27 hours

I know I wasn't supposed to, but I simply was itching to get out for a short run yesterday. The weather was coolish, but the valley was fresh. Plus I'm not sure the next time I'll run through the valley again. After tomorrow, I may never run again! (An added bonus of having run through the valley was having 'good luck' wishes from a complete stranger for the half-marathon. He wasn't Czech.)

I've decided I won't get caught up on the weather - Saturday, 28 March will come and I will run regardless of what is dropping, shining or blowing on me from up above.

Today, Tim, Anna and I are off to the city this afternoon to collect our start bags and receive instructions about THE day. This will be followed by a Pasta-Party and 8hour sleep...

But first a day of work and caution about where I step - I haven't wore any type of heel on my shoes for a week.

My Greatest Weakness Revealed

I guess it's pretty clear what I should give up for Lent.

I visited a friend in Prague this afternoon with every intention of heading to the gym afterward.

However, the smell of grilling sausages which is the trademark of Wenceslas Square lured me to ordering and devouring a Staročeská klobasa, which in turn kept me from running for obvious reasons.


Doesn't it look tempting to you? Surely you understand now that I simply had to yield to this temptation.

Back in the Sneakers again...

Oh dear... I don't dare admit how longs it's been since I've last put my running shoes on my feet. So I won't! Believe me, it's been longer than it should have been. I have all kinds of very very good excuses, really!

Nonetheless, the big day is soon approaching and I'm becoming less convinced that this was a good idea and even less that I'll be able to manage 21.097Km (13.1m).

Out of guilt, shame and determination I'm hereby setting up a strict regime that smelly men, snowflakes and sore muscles will not keep me from. I'm studying up on diet plans (lots of protein), sleeping patterns (do more), and training methods (run alot) in order to be able to cross the finish line on two feet (mine, preferably) on 28 March 2009. Which if you are slightly good at math means, 38 days... oh dear.

A shopping trip for lots of tuna& pasta and a recent care-package from my lovely mother including yummy protein-packed beef jerky will keep my energy up. Plus much encouragement and many kicks from my friends and colleagues to get me off my dupa surely help!

38 days...

"Tula, Eat Something!"

This has been the advice and rebuke of friends and colleagues as I continue my attempt in this 21km run. These last weeks I came to place where my body wasn't any more sore or in pain than normal, but I simply had no energy and could push myself no longer and was stuck between 10 - 12km - depressingly I thought that was the end of my half-marathon hopes.

"EAT protein!"

Tuna, peanuts, beans, eggs, red meat... mmmm, and certainly my beloved sausages. Thus I zealously began my over-eating adventure. Maybe 'over-eating' is a bit strong, maybe 'excess' or even 'sufficient eating' is more appropriate. Nonetheless, homemade tuna melts on Friday and a juicy steak on Saturday was a good start to a few days of lots of food (compared to my normal eating regime). And I can't complain - I like good food.

It works!

I completely surprised myself today, when at the gym I ran 16 kilometres - which means yes, only five more to the goal! With a little more than 2 months of training to go, if I keep at it (eating & running) I'm sure to be able to make it! Barring injury and illness. I can't stop smiling.

Ooof, but regardless how much tuna I have eaten, I'm sure to have sore muscles tomorrow.

Yea, though I run the valley of the shadow...

It's dark!!!

Prague's thus far mild winter has allowed me to remain outdoors for my running regime. Though I love snow, this winter I am secretly & selfishly thankful for global warming.

However, the characteristically short days of the season have sadly not changed. Leaving to run around four pm, again thanks to a gracious boss, I return to IBTS it is in a dark haze.

I come across very few people at this time in the evening now and when I do, it's not until I'm just on top of them that I know if this person is male or female, with a bike, a dog or a shopping bag or the person is actually a tree.

If you can speak it is common courtesy to greet people you come across in the Šárka trails. So when I see I am approaching a fellow path-walker/runner, I gather up all the breath I can muster to give a "I'm-not-completely-exhausted" hello!

Yesterday as I got out the 'dobry' of 'dobry den', the second person gave a friendly "Hello, Vanessa". Talk about shock! A few strides later I realised who it was and was able to holler back a friendly greeting of my own.

All that behind me, I'm off soon with a dear friend to enjoy the Prague-ham and sausages of the Christmas markets in Prague today, then return to have a feast for another friend's birthday celebration - looks to be a very demanding Saturday!
I love Prague.

A Pan of Brownies & a Steady Pace

Agh, the depression has hit. Perhaps it's not typical of those attempting to run a long distance race for the first time, but it has proven true of me. Partly this is due to the short days and partly due to my feeling that I'm not progressing much in my running regime.

Today I hoped to wake early and run, but this ended up being waking early, hitting 'snooze', waking again, hitting 'snooze' and so on. Option two was to run after five - looking at the sky around four I thought it may be possible, but as seventeen hundred hours approached and darkness blanketed this second option was smothered.

I arrived home, ate a small piece from a half pan of leftover brownies, turned on the last bit of 'EastEnders' and debated what my next move was. Chewing on a bit bigger piece of brownie I began contemplating a visit to the small gym up the road. Getting comfortable and not able to turn off 'EastEnders' before the episode ended with Jack Branning being arrested (falsely?!?), I grabbed a much larger piece of brownie to think through the timing of buses up to the gym and back. Completing the pan of brownies I realised the combination of a full stomach of brownies and running 10K on a treadmill wasn't the best, I packed my bag for the gym.

The brownie indulgence ended up not being too much of an interference to my somewhat boring run on the treadmill. However, a few words from a more experience runner - "it's not so much the distance and speed, but find your pace and run" (or something like that) - had me moving my speed up and down until I found what fit perfect and was it not for the closing hours of the gym, I could have run for quite more than I normally would! So my last few days of depression about running is looking up a bit.

Kiwi at Three

Ugg, sore muscles again. Twas a good run and I still found myself bounding up the 47 steps on campus with surplus energy afterwards. However, at 03.37 in the morning my quadriceps were crying and I was sleepless. Something came to my mind about acid (malic, citric, lactic... who knows!) in the muscles and the lack thereof causing soreness - which could be complete nonsense, but at three in the morning it seemed plausible. Searching the refrigerator supply I ended up theiving from my roommate Gordon and snacked on a kiwi. I did sleep eventually, not quite sure if the kiwi or sheer tiredness had me sawing Zzzz's. (ah, by the way - Gordon is a guinea pig!)

What goes up, must come down

An excellent thing about where IBTS is located in the valley is that the paths away from the seminary lead up, and the paths on the way back lead down! An ideal situation for any potential half-marathoner! Whilst still trying to figure out the pedometre loaned to me, I'm unable to record distances by kilometre when running, but instead by landmarks. The house that sells honey, the big white house with the huge menacing boxer dog, the swimming pool, the sausage roasting place. My goal before too long is to make it to McDonalds! (Maybe with the reward of an apple pie at the end)

However, speaking of sausages - running leaves much time for thought and today I contemplated the implications of a recent post on the IBTS Community web-log (blog.ibts.eu) - particularly the last bit about the contribution of meat consumption towards polluting the environment. I love meat - sausages, meatballs, pork chops, cutlets, meatloaf...

But yes, I do have concern for the environment, as well. Cleaning with vinegar & baking soda rather than various chemicals. Not leaving water running when unneccessary. Recycling. The list continues, but the challenge of giving up a bit of my meaty pleasures? So yes, I had salted salmon on toast with a bit of lemon for dinner tonight and thought through limiting my intake of our farmyard friends...

But surely, these Czech sausages in my freezer consist of very little meat anyway!