1, 2, 3 and counting

Having been untertaken a new x-ray investigation by the chief-surgeon, who does support athletes during triathlon competitions even on the Hawaiian Islands at the IRONMAN world-championships, early in January, well, he advised me to better remove the titanium in my arm in the off-season and not now. However, I was given green light for all three disciplines and any triathlon competitions, too. Actually, I am really happy of not having lost my arm. And now I am allowed to swim, bike and run again! 

Thus, it made sence to repair my bicycles, especially to renew gear systems, completely. Both material and the repair at a mechanics is round about 400 EUR plusminus a bike. It depends on the components. The last months time was plenty of, enough for checking the web for fine offers. In sum all the new gear-system including special keys for that kind of mechanics were at 90,- EUR a bike. Besides all the keys necessary for the propper adjustment of the sprockets and shafts a compass is needed to bring calibration to its perfection.

I do not need a therapy, I need to ride my bicycle.

Resources are precious. To safe power is trendy. Here in Germany many people are aware of taking care. Going to work by bicycle is one way. Renewing and rapairing things another. It is said of Germany to be the world-wide leader in affairs of protecting environment and nature using regenerative energy-supplies, water, wind and like solar-power also. Our town is politicial regined by the party of the ecologists. Moreover, high-technology is in use. Energy, that stems from inducted electromagnetic fields, for example. Some househods are free from gas and oil as a fuel and produce own electricity for to run computers. "Green" power as well as digitalisation, glas-fibre-networking and the aspiring artificial-intelligence-technologies make people work by clicks from home. It is called industry 4.0 (revolution as of the invention of the steam-machine [industry 1.0]; revolution as of the introduction of assembly-line [industry 2.0];  ongoing growth as of IT and computer-systems [industry 3.0]; new wealth as of networking and AI [industry 4.0]), controlling intelligent robots, that do produce individualised goods by remote.

However, this technology, like special electric-engines steered by AI, is forbitten to use in bicycles in any competition. Thus, bikes bypass x-ray investigation before a races. Sport is supposed to be a constant, yesterday, now and tomorrow, no matter of what technology brings. Sport is a means in order to find out of what defines us as humans. In affairs of triathlon to fight with the elements water, wind, heat and gravity and our own limitations to time.

Let's see what the ongoing season brings. Being confronted with ice and snow in German winter now, well, what is next is a focus onto the first discipline. So I have to go to indoor-pools rather often. Sooner the air will be warmer again and time for rides comes.

 ¡ stay tuned & hang loose !

satellite navigation made in England

We all know the UK, especially England as a or even as the seafaring nation. For many centuries ships made in England had been the most best. Who wonders of nowadays most common spread satellite-watches are made in England. The company of Garmin offers different series of sport-watches. Meanwhile it are smart-watches also, even commanded by the rotation of the wrist joint. A clock in the upper price class is a status-symbol also. Especially among triathletes. Relevant for me as a portsman, who does do training in different countrys and on different terrains are the satellite functions. It is good of the fenix seris using GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO. The United States of America, Russia and Europe cooperate in this projects of sports. Well, this all had been argument enough to give such a new watch a chance as well as of the fact of a 40% discount arranged by the military, although I was sceptical, because ten years ago the calibrations of the satellite-systems available lacked precision.

fenix 5s plus

After three weeks in use, well, it is worth its price, although most function I do not need, especially the smart-functions. The many tools left for usage in sports make fun. Training is fun. The watch works. Its not only nice to have. Moreover, you never need to worry that any place on the globe you get disconnected. The lithium-accumulater does not let you down, you are safe for fully two weeks and it is recharged within few minutes. Do not believe? It is top technology, intelligent designed. Moreover, one can switch the watch to military-mode. Try it! May be you are surprised ...

So now, there is still left titanium from Russia in my arm. Grey like my watch is calibrated to the colours of grey, totally. My arm will not win an award of beauty, but it looks like it'll be all right for any triathlon. Today in German winter I cycled 96 kilometers and ran 11k after. Thinking of the Empire I offer myself a pint of Guiness.

Press thumbs for the surgeon to get out all the screws and metal in my arm in January. Soon days become longer again! 2019 will be a great triathlon season, and thank you for discount this way again, also.

Frankfurt once loved me...

Yes, Frankfurt once was place of getting honors and merits. This year not so. The 28th of October had been the most cold day of the month. Some athletes did not dare to breath like normal and used mouthpiece. It was cold, very cold. And coldness isn`t a feature that supports a marathoni and a maratonni (derived from the word ton; it is said that marathon-runners or so-called marathonis over 80Kg are called maratonnis) like me. 83 Kg are better than 88 - like in summer 2018 - for a 1.92m male, but still four kg to loose till Nice in June. And now, even worse for to stop being a "fatty", its going to be winter, the time the body looks for fats, sweets and special dishes like roast pork in gingerbread sauce. Or take glowing wine. The wine is served hot at Christmas-Markets. It is not only our stone-age-body does look for good nutrination in order to manage to by pass winter, no! Jesus...

Having been in 1st class hotel in Frankfurt, thus thank you to sponsors, it was really a relaxed thing to be in Frankfurt. Frankfurt, the capital of money in Europe and probably, according to conspiracy-theorists, in the world also. There is no real value of New York Stock Exchange Market, no Moscow Money and no Nikkai, and yes, the bank of the bank, the bank of world's most influence and stability, the EZB, is in Frankfurt. Frankfurt's size on the financial market cannot be overestimated, esp. when those brokers took over control of London (EN). Greetings to the city and also to the crown? Frankfurt is not a million-town, it is million billion town. 

Once I competed IRONMAN European Championships in 2013 (race report here on the blog, too). Five years later it had been time to be in Frankfurt again as of sports in order to run the MAINOVA Frankfurt Marathon. More than 12000 ahtletes had registered. About 9700 started and from them 97% finhished on a 42, 195 Km flat course that very windy day that does cause athletes use mouthpieces while running through that big banks' skyscrapers' ravines. Wind blew like hell, so that one needed to lean forward in order not to fall backward. Even the way back from HOECHST industrial section, a block that has the size of an own town intself and thus its own bus-shuttles, which had been part of IG Farben by the way, the big "Nazi"-Concern splitted into Bayer, Basf and Höchst after World War II, back to the bank-section, well, wind was stronger than in Manchester, but much more cold. That day we had air-stream from the polar-region.

For me the fisrt two 5k-loops throughout the streets, guarded by skyscrapers, had been not that much nice. Too many people. Pace decellerated, when streets became narrow. And then? Having left the city as of the coldness I needed to go pee... - and stepped into a mobil toilet, while others peed under bridges and in parks. Luckily I got that free toilet. Otherwise more time would have been lost. But nevertheless, I lost the 3:15 h target-time-runner out of sight. So somewhere, running, passing by many spectators, who made noise, sound and action with drums, horns, disco-loudspeakers and clapping hands, I recognized I was fighting the flu! When adrenaline sunk, I noticed I did not get warm. No way to get warm that day. Even not at K25. So what to do? What is the difference between a 3:23h and a 3:26? For personal best I needed to run below 3:05 h. Not that arctic day. So I just continued running and kilometers passed by easily. At K30 no "man with the hammer" waited. There was no "tunnel gaze". Rather unemotinally I gave up fighting, did not fight for a pretty fast time. What else to do? Even the last 200m onto the red carpet no fighting for some seconds in order to make a 3:26 instead of my final-result of 3:27:10 h min sec. Sure, others would be happy to receive such a result. The average time overall is 3:57 h. So I am 30 min faster then average. But still...  In sum personal best was not really within range that day so I altered to plan B to do a long training run. The benefits of this that strategy had been no damaged muscles. The next day stairs both up and down had been done forward, and not backwards like it is typically for a marathoni race after.

5k-splits

Having worn and shown my yellow 365/247 trikot from Grafenberg Military Training Area / Germany, that had been a present to me - also this way greetings to a friends - at the finish-line and for the cameras I found satisfaction.

What is next? May be the Hamburg Marathon in April...