I quite enjoy running for some years and in my head, don’t exactly know for sure why, it popped that I need to go for a 55.55 kilometers run. Sure, I had done already two above 50 so it looked like making sense. I’ve tried once in 2019, to go through all Bucharest parks, including the Văcărești Danube, but it was rainy. Very rainy. I wasn’t equipped properly, got some wounds in the inner parts of my thighs so I needed to call off the intended long run. With 36 kilometers in, almost 20 to go. Still, a pretty decent distance, but I didn’t achieve my goal.
COVID-19 and my 100 days in a row target
In 2020, as the COVID-19 struck my running plans got changed. Read something that after a full marathon, the body gets weaker and that the immunity system is nearly as one of an old or ill person. This is why I have concentrated on shorter runs, usually less thank 35 kilometers. I wanted to reach 100 consecutive days, which I did so, because nothing restricted me, I kept on going. Meanwhile, I took my second Master degree, at 32 years, so I decided I need to celebrated somehow. The pandemic doesn’t look to get over any soon, even though in Europe is far better than it was in spring time. Not in Romania, but this is another sad, painful, story… I didn’t feel anymore that running above 35 kilometers have as many risks for my health in terms of contacting the virus.
123 day, became day 122
The point is, I am enjoying, at this time, Budapest. So I found it perfect to celebrate my university achievement in a special way, in one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. It was planned for a Sunday, the 55.55 run, for the 123 consecutive day. A perfect milestone to merge with this great ambition of mine. Still, one day earlier, I saw the weather, which looked perfect for an infinite run and also my mood was high for something special. Day 122. So what? Let’s go! I didn’t have any course map settled, only some ideas in my head. I didn’t go for ascents as I was thinking about earlier so this is why my final average pace of 5:24 looked that good.
Cheated a bit, but who cares?
One of the best parts of this very long run was that I complete it in slightly less than five hours. I didn’t expected about this. OK, so I have stopped my watch a couple of times when I entered some gas stations or supermarkets to buy something to properly hydrate. So, if I would have been in an official race, maybe my time would have been around 45 minutes more. But this is not that important, I don’t have anything to prove so I am fine with it. I have finished a half Balaton Szupermarthon in March on 14 from 65 participants so I know what I am capable of. This run was very good because of the cloudy weather. I realized this the best because my final kilometers where the fastest, I mean above 5 min / km.
All along the charming Danube
Maybe the wellness of the run was influenced by the magic that the city has, that people are quite calm, even though not that organized when they walk the side walks or the streets, bridges and so on. Luckily, I have plenty of experience from Romania in avoiding people while running so I was fine. Drank more than 4 liters of liquids as I am hydrating myself a lot anyway, so nothing special and admired the Danube, again, from Rackozi bridge to Arpad bridge. Margret Island was of course as well in my plan and so was a smaller park from Buda, with a very nice soft track. No time for the Bastion, Cittadella or Guckler Karoly. It would have been to much of an effort, so no use this time.