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!
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3 comments:
I say a)Superman! I may be biased though.
Don't leave us hanging man! What's the contest? Is there a prize?
I vote b) wuss!
For the Romanian cops to stay away you probably need to be chasing Marie and yelling at her. They would probably understand that better than a father and daughter out for a nice gentle run! HA HA
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