Almost 2 months - clearly not a writer

I'm not sure if I should blog loads or blog just now and then. Clearly even without decision it is now and then without a regularity about it.

September, I went to Romania, Bran. For the Transylvania Trail Transylvania Trail Info. Flew out to Bucharest where we saw the Ceausescu now Parliament Palace. Big, very big, makes most buildings look very little. You get a tour which shows about 5% of the building. Including a room that is like a 100m wide.

Stayed one night in Bucharest, to discover the city. It is proper 2nd world country. But the people are fantastic and they clearly want to build up their country. They are very proud and hard working.

Took the train to Brasov, which is about 3 hours north, to then take a taxi 30k south to Bran. Bran's claim to fame it is has the Castle of Vlad the Impaler, made world famous by the Bram Stoker book, Dracula.
Bran Castle, situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia

We are in Transylvania, and Transylvania is not England. Our ways are not your ways, and there shall be to you many strange things.

We walked around in Bran for a day, which is a stretch, but if you go up into the mountains then it's time well spend. 

On Friday the 106k starts which this year (first time) was won by 3 ladies including Jo Meek. To give you a bit of a feel of the route check this Route Profile.

The race is extremely techncial, goes up to 2500m twice for the 106k and 50k. There is also a 35k. Proper mountains and an woods. Which are the natural habitat to bears and wolves and goats. In a lot of cases you have to climb, there is no running, it's climbing up and down.

Another DNF, but out a day in that environment, not that worried. Met great people Carina Ilie and George Baceanu who got us back to the road to get back by car. Bjorn Wikstrom and Per Sjogren. The 3 of us, DNFed together. So the 5 of us walked 2 hours to get back to the road. Not a bad walk, and 2 hours pass by quickly if you are with like minded people.

I can recommend the event, but it's a lot of technical climbing going up a lot, so think about the distance.

Then end of September I did the Singelloop in Utrecht where I grew up with Kim my youngest A 10km event. Her first event and we finished 1:09. Which is very good, as it was warm and we went out a  bit to fast. Really enjoyed doing an event with one of my daughters and we'll be back next year.

Now end of October the last event is coming up, Beachy Head Marathon on 25 October. Which I am told is hard, lot of hills. So that sounds good to me. Hope the weather holds (that is no rain).

I'll be meeting new and old friends at the Beachy Head event, starting Friday evening in an Italian. Not sure if that is carb loading or coincidence.

Then a month of running, only cycling and CrossFit. Then back in December to start training for the Marathon des Sables 2015.

That is it for now, but thought I quickly let you know a status.