I ran 500 km in 4 months

That’s one small step for a real runner but a giant leap for me! No way I ever predicted anything like this for myself! The Janathon kick-off did its trick (cannot wait for Juneathon), then some of the (Czech) running blogs, the smell of the road, the air in my hair and here I was, all addicted to running and to my body, my own customized endorphin factory.

As the running mileage started increasing, all other activities, especially indoors, started to seem like a waste of time. I felt like there was no proper workout unless my T-shirt got all wet. And it always gets wet when running.

Little by little I started looking into the possibilities of longer runs. I ran distances longer than 10 km regularly and enjoyed the inner peace that usually came during longer runs immensely. I registered for the 1/2M and set up my personal (secret) goal to reach 1000 miles in 2012…

… And then my knee started hurting. We still don’t quite know what the cause is and if it is related to my previous injury at all but as I work together with my physiotherapist on getting back on track, I am forced to rediscover the beauty of other activities as well. So I humbly apologize to you, swimmers, golfers, bikers and hikers for being a fool and lifting ‘my running’ above your sports. For the coming weeks and months, I am joining all of you to retain my physical shape without impacting the knee too badly.

Green Sunday Afternoon

With sore knee that does not want to run (and 3 weeks to go to the 1/2M), one has to look for ways to retain sane. After several months of not touching the clubs we decided to pack our golf bags and call some friends to ask them to join us on the greens. The weather was a bit doubtful but hey, who cares – we wanted to be outside.

Before I started playing golf, I had a narrow minded vision common to all non-players, especially if they practice any other (dynamic) sport. Little did I know about how clever, demanding (and dynamic) this activity can be. To mention a skill a golfer needs, one has to judge himself, his powers, his competitors and the field all the time. There are so many factors that influence your next step (the weather, the terrain, one’s power, self confidence and shape of others in your flight) that sometimes you feel like appearing in the middle of a giant chess board.

The game itself is very explosive, exciting and full of challenges. It is a fight with my competitors but also very much with myself. How do I play the next ball? How do I play the next ball after spoiling this one? How do I focus to produce the perfect swing?

The one thing that running and golf have in common (and that I like about both of them) is that both allow me to push myself to limits.

P.S. Another mutual feature is the outdoorsy thing. And the fact that beer tastes better after both.

P.P.S. Not only Haruki Murakami but also Tiger Woods used to start his days with a quick 6-miler.