove this fact. It started out so innocent - just a little slow-n-easy 4 miler to prepare for a Saturday long run. The run itself was just fine and it wasn't until after I got home, drank some gatorade, and looked down to untie my shoes that I realized the streak was over.

Steve steps in "it"

I was kind of upset at first (and the Helpmeet much more than me), but now that I've been thinking about it...not so much. It really is a miracle that I was able to run 500+ miles in the city of Bucharest without stepping in a big pile of dog excrement. With around 100,000+ (some estimates are at 200,000) stray dogs in this city AND peoples pet dogs too, this streak really should be published in the Guiness book or something. Oh well, it all came to an end Friday.

Do you remember those pretty fall pictures I posted earlier this week? Were you admiring the pretty colors of the trees? Well, let me tell you those pretty falling leaves have a dark side. They provide the perfect camouflage for dog poopies. Think about that the next time you drive to the country to admire the fall foliage! I know I will. The leaf cover was so good, I didn't even notice what I had stepped in. As you can expect, it wasn't pretty when I got back to the apartment and walked around a bit. My Asics shoes were quickly quarantined (after careful consideration, I decided NOT to post a pic) on the balcony and Dana went crazy lighting candles everywhere.

From poopies to pampering - Saturday's run and massage

You can tell by the subject heading that Saturday just rocked! I had a nice 10.6 mile run first thing in the morning. It was a good run on a nice cool fall day. The highlight of the day was not the run, however. Dana had scheduled an appointment with a massage therapist for both of us. So, at 3:00 Aurelia showed up and "beat up" on us for an hour each. The price for 1 hour of massage (and a good one too!) = $10 USD which includes tip!!! For that price, you can expect this to be a training staple for the rest of my time running in Romania. Yahooo!

Fall in Titan Park

My apologizes for that little "episode" that became my last post. With the exception of my 1 week in Upstate, NY, I've been out of the USA for nearly 10 full months now (that's my excuse for a little nuttiness).

Thankfully, last week's cold snap was just temporary. The temperatures rebounded into the 70's this week, which has been great.

I've had 2 nice runs in the park this week, a 7 miler and 4 miler. The colors are pretty much past peak now but still really nice to look at. The leaves are falling fast though. I took these photos on my rest day today.

The park is beginning to quiet down, but you can still find activity on the warmer days. The running has been nice with less people to dodge.

On the south side, the dredging boat is still digging away along the shoreline making a big mess. Also, the old out-of-shape "speedo men" and their equally old scantily dressed female companions have dwindled in number. You can see them on the left side of the photo on the upper bank. This is the sunniest spot in the park where they first appeared this spring. It looks like they will make their last attempts at the perfect tan here until winter arrives.

Steve: HTML Genius?

I hope you are noticing the subtle enhancements to my blog, especially in the sidebars. I'm slowly progressing in my knowledge of the HTML language for formatting blogs. I'm almost ready to step up from "completely HTML ignorant" status to "knows enough HTML to screw stuff up" status. (hint: you'll know when I've reached this next level after the blog goes down) -

Special Thanks to my bud Ashley for assisting me with my new running stats link. You rock!

Exciting stuff ahead

Ok, not really...my regular readers know I like eye-catching subject lines. What is coming up? I am putting together my first blog contest and you all get to participate. The great news is this: If you know how big my blog audience is, then you know you have a pretty good shot at winning. Stay tuned for the details.

What goes on inside Steve's head while running...

I had my first post race run on Thursday. It has been cold this week. I'm in a weird mood, so I figured I'd give you a glimpse of what goes on upstairs while I run....

Steve: "Man, it's cold today..."

Winter: "Hey Steve. Are ya a little chilly? I notice you got the long sleeve on today"

Steve: "Huh? Who are you?"

Winter: "Dude, it's me man, Winter"

Steve: "What? Wait a minute. You're a SEASON. You can't talk"

Winter: "Oh yeah, I'm talking to you now. Why do you think you're wearing that long sleeve"

Steve: "Hold on...It's only mid October. You shouldn't be here yet"

Winter: "I just wanted to stop by and let you know I'm coming. I'm gonna beat you down this year"

Steve: "Shut up. We shouldn't be having this conversation. First of all, It's only October. Second of all, I'm not a pagan. Seasons can't talk"

Winter: "You're so logical. That's another thing I hate about you. Me and my friend, the Russian wind, can't wait to see you next month. You're goin' down!"

Steve: "Ok, I'm not hearing this. La la la la la la la la la la. "

Autumn: "Don't worry Steve, we still have several weeks left together. Just think about that kickin' race we had together last week in those nice moderate temperatures I gave you. We'll be back in the high 60's next week, I promise."

Steve: "Thanks buddy. I needed that."

Steve’s Romanian Half-Marathon

What a cool experience this was! There were so many firsts. It was my first half-marathon (13.1 mile) race. Before this, my longest race was 8km (5 miles). It was my first road race in Romania as well as my first international race as well. Most of this blog entry will focus on the race experience. Dana will fill in the rest of the trip details on the family blog. This is kind of long, so if you're at Lockheed reading this (you know who you are), you should fill up with coffee first.

Getting there on the Train

I am so glad we did this instead of driving. It was great to see so much of the Romanian countryside and the Danube River area. The train went west from Bucharest until hitting the Danube River which forms part of the border with Serbia & Montenegro before it turned north towards Timisoara. From a running point of view, it was great to be able to move around regularly. We had a great pasta dinner at our hotel, the Continental before calling it a night.

Pre-race Orientation – ok, where is it?

After a good breakfast, Maria and I headed outside to locate the start and finish for the race. It was about 8:30 and according to the information I had with me, the Marathon was scheduled to start at 10:00 and the Half-Marathon at 10:30. After about 10 min, we found what I thought was the starting area and there was nobody in sight. I also didn’t see any evidence of a race course set up in the road either (more on this later). I then figured we’d have better luck at the finish area and I was right about that. We found the finish line where a guy was unloading some stuff. I said “Buna Diminaţa” (Good morning in Romanian) and he said “huh?”. I thought "Great", that went well - now what?. I then said “Romanian?”. He replied “No!, Hungarian”. So I said “Servus!” (Pronounced “SIR-VOOSE” meaning “Hello” in Hungarian). He smiled and we continued in English. Ok, so how in the world did I know “hello” in Hungarian? Hungarians are Romania’s largest minority group and one of my coworkers here used that greeting once, and I learned it. I know you’re impressed.

The Hungarian guy gave me two important pieces of information. He showed me where to pick up the race packet and he informed me that both the Marathon and Semi-Marathon were scheduled to start at 10:00. By the time I got my race packet, it was already 9:00, so Maria and I hustled back to the hotel so I could get changed.

Warm-ups – Steve rubs elbows with one of the greats

So I got dressed and we all headed back to the finish area. It was about 9:30 and a small crowd was gathering. It was neat to be in an international setting. One guy, an Italian, came over to “chat” with us. We were able to make minimal small talk, but it was tough. I only knew a few Italian words and he (being an older guy) had minimal English skills. There was also a wide variety of long distance attire as well. Some people ran either the half or full marathon in Chuck Taylor all-star type shoes. Take a look. Talk about minimal footwear for a marathon! One guy had long pants on too!

It was then that we noticed several people taking pictures. After watching for a few minutes, we realized that a bunch of people were getting pictures with the same woman. It was Gabby Szabo! Gabby Szabo is perhaps Romania’s greatest distance runner. Among her many accomplishments:

1996 Olympics: Silver medal, 1500 meters
2000 Olympics: Gold medal, 5000 meters

She also has gold medals at several World (indoor and outdoor) Championships and had previously held world records for 2000, 3000, and 5000 meter indoor distance races.

I have to admit, I was a little intimidated so I asked another friendly Romanian girl to approach her and ask for a photo. Not only did Gabby oblige our photo-op, but we had a nice conversation also. After I told her I was American, she mentioned that she had spent a lot of time in the US for training while she was being sponsored by Nike. I figure now that we’re friends, she’ll put in a good word for me at Nike (I’m expecting a call any day now).

The start (on Romanian time, of course!).

With about 10 minutes to go, I was ready. I had eaten a bag of sports beans (thanks Granny!) and was sipping small amounts of water to wash them down. I conducted my warm-ups with the help of Maria. We chased pidgeon's at the same time, so I guess you can say we killed two birds with one stone (haw haw haw).

At about 9:50, we noticed the race director feverishly working his cell phone. I knew there was some sort of problem, but I could not fully understand the guy when he announced the delay with a bullhorn in Romanian. I was optimistically hoping they were having a little trouble closing off the roads for the race (boy was I wrong about that). After about a 40 minute delay, he made another announcement and I followed the crowd to the starting line. A bunch more announcements followed (all in Romanian) thanking such and such sponsors and then Gabby Szabo started the race.

At the sound of the gun, everybody took off. I mean really took off! I couldn’t believe how fast everyone started this race. Maybe this wasn’t really a half-marathon? Maybe they were running to catch a bus? I tell ya, I don’t think 7-10 year old boys on a 1 mile fun run would go any faster. For about 200-300 meters everyone ran out with the leaders, except me, thank the Lord. For once in a race, I used my head and stuck with my plan.

I cruised toward the first turn comfortably alone and in last place.

First 5k (3.1 miles)

Even while cruising at a slow pace, I started passing people long before I reached the 5k point. That was the good news, since passing people is fun. Coming from the back of the pack, nobody would pass me during this whole race. The bad news was that I realized they were not going to close the roads as I optimistically hoped. (Yet another good reason which proves optimism is a waste of time). They had volunteers at most intersections, but apparently they were only there to tell you where to go if you survived crossing the busy Timisoara traffic. It was insane! Shortly after the 5k point, I got a nice lift seeing Dana and Maria cheering me on.

Halfway point.

I felt good after the first 5k, but I resisted the urge to pick up the pace. I caught up to an older British guy and we chatted a bit while we ran together (and dodged 18 wheelers, open manholes and other fun things like that) for the next 3 miles or so. The middle part of the course was located in a major road construction zone. It looked totally awful, but the traffic was real light which allowed us to relax for the only time in the race. In the vicinity of the 10k (or halfway point) the Brit hit the water station and I used that as an excuse to drop him and start racing. I was feeling invincible and really started to push the pace. I had passed quite a few people by this point and the remaining runners were really spaced out – I only saw and passed 4-5 more people during the second half of the race. A few were doing the full marathon and were understandably going slower.

Incidentally, I only hit one water station during the race (somewhere near 15k). The water I grabbed was carbonated (yuck, how do you drink carbonated water during a race and actually keep it down?). Needless to say, I just dumped it on myself and did not stop for any other stations.

Bringing it home

Ok, things were really looking good until around mile 11 (I’m just guessing). I guess I hit a mini-wall because I started breathing heavy and I could feel my heart-rate jump. I could see the huge Metropolitan Church at this point so I told myself to keep the feet moving. I decreased my strides, but still tried to keep my feet moving as fast as possible. A few minutes of these baby steps and things started to feel better. I had just a little energy left for the final ¼ mile or so. The final sprint was interesting as there where dozens of pedestrians wandering around the square about 100 yards from the finish. I was happy I came in without running down any toddlers. None of these people had any idea there was a race going on. My time was 1:47:00. You can see my stealth finish here. No really, I did do it. Don’t you just love that delay on some digital cameras; I know Dana does…heh heh heh.

Ok, here’s the numbers on my finish: My Time: 1:47:00 Place: 26 out of 43 men, 30 of 56 overall, 5th in the 30-39 age group, 1st American (ok, I made those last two categories up)

1st place guy: 1:09:49 (smokin’), 1st place lady: 1:20:52 (also impressive)

Wrap-up

Right after the finish, a girl came up to me with a medal and a diploma, stamped of course (if you read our blogs you know how much they like ink stamps here). For some reason, I think she thought I was tired. I have no idea why. My new friend Gabby Szabo was also there and she autographed my diploma. By the time I was coherent, Dana had hold of my goodie bag.

Check it out – Candy and Wine. (Hey, we are in Europe).

Changes in the Hood, Part II

Here's a few extra pics. Check out this Before (February) and After (October) from our street. Our apartment building is the big building in the background. Those little white posts make a big difference! Also notice that the junkie garages on the right hand side were replace with a gated playground (and a parking lot behind the playground).












My runs to Parcul Titan and Parcul National have been affected around the edge of the park where more parking is being added. From left to right, you can see the transformation from a pedestrian city (large sidewalks) to a motorized one (smaller sidewalks and much needed parking space).

BEFORE

Sure this looks really nice while running, until you see a car driving on it to avoid traffic. There are no cars here now because they are about to tear it up. See the next photo.



DURING

Here they are tearing up the large sidewalk. The lack of any kinds of safety barriers, warning tape, etc. while heavy machinery is running is pretty much standard here. Of course, I'm used to looking down at my feet to check the pavement while running here - this is just another reason to do so!


AFTER

On this side of the park, they are already finished. You now have a smaller sidewalk (with a nice high curb) to help reduce the temptation to drive on it. You also have the much needed parking spaces.



Of course there's still a lot to do. Many of the positive changes bring on negatives in other areas. For example, on the back side of our apartment building is this street. Try to use those sidewalks! Uh, what sidewalks?

With the increasing amount of money coming in from the European Union (Romania joins next year), the USA and others, there will be more changes for sure.