Running in late 20s

Well, I am still training and pretty much on target. I did miss a few workouts since I started my training plan, but I am pretty much ready for my next marathon. Sticking to a routine is boring. Writing training plans is no exception. I believe you are not here to check how far I've run last week. You might be here seeking motivation or you are just wondering if I still run. After publishing almost 100 posts (well, this is the 98th) this blog has been viewed many times. But I have hardly received any comments from you guys. What I'd like to know is if you check this page regularly. Do you find it inspirational at all? Has it ever encouraged you to go for a run? Have you got any favourite post? Is there anything else you want me to write about? I am going to write and answer some FAQ's and NAQ's (Never Asked Questions). So do leave a comment or drop me a line. I'm going to answer them all.

I will be running the Paris Marathon on 7 April. And I just cannot wait for that. Photo taken from here

Still "almost" on target. Missed my first workout! Distance: 55 km Distance planned: 65 km Long run: 25 km Missed a 10km run on Sunday.  I was traveling the first three days. I had planned an easy 8k and 12k interval training for those days. But I was in Ankara and I decided to alter my training plan to get the most of that hilly city. I couldn't easily find a flat road for my interval training. So I had a couple of hill sessions. 8k easy on the first day and a more challenging 14k the day after.  14km run in hilly Ankara Now I am in the middle of my 5th training week. Sometimes you have to change your training plan depending on your situation. What I have learned about training is there is no training plan that suits everyone. You need to listen to your body, see your progress and alter your training plan accordingly. This Monday I had to go for a 5k hill session, and I also planned to swim. I only had time to go to the gym to do the both workouts. Trea

I have never experienced a bad run. You always - no matter how down you are or how badly you want to find an excuse not to run - feel better after a run. Running usually makes you feel good, sometimes it's better and occasionally it's extraordinary. Today was definitely one of those occasions.

Still on track Distance: 59 km Distance planned: 59 km Long run: 32 km Plyometrics: None! Weight training: One session Swimming: half an hour Need to get cross training more seriously!

I was away for a few days and didn't have a chance to update this page. But I did go for a couple of runs one of which was quite challenging. So if you checked this page on Monday looking for last week's training report I have to say I'm still on my target. If I haven't post the report that doesn't mean I haven't run!

Tehran is definitely not the best city to run in. With its busy streets and air pollution you need to chose appropriate time and place for a run. I do have several favourite running routes in Tehran but if you want to go for a long run, the best time is Friday morning. Get up no later than 5am, lace up your running shoes and head out. Then you are free to take any roads, parks or even highways. You even don't need to plan your route in advance. As an architect I'd always like to explore different neighbourhoods of Tehran and running -in addition to all the great stuff brought to my life - is now helping me on doing so. Here you can see three different routes I took the last couple of weeks. The blue one is 16-kilometre long, the orange one covers 32 km and the yellow one is exactly 25 km. All took me to some parts of the city I had never walked in before. For my next long run, I'm going to take another new route, to explore more of the city I live in.