The recent weather has made my training for the Ultrabalaton truly effective. I've maximized the heatwave-like warmth to its fullest.

I had planned to run 45 km on Sunday, but I decided to run with Paul, my lifelong friend, on Friday, with whom I began this "journey" almost 10 years ago. He had a 30 km training session scheduled, so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and then I would run the remaining 15 km alone.

I woke up around 5:30 on Friday. I partially devoured a crème brûlée, filmed a bit, hope you liked it 🤭 Then, after a quick massage, I checked my gear with nutrition and spare clothes, and headed towards Chiajna. The journey took 12 minutes due to light traffic.

After parking, I warmed up and started running alone. After about 10 minutes, Paul arrived, and we continued together. The weather warmed up quickly, and after 3 km, we were already in short sleeves. We had some devilish wind, but I can't complain. It was just right to keep us from getting too hot. The route in the Dâmbovița Delta was perfect for this run. The 10.5 km loop made us pass by the car park every hour, so we could hydrate, take gels, etc.

We chatted for about 3 and a half hours until we completed the 30 km. This week marked the 7th anniversary of our first 100 km race together in 2017, in Seregno, Italy. It was a great experience that we remembered with pleasure. I'll post about that during this week.

After Paul finished his training, I continued alone. Sometimes chatting on the phone, sometimes singing like a madman, the 15 km passed quite quickly. Although she wanted to arrive earlier, Carmen arrived right at the end, as we were finishing the training. Since she was determined to enjoy the good weather and run about 5 km, I took the opportunity to accompany her, ending up running 50 km instead of 45 😁

I can say I finished this training exactly as I started it, with crème brûlée as soon as I got home 😂

On Saturday, I had planned a bike ride, more like a leisurely ride, as recovery from the previous day's run. We arrived at Comana around 14:00 when the parking lot was already packed. Fortunately, it seems that the locals have made a business out of offering parking to tourists or those coming to the area. We met a friendly man who offered us parking in his yard for 15 lei.

We geared up and set off on the classic route. Through the Comana Forest to Mihai Bravu, then left towards Băneasa. We initially planned to go to the intersection with the road to Oltenița, but we continued until kilometer 25, somewhere after the village of Pietrele. On the way back, we stopped at the village store. A tradition by now, stopping at the village store, any village store, always brings joy to my heart with its sweets or other various foods that I buy here but wouldn't normally consume 😂 Although we only needed water and wanted to drink a cold Coke, we enjoyed a variety of treats 😂 Two types of biscuit cake, Mars, Rom chocolate, and Kinder Happy Hippo helped us regain our strength, as we were exhausted after 25 km of cycling 😋

On the way back, we took a short detour towards Vlad the Impaler, so in the end, we covered about 52.5 km. I decided to do another solo round and set off on the same route. Unfortunately, it was already getting dark and not as warm outside, which is why all the dogs started following me, no matter how small and ragged they were 😔

Exiting Mihai Bravu, I encountered the first gang, I already know them, but they still got on my nerves. Then, after a few kilometers, at the station, or former station, I saw another group of dogs, many of them puppies who will surely grow up soon. I was used to being followed by them. The third group, more serious, I met near the greenhouses. I hadn't seen them before. There were about a dozen strays crossing the street determinedly. Others were in the field, looking "curious" at me. I decided I wasn't brave enough to try my luck and turned back 😂 Fortunately, on the way back, those from Mihai Bravu had already planned to harass cyclists and weren't present anymore, only a few of the more scared ones 🤭 Some barked at me, but being alone, it wasn't so "exciting."

I got back to the car with a total of 85 km, the last 33 I did at a slower pace. And because that's what I wanted, but also motivated by the circumstances described above 😂 Note to self, don't go alone early in the morning or in the evening if you don't want some excitement 😁

On Sunday at lunchtime, I went back to Chiajna. I did an easy 10 km run. There was a thin layer of clouds in the sky that made the sun not so strong. It was perfect weather for a run just for pleasure and for relaxing my legs. So, from Monday onwards, I can continue preparing for the Ultrabalaton without any problems.