A race stays a race

stats of the week: run 53km, cycled 31km, gym 3h

It doesn't really look like at the finish of a training race. Well, it was intended to be a training run but a race still is a race. Clocking 1:49:06 for a flat half marathon was neither slow nor fast but still a pace that forces me to recover. However, there was 75-year-old who finished 1:30:06!

Reason for me to do the distance was to prepare for shorter races in December. So 10Km won't appear that long.

The year's first review

stats of the week: run 42km, gym 3h

The graph shows my monthly mileage so far this year. It is 9 years ago that my yearly mileage exceeded 2,000km for the last time. As it looks by now I'll just reach 1,900km once again while the red colour indicates a fairly large share of races done.

On the other hand my cycling mileage adds up to 4,300km what is my second highest ever.

Last task of the year is to recover from the marathon and get rather fit for the final two or three short local races where I should appear in a reasonably good shape.

Windy city

stats of the week: run 15km
stats of the week before: run 61km

New York City was a windy city on marathon day. On Verrazano Bridge I hold my bib number to keep it safe and not to lose it to the blastery wind. However, later on route I found the conditions quite okay and enjoyed the race and the crowds for most of the distance.

It was only 3K to the finish when I suffered cramps in both thighs that cost me around 3 minutes. Luckily I was still able to finish sub 4 hours what was my target for the day: 3:57:53. Maybe it was my last sub-4-marathon. It gets closer from year to year.

Irish Path to New York City

stats of the week: run 34km, gym 2h

I looked up my last year's preparation for the NYC Marathon and designed it the same way once again. Walking the Irish Coast and watching Dublin Marathon.

This is Dingle peninsula and its so called three sisters.

Russian Dimitry Safronow lead by 2 minutes at half way of the Dublin Marathon but finally he was down to 3rd rank and lost by 25 seconds to winner Eliud Too of Kenya.

3K too long

stats of the week: run 48km, cycled 35km, gym 3h

As expected I could not defend my last year's 3rd place at the 29K Teutolauf which is quite a tough hilly trail race. Finishing after 2:33:34 meant I was just one minute slower than last year. That's the regular aging downfall. However, I felt strong during nearly all the distance, it was just 3K too long for me because at the final stage I had no power left and merely staggered towards the finish line. I reckon if there had been a doctor watching me he'd have stopped me and taken out of the race. Anyway I missed the third place by just 9 seconds what was a surprise. The guy probably overtook me within the final mile. I didn't notice but that didn't matter as I wasn't able to resist.

The only thing scaring me is that next race is even 13K longer!

Intensive week, limited year

stats of the week: run 70km, gym 4h

70K means my most comprehensive week of running this year. This was intended to get ready for the oncoming two races. First is the 29K hillrun "Teutolauf" where I finished 3rd of my age group last year. A surprising result that I reckon is unrepeatable. It is now my second year in M60, and I estimate every year counts for 2 minutes at a distance of 29K.

However this year's mileage is somewhat limited and it's forseeable by now that I'll not reach the target of 2000K in 2014.

Second next event is my 8th New York City Marathon. But let's take it one by one.

Decent bike year at end of season

stats of the week: run 25km, cycled 413km

End of season saw us cycling relaxed on sunny and warm Majorca for just 3 days.

However, half of the week's mileage was done at home on a weekend tour with one sunny day out and one very wet day return. All this mileage made 2014 my 3rd best bike year ever, adding up to 4,299km by now.