From illness to 50K

stats of the week: run 32km, cycled 226km, gym 2h
stats of the week before: run 8km, cycled 63km

Like many people around me I got a bad summer cold and lost all my performance during more than a week of illness and 5 days without any sports. Then I tried to get back by daily exercise and spontaneously topped this streak  by a flat 15K race. I managed a pace of 4:50min/K what I found satisfying. However there are only 2 weeks to go until the alpine bike race Maratona dles Dolomites and another 2 weeks until the 50K Eiger Trail Run. I'll do my very best as you might guess.

Unusual kind of medal: the 15K trophy

Tough and careless

stats of the week: run 59km, cycled 215km, gym 2h

It was a fairly tough sports week and I'm concerned that it was too much as I couldn't stop to do a hilly 30k-race while having a mild cold that is getting worse now. Probably it would have been more sensible not to start. Now I feel I have to set back for a couple of rest days.

It was quite a new feeling to run at the very end of the pack. There were only 2 men and 2 women behind me. Alas, I finished within top twenty. There were just 24 finishers after only 30 had started. Maybe the route profile was too daunting.

Royal Race

stats of the week: run 23km, gym 2h

There was no time for cycling this week as I went to Stockholm to watch one of my most loved marathons in a beautiful city. Unfortunately the rain started together with the race and did not stop before the last runner finished.
At least the presence of King Carl Gustaf made up for the weather.

The waving person is Pranab Mukherjee, President of India.

From sweep-up to finish

stats of the week: run 21km, cycled 363km

My first Nove Colli Race was a very special experience. Due to heavy rain we waited too long to get to the start. When we finally found the area everybody was gone and no start line present. We set off while it was raining cats and dogs. Dozens of cyclists turned and drove back to their hotels. It took me 48km to overtake the sweep-up bus and another 20km to catch the very last 20 bikers. First time when ascending the 3rd colle after 80km I felt within a race although the food stations were already finished. However, I enjoyed my day on the empty roads and managed to reach the finish within cut-off time after 132km and 6:21h while my somehow produced official time is 7:13h.

Photo: With the ambulance at my back wheel

Enjoying Italy

stats of the week: run 9km, cycled 336km, gym 2h

Cycling in the region of Italian region Piemonte is pure enjoyment. Calm roads, beautiful landscape, pretty villages, numerous hills, last not least: tasty food and superb vino rosso. The perfect way to prepare for the Nove Colli bike race, alas if there weren't such old man shortcomings like back pain! We'll see what is possible.

Body limit

stats of the week: run 30km, cycled 200km, gym 3h

For me there will be rather "quattro colli" than nove colli next week. I tried a longish tour of 130km and 1800 altitude meters what also are the dates of the shorter Nove Colli variant. My body revealed that this amount of strain is close to its limit. So trying the longer route of 200km and 4,000 altitude meters should be out of the question. But one should never say no ...

Tired sportsman

stats of the week: run 18km, cycled 130km, gym 3h

Recovery from the marathon worked as usual with being ready for a slow jog on Thursday again. However, after a fast flat cycling tour on Saturday I got so exhausted that I fell asleep after arriving home. Aim for oncoming weeks is to switch to regular cycling without neglecting running too much.