Between handling RunningLog and Planaro tasks, I’m still training — and even preparing for a half marathon in October. On the 11th I’ll be lining up for the half at the Bucharest Marathon. It will be my 9th time at the event and my 7th time on the half marathon course. This autumn also marks 10 years since I first showed up there. I’ve only missed one edition, last year’s, because of an injury, and in 2020 the event was cancelled.
Racing in autumn means the training block lands in the middle of summer. With the heat, the only usable window — especially for speed workouts — is early morning. Miss the wake-up and the day is already gone.
After so many races you’d think training runs on autopilot, but the start of a block is still an unknown. The work has to be done all over again: long runs, speed workouts, hills, easy runs. A speed session looks daunting when you see 10 or 12 reps written down, but as it progresses the remaining reps get fewer and fewer. Push the pace on one, embrace the short recovery, start again. None of it is glamorous, and all of it either makes or breaks the race.
What I do have going for me is everything from the previous years. The experience and the knowledge shape the training now — doing things the right way, so I reach race day in the best possible shape.
