Race Day: Running without legs

Sunday was the day: I was prepared to run a nice half marathon. Got up three hours before race start and felt quite good. When arriving at Arrecife I met so many of my old friends down here. We were all chatting away and being exited about the run coming up.

At 10:00 o’clock the gun when off and the competitors were sent on the different distances: 10,5 km; 21,1 km and 42,2 km. The field was quickly spread into a long line up. I found myself in the first main group of runners having to check which distance the athletes were going to run. I could see it on the race numbers. Up front was Jose Carlos Hernandez with one of his fellow Spanish team mates. Jose had just run the Berlin marathon in 2:12:14 finishing as 10^th over all. So there was no point in chasing them two!

Impressions....

After four kilometres I got my first slight problems noticing I could not run as fast as I would have liked to! My legs started feeling weak and tired. My heart rate was totally o.k. I slowed down a little and let the first group pull away.

After 13 kilometres I had found something like a rhythm but it was far away of what I can normally run. Coming into the finish was more a relief than a happy moment. My time was a disaster (I thought at first): 1:24:25. I run faster in training! But the race had felt like running without legs!!!

My 6^th position overall and 2^nd position in the age group where not to bad but the race was far behind my expectations. Considering I can run about 8 minutes faster I will have to check what hindered me from running faster. I assume I did not load up my carbo hydrate deposits enough as there was just no power in the legs. The training build up was the right one as all training results would have permitted running sub 1: 17:00…!

But that is the interesting thing about sport: you can’t always plan everything but you can certainly learn something of it.

...on the way to my main objective 2011...!!!!

By the way: the Canaries are awaiting a strong storm today. So I will possibly post a few “stormy pics” the next time…..     

No PAIN – no FAME…

It’s going to be very windy here on Lanzarote tomorrow as I have heard. I can already feel the strong wind today as the palms are being rocked around and the ocean is furious. There were some gusts of rain but the temperature is fine.

I have picked up my racing documents and I will have the race n° 407. The course is an in and out one but has a few hard turns which will interrupt the run. Further we have south wind at the moment and that will mean to have tail wind down to the turn point and a sturdy head wind coming back…. Ouch!!!! I think I will have to run a tactical race on position more than trying to run a season’s best.

We’ll see…

Pasta Party this evening and a good sleep. Warm up tomorrow early and then its “Rock ‘n’ Roll” at 10:00 am Canarian time.

I will report… Wish me good legs and a good race…..!

Lanzarote Track & Drum Session…..

Nothing better than killing yourself doing 1000m series, especially if you have not done something like this since more than a year.

Kick Ass.....!!!!

But I needed to get my muscles twitching again so I warmed up some 3 K to then do 5 x 1000m with 2 minutes active recovery. The sun was out and it was nice and warm so I could really go for it. In time that meant running between 3:15 and 3:20 per kilometre. I had the right music on (Deep Purple, Saxon & Iron Maiden) and a lot of other athletes training their own programs. Good fun.

After finishing my session I let Kim run some 1000m and he did very well, scratching the 3:35-s.

Myself and Manel

In the evening I was invited to Manel and Veronica’s place for a nice dinner. In between Manel and I escaped into his little studio to do some small music jam. I was hitting the drums and him doing the rest.

Two more days till Half Marathon Arrecife and I feel quite confident. There was a little rain last night which is good as the temperatures have fallen just that little.

Further I have video cam’d the first scenes of my new training videos… screen shots will follow.

Thanks to Kim and Manel for their support in a lot of things down here.

Rock the “O” to those who know what I am talking about (see you soon).

Don’t read this…or maybe you should!!!

Bus....STOP!!!!!

Two days have passed and I have been enjoying every second. I have been working on my house in Tahiche together with Manel, one of my dear friends here.

I see funny things like this super modern luxury bus stop just around the corner and believe it or not…: the bus really stops here to pick up people. Piccadilly Circus is nothing compared to this!!!

Yo man...... BIG SMILE

My training is fine and I have had a good session with Kim. Apart from running I am taking profit of a 50 m pool. In Hamburg I swim a 25 m pool and I am used to tumble turn every 25 m. Now I reach 25 m but there is no wall to tumble… hmmmm! So I just swim on to 50 m and notice it is much more straining. Actually I am not training in the pool. I sun tan in the water and swim “a little” like 4500 m per session. Afterwards I chill out and work on the proof of being on “The Rock”…. Getting a tan (life is a beast in those moments).

Every now and then I look over the wall to the lagoon only to see some canoes and wind surfers (life gets even worse now).

Down at the lagoon.....!!!!

Tomorrow will be my last intense training on the track to get my muscles twitching. I will be meeting Kelly, a 400m runner who came 3^rd at the Spanish champs when I was training her last year. She runs like 55 second on 400m. I wished I could. 

Anyway…. more to come and on Sunday its “Rock n Roll”

P.S.: if you are jealous now… then you know why you should not have read this…!

Lanzarote….!!!

I had to get up really early! My flight went at 6:00 a.m. so I had to get up at three in the morning. Would you call that “late at night” or “early in the morning”…?!? No matter what…: there was not enough coffee to get me started. At the airport I looked quite crap and felt so as well.

The flight was boring so I was glad when I arrived in Arrecife, Lanzarote. A dear fiend of mine, Carlos, was there to welcome me. We had a nice “cortado con leche condensada” and a very cool chat. We used to play together in a band and he is an awesome guitar player!

Pimping the calves of Kim

At 12:00 noon I was at Club La Santa to meet up with Kenneth, the manager of the Ironman Lanzarote. Shortly afterwards I met Kim… I am going to help him improve his running so he is now under my supervision. I am going to focus on his dynamics and core stability.

Sun cream PLEASE!!!!!!!

I myself went for a swim doing some 2500m in the 50m pool of CLS. In the afternoon I had to do a long run: 30Km… I just had to remember that I am not in Hamburg anymore and put on tons of sun cream… the run was fantastic: 25°C and sun.

Now I am on my way to my house in Tahiche so I’ll be reporting more very soon.

Hasta pronto….   

Mi numero telefono aqui: 660 663 671......

Be inspired by others…

I have met a lot of athletes in my life: the ones who train for fun; the ones who train to compete; the ones who train to win and the ones who train for a living.

All of them have inspired me in the one or other way.

I just want to name three of them who “train for a living”…:

Michael & Andreas Raelert and Jan Frodeno.



Andi Raelert - Myself - Jan Frodeno

I met them at the ITU World Cup in Hamburg this year where Jan had just made the second place in the men’s elite race. Along with him came Andreas Raelert who later battled Chris McCormack on Hawaii finishing as a fantastic second at the IRONMAN World Championships. And last but not least, Michael Raelert, the brother of Andreas showed up too. Michael has just won the World Championship over the half Ironman distance in Clearwater.

Myself - Michael Raelert

Being successful in sports is one thing but staying humble and “down to earth” is another. This applies to these boys and I am happy to have met them…

Once in a while I would actually like to feature some athletes in my Blog to show how interesting people are and what it takes to achieve personal goals…

So if you should know someone I should / could feature… tell me!

Thanks everyone and meet you at my next post…

All a matter of balance….

Here is my first post in English as I have been repeatedly been asked to do so…:  

I was planning to run a 25km race last Sunday but at the end I found myself laying in bed and having a long nap. 

My training for the Arrecife half Marathon on the 28^th November is going very well and I have summed up quite an amount of kilometres in the last few weeks. I am noticing that my dynamic endurance, especially in the forefeet and ankles, has improved very well.

Yesterday I had a brilliant session with three of the triathletes I am building up for the next season. Our main focus was run dynamics and intramuscular coordination. Good fun!!!

I will be off to Lanzarote next weekend Sunday and this upcoming week is going to be a key training week to put lots of quality into my legs.  

I will be meeting a lot of my friends down there and will have a few sessions with the one or other asking for my expertise (right Kim…). Further I will (at last) record some more videos of unbeatable trainings and exercises to share with whom ever wants.

Take care everyone out there…

Folkert

Süderelbe Halbmarathon: "Wettkampfschwein" trifft "Kuhmist"

10,5 Km in eine Richtung – Wende – und zurück.

Soweit kein Problem. „Mist“ nur, wenn der Agrarweg an einem Kanal lang geht und sich auf dem Hinweg nach rechts neigt und entsprechend auf dem Rückweg nach links. Noch mehr „Mist“ ist es, wenn alle zwei Kilometer die Strasse komplett auf eine Länge von 100m mit Matsch und Kuh“mist“ voll gekleistert ist…!

Und genau ein solches Stück „Mist“ wurde mir zum Verhängnis.

Aber der Reihe nach…:

Vor dem Start war wieder Frieren angesagt!!! Da bin ich echt geständiges „Weich-Ei“ oder auch, wenn Ihr wollt „Bergabschwimmer“ und schon längst „Warmduscher“.

...mir ist KALT...!

Na ja, als es los ging, habe ich mich an meine Vorlage gehalten und bin im Wohlfühlbereich schnell gelaufen. Meine Pulsuhr zeigte immer so 3:35 – 3:40 pro KM an. Alles gut. Die 10Km bin ich mit 36:15 durch und fühlte mich Pudel wohl. Nach der Wende konnte ich die Anderen Teilnehmer sehen und ich grüße den Einen oder Anderen. So macht das Spaß. Bei Km 14 kam dann doch das „Wettkampfschwein“ in mir auf und ich habe das Tempo angezogen. Und genau da kam so ein Abschnitt mit besagtem „Mist“… auch „Kuhdung“ genannt. Ich rutsche darauf aus und mein rechter, hinterer Oberschenkel (genau gesagt der Biceps Femoris und davon der Caput longum… Grüße an Daphne) verkrampft schlagartig. Ich muss sofort stehen bleiben und kann mein Bein nicht mehr strecken. Ich dehne das Bein so gut es geht und fange wieder an zu traben… wieder anhalten… dehnen… das geht so eine Weile bis ich wieder anfangen kann zu laufen. Ich drücke den Schmerz weg und suche wieder so was wie einen Rhythmus. In Zahlen bedeutet das, dass ich vor meinem „Ausrutscher“ mit 3:38 Min / Km unterwegs war, danach nur noch mit 3:53 Min / Km. Die Steherei kostete mich auch noch eine Minute.

Ich kam mit einer 1:18:45 ins Ziel… Sehr gut, wie ich finde ABER ich hätte ohne den Mist zwei Minuten schneller sein können. Platzierung: 4.-ter und AK Sieger...

Suma Sumarum: ich weiß, wo ich stehe und bin sehr zufrieden. Lanzarote kann kommen!

Jetzt weiß ich auch, was es bedeutet, wenn man sagt „SHIT HAPPENS“   

Das "Wettkampfschwein"....

Meine erste Zwischenetappe zu meinem Hauptziel werde ich am 28.11.2010 auf Lanzarote erreichen: der Halbmarathon von Arrecife!

http://www.clublasanta.com/Ciudad_de_Arrecife_Marathon_Lanzarote-10691.aspx

Die meisten der Leser werden wissen, dass ich an die 14 Jahre auf „The Rock“ Lanzarote gelebt habe. Daher möchte ich da wieder hin und an alter Wirkungsstätte versuchen, ein gutes Rennen abzuliefern.

Bis dahin fehlen noch ein paar Hausaufgaben. Also werde ich am 07.11. den Süderelbe Halbmarathon laufen und am Wochenende drauf, die 25 Km von Quickborn. Nach dem überraschend guten Start meiner Vorbereitung beim Bramfelder Lauf über die 21,1 Km werde ich beide kommenden Läufe versuchen kontrolliert zu laufen.

Ich garantiere aber für nichts, denn in mir steckt immer noch das „Wettkampfschwein“, das manchmal Ausbrechen möchte.

Ich werde, wie immer, berichten und freue mich schon auf den 07.11. (morgen).

Macht es gut und AHOI…