Top Training Week

training stats
week's total: run 70 K, bike 81 K, gym 2.5 hrs

su 27/06: hilly long run, 32 K, 3:04 hrs
sa 26/06: gym 1.5 hrs
fr 25/06: hilly run, 8.5 K, 0:46 hrs
th 24/06: flat run, 19.5 K, 1:55 hrs
we 23/06: hilly bike tour, 81 K, 3:15 hrs
tu 22/06: easy jog, 9K, 0:55 hrs
mo 21/06: gym 1.5 hrs

Including last Sunday I ran 98 K in 8 days which is my highest weekly mileage since 2005. With just 12 days to go to the Stockholm Marathon on Saturday, June 9, most of the work is done now. With only 7 weeks between London and Stockholm my goal was to run as much as possible but to avoid to do too much. The main challenge was to complete at least 2 long runs what I luckily was able to do by 28 K last Sunday and 32 K today. The graph shows the weekly mileage from London to Stockholm.
Left by now is mainly tapering off until marathon day.

Did I already point out that I got 54 this year? Next year I will belong to another age group, it can't be helped...

Looking at Germany's biggest marathon, Berlin 2006, one counts 2,676 finishers in M50. And numbers downsize to 1,385 runners in M55! Which unveils that every other runner gives up his sport when getting older than 54. I reckon no veteran runner quits running without being forced to. Obviously most of them will have to meet their fate - to stop running due to physical deficiencies, mostly orthopaedic reasons I guess.

Reviewing my training in recent 15 months I have to realise that I more and more face different kinds of injuries. It won't be really surprising if I have to quit running in the near future. However, you might have noticed that I am not the person to give up when getting into trouble - you'll see how I will do during coming years.

Building Up

training stats
week's total: run 49.5K, bike 50K, gym 1 hr
Su 20/05: hilly long run, 27.5K, 2:46 hrs
Sa 19/05: gym 1 hr
Fr 18/05: bike, 50K, 400m, 2:15 hrs
Th 17/05: hilly run, 11.5K, 1:06 hrs

Three weeks to go until the Stockholm Marathon. The oncoming fortnight will be the decisive time of training to enable me to run Stockholm inside 3:40. This would be my best marathon since April 2004 when I set my PB of 3:21 which I certainly will never be able to achieve again.

The first important step was done today when I managed to complete a long and hilly run of 27.5K. And my legs felt good afterwards! The overall mileage is still far too small, I know. But if I can do another long run next Sunday I will start to be optimistic.

Taking up again the habit to go to the gym I had to realise that I got quite stiff during the recent months. I urgently have to come back to regular stretching and moderate strength training. The latter I need to avoid problems with my adductors. Regular strength exercises are a reliable and easy way to keep away this trouble.

You don't need a machine to train your adductors.
1) Sit on the carpet with your knees bent. Place your fore arm across between the knees and press knees together (blocked by elbow and hand). Press for 20-30 seconds.
2) Sit on the carpet with your knees bent. Hold your knees together by both hands at the outside of the knees. Try to separate your knees by moving each knee to its side but hold them in place with all the strength of your hands. Press for 20-30 seconds.

I was told to do these exercises by Wolfgang Münzel, coach of the German hill running team, and since I practiced regularly all problems with adductors were gone. Wolfgang temporarily works for InterAir, too, and we were a team of travel guides in New York City in recent two years.

(perhaps I should take a couple of photos to explain it more clearly - I will show in next posting)



Wiki Foto: Adductors

Local Event

Training stats
We 16/05: hilly run, 9.5K, 0:51 hrs

week's total: 30K running, 254K slow biking
Su 13/05: pacemaker race, 21K, 2:05 hrs
Th 10/05: hilly biking, 82K, 5:00 hrs

It was a busy weekend with the biggest local race of the year taking place: The Ruhr Marathon, officially now called Karstadt Marathon, named after its main sponsor.

Approaching the start line in Dortmund

Organisers sell the event as the world's only "twin marathon". In fact there are 2 marathons being run, the bigger one starts in Dortmund, the other in Oberhausen, both meet in Gelsenkirchen and finish in Essen. The idea is to involve as many towns of the area as possible. However, it was the forth edition and numbers are constantly decreasing. Organisers hoped to welcome up to 30.000 participants, finally 17.000 finishers were registered, running in 21 different competitions. The marathon had just 4.200 runners. There were also a halfmarathon, 10K race, youth race, children race, walking, inline race ...

There are too many marathons in the area, they just can't be successful all of them. And runners notice sensitively that this one is a very commercial one focussed more on the sponsors' needs than on the runners' requirements.

This is a pity since it is a nice idea to run through a chain of different towns, especially as it is the area where I grew up. Therefore, I hope the event will stay alive and I will take part as long as I can.

Those of you speaking German might like to read my Personal Race Report.

S failed to finish the halfmarathon inside 2:00 hrs
but she stays happy and shows a constant smile

By the way my application for this year's New York City Marathon has been rejected. Although I accomplished the conditions. I ran the demanded half marathon time (inside 1:40 for M50) and I chose Berlin to do it because the organiser is part of the World Major Marathons. I guess I was rejected because I had already been accepted last year. - I don't really mind. I will get my number from my travel agency interAir which I work for. The only pity is that they could have sold one more number to their clients if I had my own one.

Bike Trip

Training stats
Mo 07/05: rainy biking, 19K, 1:15 hrs
Tu 08/05: slow biking, 72K, 4:30 hrs, flat run, 8.5K, 46 min
We 09/05: slow biking, 81K, 5:00 hrs

We should not complain about the weeks of sunshine we had recently. But why had it to stop right when we start our bike tour? Monday couldn't have been worse. We stopped the first afternoon tour after being drowned by heavy rainfalls.

The other luck is our hotel. The leaflet did not tell that the house is placed exactly under a big motorway bridge... Adding to this there is a second brigde serving the high speed railway line. In our rooms there are ear plugs provided to enable the guest to cut the noise in half.

Tuesday and Wednesday turned out to stay dry for us which was really lucky since most of the country was rainy.

The meeting of the rivers Werra and Fulda forms the new river Weser which flows into the North Sea.

The half timbered village of Allendorf has been renovated almost completely.

A view of our hotel which I would recommend to be shown in the leaflet.

New Countdown starting

training stats
Su 06/05: biking, 54K, 2:30 hrs
Sa 05/05: race, 5K, 21min, +3K warm up, easy biking, 36K, 1:40 hrs
Fr 04/05: flat run, 8.5K, 45min

During recent days I felt happy that my recovering arm was finally free of pain. Then I realised that I had taken Diclofenac pills to overcome the after marathon knee pain ...

The result of my Saturday 5K-race was really disappointing. I had to fight for being able to breath sufficiently right from the start - obviously caused by the flu I suffered from during the week. I still hope there are better times to come ...

Tomorrow I will be off for a 5-day-bike-holiday in mid Germany. I'll be there with a group of former colleagues - all of us early retired with me being still the youngest one - like it was in our department during our joint worklife. All of these guys are deeply conservative which is not really the sort of company I am looking for. Might be it is good to stay open minded ... but I guess the discussions will get aching sometimes. Even more as I am that sort of men who hold back with their own feelings.

Our hotel provides free broadband access - so watch this space to stay updated. After weeks of brilliant sunshine our bike week is forecasted to be one of constant rain. Well planned!

Ups - the new countdown aims at the Stockholm Marathon which I have entered - 34 days to go!

London Report published

Training stats
Th 26/04: easy jog, 9K, 1:00 hrs
Su 29/04: hilly run, 8K, 0:45 hrs

Sorry being that late with my English report - there was so much work on the local website and finally I was caught by a flu which still is deterring me from taking up running again.

Here is my photo report of the memorable London Marathon 2007 which is more or less focussed on how B did.

Like last year I managed to get my number signed by the winner. Note that Martin Lel thanks for being able to run London and honoured for his performance. He proves to be what B called him during our joint lunch with a honest compliment: "You are a nice boy!"