Cozia Run 2013 - sleepy, slEEpy, SLEEPYyyy

01. Introduction
02. My race
03. The trail
04. Friends - we meet again
05. Accommodation
06. Registration & the evening before the start
07. The trip
08. To remember for 2014
09. Organization, atmosphere
10. Dislikes
1. Just two weeks after the Ironman race I went to the start (and finish, after all!) of the most difficult trail running race on a hybrid distance: not a half marathon, yet a marathon, a 30 km track.

2. My race wasn't also even a good one. I started OK, I felt OK, no complaints. But to the 14th-15th kilometer I suddenly felt sleepy. But SOOOOOO SLEEPY, my God!!!! 

I was in the 3rd position among the ladies (I was told, I was the second, but I know Hiroko and Roxana Campianu were in front of me). I do not remember to experience such a sleep sensation during a race ever in my life. On the rocks, a first lady behind me has overtaken me in complete silence and after few moments I decided to reach the point of the long ascend and to remain to the Cozia Hut for a long afternoon sleep. 

Really! I did not felt tired somehow, just awful sleepy. I cannot describe. 

After my Ironman I couldn't somehow manage my sleeping hours.  
As I reached the hydration point at Cozia Hut I asked the volunteers there - friendly guys from Salvamont and, by the way, excellent tea!!! - if I could stay there, because I would like to sleep. "I know, I still have only 10 km to run, but ... I am such not in the mood today!" And one of them said: "Only 7 km actually." This was a wrong information (!). Due to my Garmin it was the 18th km. The finish I reached after .... almost another 11 km (!!!) 
So, my time last year was 5h25' and this year 5h52'.
I was amazed to see the results, after all: 
    4th place/  9 by category (!!) 33+ years
  12th place/  26  by women open
108th place/150  by general mixt.
Not soooooo bad, after all, man!!! 
I thought I was the last in "my category", I swear! Sometimes I believe that I will never get rid the feeling of being "the last one" .... Anyway, as by EcoMarathon this year, this was one of my weakest running races.
BUT, I also have to say that the categories here are at least a little bit strange: 18 up to 32 y.o. and 33+, only 2 age categories!
I reached the finish in good mood. In a strange way, I was in that point when I felt I could start another race ....
Friends and people I do not know were there applauding the new arrivals :-), so I thought they deserve some pictures from the side of a moody runner, right?

Yes, guys, let's touch our hands, yeeeeh!!! :-) Thank you!

 And here I get closer to my finish line...

And the finish ...

3. The trail is, due to my Garmin, 30 km long indeed.

As I already detailed described last year, this is - for me! - the most difficult trail running race on this distance.

I will not insist anymore on the trail itself, as it is the same. I let the pictures I took this time to give you an image about it.

 Just to keep in mind, if you want to join this race next year: it is difficult, steep, if it rains .... can be terrible difficult!

We were the luckiest not having rain!!! despite all prognosis I have read.

We were also lucky about the temperature ... last year it was hot, over 35°C. We had yesterday about 25°C and a shower in the sun.

 

Trail & time 2012 
Trail & time 2013 - it follows, still not downloaded ...

4. Friends - meeting again
I've met many runners, people who I now know as we meet again and again to the start of various races. Most of them are runners, a few triathletes.
Happy to meet again the Butcovan Clan from Baia Mare and to have the chance to have a new picture with Sebi, on the same spot and at the same time as last year :-)

 

"The Gang from Galati" was also present. All these people coming from such of distant corners of the country (6 up to 8 hours in the cars on the roads of Romania!), just to enjoy a race, to meet again recent friends and to feel good ..... if this is not amazing?!

5. Accommodation:

As I have dreamed since last year, I choose to rent a bed in the idyllic wood small houses belonging to Turnu Monastery (about 1,5 km away from the spot), being in the same time the start and finish point of the race.

 The camping has also different possibilities, but I took the cheapest one, 10 RON per night in a common bedroom:

EXCELLENT HARD BEDS!! I would take one with me at home!

6. Registration:

Being organized by the same people from Pegas Triathlon Club, I could pay months before, in a special offer, both their events: Cozia Run and Brasov Triathlon (28th of July). This is why I actually booked Cozia. Normally, after a race like Ironman, you shouldn't join such a trail running after such a short time, but in April I did not think about all of these. And actually I didn't intend to go to Cozia this year, in the same day being a triathlon in Bezid, but I had to cancel the trip to Bezid, too far away and too expensive per total.

We reached Călimănești Town Friday evening after 19:30 and stopped for picking up our race kits.

I was very surprised to see how many people knew about my Ironman Race and it was very pleasant to get so many congratulations after two weeks! Here and next day even during the run (!!). At a time I heard behind me, on a long steep ascend through the forest, two guys: "Do you know who is she?" Then some whispers and a "Wow!". They made my smile that morning :-)

Tasty pasta, 

nice people, beautiful weather and ..... wow .... an ancient bowling line, look!!!

 What a pity, we cannot find information about this place ..... which is now just another miserable ruin of Romania. A place that could be intelligently exploited, attracting a good image and a substantial and beneficial revenues for the community. Such a nice bowling place along the Olt River ... incredible!!

Tudor Butu planed a movie evening about his Himalayan Race 2012. Being a much too emotional event for me, as my soul still stays in the high Himalaya, I didn't attend the presentation, going to the camping place of Turnu Monastery where I was going to sleep for the next two night.

The dorm was empty, I was the first one who came, so I could choose my bed and prepare my stuff for the next day race. I had no particular goal, as being aware that just two weeks before I've run a total amount of 226 km, using my mind and body for nearly 16 hours! I would have liked to reach a better time than last year, but not essential.

7. The trip: 

As I was going to start my car and meeting the others, look who was settled down on it .....

I left Bucharest on Friday afternoon together with Andreea Onea, George Enescu and his girl-friend and we had a good route for 200 km, 2h40min.

Fuel costs about 240 RON two ways, 4 persons & luggage, 200 km of high way, fully air conditioned and radio. 60 RON per person. One year before I paid 55 RON, being the the car of somebody else ....
8. To remember for 2014:
a) To use the trekking stick on the first 18 km. I mean, after the first 2.
b) To film the trail - GoPro!
c) If possible, to go there on Thursday and to stay there the entire Friday.
d) Camping cooker would be useful.
e) Eventually, to book a DBL instead of a large dorm, it depends of financial power, as always. 
f) To carry water, at least 500-700 ml. I had 1 liter and it was perfect, but for those who doesn't know the trail, remember this advice! There is a long and steep ascend through the forest without any hydration point, and if it's a hot day, your own water resource it's A MUST!
9. Good organization, calm, simple.
10. Dislikes!
A. The fact that there still are runners doing this ... in name of what? Of a relative victory?! I saw 3 such of packages, different sorts, on our trail.

a) I asked before if it is allowed to camp by tent. I understood it is not possible, so I rented a bed. But .... the balcanic way of respect rules and avoid them .....

 b) As I arrived on the spot, I orderly parked my car in the big parking place after the gates. To the wooden house I had to carry my luggage on my own and to go twice, each one way about 200 m. No problem, of course. But, the others came in and just parked their cars behind the wooden houses .... although the space there were intended for nicely sitting and eating ... The fact is, the idea to park my car there didn't even cross my mind, not because I am stupid, but because this is the way I have seen the sense of things: cars belong to the nice, large parking place and people eating belongs to the nice wooden tables and banks in the middle of the green fresh grass. 
c) In the room it was a tiny trash can for about 6 liter and outside, just on the right of the wooden house, very nicely arranged and available, it was a big garbage dumpster for about 240 liter. So, logical, the small trash can was not the solution for 14 people in the dorm. 
They fulfilled the small trash can in the room over its capacity, an empty water bottle failed apart and nobody took it from there ..... I cannot understand this, really. At the end, being the last one in the dorm, I collected the garbage and put it, of course, in the big garbage dumpster outside. No relevant effort, really, people!

TURNU MONASTERY is an interesting place ....

 

Şi peste două săptămâni aveam să alerg deja la "ironman-ul" alergării montane din România, Marathon 7500 - RR 2013, tura scurtă