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...