I wasn't going to blog this week, but a comment from my fellow ultimate frisbee warrior Brian has me fired up. (and a little homesick for seeing him send a 175g disc my way too) My blog audience may actually require two hands to count now. Whoo whoo, and that doesn't include the coolest helpmeet ever, who is a given. I'll give my week recap in reverse order, for a more dramatic effect.
Wednesdays Speed workout
After that dumb "all out" 5k debacle I tried a month ago, I've stayed away from these speed sessions for fear of being stupid and running them too fast for my capability. However, today I successfully completed 3 x 1 mile repeats at Parcul National. After a 1.2 mile jog to the park, I hit 7:00 minute miles for all three, taking 2 minute jogs in between to recover. I was pretty happy to have the energy to jog the 1.2 miles back home and therefore complete the entire workout without stopping to walk. These workouts give me some confidence that I can survive the half-marathon even if I start out to fast.
Unfortunately, the workout was spoiled by having to take an ICE COLD shower back at home. We had no hot water from Monday night until Thursday afternoon.
Monday's 5 miler - "the kid" goes down
After taking a full day to recover from Saturdays Jutton-record breaking long run, I was ready Monday for a moderate 5 mile. I tried to run most of this at my Half-Marathon goal race pace and see how I felt after 5 miles. I felt pretty good for this one, but I was starting to get tired towards the end.
After about 4.5 miles, I must have looked like easy prey to a middle-school-age roller blader. I was coming in to the home stretch on my final lap and he skated right up beside me. He give me that challenging look that is found in all boys of every nationality. The look says "Let's see what you got old man!". I gave him a quick smile and said in Romanian "HAI!" (come on!) . I picked up the pace and cruised ahead. He quickly caught up, smiling all the way - this cocky little guy. So I got up on my toes and went in to sprint mode. It took more effort for him to catch up this time, but he pulled even again. I was getting a little worried, but I knew I had 2 gears left to show him. I picked it up again, sprinting at about 80% now and surged ahead by several yards. This was too much for "the kid". He started to speed up, but then wiped out, landing flat on his back. Somehow, he was still smiling. At my age, smiling would be last thing I'd do if I wiped out at that speed!
I smiled too. I had at least one gear left that I didn't show him. All boys like a challenge - even me.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Fall arrives in Bucharest
At some point during our cruise last week, the weather in Bucharest moved from summer to fall. Upon coming back this week, we found that daytime highs were down to about 75 and overnight lows have hovered in the low 50's. It feels really good after the 90's and 100's we saw in the last half of August. Leaves are changing quickly and many are actually falling, perhaps due to the fairly dry conditions we had this summer.
Mon, Wed, Fri - Low energy running
Unfortunately, I was unable to take full advantage of the perfect running conditions this week. I did get 15 miles in, but I had little energy all week and have been constantly hacking up phlegm during running. The phlegm problem is a double whammy which has affected my sleep too. I don't know if I caught a little bug during our travels or if this is a variation of the seasonal allergy issues I have in the states. Perhaps they have ragweed or its European equivalent here.
Monday's run was the worst, with 2 slow laps of Titan Lake. The only good thing is the cooler weather taking care of the speedo problem. I changed venues for Wednesday and ran at the track at National Park. Running at the track is not as boring as in the states. There is usually a soccer match going on in the main field or on the other adjoining areas and it gives you something to look at. It's also nice to see other runners and avoid being the object of laughing teenagers. After finally getting a decent nights sleep on Thursday, I finished the work week with a short "preparation" run in the smooth section of Titan Park on Friday. My plan was to go long on Saturday morning, so I wanted to be ready and loose.
Long Run Saturday
With only 1 month to go before my first half-marathon, the long run is the most important part of my training. It's even more important for me since I've never ran a race longer than 5 miles and, until 3 weeks ago, I had never run longer than 8 miles. Today, my goal was to break the 10 mile barrier and my previous best of 9.9 miles. My plan was to run to Parcul National and do a few laps on the track to try to get a good rythym going. From there, I would run to the smooth section of Titan park. I mapped out a "figure 8" course on the new pavement which is about 1 mile (.95 to be exact and anal). I knew fatigue would be a factor, especially due to my sluggishness this week, but I was determined to finish as long as there was no pain.
I woke up a little later than normal this morning and was a little slow getting ready. This was a good thing, since I actually slept ok and I needed it. I finished planning my route from park to park on Google over coffee and 3 bananna nut muffins that were baked on Friday by the coolest helpmeet ever. At 7:30, I headed out and took it slow to get loose and also to make sure those muffins settled down. The temperature was in the mid 50's and rising slowly during the run - perfect. I completed the 1.2 miles to the track and settled in to a comfortable pace there for 8 laps (2 mi). I felt pretty good and even started thinking about going for 12 miles as I left the track to Parcul Titan. There were plently of dogs in Parcul Titan today, but most of them were pets. Some barked and a couple gave short chases, but they listened to their owners pretty good and I didn't have to make any distracting safety moves.
I felt good until I completed mile 7, and that's where self-doubt started to creep in. I was thinking "Holy cow, I've been running for 67 minutes and I still have 30 minutes left!" I could easily remember the days last year when 30 minutes would be a long run for me. I was also hacking up a little phlegm at what seemed like every half mile or so. For the next two miles I was talking to myself in Romanian, saying "Hai!" (Come on!), which I thought was kind of odd. It was weird, but it worked and I ran several of those later miles with negative splits (means I was getting faster each time - for my non-running audience). I was pretty stoked when I finished mile 9, but I was getting tired. I was also rubbing at least one blister on my left foot. I had met my goal, so I turned for home, passing the 10 mile mark on the way back and finishing with 10.6. I'm pretty satifisfied with the run and just finished celebrating with some mici at our favorite family hangout in Parcul Titan.
Mon, Wed, Fri - Low energy running
Unfortunately, I was unable to take full advantage of the perfect running conditions this week. I did get 15 miles in, but I had little energy all week and have been constantly hacking up phlegm during running. The phlegm problem is a double whammy which has affected my sleep too. I don't know if I caught a little bug during our travels or if this is a variation of the seasonal allergy issues I have in the states. Perhaps they have ragweed or its European equivalent here.
Monday's run was the worst, with 2 slow laps of Titan Lake. The only good thing is the cooler weather taking care of the speedo problem. I changed venues for Wednesday and ran at the track at National Park. Running at the track is not as boring as in the states. There is usually a soccer match going on in the main field or on the other adjoining areas and it gives you something to look at. It's also nice to see other runners and avoid being the object of laughing teenagers. After finally getting a decent nights sleep on Thursday, I finished the work week with a short "preparation" run in the smooth section of Titan Park on Friday. My plan was to go long on Saturday morning, so I wanted to be ready and loose.
Long Run Saturday
With only 1 month to go before my first half-marathon, the long run is the most important part of my training. It's even more important for me since I've never ran a race longer than 5 miles and, until 3 weeks ago, I had never run longer than 8 miles. Today, my goal was to break the 10 mile barrier and my previous best of 9.9 miles. My plan was to run to Parcul National and do a few laps on the track to try to get a good rythym going. From there, I would run to the smooth section of Titan park. I mapped out a "figure 8" course on the new pavement which is about 1 mile (.95 to be exact and anal). I knew fatigue would be a factor, especially due to my sluggishness this week, but I was determined to finish as long as there was no pain.
I woke up a little later than normal this morning and was a little slow getting ready. This was a good thing, since I actually slept ok and I needed it. I finished planning my route from park to park on Google over coffee and 3 bananna nut muffins that were baked on Friday by the coolest helpmeet ever. At 7:30, I headed out and took it slow to get loose and also to make sure those muffins settled down. The temperature was in the mid 50's and rising slowly during the run - perfect. I completed the 1.2 miles to the track and settled in to a comfortable pace there for 8 laps (2 mi). I felt pretty good and even started thinking about going for 12 miles as I left the track to Parcul Titan. There were plently of dogs in Parcul Titan today, but most of them were pets. Some barked and a couple gave short chases, but they listened to their owners pretty good and I didn't have to make any distracting safety moves.
I felt good until I completed mile 7, and that's where self-doubt started to creep in. I was thinking "Holy cow, I've been running for 67 minutes and I still have 30 minutes left!" I could easily remember the days last year when 30 minutes would be a long run for me. I was also hacking up a little phlegm at what seemed like every half mile or so. For the next two miles I was talking to myself in Romanian, saying "Hai!" (Come on!), which I thought was kind of odd. It was weird, but it worked and I ran several of those later miles with negative splits (means I was getting faster each time - for my non-running audience). I was pretty stoked when I finished mile 9, but I was getting tired. I was also rubbing at least one blister on my left foot. I had met my goal, so I turned for home, passing the 10 mile mark on the way back and finishing with 10.6. I'm pretty satifisfied with the run and just finished celebrating with some mici at our favorite family hangout in Parcul Titan.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Steve's portable track
I just thought I'd report my runs from my personal running and training ship which also doubles as the Royal Caribbean "Voyager of the Seas" cruise ship. Believe it or not, there are actually a few wackos who like to work out while on vacation and I'm one of them.
The track on the "Voyager class" ships is impressive for a ship. It only takes 5 laps around to equal a mile. There are 2 lanes with a decent running surface. The only thing I didn't like about the track are the 2 sharp turns on the aft side - but since its on a cruise ship, I probably shouldn't be so picky.
I managed to log just over 10 miles on 3 short runs. The first run was done last Saturday at sea approaching the French Riviera. The winds were rough. On one side it was great as the wind propelled you down the lane, but on the other side - brutally tough upwind running! Because of that, I did the next 2 runs while the ship was anchored at Naples, Italy and the island Mallorca, Spain.
The first 2 pics show the view shortly after my Naples run. On one side, you can see the currently sleeping Mt. Vesuvius (peak on the right in photo). The other photo shows the other view of the city of Naples. Normally when I ran early, very few people were on the track (imagine that!).
The last 3 pics show the island of Mallorca. This is a beautiful island. It has nice beaches and mountains that are close to 5000 ft. Much of the high country is preserved and features beautiful trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Like Barcelona, this places is paradise for triathletes!
The run in Mallorca was done early, before sunrise. Dana took this nice shot while Maria and I were running. She joined me for about 1.5 miles of the 4 mile run this morning. 
Later in the day, the family did a 3.5 hour hike in the mountains. We covered about 5-6 miles with over 1000 ft of elevation gain on the way up and then a decent of around 1200 ft close to sea level. That's where we shot these last 2 pictures. 
The track on the "Voyager class" ships is impressive for a ship. It only takes 5 laps around to equal a mile. There are 2 lanes with a decent running surface. The only thing I didn't like about the track are the 2 sharp turns on the aft side - but since its on a cruise ship, I probably shouldn't be so picky.I managed to log just over 10 miles on 3 short runs. The first run was done last Saturday at sea approaching the French Riviera. The winds were rough. On one side it was great as the wind propelled you down the lane, but on the other side - brutally tough upwind running! Because of that, I did the next 2 runs while the ship was anchored at Naples, Italy and the island Mallorca, Spain.
The first 2 pics show the view shortly after my Naples run. On one side, you can see the currently sleeping Mt. Vesuvius (peak on the right in photo). The other photo shows the other view of the city of Naples. Normally when I ran early, very few people were on the track (imagine that!).
The last 3 pics show the island of Mallorca. This is a beautiful island. It has nice beaches and mountains that are close to 5000 ft. Much of the high country is preserved and features beautiful trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Like Barcelona, this places is paradise for triathletes!
The run in Mallorca was done early, before sunrise. Dana took this nice shot while Maria and I were running. She joined me for about 1.5 miles of the 4 mile run this morning. 
Later in the day, the family did a 3.5 hour hike in the mountains. We covered about 5-6 miles with over 1000 ft of elevation gain on the way up and then a decent of around 1200 ft close to sea level. That's where we shot these last 2 pictures. 
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Back to Barcelona!
If you remember, the last time we visited this excellent running location back in March, I (for some still unknown reason) did not bring my running stuff. Well, I did not make that mistake this time. We arrived on Wednesday night and I decided to waste no time and knock out a long-ish run Thursday morning. With the cruise beginning on Saturday, I thought it would be good to get a good 1hr plus run. The cruise ship has a good size track (for a ship!), but at 5 laps per mile, I figured it would get boring for a long run.
Morning runs on the beach (Thursday and Saturday)
This nearly 7 mile run begins on the famous street named “Las Ramblas” which is one of the main tourist centers here in 
Las Ramblas is a .75 mile street with a wide pedestrian walkway down the middle. It is filled with artists and other stores and restaurants. I was long done with the run when I took this pic of Dana and Maria, so the street was relatively quiet when I started. The side streets contain tons of hotels, restaurants and shops. Las Ramblas is situated less than a mile from the ’92 Olympic stadium to the west and the Olympic village near the beach to the east. Some major $$ went in to this area for the Olympics, and it shows.
From the Ramblas, I headed towards the beach located in front of the neighborhood called Barcelonetta. 
Barcelonetta was a slum that was totally “made over” around the time of the Olympics. The second pic shows the run along the marina, looking east towards the hill where the Olympic stadium is located. My run would be nearly flat, but there is plenty of hill training potential close by.
The 3rd pic shows the beach, approaching the Olympic Village. Notice all the room!!!!!
This beach is excellent for running or cycling. You can run along the boardwalk at beach level (right of photo), or run on the upper level (left of photo). You can spend time looking out into the Med or you can look inland toward the city and its eclectic blend of architecture (who knew I was capable of using the word eclectic in a sentence? Impressive eh?) . Unlike
I liked this run so much, I did it twice. After the kayak cross training session with the family on Friday, I ran again on Saturday. It was a little cloudy on Saturday and that’s when I took most of these pics, so I apologize.
Post run fueling, Barcelona style
My post run snack of choice was fresh fruit followed by these neat little sandwiches called bocadillos. They are basically a half-long baguette with meet and cheese inside. I guess you also can do it the hard way too. “If you can catch a chicken Rocky, you can catch greased lighting!” (excuse the in-exact movie quote)
Anyone have an axe?
Word of warning
Maybe it’s my conservative nature, but I’d though I’d let you know about these European beaches. On most of these beaches, going topless is pretty common. 
And the more private the beach, the less clothes you will find, ON ANYONE!!! The kayak cross training trip was full evidence of that!
Just focus on the running Steve – focus!
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