I was thinking short how my first post here, for 2021 should look like… Nothing to mention from this new year in terms of sports as only few days passed. But I know for sure that the numbers reached in 2020 won’t be matched in 2021. Not because I cannot do it again, but I don’t want to. It was a goal, a mark set, in many ways, by the pandemic, but it was a mark that doesn’t need to get matched in the ongoing year. I was thinking of sharing a post regarding Spartan first, but I’ve decided to share briefly my 5.062 kilometers running experience through 2020.
Slow start, strange times
It was not an usual year, but I’ve started with normal running volumes for my level. Somewhere around 250 kilometers / average for the first two months of the year. Winter months, my favorite! After, the great experience from Fel Balaton Szupermaraton came. It was early March. After a short spell home, to Bucharest, everything went ballistic. The Pandemic was taking over Europe and the traveling became almost impossible. COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-COV-2 was taking over our lives.
Alone in the plane
I’ve returned immediately in Budapest, where I was living and working and the experience was very strange. Only four persons had a plane ticket with Tarom from Bucharest, but I was the only one who showed up! The others, as the staff recalled, seemed to be scared to travel anymore – in Romania there was emergency state. I have travel with a commercial aircraft all alone and I am pretty sure this experience is one-in-a-lifetime for less than 1 percent of the people around the Globe. Maybe I’m generous. I had difficulties entering Hungary, but after my documents were checked in depth, I’ve been granted access and it all begun.
Day 268 and the summer idea
First, considering I will travel considerably less than I wanted, my goal was to run days in-a-row. Let’s do 30, maybe 50? Should I try… 69? 88 (my birth year)? Or… 100? These kept going in my head as days went by and I have been accumulating bigger and bigger running volumes. In the end, the streak ended at 268, on December 12th for a wonderful day which I’ll remember all my life! Still, this is another topic. Meanwhile I came up with another idea… What if I’ll surpass 5.000 kilometers in 2020?! Or, even better, 5050, to make, somehow, a similarity with this special and strange, at the same time, year. It was already summer when the idea popped and this implied around 500 kilometers for the remaining months to cope with the plan.
Running in capital cities
Not that easy, but, I’ve made it! In fact, the milestone, 5050 was touched on 28th of December! Still, the road was long. The borders, at least partially, reopened and I have traveled a bit. Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia where my destinations. Regardless if it was for some Spartan events or just for pure tourism, I never missed a single day of run. At Kromeriz, Veszprem or Pezinok it was for the Spartan. But… Wien, Prague, Bratislava, Svaty Jur, Hulin were places where my 6.000+ kilometres long lasting shoes took me – I’ll write one about them as well, be patient! There where also places in Hungary, outside Budapest.
Bacău and day no. 100!
Tihany, Balatonszolos, Bokod, Oroszlany, Esztergom are a few nice places that I have visited while running. Some in organized events, some for pure pleasure. All, unforgettable. And, of course, Budapest! The wonderful capital city of Hungary in which I’ve run more than 4.000 kilometers only in 2020! The major proportion from the other left where matched in Bucharest or in my home town, Bacău, where, coincidentally my number 100 run in a row took place. I think, I’ll make a statistical split with all the numbers soon! And now it is a commitment! Back to the topic, though, I need to enter a bit in depth.
581 kilometers for May 2020
How is it to run 5050 kilometers in a row? And, the title is not wrong, as I’ve did a 12 kilometers on 29th of December, my last running day from 2020! It is… challenging! Sometimes really though! I mean, the average was 422 kilometers / month, with a peak of 581 in May and… almost 14 kilometers / day! And you need to remember that my first two months where not that productive. But i picked up the pace and manage. I’ve tried, in two occasions to reach a streak of 10 half – marathons in a row. I wasn’t successful. It was too much, even though I was pretty close. Some studies talk that for the average person more than 330 kilometers per month of running can become damaging.
More than double comparing to 2019
I relate to that, but I think my comfort limit is around 400. Anyway, your body is suffering some times. My calves got, at some point, a chronic pain. Not something serious, but you could always feel it is there. It was quite an effort. It was about discipline and routine. A good routine which could open some new perspectives. Did I have any serious problems? Not really, but I strongly not recommend to anybody this huge volume. For example, I’m running constantly for five years – four before taking this decision, but my volumes were far behind. In 2019 I’ve totaled 2400 something kilometers and it looked wow for me! Now, the volume was more than double.
Many lessons learned
It is really wow but I am not planning to repeat 5000k/year anytime soon. My goal for the upcoming years are 4000 and 3000 respectively, the order not being that important. After all… Done 2000+, done 5000+, need to match them up 2, 3 and 4. 🙂 It didn’t mater if it rained snowed or it was awfully hot. Between 18th of March and 11th of December there was no single day when I didn’t go for a run! I know it sounds crazy, but it was also wonderful! A lifetime experience which, I don’t know if I’ll repeat. But thought me about endurance, discipline, experience and motivation. I don’t recommend you to run 5000 kilometers in one year. But I recommend you to put you body in motion everyday!