Changes in Steve's Romanian "hood"

This week so far has featured a couple of slow-n-easy runs in Parcul Titan to prepare for Sunday's half marathon. I did an easy 5K run on Monday and an easy 10K run yesterday (Oh my goodness, I think the evil metric system is taking root - make that a little over 3 miles Mon and 6 miles Wed; better?). While resting for my race this week, I figured it was time for a few photos.

Construction has been going on all over Bucharest since I arrived in January. It especially picked up after wintertime for obvious reasons and hasn't slowed down yet. Some of these changes are happening right outside our building.

Right outside our building, where my runs typically start and finish, they are adding these little white posts (above left). Further down the street, you can see the finished area (above right photo). These posts stop people from parking (and sometimes driving) on the sidewalks. A few weeks ago, you would have to walk/run in the road in this area because of the parked cars. Fortunately, they did create a parking lot nearby or this would have been a real nightmare as people scrambled for available parking space. Bucharest is far from being a run-friendly town, but these little changes are helping.

Lately, I haven't been running my 2 mile loop around Lacul Titan. I'm doing nearly all my running in a smaller corner of the park that was freshly paved in Spring. The above pics show why. I don't know what's going on, but they have the entire southern shore of Lacul Titan torn up. I think that boat thing is some kind of dredging machine. There are piles of sand all around the shore which I assume came from the bottom of the lake. I hoping they will have a nice paved and/or gravel walkway when they are done, but with winter approaching, it may be a while. I may do some trail running here soon on the dirt, but not this close to my race - I'd hate twist an ankle now!

As you can see, fall is in full swing in Parcul Titan. The colors are a bit dull due to the dry summer, but Maria and I found a pretty nice spot for a pic on Tuesday. We're pretty much hitting the high 60's for midday temperatures now which is perfect for running and walking around the park. You should these Romanians bundle up though - You would think was below freezing...I'll try to get some more fall pics soon...

Bad weather = Good running!

I like running in bad weather. I don't like when I think about it the night before. I don't like it immediately when I wake up, look outside, assess the conditions and get dressed. I don't really like it when I ride the elevator down and step outside. I still don't like it when I take those first few steps and get moving. Yet at some point during that first mile, I really enjoy being out there. The cool rainy morning I ran in today was a perfect example. My first thought as I headed toward Parcul National was its the whole "challenge" thing that gets me going....naaa that's not it. When I arrived at Parcul National I realized what it was. There was nobody running at the track when I got there...Nobody - that's it! There's something very appealing to me about running alone. Now don't get me wrong, I like people - most of the time. I love team sports too. I play team sports and follow team sports with a passion. I also enjoy running with my buddies back home. But ahhhhh, running alone. Just you, nature, the elements, and of course God - there's something very appealing about that. Perhaps living in a crowded city like Bucharest for over 9 months has lead me to appreciate these times alone.

Today's run - Don't drink the water?

Anyway, before I get too philosophical for this goofy blog, my run today was excellent and a perfect ending to the week. I hit 13.45 miles with a time of 2 hrs 10 min. I ran to Parcul National for a few laps around a very wet track and then heading to my favorite spot in Parcul Titan to crank out .95 mile laps on the good quality pavement there. It was pretty wet and a light rain fell from time to time, but overall I felt great. My nutrition seemed to work well too. I had two banana nut muffins and coffee about 1/2 hour before going out and I took a pack of sports beans with me. I took the beans two-at-a-time between miles 5-7 and used the drinking fountains at the park for water. The sports beans require some water to go with them. The reason is that a straight mixture of sugar and electrolytes can give you some uh....issues of the gastronomic variety that you don't want during a run. That left me to take my chances with the Parcul Titan water fountains. Just so you know, it's now nighttime and I feel fine. Whew!

I had a nice burst of energy from mile 9 thru mile 12. I'm not sure if it was the mythical "runners high" or a sports beans sugar rush.

It's Taper Time!

So I guess I'm ready to go for the Half-Marathon. I'm confident now that I've actually run the distance and I actually ran for over 2 hrs without tiring significantly. I expect to finish the race in less than 2 hrs but it's nice to know I have aerobic capability to spare. This week will be all easy running, probably every other day until the weekend.

Travel plans are set, get on board!

We're taking a train to Timişoara on Saturday. The race is Sunday and we will take the night train (with sleeper car) back Sunday night after spending the day sightseeing the city. The train is 8 hrs each way, but the drive would not save much time. Romania does not have an interstate system and you have to slow down for every small town along the way.

When "cars" like these can be found on "highways", it's a safe bet it will be slow going:

Also, they radar aggressively in these small towns and if you read our family blog, you know how hard it would be for me to pay any tickets at these towns. Dana and Maria are both looking forward to the train trip. I'm looking forward to not having to drive back with tired legs also.

Cool Beans!

Well everyone, this is my last real week of training before my big half-marathon goal race (see link on right). Got back from Venice on Sunday and, after a nap, was able to run using reserve pasta energy that I acquired in Italy over the course of several good meals.

Monday's speed test

Monday would be my last hard speed type workout. I decided to run a 10k (6.2 miles) as close to my race-goal as possible. I cranked this out in 51:26. It was a good time for me, but as usual, I ran the first 5k too fast. Some things never change! A good effort, but I will have to be real careful on Oct 15 to avoid a painful finish.

Titan Park under construction

The only noteworthy news is more construction in Titan Park, my running home-base. On the south side, they are dredging the lake close to the shore piling mud all around the edge. On the north side of park, they are tearing up the extra large sidewalks to create more parkside parking spots. No doubt the city leaders realize that as more people buy cars, more parking will be needed. Construction of all types is going on all over the city, and most people tell me the $$ for this is coming from the European Union. Romania and Bulgaria will be admitted to the EU next year, albeit with several significant restrictions.

Trans-atlantic Jelly Bellies

Dana, the coolest helpmeet ever, has been reading my RunnersWorld magazines. This is not a normal thing - but in Bucharest with English language books in short supply, it has become necessary. A couple of months ago she read an ad for these "sport beans" made by Jelly Belly for runners. Jelly beans are a nice portable source of energy that you can take during long runs. Marathoners have been using plain jelly beans for many years, but this is the first sport-specific kind to be marketed.

Unbeknownst to me, the coolest helpmeet ever conspired with "The Granny"(my mother-in-law) to hook me up with said beans. The coolest helpmeet ever notified The Granny that these beans are readily available at Walgreens. Unfortunately, The Granny forgot to get them on her next trip to Walgreens. However, The Granny is now a professional on-line shopper and so, she reasoned: "Why make another trip to Walgreens when I can easily order online?" So the internet guru Granny searched the net, found a sports beans vendor and ordered "one package" of beans. When a big ole box came in the mail a few days later, the Granny realized she didn't exactly verify how much 1 package of sports beans contained - oh yeah, she got a whole case!

Although she didn't send the whole case, the Romanian mail system came through and I am fueled and ready for my half-marathon - and then some.

(Additional 10-15 packages of beans not shown)

Steve runs in Venice (well, close anyway)

This past weekend was spent in Venice, Italy. I did not actually run on the island, but ran in the mainland district of Mestre (part of greater Venice) where we stayed. Allow me to explain.

While running on the Island of Venice is technically possible, it would not be fun. First, all of the major streets are composed of a very soft surface called H2O (or water for you non-science people), duh! The walkways that people do use in the city are not very straight, they are not very wide, and there are stairs everywhere to get up and over the canals. And last, but not least, the place is packed with tourists which limits all manner of movement. So, call me a wuss if you must, but I think I picked a better option on terra-firma (mainland).

Parco San Giuliano

Anyway, I did have a good 7.5 mile run on Thursday morning at this park that was a little over 1 mile from the hotel. Mestre is a very run-friendly and bike-friendly town. The major arteries in town have walkways with both a pedestrian lane and bike lane shielded from traffic. The locals appear to use the bike paths a lot for everyday transportation. With gas prices as they are in Europe, I don't blame them!

I found the park on Google Earth before we left, but the images showed it was under construction. I knew that the images were old and the park was finished, but I still wasn't sure how to get there. The map showed a couple of very busy streets (looked like a freeway) in front of the entrance which I was worried about crossing.

So, at 6:30 am I headed out on San Marco street, following the bike path towards the park. After about 1 mile I was pleasantly surprised to see a huge pedestrian suspension bridge going over the freeway and right into the park. The bridge appeared to be double of the size of a similar bridge near my home in Greenville, SC. Sweet! At this hour on a Thursday, the park was practically deserted and I had the flat 1.5 mile loop course all to myself. There were drinking fountains about every .5 mile or so, which was also cool. I had a nice run of about 7 1/2 miles - and I can now add Italy to the list of countries I've ran in this year.

I was not able to get to the park with a camera, so you'll have to settle for a few stock internet photos showing the park and the bridge construction (which is now complete). The last photo on the right shows the back end of the course near the lagoon. You can see the bridge to the Venice island group in the background.

Be sure to click the family blog link for some cool photos of the Venice islands. Ciao!

All "boys" like a challenge

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.

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.

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.

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 Barcelona. 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 3^rd 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 Bucharest, every surface I ran on (from stone to asphalt to gravel to boards) was smooth! There was also actual order to all the traffic making it easy to cross any streets. It’s amazing was a little less anarchy will do.

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!

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.