race-report half-marathon

Meanwhile a lot of training-kilometers had been done in the 3rd discipline in order to get fit for Frankfurt Marathon late in October. Training is not competition. Thus, training-data had to be set onto the competiton-level. It is widely spread among endurance athlets to run a half-marathon before in order to calculate big-race tactics. 

On 19th of September it had been a good opportunity in Neumarkt, Bavaria/Germany, to run half-distance 21,1 kilometers, a two round course, together with 1300 athletes, who had been runners mainly, specialists, and thus no triathletes. For pictures and impressions fetch  the event (may be you discover me in the crowd 1st picture ;-) click link below.

Well, the first three kilometers had been slightly downhill on a 10,55 Km course. My marks had been 4.08, 4.09 and 3.59 min sec /k...- this pace would indicate a final result TOP15 with a time of 1:25 h min. A too huge speed in the beginning of the race! Two month of intensive training is not enough to compensate the loss of fitness as of the accident. So I started overmotivated and like a rookie! Taking out speed at K4 did not help so much and  I felt it will become a hard race, bypassing Km5 in 21:15 and 1st round in 46:12 min sec. This way the second round became hard, especially the second half of the course, that contains some metres of altitude and also when sun became stronger. Friedemann pushed me to get through it at K17 an reminded the very fact a race is not birthday-party and there is no other way as to fight now!

two triathletes race after, me and Friedeman

And that is exactly what was needed. To remember fight and competiton! With a time of 1.35.37 it was the 58th place altogether and 7th among master athletes.  

link article newspaper

multisport: mountaineering

Due to my accident, that lead to a broken elbow and thus therefore is fixed with screws and titanium plate, well, biking is forbidden. A focus was needed to be set onto the third discipline: running! Also and like mentioned recompensation is done by swimming and meanwhile distances up to two kilometers in the water are possible again, e.g. a week ago or so 1000mtr -test was 17 min 40 sec at base-level activity. Furthermore, indoor biking on biking machine is a nice thing to be possible again, however, still without click pedals. I feel like there is something missing? Multisport! What to do? Remembering my time among free-climbers in the first years of the 3rd millenium and furthermore the time when I was as a kid in the mountains with my family evoke inspiration.

 This guy is 80 years of age - like me -  and made it to the peek!

Like the picture sugggests there is an option: mountaineering. The picture is taken at the Karkopf, German Alps. That mountain' s altitude is 1740mtr. So it is actually trail-running what it is about. Down in the valley it was said it takes 5h to get on top of the Karkopf in order to enjoy a fanastic 360° panorama. Alternatively one can use the funicular and make the last 30 min uphill to the peek by one´s own feet. As of training needed to be done competitions ahead I pushed hard in 2 hrs 18 min. However, when downhills not to think of muscles that are not used to that kind of moves was a result of overmotivation gotton on the top and in return aching the next day was a nice memory.

Despite of the heat wave in Cental Europe presently training is fun, but yes, is hard, too. It is needed to set exercises on the right frame and test fitness by running a half-marathon next weeks, another test-race to get used to the feeling and hardship of competition. 

With the end of August time for any kind of excuses is over.

the two sides of sponsorship

Sponsoring and supportage are great. The picture shows how winners look alike. Especially the swimmer made a fast race in the lake's cristal clear water and built the platform for the victory of his uncle´s relay-team this way in a local competition of prestige today. 

team-picture: watch out for this Andrew (right in the picture), when he is in the pool...

This is a thank you to sponsers. Thank you to both ELCH-BREW and ELO filling station. Sure, like all, sponsorship as well has two sides. The great disadvantage of this that successful supportage created a little problem: the need to drink beer & the need to drive add miles! 

May be it is a good idea to go for a training-camp in the Mediterranian by car loaded with beer supplies in the trunks...