A (random) training run...

This is a little personal entry - which, so I hope, may have a little motivation in it for you.

I have just had 10 difficult days as a runner. First I got one of these annoying injuries, which hurt, but unlike a broken leg, one can't really tell why they hurt and what can be done to stop it. To add insult to injury, I was visiting my brother in London - which was supposed to be a highlight in terms of running - and left without a shared spin around the canals. Back in NYC I bought new running shows (this in my mind was the only possible reason for the strange tweaking) and - voila - the pain got less with every step... (Training Tip: Don't run more than 300 miles in your shoes!)

All good then? Not really! I had one of these weeks were I seriously questioned (again) the idea to spend so much time running around, sweating, sometimes in pain, sometimes tired... I kept working off miles - asking "why" every single one of them.

I found one answer finally this morning. I entered Central Park slightly annoyed at the prospect of pushing my still tired legs through 18 lonely miles when I almost crashed into some 20,000 runners... By pure accident the NYC Half Marathon had just been started and I joined the flowing mass of heads, arms and running shoes.

Goose bumps all over - despite the impressive heat - just 1 mile later. The feeling for running was back. "Why" was not a question anymore. I was completely taken by the spirit in the field of runners, spectators and the surrounding City. I saw the many runners fundraising for a worthy cause: Go I thought. I saw those T-shirts full of passion, love or meaning - I connected with many while I passed. I heard the supporters - imagining they cheered for me too. The route took us down the streets of New York and I had a flash back to last years Marathon - I suddenly couldn't wait to conquer the city once again.

I returned home after more than 2 hours and some 19 miles, utterly spent, thirsty, hungry. And, as I noticed myself planning out the next training cycle before I even did the last step, I had to smile...

Training Tip 6: Put your legs in the freezer...

Contrary to the long-held belief that a hot shower is the best treatment after a long run, ice water might actually be what your legs really want.

I have tried it for the last year of intensive running and i am a big believer in this therapy. For me it really does work. My legs feel lighter, I can train more and I have had less problems with muscle aches, shin splints and other runners' ailments. It really helps me to recover. Give it a try!

Here is excerpt of an article on runnersworld.com:

"Cryotherapy ("cold therapy") constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown. Once the skin is no longer in contact with the cold source, the underlying tissues warm up, causing a return of faster blood flow, which helps return the byproducts of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body. "Ice baths don't only suppress inflammation, but help to flush harmful metabolic debris out of your muscles," says David Terry, M.D., an ultrarunner who has finished both the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run and the Wasatch Front 100-Mile Endurance Run 10 consecutive times."

And the best part, Knut and his friends will also thank you for taking a cold rather than a hot shower.

Jan, put your legs in that cold canadian water after your run... I have been standing in the Davoser See this morning when I decided to write this entry.

Training Tip 5: Imagine yourself crossing the finish line

What makes the marathon in NY such a unique experience? For me it was the atmosphere before and during the race. You begin to get a first sense for what you can expect when you approach the Staten Island Ferry at 5:30 am. Its still dark, cold. But the streets are already filling up. Runners, wearing little more than shorts and shirt come out of every corner and fall towards the ferry like sand in an hour glass. I felt at that point I am part of something big, something good and slowly started to wake up.

You can hear every language on the ferry. French, german, japanese... they come from all over the world (or NY for that matter!). Faces feature the flags of the world, nervous smiles and tired eyes. The start is more than 3 hrs away but from now on the intensity is only increasing.

One minute to go. At the foot of the gigantic Verizano bridge. The tension is hard to bear now as 40,000 people want to embark on the race they have trained for and thought about for months, sometimes years. We all scream (senseless and full of strength...) as we make the first steps.

We pass the world as we run through NY. The russian, french, italian parts of Brooklyn - you can tell by the sudden support for the different runners around you, which nationality is living next door. A gospel choir in Fort Green - so beautiful I almost cry. A hip drummer in Williamsburg - so cool. Then my favorite fan, in the industrial parts just before Queensborough bridge. A lonely, dangerous looking fellow at the traffic light. He has brought a chair, not for him to sit on, but for his huge stereo. As I pass I hear Tina Turner shout at me: "Simply the best" ... Heavy legs as I reach the Bronx. The amateur rap artists at the curb make me forget my pain - the next mile, I think, I am running for them. A DJ is spinning the turntables a few minutes later.

I feel like fainting now, three miles to go. I think of giving up when my friends appear at the sideline. The next mile will be for them.

The final two miles. By then you will be in Central Park. ~ 1m people are screaming at you now in all the languages you have ever heard (or not). Before you know it, you have crossed the finish line and the feeling beyond that thin white line is up to you to discover... enjoy.

Training Tip 4: Read a good book about running

Have you ever asked yourself if beer might make you a faster, more enduring runner? Have you ever considered cutting of a toe in order to save weight (... where it matters most)? Have you ever heard of the Native American tribe hunting deer by literally out running the animal and subsequently suffocating it by hand?

Running, endurance running in particular, is serious (fun). Bernd Heinrich - a world class ultra marathoner and scientist - mixes his personal passion for running with scientific detail and between the lines a lot of humor and irony.

I enjoyed the book greatly. It made me laugh out loud at times, taught me many important lessons (No, I did not cut any toes off yet) and gave me a lot of additional answers to the question: Why on earth do I like to run?

(Clearly it somewhat also influenced the title of this blog…even if we might be doing it for very different reasons!)