29 Sep 2009

Swim: 1200m

First swim in a while. Strange swimming in a 25m indoor pool again.

28 Sep 2009

Running:
10km - 57:00

Easy recovery run before a physio session. Was told that the hamstring needs two to three days rest, but should be ok.

27 Sep 2009

Bike:
45km - 1:32

Easy / moderate ride in perfect conditions: flat, no wind and sunny.

26 Sep 2009

Running:
31.6km - 3:00

Second easy 3 hour run before Frankfurt. Legs ok, nutrition ok, but left hamstring a bit of a concern. Let's see.

24 Sep 2009

Running:
10km - 56:00

Easy run through the Stadtpark in very warm Vienna.

22 Sep 2009

Running:
10.3km - 60:00

Very easy recovery run. Hamstring still a bit tight, but starting to loosen up.

20 Sep 2009

Kalrsruhe Half-marathon - 1:43:48 [Certificate] [Results]

km 1: 4:57
km 2: 4:59
km 3: 5:10
km 4: 5:09
km 5: 4:55
km 6: 4:55
km 7: 4:48
km 8: 4:54
km 9: 4:53
km 10: 4:53 - 49:33
km 11: 4:52
km 12: 4:51
km 13: 4:55
km 14: 5:01
km 15: 4:54
km 16: 4:52
km 17: 4:46
km 18: 4:58
km 19: 4:50
km 20: 4:51 - 48:52
km 21.1: 5:22

Overall: 1120th out of 4624
M40: 255th out of 929

Very good event with over 10,000 runners. Best feed area in the finish ever: fruit, drinks, beer (!), milk shakes, bretzel, soup, etc, etc. Temperature was quite pleasant (low 20's), but humidity was quite high.
Went out at moderate pace and realised very quickly that the legs are still tired. Ham string started playing up a bit at km 12, so kept speed consistent. Also, heart was quite high from the beginning (started below 150 and went up to over 180 at the finish). Good and hard training run, but still a lot to do before Frankfurt.

18 Sep 2009

Running:

15 min Warm-up
4 Yasso 800s - 3:24/ 3:25 / 3:27 / 3:27 -> 3:26
15 min Cool-down

Early morning Yasso session after yesterday's sports massage. Legs still very tired and left hamstring tight. Not quite sure how to run on Sunday - we'll see...

16 Sep 2009

Bike:
45km - 1:43 (560m)

Mostly hilly / undulating. Legs quite heavy.

15 Sep 2009

Running:
16km - 1:30

Easy run; a little bit longer than planned.

13 Sep 2009

Run:
10km - 55:00

Easy / moderate run at Lake Como. That's the end of the holidays. Let the marathon training begin!

12 Sep 2009

Gym: 30 minutes (15 strenth, 15 core)

Really have to get core work started again.

11 Sep 2009

Swim: 1600m - 30:00

Half an hour swim at moderate speed in the sea in Marina di Campo where Elbaman will be started next week.

10 Sep 2009

Running:
7km - 40:00

First easy recovery run on the belt to avoid heat on Elba.

09 Sep 2009

Swim:
1000m - 18:00

First easy swim after the race on Sunday.

06 Sep 2009

Locarno 2.5 / 80 / 20 - 5:08:13.1 [Results]

Swim: 51:33 (228th)
T1: 2:36 (185th)
Bike: 2:31:19 (267th) - 40km : 1:28
T2: 1:31(76th)
Run: 1:41:12(237th)

Total: 248th out of 360 Finishers
MD-M35: 105th out of 140

I arrived in beautiful Locarno on Friday evening after a 6 hour drive to set up base at a luxurious camp site less than 5 minutes walk from the start. There was a really good atmosphere with hundreds of athletes staying in tents and camper vans.

When I woke up on Saturday morning the water in Lago Maggiore was quite rocky due to strong winds. I decided to do an easy test swim. As soon as I got into the water I was hit by 3 foot waves - I had never swam in conditions like that and lasted less than 2 minutes. I was already worried about the tough bike course and the heat on the run, but didn't expect this...

I registered after lunch and double-checked the gear before watching the most hillarious trithlon ever: Age Group 3-4 - 20m swim, 600m bike and 100m run. Some kids wore arms bands, others had stabilizers and parents all over the place in the transition area. This is how to grow talent!



I then followed the sprint event in which an athlete started every 10 seconds. Slightly weird, but very fair, I guess. I stayed for the race briefing. It was mostly in Italian, so I nodded and clapped when everyone else did...

Race day. Wave 2 of 3. Luckily the wind had calmed down, but the swim was the toughest I have done so far. It took me about 400m to find a rythm; navigating was really difficult due weird currents and some unpredictable waves. I started getting cramps in both calves from about 1500m and had to take breaks to stretch them out. Glad to be on land, followed a very long run into T1 and a shaky transition. I kept dropping things but got eventually underway.

Being surrounded by dozens of mountains of up to 3000 meters, the bike course was nothing short of being spectacular. The first 30km were uphill with a moderate incline. Things got more serious up to the half-way point going up proper Alpine serpentines, through tunnels, passing ski lifts and avalanche signes. I only overtook a single cyclist on the first half and must have been overtaken by dozens - the Swiss really know how to cycle mountains. Gravity was more on my side on the return half. With speeds of up to 60 km/h everybody was flying back to T2.

I felt good on the first 2 laps even though temperatures had risen to 30 degrees and went through 10km in just under 50 minutes. While the legs were fine for the rest of the race, I got quite sick from km 12 onwards. Luckily the run was approximately 1200m short and I managed to finish in a respectable time, but had to walk-run the last 4km. In true Swiss style, times recorded were down to tenths of seconds.

All in all, a great event and a bit of an eye-opener.

Pre Locarno Body Composition

Weight	87.6kg
Body Fat	16.9% (LA 16.6 RA 14.4 RL 14.6 LL 15.4, B 18.3)
Total Body Water	58.3%
Muscle Mass	69.2kg (LA 4.0 RA 4.1 RL 11.5 LL 11.1, B 38.5, 5)
Physique Rating	6
Basal Metabolic Rate	2114 KJ
Metabolism Age	26
Bone Mass	3.6kg
Resting Heart Rate	53

Almost identical to Antwerp; body fat a little bit higher.

03 Sep 2009

Run:
10km - 57:00

Last easy taper run (apart from 1km steep uphill). Roll on Locarno...

02 Sep 2009

Bike:
31.2km - 1:04

20km high cadence (>30 km/h), rest hilly.

01 Sep 2009

Running:
11.3km - 1:03

Slow morning run except km 10 (4:17). Legs a little bit heavy.

Good sports massage in the afternoon.