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?".

A tale of two shores, Lacul Morii

Well, for today's long run location, I picked Lacul Morii which is located on the west side of Bucharest. Like much of Bucharest, Lacul Morii is full of contrasts. First, some quick history. Lacul Morii is actually a man-made reservoir that forms part of the flood control system in Bucharest and was finished in 1987. The Dambovita river flows into and out of Lacul Morii through a canal that cuts through the city. It eventually empties into the famous flood-prone Danube River in southern Romania.

To build a Fire

I started this run in the trashed, desolate southern side of the lake. It is wide open and windy all around the lake. According to an internet source, the lake was once lined with trees, but they were cut down for firewood by poor and desperate Romanains to heat their "homes" during the cold winters.

Early on this run looked like it would end early. A welcome committee of dogs "greeted" me as soon as I got out of my car.

Portraits of Poverty

I could see smoke from the fires of several homeless gypsy families nearby. I snapped this pic on the right of a gypsy "house" right after I finished. The family was just waking up and I could hear a baby crying. Puts things in perspective - we have a lot to be thankful for....

There was trash everywhere - this is no doubt a convenient dumping ground for contractors and other small businesses. I saw a few people picking through the trash looking for any salvageable items. This section of the lake reminded me of pictures I've seen of bad neighborhoods in South Central Los Angeles (Except for the couple of goat herds I saw, that doesn't quite fit) . There were a lot of people fishing in this nasty water too - yuck.

More Close Encounters of the Canine Kind...

I had one tense dog encounter right away. I ran by a medium sized dog that looked friendly enough. He didn't make a sound, but started following me from a distance. Soon, another dog joined him - they got closer and I started to pick up the pace. Then a third dog joined up and the three dogs got right on my heels. I'm thinking "Isn't this how wolves hunt?", watching and waiting for me to slow down or trip. I felt like an injured deer on a Wild Kingdom TV special. Just then, while the three dogs stalked me from behind, 3 MORE dogs came charging from the front! Uh oh! I thought I was dead. However, instead of taking me out, this new group of three attacked the other three dogs that were behind me which allowed me to escape (I heard a lot of barking but didn't look back). I guess I had crossed into a new groups territory and the canine intruders bothered them more then me.

I was pretty rattled but kept going. After about 1 mile or so, I ran into a locked gate. Bummer. I thought the path was continuous, but that was not the case. So, I had to go off course into what looked like a pretty poor section of Bucharest. None of the roads here are paved and there were lots of dogs, but thankfully I was able to navigate back to the lake and continue the run without incident.

Above pic shows my route map. I ran clockwise starting in the lower right hand corner - starting and finishing on the ugly southern shore where I took the pictures. Interestingly, the building that our church rents for Sunday morning is nearby.

Pleasant Ending

Once I crossed the canal on the west side (about halfway around), I passed a concrete barrier that read "Zona de Protectie". Of course, I had no idea what that meant but kept going anyway. Immediate I noticed the lack of trash in this area. Apparently, there is some clean-up going on to reclaim this lake. The whole north side was dog free and clean (for Bucharest standards anyway) for the most part. I even passed a couple of runners and walkers - wow! There is a nice little mini-park sticking right out into the lake, but I was getting gassed by then so I didn't go in. I did snap a pic from the other side of the lake though (see first pic up top).

Here's tinkling on you kid

Despite the rough start, it was good 5 mile run to push me over the 15 mile mark this week. Due to the unpredictable dog situation on the southern shore of the lake and the distance from our apartment on the other side of the city, I probably will not return here. Here's my last pic before I left:

I'm pretty sure this guy had just finished "marking" my car (see my wheel on the left) while I was taking the above pictures. He looks so innocent doesn't he?

Talk to you soon!

Steve's new stuff

As many of you know, I passed the 35 year split on 23 June. To celebrate the occasion, I decided to upgrade my running gadgetry. Feast your eyes on my brand new GPS watch:

As you can see, this futuristic looking baby just oozes geekiness. Like my old watch, its big enough to be seen from a mile away. It's also flexible. Not only will it be plainly obvious to Romanians that I am a foreign running geek, this watch will be equally fashionable stateside for a night out with 'da boys at your local Star Trek Convention - very chic (Scottie, I need warp speed and I need it now!)

As you can also tell from the graph on the right, the new watch (red line) is much more accurate than the old watch (blue line). (Hint: If there doesn't look like much of a difference, just think about who writes this blog and you will understand why it matters).

Two Shoes, New Shoes, Pretty and...Obnoxiously red

Just in case the technological monstrosity on my left arm doesn't get me noticed, I decided to get a shoe upgrade too. The change in my running form has made a shoe change necessary. Believe it or not, I did not intentionally get the most noticeable color, my feet are just hard to fit.

Ok, I know what your thinking. What was the whole running technique change stuff? For my non-running geek audience, I finally found a good drawing to explain it. Basically I want my foot to hit the ground like the foot in the middle of this hi-tech sketch.

I was very happy with yesterday's run of nearly 5 miles with little soreness. I think I'm finally ready to branch out and do some runs in some new areas of the city too, and get this blog going again.

I'm alive and well!

In a New York minute

From the running point of view, I had a nice break in New York. I ran 3 times in the morning there with excellent weather. One day, I ran to my old high school track (memories...blah..blah..blah..blah...blaaaah blaaaah - just think of the theme from CATS) and practiced my form by running 1/4 mile barefoot. Running barefoot is tough, but very helpful. Without the protection of those fancy running shoes, you must land your foot correctly everytime. If you don't, the feedback is instaneous - it hurts!

The week went by fast and it was really good to be with Dana and Maria again and see my side of the extended family.

Steve is back in town

I got back to Bucharest on Sunday afternoon and quickly got back to running. I ran Mon, Wed and early this morning. Each run was about 3-3.5 miles long and uneventful for the most part. The heat broke while I was gone, so the weather has been great with temps staying in the mid 80's. The low humidity here makes it quite comfortable when it stays below 90.

New Soarma source!

After Wednesday's run, I was starving and realized I forgot to take out any meat from the freezer. So, I decided to pass on the ramen noodles and find some grub outside. Right before I left for NY, I had noticed a new restaurant. I thought it was just a regular terrace bar, but then I realized they had a pretty big food menu there too. It turns out that they serve pizza, soarma's and a bunch of other stuff. The soarma was great. This place has some additional toppings and seasoning that the other place in the Piaţa doesn't have. Food goes along way to improving my morale, especially overseas.

Today's Run

I did run into a pack of dogs in the park today, but apparently they had owners close by. As the 4-5 dogs barked and closed ranks on me, I heard them hollering. It ended up ok. The dogs chased me for about 20 yards or so barking away, but no biting. It's always exciting when you get charged by a pack of dogs - you never know what they're going to do. It does get the adrenaline going, though, so at least it helps my running energy! Speaking of dogs, above is our newest addition to the dog family at work (actually there are several families of dogs at work, but this little guy is staying in our hanger right now). The dogs that chase me in the park are never this cute.

I'm heading back to help out at Camp Living Water today for the weekend, so this will have to be a short post. I did get some fancy new running stuff in NY that I'll post about when things slow down next week.

Break from Bucharest

In less than 4 hours, I will be on a Flight to London, the first leg of my trip to Schenectady, NY to meet Dana and Maria and visit the Jutton side of the family. I'm looking forward to the break and seeing the family. Also, I should be returning with a new pair of running shoes and a brand new GPS watch the talk about (I know you're excited).

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

It was in the 90's every day this week in Bucharest. My coworkers tell me it will be hot until September. I ran after work Monday and Tuesday. I was really feeling the heat on Tuesday, so I'm not sure that I'm ready to run 2 days in a row in that kind of heat. The only good thing is the lack of dog trouble. The Bucharest strays are just lying around everywhere in this heat. They look at you and you can see it in their eyes. They want to chase you soooo bad, but they don't have the energy to move.

Evening Run in Parcul Titan

Yesterday, I waited until about 8:00 pm to run and it wasn't too bad. The good thing about the Bucharest summer is how quickly it cools down at night. By 8 pm, the temp was only about 82 and it was dropping. The only bad thing - Everybody in Bucharest was in the park, it seemed. The place was packed, which required alot of attention on my part to avoid running over kids, rollerbladers, skateboarders, soccer players, etc.

Well, that's it for now. I may check in from New York, or I may not.

Carb loading in Romania

For a runner (or any other person pretending to be an athlete like me), carbohydrates are important for energy and recovery. Here's one of my favorites in Bucharest:

This bad boy is called a Shaorma. I think it came from the Middle East, which is not too far away. The main ingredients are a pita-type shell, grilled chicken, french fries, garlic sauce, pickles, and some kind of green stuff (could be lettuce or cabbage) to make it appear healthy.

What's most interesting to me is how the chicken is kept heated at the Shaorma stand. When you order, the guy will cut the chicken off this thing with a large knife.

Shaorma's come in 2 sizes, mica (small) or mare (large). I usually get the small, but the one you see on my plate up there is a large. I was having fun talking to the Shaorma guy in English and Romanian and forgot to say "mica". I couldn't finish it, since it weighs over 1 lb. Even the large shaorma costs only a 120,000 lei (about 4 bucks).

I guess in the end, it's not really "Carbohydrate loading". It's more like "Everything Loading".

Summer Begins

I hope you enjoyed my "filler post", ha ha ha. Not much is happening on the running front right now. I'm still mainly doing shorter runs and working on my new running form. After doing some more research, I'm thinking about changing running shoes which I would do while in New York. I ran after work on Monday and Tuesday and really felt the heat. This past weekend while I was camping with the missionaries, the temperature began to warm up. It was around 90 F for both runs this week. I may just deal with the heat, since there is much less dog trouble at this time of day as opposed to the mornings. The dogs just lie around everywhere when it gets hot like this and they barely move. That's all for now. I'll try to check in next week before my visit to the states.

Sunday Morning workout.

Sunday morning before church is usually not a great time for a workout. But, since I'm waking up so ridiculously early (5:00 am or earlier) , I have nothing else to do.

Friday's run was ok. My calves are still really sore from working on this running form change. I've read several articles on the net, and it looks like I can expect this for about 2-3 weeks. Not really fun, but I'm into this running thing for the long haul. Better form now will hopefully mean better knees years later. I'm quite certain I pushed too hard on my first run last Saturday, and that hasn't helped things. The good thing about the run this past Friday was that it was dog-free.

Today's run also featured minimal canine activity also. I passed a few that barked, but they kept their distance. Nothing else has been really exciting about these last few runs. I've run them all in the same place in Parcul Titan where the brand spanking new pavement is. Right now, I don't think my calves can take the abuse of the Lacul Titan route where the pavement and trails are rough in spots. Hopefully, when the calve issue goes away, I will try out some new running locations that I've been promising you guys. The weather each morning has been great with temps in the mid to high 50's. The high's for June so far have been in the 70's at midday here in Bucharest. Nice.

Steve's new workout

See this metal bar on the left? There are tons of these things located around the apartments. The Romanians use them to beat the dust out of their rugs. You may be thinking "Oh, how interesting". However, Steve J doesn't think that way. He looks at the metal bar and thinks "Cool! I can do pull-ups on those!". So I did bust out a couple of sets of pull-ups after my run today when nobody was looking (not that I would care...)

I know, I'm a nut. But, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, this is nothing new.

Early Mornings in Early June

Saturday's run

On Saturday, I got up early and ran early. I've been waking up pretty early since daylight savings started. In Bucharest, there is about an additional 1:15 hrs of daylight when compared to Greenville. The early morning in Parcul Titan is very peaceful for running for the most part. There are very few people and very few dogs. The only exception is this:

I think people take their unfriendly doggies out this early due to the fact that there are less people around (and no children at all) for them to try to eat. On Saturday, I passed a HUGE doberman who made an aggressive growl and scared me half-to-death. The owner lady quickly grabbed his collar before her "puppy dog" added a little Fillet-O-Steve to his Saturday morning breakfast menu.

Today's Run (Tuesday 6/6)

The jury is still out on my plan to run in the mornings. I had to come to a dead stop today after 3 dogs came after me as I passed the restaurant, Casa Rustica. Every restaurant and farmers market here seems to have their own stray dogs. The reason is simple. They feed them. It doesn't take a rocket scientist (even Steve J) to figure out that the dogs are going to stay where the food is. They also become quite territorial about their home, especially at night. I've had very few problems during the day, as most of the dogs are sleeping. I guess I'll see if I can find a different route to the park in the morning that is doggie-free.

Steve's new running style

No, this doesn't mean I'm going to start wearing hot pink shoes and spandex shorts (to the disappointment of Romanians everywhere). After consulting with Coach Nathan on my running form, he suggested fixing my stride before really getting into the half-marathon training. Basically, due to my big 'ole feet (thanks ma!) and other factors, I'm hitting very hard on my heel when I run. This, according to Coach Nathan is putting undue stress on my knees and slowing me down (like I'd notice). So, in the spirit of running geekness, I took his suggestion and started working on my form this week.

For those non-running geeks in my audience, this basically means I am now twice as sore as normal, since I am using my massive leg muscles differently than I usually do. I figure in about a month I will either have a better stride or I will have injured myself trying - I'll let you all know either way.

Steve's "McGuyver Moment"

Yesterday was a rough day. Dana and Maria left for the U.S. I got laughed at while running (again). Yeah, it was rough. But it got worse. Later yesterday evening, I checked my fancy-schmancy running geek GPS watch and realized the battery needed charging. So, I got out the power supply, hooked it up and plugged it in like I always do. And what happens? Nothing. There was no indication of charging at all. After a quick bit of troubleshooting, my blood ran cold as I realized my power supply was dead!

Running Geek with no GPS - "Oh the humanity!"

What was I going to do? This power supply is a special power supply that came with my fancy-schmancy GPS watch. How will I find one in Bucharest? Am I doomed? Will I never know the precise distance and speed of my runs without "measuring" the distance the old way? Will this running geek ever get to use his mapping and graphing software ever again???

Suddenly, a thought came to mind - Bucur Obur Market. Yes! They have everything from fresh fruit to mountain bikes. From stereos to live chickens. We profiled Bucur Obur in our family blog on April 15 HERE. So, I headed to the market after work today. Since Bird Flu is a big news story here, I decided to skip the live chickens and just focus on the power supply.

Mixed Results and technical decision making 101

Well, with a little luck, I found a booth with a bunch of power supplies. Unfortunately, there was no exact match. I needed a 400 mili-amps with 5 volts. The closest one I found there was 500 mili-amps and 4.5 volts. After a serious 30 second technical evaluation, I figured "What's 100 mili-amps and 0.5 volts between friends?" So I bought the power supply anyway and headed home. This is where things got interesting...

Before I finish, those who don't know me very well need a little background to fully appreciate what happened next. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have very little hands-on mechanical ability. And the only thing worse than my hands-on mechanical ability, is my hands-on electrical ability. That's what makes this next part so amazing.

All jacked up with no place to plug

Ok, so I got home with high hopes and opened up my new power supply. Right away, I noticed the problem. The dead power supply has a specially shaped jack which plugs into a special receptacle on my fancy-schmancy GPS watch. This way, the company which makes the fancy-schmancy GPS watch forces most running geeks to buy their fancy-schmancy power supply also. None of the jacks on my newly purchased ($6) power supply matched. So, get this: I actually came up with a plan to cut the cords on both power supplies and splice the dead power supply jack with the new power supply cord. With nothing but a pocket knife and a rusty pair of pliers, I went to work...And...(I know the suspense must be killing you) Here is the result:

That my friends, is the sight of a happily charging fancy-schmancy GPS watch and the tools Steve used to make it happen. McGuyver's got nothin' on me - nothin' I say.

Stay tuned for the next episode when our hero, Steve J, returns to Bucur Obur Market for electrical tape and battles the evil bird-flu powered live chickens....(to be continued...ok I'm kidding on that).

Only the lonely...blah blah blah dum dee doo waa

So Dana and Maria are flying back to the states right now. I dropped them off before heading to work. I'm definitely going to miss them. My family is basically a part of who I am, so I'm incomplete when they're not with me (I know - so sappy, Everyone just say "Awwwwww" and we'll move on). At least the work day was somewhat interesting. After months of struggling with the Romanian bureaucratic nightmare, my 2-year (yikes) work visa application was finally accepted today. I should be able to pick it up next month.

Today's run

After coming home to a depressing empty apartment, there was no doubt I was going to run today. I headed out for an easy 3.7 miles in the newly paved section of the park. I usually run around the lake, but it is nice to change things up. Besides, with the smooth pavement, I can actually run with my head up. There just isn't too many places in Bucharest where you can do that! Another plus was the temperature. It only reached about 70F today, which is about 10 degrees cooler than my last 3 runs.

The only noteworthy Bucharest-moment of this run was the 4-5 teenage girls who basically stared at me like I was an alien as I ran by. They then proceeded to bust out laughing as soon as I passed them. I should be used to this by now, but I guess I felt more out-of-place than usual today.

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!.