Photo © Torben Meldgaard
My 5th marathon is drawing nearer, inevitably. And I am getting excited which, unfortunately, does not contribute to my preparation since it gets me out of bed early in the morning. Sleep is very important in this stage of preparation. Lack of sleep can have devastating effects on your performance, especially in the death zone after KM 32. Read the rest of this entry »
Counting down the days to my 5th marathon in Salzburg on May 3, I was able to throw in an excellent training session with the guys from our Running Team. Christian had arranged an 8 am Sunday morning meeting for a crisp come together, which should serve as a last proper training before the marathon. With a personal marathon best of 2:26 hrs, Jörg is not only our best runner, he also boasts a certificate as endurance trainer. Naturally, he led us through this training with his expertise and experience. We started out with a slow warm up jog, followed by extensive stretching. Then we practiced our running skills with specific exercises in order to train coordination and flexibility. Thus we warmed up properly, getting ready for some fast tempo runs.
With temperatures at 10 °C and no wind, the stage was set for a perfect half marathon here in Graz. I had really good legs and managed to run a smooth race without exhausting myself.
I finished 18th overall but 2nd in my age-group M-35. For the first time, I will be on the podium for the rewards ceremony. Great. Syl and I go back now for the ceremony.
Time: 1:18:55 hrs, 3:44 min/km, HRav 168, 16.04 km/h
I have found this short presentation on the presentationzen website. I have skipped over it a dozen times since I didn’t find a presentation with text appealing.
But when I finally stopped to watch it, it really made me think. This is an extraordinary presentation, one that is not only asking to question our values but it also ends with a surprising and uplifting denouement.
Taking it as the first real test of the season, I participated at the charity run in Gabersdorf on March 1, 2009. After a tough running week with an exhausting long jog over 31 ks on Friday, I scaled down from 15 ks and opted for the 10 kilometer distance, which turned out to be a good decision. The race took place on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon with a record crowd of 100 participants.
Our team performed extraordinarily well, winning the 10ks (Jörg Achten, 35:02 min) and 15 ks (Christian Kleineberg, 53:17 min) competitions. Vinzenz Kumpusch was a strong runner up over 10 ks (35:06 min) just a breath behind Jörg and I became 3rd in a personal 10 ks record of 37:26 (3:44 min/km).
Extrapolating from our performance on Sunday, much can be expected at the Austrian marathon championships in Salzburg on May 3, 2009. We have a strong team and are be contenters for one of the top spots in the team competition.
On picture: Bernhard Rath, Christoph Potzinger, Jörg Achten (and his daughter Marie), Vinzenz Kumpusch, Erwin Huss (from left to right)
For more pictures click here.