DAY 22

I really don't want to cause a panic, but if things continue this way, Hungary will soon only have two mobile service providers.

 

 

 

It so happened that a few days ago, the second company where I used to work closed its doors. First, the Várkert Casino gave up the fight, then last week Cashline Securities finally pulled down the shutters. So, Telenor Hungary is next in line.

Honestly, I'm glad about the news, because Cashline, in the last two years, was a textbook example of squandering its values, disregarding its professional staff, and perfectly flouting gentleman's agreement-type rules. I could list the reasons that led to this at length, but out of respect for a friend, I'll refrain from doing so for now. To the management, and every single person who brought the company to this point, I can only suggest they calmly lie down under a train.

So much for my professional background, because I can state that on day 21, I hit rock bottom. I literally dragged myself towards the gym, and my mood wasn't great either; in fact, it was utterly shitty. I think I'll go for a stress ECG test around the halfway point of the program and get a full blood count. I'm curious how vitamins, anabolic agents, and diet affect my body. Winter is back, it's cold, people, really damn cold. I read -9 degrees on the gadgets, and I'm increasingly worried about running.

I tried to warm up for back day, as usual, on the rowing machine, but a visitor who looked like it was their second time occupied it. In such cases, there's nothing you can do, just go to a treadmill, and that's it. It's impossible to wait because you can't even gauge how long they'll be clowning around on the machine, because if I saw correctly, they were doing a 1 km program, and still had 700 meters left. But they were doing it at such a pace that 20 minutes was easily possible. Treadmill 9-minute hill run program, meaning the path continuously inclines. Previously, on the two highest levels, I had to hold the handrail, and water was pouring off me. Now, I found myself finishing the program almost entirely breathing through my nose. For anyone to whom this means nothing, try it.

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When increasing weights for back exercises, always be very careful. Back training is extremely dangerous and should only be performed with correct technique. Any injury to the disc, spine, vertebrae, besides being very bad, can end your training plans for years. It's incredibly dangerous. People have been paralyzed during back training, pushing heavy weights. So, just be careful. I finished the day's workout with the weights I've been using, and I decided that next week I'll step up a level. The most intense abdominal workout is also on this day, and according to my new resolution, I will pay special attention to it now. Due to yesterday's workout, I have very severe muscle soreness in my abs. Opinions are divided on whether it's worth working through muscle soreness or if you should rest. Work through it.

When I got home, I looked in the mirror, considering what I should work on, and whether there was symmetry between the muscle groups. I got a little disheartened because I wasn't satisfied with what I saw. That's why it's good to photograph yourself, because you can see that you're not working in vain. For example, I don't see as much change in myself as there is between day 0 and day 18. Of course not, because I see myself every day. If someone has decided to train and doesn't photograph themselves weekly, because why would they, then their surroundings are the best mirror. The scale is not always authoritative. We want to achieve an appearance, not a weight; it's good not to forget that.

Day 22

I was hoping the weather would at least ease up a bit, and it would be around 0 degrees, but then the reports and the window opened in the morning quickly brought me back to reality. There's no way I can start running before 6 PM, and if I'm reading correctly, -9 degrees can be expected tonight. But if that wasn't enough, after a few rural big cities, Budapest also declared a smog alert. So I think all conditions were met for a 10 km run.

The weather cleared up, at least as far as my mood was concerned, because the same could hardly be said about the city covered by smog. Although I didn't feel as strong as last time, it's impossible to gauge how much you'll be able to do before a run. The evening was spent under the sign of the number 7; I left home at 7, and it was -7 degrees outside. 10 km. I reread a few running blogs again, because I vaguely remembered something about it being advisable to run up to -5 degrees. But no, above -5 degrees, they only suggest thicker gloves and a hat, and -15 degrees is the limit above which they also go to the treadmill. Okaaay.

My girlfriend asked what I run in in such cold weather. Tracksuit bottoms, two pairs of socks, an Adidas Techfit long-sleeved top, which is made of special material, heat-retaining but also moisture-wicking, a plain short-sleeved T-shirt, gloves, a hat. This is more than enough, anything else is unnecessary, it just hinders. At least for me.

Heroes' Square – Andrássy Avenue – Chain Bridge – Buda embankment – Margaret Bridge – Grand Boulevard – Oktogon – Heroes' Square.

I think the spring Vivicittá also takes place in similar locations, but the best part was that I had already reached the foot of Buda Castle. True, I haven't run up it yet, but at least I've scouted it out for myself. A little more about the run.

Ever since this insane cold returned, I've been dreading this day; physically, I didn't feel in great shape, but my mood was very good. I must have started around 7:15 PM, and I think it's no exaggeration to say I was damn cold. After 5 minutes, I still felt the cold, and my face was getting colder and colder. Professional runners say that if after 10 minutes of running in such cold weather we don't start to feel more comfortable, as far as thermal sensation is concerned, then either increase the pace, or wait another 5 minutes maintaining the same pace, and if we're still cold afterward, stop, because it will end in a serious cold.

By the time I reached the Opera, I wasn't cold at all anymore, and I started to enjoy the run. I still had a lot ahead of me, so no matter how strong I felt, I maintained a pace, but even so, I was doing 5:30 minute kilometers. When I started running training, I couldn't go under 6:40. It's incredibly tough to run up the bridges, but as you come down, you can catch your breath a bit. On the Buda embankment, opposite the Parliament, I hit a small slump, but it wasn't serious.

A good piece of advice. If you go for a run, take a ticket or a pass with you, especially in such cold weather, so if anything happens, you can get on something that takes you home. (Oh, and it's also not a disadvantage if there's BKV nearby.) For me, one such escape point was Batthyány Square. Maybe that's why I hit a slump there, I don't know, but it's not important either. I easily got over it and continued. By then, I had covered 4.5 km.

Arriving at Margaret Bridge, I was greeted by a war zone; the entire area was dug up. I thought I'd run under the bridge and then up onto the bridge, but there was no footpath or anything. The only place I could have run under the bridge was on the road. The cars had just gotten a red light, and I started to run under the bridge, with zero public lighting. The cars suddenly started moving, and then it hit me, damn it, there's no space, and they might not even see me. I haven't done such a stupid sprint in a very long time; I ran out from under the bridge as if my life depended on it. It's not impossible that it wasn't like that. It must have been a scene like in Die Hard 3 when Willis is escaping a flood with a truck in the sewer. It was really cool, I enjoyed it; 5.5 km behind me, and I do a Bolt-like sprint, then up onto Margaret Bridge. It was a very smooth run from there to the finish line; I ran the 10 km in 1:02:40, but I had to stop many times due to the traffic lights + the Margaret Bridge interlude.

So I easily ran the 10 km. I'm incredibly strong; I feel like a machine that is just loaded but handles it easily. I couldn't tell my limits, or where the point is in running that I couldn't handle anymore, but right now I would say 15 km is easily within me. If you go for a run in such cold weather, immediately after training, take off all your clothes and take a hot shower until you warm up.

So I decided to enter the Vivicittá in April. 12 km, and I want to be among the top 500. I have never entered a running race, so it's time to start. And remember, impossible does not exist.

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