‘You’re in great form, Mircea’, says Csabi, the AR running coach from Budapest with whom we’re doing some trail running every Saturday morning. There are only nine kilometers left for my milestone. The great milestone. Regardless the ascent, I’m not going to take it easy, especially that I have a full day ahead to ‘chill’. A different kind of chill, my kind of chill, of course, because, as Dan Pena says, only losers ‘chill’ and ‘hang’. I can’t agree more! So, it is 15th of August 2020. We’re doing some uphill and I stick closely to the coach. Three years ago I never have been on a mountain, let alone run uphill. Now, usually I prefer to walk, but this time is different. The special day has come.

1.000 kilometres seemed a lot in 2016

Total ascent for the total 8.6 kilometres – shown at the end by my Polar M430 – is 315 metres. Pretty decent. Now, when I sync my watch with the applications installed on my phone a number pops up and I admire it very proudly: 10.000. Yes, it is the number of kilometres I ran and gathered on my Nike Runner application – I have three of them: Nike, Strava, Adidas. Installed in this order. Considering the Nike Runner was from day one, it has all my tracked kilometres. Of course, for many people seem a lot. It did for me as well. Not necessary in the far past. To put it in another way, in November 2016 I thought that if I reach 1.000 ran kilometres mark, I can do everything. Now, 10.000 seem decent, but not a number that cannot be left far, far behind. Really, running is easy and doesn’t do harm!

No, there are no breaks!

‘Wow! 150 consecutive days? Remember you should rest from time to time’, adds Csabi when I tell him, without being necessary asked, that this is my 150 day in a row of running. I agree with his mindset, because his a top athlete and his mission, especially here, at Adidas Runners Budapest, is to take care of the good health of everybody. But, running almost 2900 kilometres by now this 2020 I can say the ‘rest day’ is just a excuse to take it easy. Of course, the rule is not for everybody, but I am pretty sure I can run everyday for the rest of my life. Without being injured, or ill, that is. So, the last 400 metres I went to a downhill to make sure the Nike Runner will point out 10.000 kilometres. And it did so, going further!

13th of February 2016, kilometre 1

13th of February 2016 is day one. That specific day when I installed the application and tried it. I’ve run some kilometres in 2015, as I’ve broken my right wrist and kick-boxing, my favorite sport by than was out of the question for at least six months. I could not stay like this. Went for some runs in Titan Park, but it was about it. Wasn’t really driven. The installation of Nike Runner changed big part of my life style. Why? To make it short and simple, let’s say that it kept me accountable. So, if you cannot measure something, than it worthless. It all changed starting that February afternoon, only two days after my 28th birthday.

Dean Karnazes, a true inspiration

When you use an application it motivates you, to go further, faster, in different places and so one. On this subject, the discussion is far longer so it is no point on developing it here. This is only about the 10.000 kilometres mark. Big thing, but going further. Since I’ve started reading, actually quite a lot and especially running books, I’ve understood that, for example, Dean Karnazes, ran more than 150.000 kilometres in his lifetime. I even think he’s quite approaching 200K now. Wow… And he’s not the only one. Running is simple and it helps. My 10K are far above any average person on the planet, and I know it. But I am not willing to stop here. The process is at the beginning. Because, as also Dan Pena brilliantly says, ‘Life is a process, not a journey. It is a journey only if you are retarded.’