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.

AI schedule followed

stats of the week: run 32 km, cycled 34 km, gym 1.5 h

I asked ChatGPT to create a training plan for my build up to Copenhagen. It suggested a sensible schedule with four sessions a week, increasing the weekly long run by 2 km each week until reaching 20 km on the weekend before the race. I managed to stick to the plan this week, completing a 12 km long run, my longest since May.

Another parkrun on Saturday saw me finish in 29:20. My pace is usually a little quicker than the plan suggests for a 2:10 half marathon, but I would be perfectly happy with a finishing time of 2:15.

By the way, C completed this week's 5K parkrun with an age graded score of 71%, even better than last time.

Tour de France on my roads

stats of the week: run 28 km, cycled 39 km, gym 3 h

Watching Stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes was great fun. I watched it twice, once live and then again on replay. Seeing the peloton racing along the roads where I trained this summer motivated me to do it all again this autumn.

The women climbed up to Chalet Reynard at more than twice the power I could manage. While I was able to put out 150 watts at around 6 km/h, they were producing 350 watts and riding at almost 20 km/h. Impressive!

This week I was able to increase my mileage, although at a cautiously slow pace. With six weeks to go until Copenhagen, I now need to build up to longer distances than the 7 km I have become accustomed to sticking to.