Merry Xmas!!!

 

Out of sheer embarrassment I never posted how many miles I ran in 50 minutes. Suffice to say that I took my running shoes to Romania! Between singing Xmas carols, having fun with my family, drinking and eating, I plan to run!! Well, will see how it goes...

Merry Xmas to you all!!!!!!

My first long run

Today is THE day!!! The day of my first long run - I mean 50 minutes!! Let's see how it goes...

P.S. For professional runners: STOP LAUGHING!!!

P.S.2. For non-runners: I know it's crazy!

P.S.3. For my mom: Mom, I promise I will not die!

Running buddy

A few days ago I was doing a short training session in the Goodenough garden around 10pm. It was dark, it was cold and my left foot was not behaving properly. My ipod was so loud that I could not hear myself breathing. After about five laps, my eyes adjusted to the dark. After the tenth lap my body started to function well and I was getting in the running mood.

I turned around to do a bit of backward running (this is the result of reading all those training blogs!). That's when I saw it and I froze! It had big, sparkling eyes and it was staring at me, watching my every move. I stared back for a few seconds, took off my headphones and waited. It was a bit awkward...for both of us.

The fox was rather impatient and started to run around me in circles, almost saying: 'C'mon lazy! Let's have some fun!'. I did half of lap backwards, but I was too slow for her. She started to run on her own, speeding up, going back and forth with no regards for the running track. I reversed to forward running and tried to keep up with her. Impossible! She was too fit and was enjoying it too much! Three more laps and I ran out of breath! She ran out of patience! I really need to do some serious training!!!

Remember the name...donate to Goodenough College

I thought I'd start with a song. It is Remember the Name from Fort Minor. One of those oldies but goldies. Feel free to suggest new songs for my playlist. I really need good music while I run :)

The London Marathon 2012: who, why, when, how and other questions

My name is Roxana Bratu and I am a runner and a blogger (as of this moment). This is my first blog, my first post, my first marathon. As you can see there are quite a few 'firsts' in my life at this moment. I have been a member of Goodenough College for the past three years, while doing my PhD in Sociology at the LSE. As I am now reaching the end of my studies (I really do need to submit my thesis soon!), I thought it would be a good idea to combine writing with running.

As most of my friends from Goodenough know, I am not much of a runner. However, the intention is to train hard and finish the marathon in less than five hours. This is a great challenge for me and my skills at this point in time. So, the purpose of this blog is to keep everyone updated with my training schedule, the level of fundraising and the timeframe. It is also a nice tool to seek support, find people to train with, have fun and make new friends.

 I chose to run for Goodenough because this is the most wonderful place to live in while you are a student in London. The support that I have received from this community throughout the years has made me feel less lonely in this big city. So, I thought it was about time to give something back and bring my contribution to the life in the College. I hope that the money raised would go for bursaries to support other people in need. I have received three bursaries during my stay here and this money made a significant contribution to my studies. Also, the College has a very vibrant social life, with port-talks, social events and cultural evenings. It would be wonderful if a part of money would be directed to the social and cultural activities.