Running in winter quotes

If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.

Running in the snow has its own special qualities – softness, quiet, the white landscape – and it can make you feel like a kid again.

There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

If you start skipping runs because the weather’s too lousy, pretty soon you start missing runs because the weather’s too nice!

Tough conditions just make you stronger. Don’t think ! Just run.

Bad weather always looks worse through a window.

No matter how bad you feel, there is always someone out there who feels worse and is still moving.

Summer bodies are earned on the winter roads.

This is about doing something difficult and not stopping when it becomes not just difficult, but cold and difficult…or cold and wet and difficult…or cold and wet and dark and difficult.

Zambia

The eagle in flight symbolizes the freedom in Zambia and the ability to rise above national problems. Red represents the struggle for freedom, black, the people of Zambia, orange the country’s mineral wealth and green the wildlife and environment. 

Victoria Falls (known to Africans as “The Smoke That Thunders”) is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. If you look at the Victoria Falls’ mist from the correct angle, you will be able to see a circular rainbow. (it is very seldom that we get to see more than the top half of a rainbow).

Zambia is one of the world’s poorest countries and ranked 165th out of 187 on the Human Deveploment Index. Average life-expectancy at birth is 38.6 years.

Zambia is landlocked, you need to travel 600 miles before you can see any real ocean. However, Lake Kariba was Africa’s largest man-made lake until Egypt’s Aswan Dam was put up in 1971. It is so huge that in certain parts of it, unknowing visitors think they are looking at the ocean.

The national symbol is the African Fish Eagle, which looks much like the American Bald Eagle

Zambia’s capital Lusaka (originally planned to hold 200,000 people) currently has a population of 1.5 million. Despite this, the entire country’s telephone directory is not even one inch thick.

Termite hills in Zambia often grow to be as big as a cottage. They carry their own unique vegetation and during the rainy season sprout edible mushrooms. One type of mushroom has a cap of 0.91m in diameter, making it the largest mushroom in the world.

Panama

The stars and quarters are said to stand for the rival political parties, and the white for the peace in which they operate. Blue was the color of the Conservatives, and red the color of the Liberals

Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic.

Panama can’t be beat when it comes to bird watching. It is home to more species of birds than the United States and  Canada combined including the Froot Loop bird, the toucan

In the mountains of the province of Chiriqui lives Harpy Eagle – the largest bird of prey and the sacred bird of the Indians.

The country has the second largest duty free zone in the world.

Panama grants 30 days of free health and accident insurance to all visitors.

Panama City is the only capital city in the world that has a rain forest within the city limits. It is the second largest rainforest in  the Western hemisphere.

Panama houses over 10,000 different plants species : about 1,200 varieties of orchids  (including the national flower called Flor del Espiritu Santo), 678 ferns and more than 1,500 varieties of trees

In the early 80’s it was illegal to jog or exercise if you were wearing a white t-shirt and beige trunks, as dictator Manuel Noriega wanted to jail as many U.S. soldiers as possible, and soldiers wore white t-shirts and beige trunks when jogging.

The country has one Indian tribe, where a sign of the special beauty of women is a big long nose.
They are specially made longitudinal stripes on the nose with black paint in order to visually enlarge it.

Panama hats are typically produced in Ecuador and not made in Panama.

Mauritius

The four colors of the Mauritian national flag: red, blue, yellow, and green represent Flamboyant tree, Indian Ocean, the sunshine, and the island’s vegetation respectively.

Mark Twain said : “You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius.”

The dodo bird was found only in Mauritius before it became extinct about 450 years ago. Despite this, Dodo remains Mauritius’ national animal.

Inspired by the Dodo,  Lewis Carroll wrote “Alice in Wonderland” in 1865.

The life expectancy is 73 years, the highest in the world’s developing nations.

Mauritius’s national flower is known as Boucle d’Oreille and blooms around the month of June and October.

Mauritius is the most densely populated country in Africa and the 17^th in the world.

The seven colored earth is one of the well-known attractions in Mauritius. It consists of seven different colored sand dunes, mainly, red, brown, violet, green, purple, blue, and yellow.

There are no wild animals on this island and even the species of snakes found here are not poisonous.

Mauritius does not have its own standing Army.

There is only one national park, Black River Gorge, but it covers 3% of the island entire area and it is home for 300 flower species and 9 unique birds species including pink pigeon.

Funny race signs

Some funny race signs, featuring some popular memes :

– courage wolf

– insanity wolf

– you think this is a mother fucking game dog

– confessional bear

– grumpy cat

– pickup line panda

– stoner dog

– sitting frog

– fabulous cat

– sad owl

– most interesting cat in the world

Baneasa trail race

Data: 14 decembrie 2013

Cu : Cezar, George, Cristina, Cristi

Fotografi: Lore, Cristina

A fost a doua editie de la Baneasa trail race si prima la care am participat.  Ce ar fi de spus? Distanta? 10 km. Traseul? foarte frumos, prin padure pe carare, fara zapada, fara namol. Vremea? Surprinzator de buna pentru jumatatea lunii decembrie. Kitul de participare? cu multe chestii (Tricou cu maneca lunga de la Decathlon, batoane, RedBull, Cola si altele) Atmosfera din cursa? Foarte frumoasa, cu multi fotografi pe traseu si multi participanti.

Am facut parte din echipa Dacii liberi alaturi de Cezar, George si Cristina (enumerati in ordinea timpilor din cursa :P) Cat despre cursa mea? Cu cateva kile in plus adunate fara prea mult efort in ultima luna :P, cu pastilele de la medic pentru probabil o contractura musculara dupa mine (diagnosticul dat de doctorul din Cezar e altul :P) , timpul meu a fost infect :)) .  Fix o ora pe 10 km. Nici la semimaratonul din octombrie nu am alergat asa incet :D: am lasat sa treaca pe langa mine, oameni de toate varstele,  femei, barbati, oameni bine facuti, etc :P.  A fost mai mult o plimbare prin padure, intr-un ritm de alergare incetisor, dar macar am putut sa admir traseul :P.

Ce ar mai fi de spus :

– nu am fost ultimii la echipe 😛 …. daca alergam ca George am fi fost un loc mai sus , deci total nesemnificativ.

– o femeie insarcinata in luna a noua a terminat cursa

– vorba lu Hagi : “cum zic…daca ti-e frica de lup nu intri in padure”

– nu am mai stat la premiere si la tombola deci nu am castigat nimic

Poza de la finish :

O cursa in imagini

Inspirat de un articol pe care l-am citit de curand, m-am hotarat sa scriu acest post pentru a descrie in cateva imagini momentele cele mai frumoase din timpul unei curse, pozele de mai jos fiind facute la competitiile la care am participat :

1 nebunia de la start :

2 concurenti care te inspira

3 mesaje de incurajare de pe margine

4 persoane care alearga pentru o cauza

5 pesoane care alearga cu unul sau mai multe steaguri

6 persoane care alearga in costume ciudate

7 sa-i vezi pe cei de pe primele locuri trecand pe langa tine

8 copii care alearga

9 bornele de pe margine care iti arata ca ai cu 1km mai putin pana la finish

10 bucuria sa vezi linia de finish

11 pozele de dupa cursa

De ziua nationala…

Pentru ca azi e ziua ROMANIEI …. iata cateva dintre recordurile romanesti din Guiness book :

– cel mai mare steag national cu o suprafata de aproape 80000 de metri patrati si o greutate de 5 tone a fost desfasurat in luna mai a anului 2013 pe Aerodromul Clinceni. Precedentul record era detinut de Liban pentru un drapel cu suparafata de 65975 metri patrati.

– cea mai in vasta castigatoare a maratonului olimpic: Constantina Dita-Tomescu, campioana olimpica in 2008 la Beijing, la 38 de ani, intr-un timp de 2h26m44s. Precedentul record era detinut de la Seul 1988 de portugheza Rosa Mota. In acelasi timp, antrenorul campioanei, Valeriu Tomescu, a devenit la 32 de ani, cel mai tanar antrenor al unei castigatoare a maratonului olimpic

– cel mai rapid maraton alergat de o echipa de minim 5 oameni legati intre ei : Gabriel Solomon, Victor Vlad, Stefan Oprina, Mihai Baractaru, Florin Munteanu si George Dobre au stabilit recordul la Maratonul International Bucuresti (6 octombrie 2013) 2h54m33s. Recordul precedent fusese stabilit la Calgary Marathon in mai 2013.

Despre alte recorduri romanesti, de la cel mai lung meci de baschet la cea mai mare paine rustica de cartofi, de la cele mai multe penalty-uri aparate intr-un meci si cele  mai multe note de 10 la Jocurile Olimpice, la cea mai mare halba de bere, cea mai mare ciorba de burta sau cel mai lung sir de prezervative din lume, puteti citi aici

La multi ani Romania!!!

2013….

… primul an competitional complet 😛 , un an plin de curse … unele mai reusite…altele mai putin , in Bucuresti sau Brasov,  prin Bucegi, Fagaras, Retezat sau Ciucas, cross-uri, semimaratoane sau maratoane, individuale, pe echipa sau in stafeta, prin soare , ploaie sau vant, pe bolovani, stanci sau namol,..toate pline de amintiri frumoase 😀

Aprilie
Semimaraton Brasov (20km)
Brasov Marathon (21.5km)

Mai
EcoMarathon (14km)
Semimaratonul International Petrom (21km) 

Iunie
Crosul Click (2.4km)
Crosul Padurii (10km) 
Retezat Trail Race (28.5km)

Iulie
Cozia Mountain Run(32.5km)
Bucegi 7500 (45km) 

August
Retezat Maraton (24km)
2×2 Race (19.5km) 

Septembrie
Ciucas trail run (39km)
Run4Freedom (stafeta 4×3.2km) 

Octombrie
Maratonul International Bucuresti (21km)
Azuga trail race (27.5km)

urmeaza 2014 😛

Azuga trail race 2

Data: 19 octombrie 2013

Cu : Cezar, Alex, George, Cristina, Ciprian, Marius, Alex C

Azuga trail race este una dintre cursele mele preferate :  traseul e frumos, nu e nici prea lung (doar 27 de kilometri), nu e nici prea greu (doar 1600 de metri diferenta de nivel si doar 2 urcari lungi) si e in mare parte alergabil.  Anul acesta a fost a doua editie la care am participat (din doua organizate pana acum :P)  si din nou organizarea mi s-a parut foarte buna (puncte de alimentare si de hidratare suficiente si bine pozitionate), tombola cu destule premii (am si castigat 2 pungi de hidratare …complet inutile :P).

Anul trecut obtinesem un timp destul de bun (4:31:25) , in conditiile in care alergasem o buna parte din cursa. Pentru anul asta imi propusesem sa obtin un timp mai bun, desi stiam ca sunt zone din traseu afectate destul de tare de ploile din ultima perioada si ca picioarele mele nu sunt in cea mai buna forma.  Vremea mi s-a parut destul de buna : un pic de vant prin zonele mai de creasta, dar cu frigul nu am avut probleme desi eram in pantaloni scurti (dar cu 3 tricouri pe mine :P).

Pe prima parte a traseului (zona de plat si prima urcare pana la Vf Clabucetul Azugii) am fost mai rapid decat anul trecut (desi la un moment dat mi se pusesera niste crampe la una dintre gambe).  Au urmat apoi kilometri buni de coborare sau de plat (cu scurte bucati de urcare) pe care am alergat destul de mult (mai putin si un pic mai incet insa  decat anul trecut pentru ca au fost si zone cu foarte mult namol).  M-am simtit destul de bine, astfel incat la punctele de hidratare si de alimentare nu am petrecut prea mult timp (mai ales ca scandarea unuia dintre voluntari “hai la mici si bere ca sa prinzi putere” nu era adevarata si aveam doar apa sau izotonic si cascval sau fructe :P) . Dupa punctul de hidratare de la kilometrul 15 a mai fost o zona de urcare de circa 200 de metri, dupa care a urmat o coborare destul de lina pana la zona de start  pe care am alergat-o in proportie de 90 %.

Timpul pe prima bucla (3:01) a fost un pic mai slab ca anul trecut (cu vreo 3-4 minute), dar per total era bine.  La start am auzit incurajarile colegilor de la munca veniti sa petreaca in Azuga (multumesc :P)  si sunetele de vuvuzela marca Rosia Montana :P.  Am inceput sa urc pe Sorica, si desi m-am oprit in total doar 1 minut, am scos un timp mai prost ca anul trecut (cu vreo 2 minute) : si pentru ca ma durea coapsa stanga si pentru ca anul trecut Alex era in spate si eram mai motivat :D.

Din varful partiei varfurile din Bucegi acoperite cu zapada se vedeau superb, dar cum am mai vazut munti acoperiti de zapada nu am stat prea mult sa admir peisajul. Mai ales ca mai aveam un pic pana la punctul de hidratare. Dupa ce am baut niste apa, am pornit cam agale pe ultima bucata de traseu. Am alternat zonele de alergare cu cele de mers, astfel incat cand am ajuns la finish am avut un timp mai prost decat la editia anterioara cu circa 17 minute: 4:48:34. In conditiile date un timp de care sunt insa cat de cat multumit.

La final incurajari, bere, Red Bull si dulciuri 😀

Mai multe detalii legate de traseu puteti gasi pe site-ul competiei , iar poze si noutati pe pagina de facebook.

La echipe am terminat pe un “onorabil” loc 16 …din 17. Daca ni s-ar fi adunat doar 3 din cei 4 timpi am fi fost maxim pe 5 ….deci au fost prea multi participanti dintre elite :D.  La anul o sa ne propunem insa obiective mai indraznete. Sa speram ca vremea, muschii si oasele o sa tina mai mult cu noi :D.