Happy new year

training stats
Sa 29/12: flat run, 10K, 0:53 hrs
Fr 28/12: gym, 2 hrs
Th 27/12: gym, 1.5 hrs, indoor bike 1 hr
We 26/12: hilly run, 16K, 1:36 hrs

Happy new year to everyone. Remember you are not alone, there are others who also get a raw deal:

Looking at the week's training stats you might think that I am back to perfect fitness. That's a wrong impression. The hilly run turned out to be too much stress for my knee. Running the New Year's Eve Race tomorrow will probably ruin my patella for weeks. But it's the race I have done more often than any other one and I desperately want to run it. I am too young to act sensibly. Perhaps next year but I doubt.

A better purpose to feel good next year:

Merry Christmas everybody

training stats
week's total: jog/walk 31K, bike 2 hrs, gym 2 sessions
Su 23/12: hilly run, 8K, 0:48 hrs
Sa 22/12: jog 5K, 0:30 hrs, gym 2 hrs
Fr 21/12: slow jog, 10K, 1:06 hrs
Th 20/12: indoor bike, 1:00 hrs
We 19/12: jog/walk, 8K, 0:48 hrs
Tu 18/12: indoor bike, 1:00 hrs
Mo 17/12: gym 2 hrs

My year of running seems to end placably. The knee seems to recover slowly. At least I was able to circle our local reservoir which is a flat distance of 10 K. By a very modest speed I have to admit. But that is what an injured runners has to learn: To become modest.

There are more things to learn. Being early pensioned provides you with a big amount of freedom. (I hear you crying: "Let me have your problems!") Excessive use of this sudden liberty can cause problems - there is a sensitivity of catching injuries due to too much exercise. But there are more risks. Perhaps the most obvious and easiest solution is: Do not demand too much from your life, stay modest. A motto for next year?

Merry christmas everybody, be happy!

source: http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/ReynoldsChristmas/1.asp

Christmas walking time

training stats
Su 16/12: jog/walk, 11K, 1:24 hrs
Fr 14/12: gym 1 hr, treadmill run 5k, 0:30 hrs
Th 13/12: indoor bike, 1:00 hrs
We 12/12: jog/walk, 9K, 0:55 hrs

My intention was to do some kind of sports every day during this week but I didn't stand it on Saturday. You might argue that walking is not a sort of sports. I am happy to agree therefore I did some running in between. I was less happy to feel that my knee did like walking more than running. Could that be MY knee?

All my attempts to avoid gaining weight are in vain. I meet cookies everywhere everytime. And most of them are tasty. It is a bad time being injured but it is even worse during christmas time.
Christmas time can be a bad time and it is even worse when injured. And all this gets worst when New Year's Eve is approaching - a day which gets me soppy every year.

Don't worry - be happy!
(provided you are not a turkey)

Outside smiling

training stats
Tu 11/12: cross training, 1:00 hrs
Mo 10/12: gym, 1:45 hrs
Su 09/12: pacemaker race, 10K, 50 min

Being watched during the race I might have been looking happy. I was smiling all the time as I was running alongside a very pretty woman - for 50 min at least. But inside I worried about the continuing problem with my knee.

Analysing the 2007 Berlin Marathon results you see that there are 2,810 finishers in age group M50. In the next age group, M55, finishers are down by 46% to 1,519. Next year my age group is M55. Now I fear that I will have to take the same road as all the poor guys who had to stop running.

If I have to stop running I consequently will stop running the website about running. I don't think it will be fun to write about running when I am not able to run. Okay, life is not all about running but I feel I have to think about building up an alternative passion.

Don't worry - this is obviously one of those rainy cold depressive days, not just due to injuries and weather.

Same mistake as last year

training stats
Fr 07/12: hilly run, 10 K, 0:57 hrs
Th 06/12: crosstraining, 1:00 hrs
We 05/12: treadmill 5K, 0:30 hrs, gym 2 hrs
Tu 04/12: slow jog, 7K, 0:50 hrs
Su 02/12: gym, 2 hrs
Sa 01/12: pacemaker race, 10K, 0:47 hrs

It seems that the combination of running a marathon followed by strenuous hill walking meant to be too much strain for my right Runner's Knee - a weakness of the kneecap's cartilage. One could blame me for making the same fault as last year. And yes, one would be right to do so. Alas! - I love running and I love the mountains.

Now I take Diclofenac as usual, try to ignore all problems and finish my favourite local race on Sunday, the X-mas run in my home town Witten. Certainly it is a MUST to be part of. However, today I had to stop running after 40 min when the patella caused too much pain.

Of course I will increase strength training of the Musculus Vastus Medialis. This muscle often is regarded to cause imbalances which lead to problems like Runner's Knee.

We'll see what happens on Sunday. Anyway I will pay the doc a visit and ask for another series of Hyaluronan injections. Last spring it helped but will it do again?

PS Those of you speaking German might like to read my race report: Der Diplomaten-Lauf.

Andean Experiences

training stats: no running at all

You know I expected it to be tough. It was. More than I expected it to be.

I failed to climb Cotopaxi. Still regarding my decision to be right after I turned back due to storm and rain at 4,800m with more than 1,000 meters still to climb. But nevertheless this decision was followed by deep disappointment and severe weakness both physically and mentally. If someone had offered me a ticket to fly home instantly I would have gone.

The most depressing time I had when staying in the camp with very wet, foggy and cold weather every morning and evening. I even forgot to use the bottle of Single Malt I had taken with me to help along such phases.

Luckily I made my come back when fighting my way up to the top of Chimborazo. With three tops successfully climbed I can finally regard the trip as an achievement. There were Rucu de Pichincha (4,684m), Illiniza Norte (5,126m) and Chimborazo. At the letter one I have to admit I climbed just the second highest of its 5 peaks, Ventimilla which is recently measured at 6,225m. The main summit is only 42 meters higher (wiki).

photo 1: Looking from the ridge of Illiniza Norte to Cotopaxi. Note that Illiniza Norte was expected to be a walking summit free of snow and ice.

photo 2: Flying close by, a condor at the Illiniza hillside.

photo 3: Ornamentally placed alpacas in front of Chimborazo Mountain.

photo 4: We started our ascent of Chimborazo at 10pm. At sunrise we already had been walking for nearly 8 hours. With the verb "walk" playing down the sort of movement.

photo 5: Whereever I went - my mountain of disappointment was there to remind me, Cotopaxi, seen from the top of Chimborazo.

photo 7: Easy to notice that I was at the limit of my capabilities.


It will take some weeks to publish the complete photo story on my website. I will let you know when it's done.

Off to the Andes

training stats: nothing, just rest

Thanks, Heike, your guess is right. I am heading for Ecuador and its chain of volcanoes. I am part of a group of 12 guys who have a tough programme of peaks to do:

Rucu de Pichincha, 4,784 meters
Illiniza Norte, 5,126 meters
Cotopaxi, 5,897 meters
Chimborazo, 6,268 meters

These mountains are technically not too difficult. The only thing concerning is that we will be ascending by a rather high speed. We arrive at Quito (2,800 meters) on Sunday. Climbing Pichincha is scheduled for Tuesday and Illiniza for Thursday and Cotopaxi for Saturday night.

Heading for high mountains you never know what happens. Altitude sickness can catch everybody - you can be fit enough to run a marathon but this is no guarantee you will be able to survive at high altitude. And of course always there is the weather you have to respect. Therefore I would be happy to get to two of the four planned mountain tops.

For those of you speaking German: I have booked with the German Alpine Club's agency, effectively called the "Summit Club", our detailed schedule is published here.

I regret I will have no internet access during most of the time. So you will have to wait for any news until end of November. Sorry about this incovenience. Don't worry.

In case you like to read my German race report of last Sunday's New York City Marathon, here it is.