10000 km run in 8 years

I started running in 2015. After 8 years, I recently crossed a distance of 10k km running. I am happy with my motivation to continue running for 8 years at an average of 2 miles (3.2 km)/day. The 10k km is not a long distance for 8 years. People who want performance in running should aim for at least twice as much as I did. A professional runner covers a distance four times longer than I did within the same time, so 10k km in just two years!

Statistics say I ran, on average, over 100 km each month. The total time spent on running is 41 days, or 1.5% of 8 years. It was the best time invested in one activity as it gave me much health in return. My average pace was 5’52” per km. I ran alone for 6 out of the 8 years.

Of great help for me was running with the running group “Trupa lui Fane”. Although I moved to Krakow in 2020, we continued the collaboration remotely all these years. Many thanks to Stefan Oprina and “Trupa lui Fane” members for their support!

I crossed the 10k km mark at the last training before running the half-marathon in Bucharest. This way, the first and the last of the 10k km were run in the same stadium (the one in the picture above).

My first half-marathon was 8 years ago at Bucharest MIB. As mentioned in a previous post, to celebrate this distance milestone, I chose to run this year’s edition of the same half-marathon in Bucharest on October 15th. I participated in 6 of the last 8 editions of MIB.

The organization for this event was amazing, as usual. Music bands, water and isotonic, pacemakers, and many volunteers make it a great event. The only thing I would like to see improved is the opportunity for runners to buy their photos at a good resolution and without a watermark. The pictures are free now but with a watermark, as shown above and below.

I wasn’t in good shape for this half-marathon, but I know my limits well. It was also hot that day, not ideal for running.

I kept my pace around 5’30” for most of the race, with the last 2 km being the most difficult, and ran harder for the final straight line. My official time was 1:57:40.

I met many people I knew before or during the half-marathon. This was cool and makes MIB my favorite race. You get in line with someone you know, exchange a few words, and continue the race. Precisely like in life, only at a different pace.

I registered for 3 half-marathons in the spring 2024 to celebrate this achievement. Lisbon on March 10th, Prague on April 6th, and Helsinki on May 11th. Lisbon and Prague are part of the “super halves”, while Helsinki has a unique story. Superhalfs are a series of 6 essential half-marathons in Europe. You get an additional medal if you finish all 6 in 5 years or less.

Running shaped my personality and helped me deal with many things in life. I met great people while running. It is a walk of life that you can do at a slower or faster pace, how you like it. During the first years, it was hard to motivate myself to go outside in cold weather and run. I had no coach at the time and did everything alone. Today, I am happy I chose to continue running those days despite the hardships.

I had no talent for running and no experience before I started to run. It is never too late to change your life and run, even if this is not your strength. If I could do it, everyone can.