Back into Training

The first week back home from the Azores holiday has seen me back into regular training.

Thursday: easy flat jog, 10K, 1:09 hrs
Friday: biking, hilly route, 56K, 2:25 hrs
Saturday: gym 2hrs
Sunday: slow hilly run, 16K, 1:32 hrs
Monday: gym 2 hrs
Tuesday: slow hilly run, 9.5K, 0:54hrs

I would love to do more biking. Biking is the kind of sports I love most of all on sunny and warm days like we have now. You can do it for hours and enjoy the countryside. But on my first tour last Friday I developed a light pain in my right knee. Obviously I pedalled with too much pressure right from the start - I enjoyed it so much - and after only 20K the knee began to hurt.

Consequently I will do more gym sessions instead of biking for a while. The most common reason for knee pain is the weakness of musculus vastus medialis. A disbalance of this muscle compared to the other bigger ones at the front thigh - rectus femoris and vastus lateralis - affects the movement of the kneecap. Due to the holiday I missed the gym for 3 weeks which always puts me in danger to suffer problems with my lower back and my knees.

My usual gym session consists of a 10 mins warm-up, 10 exercises with light weights - for back, belly and thigh muscles - and a lot of stretching at the end. I don't like going to gym, lifting weights is boring and one always feels being observed. I changed the gym 3 years ago. I don't really like the place, it is a bit too posh, but I stick to it as it is conveniently close to my home.

I now look forward to increasing my training for the Zugspitzlauf on July 23. Sadly the Härdlerlauf in Schmallenberg had to be cancelled due to financing problems. It would have been the perfect race to prepare for the Zugspitze. Therefore I will not race for the coming 5 weeks. I published a report about last year's run up Germany's highest mountain. I regret it is in German, but perhaps you like to see the photos: Zugspitzlauf.