Cardiff Catastrophe

stats of the week: nothing, zero, niente, null
stats of the previous week: run 33 km

Cardiff welcomed us with bright sunshine, although temperatures were low. However, the conditions were perfect for running. I had an easy job accompanying the group of Interair runners, as my fellow tour guide A. did almost all the work.

I had no idea that Cardiff was such a party town. The main street is lined with dozens of pubs, some of them unbelievably large.

All the signs were looking good for us to bring home our fifth SuperHalfs race. I had shown slight signs of a mild cold during the two nights beforehand, but felt fine when I got up in the morning.

After the first few miles, however, I realised that running felt rather more arduous than usual, although I was still able to maintain a pace that would get me to the finish in under 2:15.

The roads were narrow for much of the course and the field was densely packed, making it hard work to maintain a steady pace while weaving in and out to overtake other runners. On top of that, you constantly had to watch out for the numerous speed bumps in the road. When I nearly stumbled over one of them, I had a nasty premonition. Would C. be able to negotiate all these obstacles safely?

As I approached the finish, I really had to dig deep, but I crossed the line in a respectable 2:10:14. After changing into dry clothes, I made my way back to the finish area to welcome C. Her tracking showed that she was nearing the finish, and when my phone rang, I expected her to tell me she had crossed the line.

Instead, I heard the words, “I’ve had an accident.” Someone speaking English then told me that she was in the medical tent at mile 12. With less than two kilometres to go, she had suddenly stumbled and seriously injured herself. Thanks to some extremely helpful and friendly volunteers, I soon found her and had to face the awful reality that she had lost her entire row of upper front teeth. What a disaster!

As a result, we had to cancel our holiday in beautiful Tenby on the Welsh coast. The following day, we flew back to our home in France. I needed another two days to recover from what had by then become a severe cold before we could drive back to Germany and see the dentist.

photos: Cardiff Castle

The dragon stands for Wales

Coastline weekend

It's not the French Riviera, it's the Welsh one.

Party town. The main road boasts from hens and stags.

The world was still fine before the start.

Recovery weeks

stats of the week: run 15 km, walked 18 km

The muscles still need more time to recover from the Copenhagen Half Marathon. Two short jogs have shown that my left thigh is not yet ready for any serious training. So for the time being, I have mainly been sticking to easy walks around our beautiful village of Mollans-sur-Ouvèze in the Drôme Provençale, also known as the gateway to the Baronnies.

The AI I consulted has also advised me to avoid runs longer than 10 km. The aim now is simply to get back into a condition that will allow me to complete another half marathon next Sunday in Cardiff which we will make my 5th run in the Superhalf series. Final one will be in Valencia end of October.

Photo: The chapel in neighbouring village Pierrelongue is built high on a rocky outcrop.

Windy Success in Copenhagen

stats of the week: run 31 km, walked 27 km

The weekend in Copenhagen was remarkably windy, but nevertheless a great success. With the help of my personal pacemaker, Anne, a German runner-up champion in the 70–74 age group, I started cautiously and was able to pick up the pace from 15 km right through to the finish, clocking 2:08:37 after a really strong finish. A time I would never have dreamed of achieving.

There were very strong winds and a heavy shower after about 15 km, but I took the rain as a refreshing gift. I was smiling constantly over the final half mile and had no physical problems at all after crossing the finish line.

I still can’t quite believe that such a performance was possible for me. Best of all, this was my first half marathon in three years that I managed to finish without taking a single walking break.

Now it's time to recover for Cardiff and Superhalf number 5 in a fortnight.

Photo: It was a great pleasure to meet fellow Sigi once again. He is a real role model, still running marathons at the age of 78.

Pacemaker Anne lead me to my best race since 3 years.

Four happy finishers.

Time to taper

stats of the week: run 40 km, walked 8 km

Back in the Provence this seems to be our first week ever here without riding the bike. Final preparation for Copenhagen focusses now just on running. But even running was interrupted by a little accident C had when falling down the kitchen's staircase, causing quite a big laceration above her left eye. First panic calmed down after the injury had been stitched at the hospital. 2 days later she was on the run again.

Summing up the training so far I have to admit (like so often) it was not perfect. My longest run was just 16 km. At least the pace suggests that I will be able to reach my goal of 2:15 h. We'll see next Sunday! The final 3 or 4 km will get tough.

Photo: As usual the car is packed to the roof when we arrive at Mollans-sur-Ouvèze. Thanks to the neighbour who cared for the Jasmin.

Clearer definition of We Are The People

stats of the week: run 23 km

With the regional elections in Saxony Anhalt, Germany now appears to be undergoing a profound political shift. The nationalist far right AfD party received 44 per cent of the vote. I have always been aware that a significant proportion of Germans hold xenophobic and racist views, but these results suggest that this may apply to almost half us.

The slogan "Wir sind das Volk" from the 1990s now seems to have taken on a far more troubling meaning with the rise of this party. According to the AfD's vision, anyone who does not fit their narrow idea of being German (blond hair, blue eyes, christ religion, women back to kids and kitchen) will never truly belong to the Volk. The party intends to deport many people, even if they have lived in Germany for years and regard it as their home.

Unsurprisingly, this agenda receives enthusiastic support from figures as far away as the immature  President of anything that he calls America and the misguided richest man in the world. Elan Musk is a living example that money spoils morale. Looking ahead, it is difficult not to feel genuinely worried about what the future may hold.

On the training side, it was not the best of weeks. According to the consulted Orthopedist I developed a problem with my piriformis muscle that caused the pressure on the nerve. Therefore I had to cut back on my mileage. There is still hope that I will recover in time and be able to run in Copenhagen.

Last Edition of Beloved Charity Run

stats of the week: run 22 km, gym 3 h

On Sunday, our local charity run, the Sterntaler Lauf, took place in the neighbouring town of Herdecke. It was the 26th edition and had been announced as the last because our main organiser is no longer able to cope with the workload. It was also part of my life as I took part at all but one editions. I missed the one in 2004 when I ran the Windsor Half Marathon at the same date. I ran the first 3 editions and from 2005 on I was involved in the organisation of the event.

As usual, around 200 runners and walkers took part and, as always, they created a relaxed and unique atmosphere. The event is not a race. We simply set off together through the woods and up Harkort Hill. Everyone is in good spirits, enjoying the occasion and showing great generosity.

This year, donations totalled € 5,400, an important contribution to the work of Sterntaler eV, which supports seriously ill children at the local hospital.

It was wonderful to see that the participants were unwilling to accept that this should be the final edition. Several people volunteered to help organise the event in future and keep it alive, so perhaps the Sterntaler Lauf will return for its 27th edition next year after all.

Photo: Participants gather before the start and listen to the speaker

Because of that, I was unable to fit in my long run over the weekend and planned to do it on Monday instead. Unfortunately, I picked up a slight strain in my thigh muscle, which put pressure on the L4 nerve and made running impossible for a few days. That is a familiar experience for me. Whenever I try to stick to a structured training plan, I seem to run into some sort of physical setback.

On Course for Copenhagen

stats of the week: run 29 km, gym 3 h

I skipped a scheduled 5 km easy run this week because I was feeling tired. More importantly, however, I completed the planned 14 km long run. A 2:15 half marathon requires an average pace of 6:24 min/km, and I'm confident that I'll be able to achieve that in four weeks.

Our home gym in the attic has had a makeover and now looks much more inviting. We aren't using it at the moment, but it's good to have everything ready for the winter.