Back on the road!

Well after about 2 weeks lost due to that nasty stomach flu bug-thing, I got back out there yesterday. After work, I headed out to Parcul Titan for a short 3 mile run that basically was one lap around Lacul Titan. To make things interesting, I tried out a pair of new shoes, Addis Supernova Cushion. They were a Christmas gift from "The Granny" (my mom-in-law) and I am going to rotate them with my current pair. The shoes felt good, but the run was pityfully slow. However, today I feel great, and I plan to get back to running every other day this week.

Looking Ahead...

Ok, now what? How do I keep this blog going and keep it interesting? Well, I got two things to offer ya. First, I'm setting a personal goal of running the Dracula Half-Marathon on Oct 15, so I will chronical my training for that. I know what your thinking - "Gee Steve, that's great, so where does the interesting part come in?". Okay, since I have to do some long practice runs to get ready for this thing, I'm going to try to pick a new running locale in the city and do my long run there. (And yes Nathan, I will try to take photos of these different locations too).

Losing the "ole ball-n-chain" again...

Ha ha ha. Those who are actively praying for me here should remember to double their efforts beginning on June 1. Yep, its time for Dana and Maria to head back to the states for the next two months. I will be back to depending 100% on my inept self for all my basic needs. It sounds pathetic, but its not really that bad. This time, unlike January, I have several things going for me:

(1) I actually have a permanent residence
(2) It's summer, so it doesn't feel like Sibera outside
(2) Dana will be leaving me with a freezer stocked with meat ready to cook
(3) Dana will be leaving cooking instructions for the aforementioned meat as well as rice, sides, etc.
(4) Praise the Lord, this time I have a car with an automatic transmission
(5) I actually know my way around this town - scary
(6) I have learned the appropriate times when its ok to drive like a "jerk" to survive the daily commute.

By the way, if this blog gets stale, check on the "Romanian Adventure" family blog. I will be doing some posting there from time to time with some of the stuff I've learned about Romania and Bucharest. I have to fill in for Dana, and it will help me pass the time while the family is away also.

Steve struggles with the bird flu

Ok, I may not have the bird flu, but a statement like that makes a great eye-catching blog headline. However, I certainly got something and it's pretty nasty.

Down and Out...

Within 2 hrs of drinking my celebratory first bottle of gatorade on Saturday, I noticed I was feeling it bit sore - unusual for a relatively moderate 6 mile run. Well, the fever and chills quickly followed and I hit the couch for the next 3 1/2 days. I finally had the energy to go to work Wed and Thurs, but I must have pushed it too hard cause here I sit on the couch today.

Thankfully the fever & chills are gone, but I still got the runs (and not the good kind that I blog about either) and I'm fighting to stay hydrated due to that. Yuck!!! I'm hoping the Immodium (yahoo, its cheap here!) will come through soon, but it looks like you won't see a running post until next week.

Sunny Saturday in Bucharest

It was a tough week to run. Dana and Maria took turns being sick (2 fevers, 2 long trips to the doctors, and 5 consecutive days of having one of my girls on the couch). Dana is pretty much well now, while Maria is still on the couch as I write this. Her fever on Thursday was measured at 103.5 at the doctors office, but the blood work was negative so it became just a matter of resting and drinking fluids.

In addition to the family stuff, the weather was a bit foul Wed, Thurs, Fri (refer to my dumb rain post). On the good side, the weather cleared up nicely today and I got my 3rd run this week into the books, and totaled about 15 miles for the week.

Bucharest warms up

The weather today seems to officially begin the summer warming trend. I'm told to expect possible temps of 100 in July/August. I guess we'll see. For today, it was approaching 80. I don't think we hit 80 officially, but its always warmer in the city (concrete effect) than at the airport where the weather station is.

Overall, it was a pretty good run. Due to the warm temps, I kept the pace a little slow to make sure I got a good 6 miles in. I basically ran all over Parcul Titan and finished up at Lacul Titan with a couple of laps. The only trouble I had, as I should of expected, was the sunbathing area south of the Bridge.

Speedos, Bikinis and Old People, OH MY!

I hate to dwell on this subject, but...Anyway, the speedos are beginning to multiply like rabbits. I think for every degree above 75, there are at least 2-4 more old speedo men in the park. And not only that, they are bringing their bikini clad old ladies with them.

So, as I was about to finish my first lap around the lake, there he was. This was another 50 something year old guy in a white speedo standing right in the middle of the path! He was a lot scrawnier than the guy from last week, but the sight was just as hideous. Scrawny, fat, or fit - nobody should be wearing those things! I had to run to the right of the guy, and by doing that, I had to look in the direction of the bikini clad elderly women soaking up the rays in the grass.

Insult to injury - here's buns in your eye.

Lest you all think I'm a sick-o let me just preface this next event with this fact. When you run, you are always looking around. It's natural, it makes the run go by quicker - It's fun (usually). I like to take in the scenery - If I had to run indoors all the time, I would have quit running a while ago.

Okay, I was nearly recovered from the sights of speedos and bikinis when I notice 3 younger guys goofing around in the water at the edge of the lake. Just at the instant I saw these guys, one guy pulls the shorts down of his buddie (a common prank for goofy boys). So, in addition to the horrifying sights of old people wearing bikinis and speeds - I get mooned too. Maybe running indoors isn't a bad idea after all?

Special Thanks to Ashley

I have had a hard time finding Gatorade in this town. When I have found it, I haven't found much. So my homey, Ashley (part of my ever expanding blogger audience - I think I'm up to 5 now - woo whooo) hooked me up by placing a few cans in the care package of office supplies we recieved from work.

Thanks Man!

I'm expecting a call from Gatorade any day now for an endorsement deal. Think of how many will starting drinking the stuff after seeing this guy!

Steve's dumb reasoning for running in rain

Well, as you can guess from the title, I ran over 5 miles in the rain in Bucharest yesterday. I thought I'd give some insight as to why I would do this.

First, for a normal person, this is a simple issue. A normal person looks outside and thinks this: "Look, it's rainy and cold outside. I think I'll stay inside and wait for a nicer day to run". Case closed.

Well as you know, I'm not a normal person. So I thought I'd do a very un-Freudian analysis of what goes through my head while I decide whether to run in the rain or not.

Thought 1: If I don't run today, I won't get to enter any miles in my running log (ego/geekness)

Thought 2: If I don't run today, I won't have any gps data to upload and analyze (geekness)

Thought 3: The rain will mean a lower concentration of people in the park, and thus less course adjustments (definitely geekness)

Thought 4: The rain will mean a lower concentration of people in the park, and thus less people staring and laughing at me (ego)

Thought 5: Running today is optimal after an good nights sleep and a rest day yesterday (geekness)

Thought 6: Cooler temperatures during the rain will help minimize my chances of overheating. (geekness)

Thought 7: I will be able to blog about my macho-man drive that motivates me to run in the rain (ego)

Thought 8: Annie is probably wrong. The Sun may not come out tomorrow. I might as well run in the rain today since tomorrow will probably be worse (pessimism)

Steve's even dumber reasoning for running in a thunderstorm.

Yes, it gets better. About 0.8 miles into my run yesterday, I heard the first clap of thunder. Of course, I continued my run. Here's my extended list of reasons for running in a thunderstorm.

Thought 9: Was that really thunder? Hmmm...I didn't see any lightning. It still must be pretty safe. (ignorance - meteorology would obviously not be a good career move for me)

Thought 10: If I quit now, my running log would look really pathetic with a 1.6 mile run in it (ego)

Thought 11: (2-3 miles in after numerous claps of thunder) Boy this is great, the park is really empty. This will really help me keep an even pace (geekness)

Conclusion:

This just goes to show you that just because someone has a blog, it doesn't mean that they're intelligent.

Titan in the Springtime

Well Parcul Titan is not as pretty as the parks in Paris, but its a heck of a lot cheaper to eat your post run meal here! The weather for today's run, a 5 miler, was outstanding. Like most of the month, the temp was in the mid 60's and sunny. What made today great was the lack of wind.

As you can see, many of the pathways are now shaded and provide additional wind protection as well as the aesthetics.

Before the run, I finally got those pic's you've all been waiting for. These next 3 you can compare with similar photos from my March 3 post titled "Titan Exposed". The additional photos come from the northwest section of the park that has brand new pavement and a really nice fountain which has been turned on for the season. Here we go:
First, from the bridge on the road that divides the park. This first shot is the northern half of Lacul Titan.

The morning was a bit cool today, so there were not very many people around when we took these pics.








Now, of course is the southern half. The Sun snuck behind a cloud on this one. You may need to double-click to expand it.

Of course, my assistant was available to assist me. Nearby where we took this photo is an area with a bunch of frogs. They look normal, but they have the weirdest croaking noise here.

And finally, 2 more pics of the northwest section, newly paved pathway and the fountain.

Its hard to tell, but if you look at these trees in this last photo, you will notice a kind of flower. These things are actually a collection of smaller white fuzzy things. The wind sends them into the air and I've ingested quite a few of them running - yick!.

From Real mountains to Urban mountains.

Well, its back to the old grind. After a great weekend in the Romanian Mountians taking in scenery like this, it was time to get back to the running routine.

I was a little fatigued today and didn't feel like running. I don't know if my fatigue was caused by 2 consectutive long weekends fo travel or the intense workouts I had in the Romanian countryside:

Ok, I'm kidding. I just posed for this shot of the "workout center" in one of the guesthouses. We actually didn't stay at this guesthouse, that had the gym, they were full. We stayed at the owners cousin's house a few doors down.

Anyway, today's run at the park was ok. As usual there was wind, but the temp was a nice 65 F. I ran 1 lap around lacul Titan, along with a slight detour to the freshly paved northwest section of the park. It was a pleasant run there, not only becauses of the brand-spanking-new pavement, but they also had the fountains going - and that added greatly to overall appearance of the park.

Speaking of appearances, I know what you're thinking. "Where are the spring pictures of the park you promised, Steeeeeeve?" I'll admit it - I'm a slacker. But soon my friends, soon....For now I will leave you with a couple of pictures from the balcony of Steve's crib.

January Pic:

Today:

Oh, and one bonus pic of the post run meal on the barbie, "Carnati Afumat" baby!!!