Steve is "ALL IN" for his Romanian half-marathon

Well, there’s no turning back now. I have sent in my registration form and paid my 300,000 lei (about 11 bucks). As expected, registering for a race in Romania is complicated, like everything else here.

Taking no chances

After my recent lengthy episodes paying the speeding ticket and going to the dentist (you can read about them HERE), I decided not to fool around this time. I enlisted the help of my coworker, Daniela, for the whole duration.


Step 1: The first thing I had to due was get a registration form. I was stunned at how easy this part was. They actually have a really good website for this race and printing the form was no problem.

Step 2: The instructions on the form were a little confusing. We were not sure if I (foreigner) had to pay a higher fee. So, Daniela called the race director in the city of Timisoara. He was really nice and told Daniela it was no problem and would be charged the same fee as the Romanians. He was excited about the race kept on talking to Daniela. He told her that the great Romanian female distance runner, 2000 Olympic gold medalist Gabriela Szabo would start the race. Gabi, as she is called, has her own website HERE where you historical buffs can read about here accomplishments.

Step 3: Bancpost. After filling out the registration form, the next step was to pay the registration fee. That had to be done a specific bank, named Bancpost. The fee would be deposited to an account number that was provided on the instructions. So, I “borrowed” Daniela from work today and headed out. We found the nearest Bancpost and took care of this without problem. Of course, we obtained a stamped receipt of payment (you will get a stamped receipt for anything you do that is remotely considered official in Romania)

Step 4: Posta Romania. With the fee paid, the only other thing to do was mail the original receipt with the original registration form to the Marathon club in Timisoara. Just in case, we made copies at the post office for 3000 lei (11 cents). Daniela also suggested using the Romanian version of a certified letter. That way, I will be notified when the mail is delivered. Boy, I’m glad she came with me since I had no idea how to do that.

Steve's "Inspired" long run

Rain Delay

Saturday morning has been my "long run" time for half-marathon training. My plan today was to go for 9 miles at least. This would be a personal record for me as far as distance goes. My two longest runs were 8.2 miles (from Nov 2005) and the 8.1 miler I did last week. Bucharest has a very dry climate compared to my home in Simpsonville, SC. Average monthly rainfall is usually half of what the upstate South Carolina region usually receives, so it is a rare thing when rain -n- thunder interrupts my running routine. Well, this morning I awoke to a nasty storm outside. With the lightning and thunder, I decided to wait this one out. So instead, we all went to the Selgros (Romanian Sam's club) store for our weekly grocery run and the obligatory stop at the Fornetti stand (conveniently located inside Selgros) for some apple pastries. There's nothing like apple pastry carbohydrate loading to put you in the running mood.

Steve's training "partner" goes down

After we got back and unloaded the groceries, the rain had stopped, the sun was out, and the Bucharest quick-dry was already in full swing. I continually find it amazing, having never lived in a dry climate, how quickly the rain water evaporates here. So I got dressed, grabbed my fancy running watch and headed out door. I walked to the usual starting spot where I power up the watch and acquire the satellites which track my distance and speed. It was there that tragedy struck! I hit the power button on the watch and....nothing. I tried everything to revive my watch, but nothing worked. I went back inside, got on the internet, and searched high and low in cyberspace - nothing worked. Most of the people who had written about this problem had sent there watch back for service. (Yeah, like that's going to work with the Romanian mail system). The only way my watch will work is when it’s connected to a power source. You can see my friend now, attached to his “life support” cable, unable to function on his own. Running with a geeked-up watch is one thing, but running with a 10 lb laptop attached is a little much - even for me.

“Steve use the force…uh..I mean use your inner GPS”

I was as low as you can get. I thought about not running at all. How can it be any fun without my little “buddy”? I won’t have him there anymore weighing down my left arm, chirping & beeping with every mile complete and showing my real-time speed. Who would announce to the Romanian’s that an American running geek was approaching? And more importantly, how would I know how fast I was going and when I would reach 9 miles? Suddenly, I thought back to this article that I read this past week. This guy rambled on about how modern runners are too addicted and dependent on technology. He says we should intentionally leave the technology at home and go running naturally once and a while. As you can imagine, when I read the article, I though he was STUPID with a capital “S”. But what can I say, today I thought about it differently.

Ok, now cue the theme song for “Chariots of Fire”

So, with a hug of consolation from the coolest Helpmeet ever, I trudged out the door with my old $30 Timex and a small, but growing bit of determination. I started running to the smoothly paved section of the park and began my laps. I knew each lap was around ¾ of a mile, but I wasn’t sure exactly. From there, I just clicked my watch at each lap so I would at least know whether one lap was quicker or slower than the last one. In my head while running, I figured 11 laps plus the trip home should get me over 9 miles for sure – I would not know the exact distance until I measured the route when I got back on the computer. I was also hoping to run close to 9:00 minutes per mile, but I would just have to do that by “feel”.

Maybe I was inspired by seeing my “sick” friend (a device of few words). Maybe I was inspired by the article. Maybe I was inspired by the Helpmeet’s hug. Who knows? All I know is that halfway through the run I felt great. I even had the energy to leap over a stray soccer ball fired my way and smile at the kid who shot it. So what was the final total? After 1:29 hrs of running, I completed 9.9 miles at an average pace of 9:04 minutes per mile! So, I guess my inner GPS isn't so bad after all!

Speed run at Parcul National

For yesterday's run, I decided to take a break from Parcul Titan and the typical summer sights like this:
"If ya got it, flaunt it baby!"

So I went to Parcul National for a "speed" workout on the deteriorating all weather track near the stadium. I have been running really slow in the last 2 months for two reasons. The first reason is my running form change. The second reason is to build up my total mileage each week to prepare for the half marathon in October. Although the slow running is good for me, this long distance running thing has never come naturally for me. It's a recent thing that I've been trying to get better at doing. Anyway, I've been itching to run fast for quite some time now. With the heat finally breaking Tuesday (Temps reached 100 F over the weekend), I figured today was the day.

Steve's dumb speed workout is planned

Anyway, I decided to do a warm-up run to the track and then run a 5K (3.1 miles) as fast as I could. I would pretend this was a 5k race and start off with an easy 7:15-7:30 mile and then put the peddle down for the final 2.1 and "Bring It!". I would then do a nice cool-down run back home. Lest you confuse me with Dana, my super-organized Helpmeet, I basically planned this whole thing while I was getting my running clothes on.

Those who know me well know that my typical problem in races is that I start off way too fast. In 5K races, I usually run a great 1st mile and then spend the rest of the race trying to avoid death. But now, things would be different. I have my fancy-schmancy GPS watch that tells me how fast I'm going, so I figured that wouldn't be a problem here. As usual, I was quite wrong...

Training Smart: A Cure For Racing Stupidity?

Ok. I ran easy from the apartment to the track, set up my fancy schmancy watch, hit START! I took off like a maniac, and after the first lap my watch notified me that I was running a 6:30 mile pace! My immediately thought: "Boy, that's way too fast - I need to slow down!". Of course, I didn't really listen to that thought - or my watch - and kept going too fast anyway. After finishing the 1st mile in 6:45 (way, WAY too fast), my legs were screaming at me ....I had to slow down big time. So, for the next lap I basically jogged at a 9:00 minute clip and tried to catch my breath. I was frustrated and mad and was about to quit until...I actually started to recover - and recover quickly! By the end of that slow lap, I had picked up a second wind and took off. I ended up finishing the 5K with a respectable 21:52 and staggered home for my cool down.

So where did the burst of energy come from when I was struggling after that first mile? Was I just embarrassed because of the little kids running faster nearby? Was I looking forward to homemade meatballs from my cool Helpmeet? No, not quite. It seems that those longer, easier runs I'm doing are really helping me with my endurance. This whole smart training thing might actually work - who knew?

"Challenges Ahead"

The ramp-up in weekly miles toward my half marathon goal continues. After this morning's 8-miler, I'm sitting at over 19 miles for the week, which is easily my highest weekly total for the year. Tomorrow's recovery run should put me over the 20 mile mark, which is pretty cool.

Really, there was nothing blog-worthy on my runs this week. This morning I was able to give the time to a guy during my run, so thanks to Nathan who gave me the running watch instructional comment on a previous post!

Running Nutrition - Not!

WARNING: This nutrition sequence should only be considered by a professional (professional what?).

One thing is for sure, when you run 8 miles in one shot, you get HUNGRY. I have been eating all day. Since I'm pretty anal with most everything else I do, I've throttled back in the nutrition area. The way I figure it, a half-marathon is not that big of a deal. It's not like I'm scaling Everest or doing an Ironman like my bud Ashley. I'm going to survive regardless of how I eat - and besides, I'm in Romania and you pretty much have to go with the flow sometimes.

Check out today's cornucopia of "fueling":

Pre-Run: Cup of coffee and 2 banana-nut muffins (baked by the coolest Helpmeet ever)
Post Run (Breakfast): .5 liter Gatorade , medium bowl of cornflakes with soy milk.
Snack #1: 100 g Fornetti (apple pastries) and orange juice while shopping with helpmeet.
Snack #1a: .5 liter of Cappy (orange drink) while riding subway to gymnastics competition
Snack #2: 1 serving of McDonald's chicken nuggets and some fries (I'm serious, it was on the way to international gymnastics competition we went to watch) washed down with coke.
Lunch: 2 mici sausages with bread and mustard (couldn't resist this local delicacy after leaving gymanstics competition) washed down with more coke
Snack #3: 1 scoop of chocolate ice cream with cone after lunch. (still in process of leaving the gymnastics competition area)
Snack #4: 1 large order french fries (Helpmeet and daughter wanted a McFlurry after seeing me eat ice cream)
Supper: Meatloaf and Mac-n-cheese leftovers (both made by said Helpmeet) washed down with pomegranate juice
Snack #5: TBD (its 7:00 pm right now and I'm still thinking)

Note: I did drink some water too, so Ashley and Nathan- please don't totally flame me.

Now for the rough stuff?

So what "challenges" do I have? On August 30th we fly to Barcelona. After a couple of days in Barcelona we depart on a 7-day cruise of the Western Mediterranean and get back to Bucharest on Saturday night, Sept 9. Then, about 3 weeks later on Oct 4-8, we will be in Venice, Italy. My half-marathon is on Oct 15, the following week.

Yes, I know - life is tough. Somehow I must be able to train through these distractions - at least at a minimal level anyway. At any rate, it will help inject some new life into the blog, if nothing else!

Plodding along in Parcul Titan

It was another tame week of running in Bucharest. I managed to get in two 4 mile runs on Mon and Thurs in between Dana and Maria's return (Yahoooo!). The heat dropped down due to some cool fronts that came through and there was some rain also. Some areas in the Romanian countryside received some nasty weather in the past two weeks with heavy rain, wind and even a tornado.

Steve's goal is creeping up...

It finally hit me on Friday that my first half-marathon is only 2 months away. Although running a half-marathon (13.1 miles) is not nearly as difficult as a full (26.2) marathon, it really helps to get some longer runs done to prepare you body for these distances. From what I've read, if you don't get those longs runs done, you may be able to finish a half-marathon, but you'll be miserable doing it. I want to enjoy the sights and sounds of my first HM in a European city and not feel like death during the whole thing.

Long run Saturday

So on Saturday morning, I got a up at 6:00 am for a nice long morning run in Parcul Titan. Overnight temperatures in Bucharest are usually nice and cool, even in the middle of summer. It may reach 90+ degrees during the day, but it will usually drop into the low 60's overnight, which is nice. I'd gladly trade Romanian summer for the Carolina summer (winter is another story!). It was a very peaceful (and dog-free - whoo whooo!) 7.2 miles in the park. I've been running really slow lately due to my recent form change. I guess I'm just paranoid of injury after reading so many stress fracture stories on the internet.

So how slow am I running? This pic should give you an idea:

End of July....

So ends my 7 th month here in Bucharest. On the running front, not much exciting has happened since my last post. I overslept on Saturday, so I did not try out a new running location as planned. All of my last 5-6 runs have been in my home course in Titan Park. I guess I'm in sort of a rut, but that consistency in running can be a good thing.

Agony of da feet

Actually, it's not that bad. My footstrike change is going well. My legs feel great and my calves are not sore at all. Only problem is my footsies. They are a little sore with my recent mileage increase (to 15 miles per week). I think its just due to the muscles that need to strengthen because of the foot-strike change. Hopefully, it will subside soon, so I can do the longer runs that I need to prepare for my half-marathon planned for October. I still have time though.

So, to end this "filler" post here's two noteworthy running moments in the last week:

I'll race ya!

Last Wednesday, I think. I was running in the park and was raced by a young boy who couldn't have been more than 3 1/2. As I ran by him, he gave me this scowling look "You call that running?" and then he turned on the jets and motored with me for about 20 yards. He was definitely "all boy" as they say. The determined look on his face was priceless and he provided some good entertainment for his parents and several on-lookers in the park.

Hmm....Maybe I should read the instructions

On Monday, this poor old guy asked me in Romanian "What time is it". I was excited because I totally understood him. However, I have not learned how to use my new fancy running watch. While running, it doesn't show the time of day and I don't know which buttons to push to do it. So I had to say "Nu Stiu" which means "I don't know". Have gave me this puzzled look. I'm sure he was thinking "You have that big honking watch on your wrist and you still don't know what time it is?".