On a second day of a new year I woke up to a bit cloudy and foggy
morning. I got up early hoping to a last beautiful sunrise before long
anticipated snowfalls. A coffee and a short walk with our dog later I realized
today’s long run will be cold as hell. But I was feeling good and neither cold
or slippery slopes in the forest could keep me from running really fast on a
local single-tracks.
A rest day on a New year’s day after my long run was a good call.
But what a run that was. I ended last year in a best possible way: with a long,
relaxing run in a beautiful morning with a stunning sunrise. Waking up before
6am made our dog a bit suspicious. He wasn’t really sure about my idea of
taking him with me. He always pushes his bed closer to the radiator to keep him
warm. And the crystal clear morning with temperatures below zero sounded like a
bad joke.
I started in the dark. Easy. It was the last run of the year. I
breathed in the morning and reflected on the year that passed by so swiftly.
And what a year it was. It changed me in so many ways and I can honestly say I
am not the same person that started 2015. Running changes you. Running long
distances defines you. Pushing myself to a limit made me aware of my
boundaries. Every single run, every interval training and long run I ran was
aimed toward pushing my limits. Though it left me breathless and lightheaded
sometimes, it cleared my vision and made me focus on things that really matter…
Running wise I never ever thought I would run a 100km race… but I did it. And
that was just a beginning. Realizing you could do stuff that once seemed
impossible only drives you further. But by far the best thing were all the runs
I did together with Valerija. In preparation for a mountain marathon with 2300m of elevation
(Učka Trail) we took on some seriously long runs with a lot of elevation in
Alps and hills closer to Ljubljana. She killed them and I was so proud when she
won her first race ever. And what a win that was J I am
only sorry I couldn’t cross the finish line with her. My knee was smashed and I
had to let her go as I couldn’t keep up with her. But the memories of the
endless summer that we spent climbing the mountains, relaxing at the lake in
Bohinj, running new trails and meeting new people will be here for a long time.
Today I ran up Toško čelo again. I took a little detour to get few
extra miles in. It was damn cold but I enjoyed every moment. I pushed myself to run a bit faster. But still at the pace that let me think about the future and making plans. There are some
races I would like to run this year. My focus is on a 110km long Ultra pušeljc
trail in June, some shorter mountain races and at least one skyrace in Serbia
within Serbia Skyrunning Federation. Training already started. I am now well
into my second week of a base training. I need to get some mileage in before I
start with some speed & hill training. After I’ve got over my ITBS I’m
taking it really easy with a lot of strength trainings. In a past few months I
literally did thousands of squats, jump squats, burpees, lunges, pull-ups… you
name it, I did it. Together with stretching and foam rolling it really helped and
my knee is ok now, I guess.
Today it started to snow. Winter finally came. Tomorrow I am doing some
strength training with Valerija. Later we are going for an easy run on a snowy
trails. Can’t wait. And the coffee after will be a blast :)
Just a great intro to an even greater year...
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