Uphill climb

Argh. I left my get-up-and-go at the bottom of the hill. Made it through the 1st 10-minute segment in 13 minutes for "fun", but half-way through the 2nd I ran out of steam. Think it was the steep grade ahead. Week 9, Run 3 - we'll meet again in a dark alley when you're not expecting me.

The Brandenburg Mile

Week 9, run 2 done and no excuses about being on the road. My friend Liliana, showed me a lovely route along the Havel in Brandenburg, where I was visiting her. Boats sailing on the river, bridges over canals, historic towers - very picturesque. Another 5 km down, 4 weeks to go!
origami "sailing star"

"No-looking-back Boileau"

And you thought I was dead ...

Team Do-or-Die makes it to the finish of Week 9 Run 1 a.k.a. Death Run! Kathleen and I both survived today. I got thoroughly lost in the wilds of Saarbrücken, among lakes, woods, horses and farms. Everything is turning green; the freshly clipped grass and flowering shrubs smell wonderful. 7.7km running! Made it home just as the rain started - thunder and lightning like a summer rainstorm over my head. The bitter-sweet lemon chocolate tastes great!

Sorry, have to "run" - my bath floweth over :-D

Make up your own run day

In order to lessen the looming psychological terror of week 9, #1 run, I decided to see how long I could actually run for. This turned out to be 20 mins. A short'ish break followed by another 10 mins to get home.
There is no way I could have set out into the great unknown of 10,15,20,10 without knowing I could already run more than the longest period.

Please remember this number for the UK emergency services: 999

If I haven't been heard of by Thursday something nasty will have happened to me on the imminent "Death Run". The picture is where I'll be if I do make it!

Snail's Pace

Today, to keep up with Lightning Love, and since I copped out of my Week 8 Run 2 in favour of 14 hours speed-walking around Disneyland Paris yesterday, I skipped to Week 8 Run 3. Not quite easy breezy, but I remembered my radio and it felt great at the end, bopping along to One Night in Bangkok.

I think the part about jogging I like the most is the warm-up/cool-down walks. Nice and lazy, a chance to look at the scenery. And there waiting patiently on the cool-down walk down the Nussbergtreppe were my 3 new room-mates. I think composting is about to accelerate from worm-speed to a snail's pace. So what wine goes best with Schnecken?

W8, #2

Having successfully completed today's 3 mins run, 1 mins walk times 7, I am now mellowing with a wine and bath evening. Covered a respectable 4km's before the downpour caught up with me.
I enjoyed being able to do the run and enjoy it rather than just trying to get through it.

40-pounder

Not to be left in the dust by one Kathleen Love, I just ground through Week 8, Run 1. This feels a lot like last Monday, 40 minutes of pure running mania only without the trip. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't that bad either. I had an errand after work downtown that tied in nicely with the schedule (timed it to a 1-minute break), then ran home. Last 10-minute spurt ended exactly at the foot of Himmelsleiter (Jacob's Ladder), netting 5.68 km (up from 5 km at the same time last week) ... Now who put all those stairs here? Let's see you try a 250-step vertical "cool-down"!

Week 8, run 1

Run: 10 mins, walk 1 min x 4

Distance covered 6.5 km. Deer; 3. Ducks; 2. Pheasants, numerous. Horses overtaken; 2. Overtaking tractors; 1.

Feeling super-sonic-bionic. Don't feel i'm running particulary fast; does this matter?
Maybe I can work on speed after my body has got used to the idea that i'm going to be regularly submitting it to this kind of torture.

Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1796012

Week 7, part deux

I missed a run :-( But I have an excuse - it was cold. And if that doesn't work, I have another excuse - I was enjoying a mini-break weekend in Strasbourg, France. And I did do a lot of walking.




And then I came home and dutifully hit the paths in Alt-Saarbrücken. This run felt so good, I could have gone on, but I decided to save enough energy to enjoy a bath while reading my newly-arrived Blue Mars.
(German efficiency is an oxymoron - 38 days from England by air mail?)

First Casualty

Week 7 Run 1, version 2. Goal: 5km or how to make 40 minutes of huffing and puffing more painful.

Thanks to Kat's experience, I arranged my run over hill and dale as far as Gersweilerstraße and away from any temptation to quit. I was on the last leg and on my way into work, when I passed an old woman who was talking to herself. She distracted me enough that I didn't pick up my feet, and next thing I was sliding across the pavement *ouch* But I did finish the run! And I inventoried the department first aid kit.

Renee " The Gimp"

Downward slope

Wow! We're at the halfway point and no one has suffered any (touch wood) major exhaustion related injury!

Did the longest run so far this afternoon: Week 7; run 10 mins, walk 1 min, 4 times.
The times to beat were 10 mins, 10 mins, 9.5 mins and 7.5 mins. The last one was short as by then I'd already got back to my house on the circular route and had to really dig deep into my inner competitor to find any will to keep going for the last run versus collapsing on the driveway and hoping a kind neighbour would find me before nightfall.

The chicken is very much like the ones living next door where I stopped for my post-run gasping session.

Queen of the Hill

Just finished Week 6, Run 3 with a bonus effort. Discovered a lovely side of my town, away from the city centre. The Spichererberg Weg is a windy rambling route that is actually marked as part of the Camino de Santiago. This route is pastoral, complete with horses, cows, little shacks and cabins. I made it to my goal, about 5km away and discovered that Spichererberg really is a hill. I had to walk 2 of the 10 (run3, walk1) sets because it was so steep, but the view from the top was worth it! The top of Spichererberg is a large cenotaph with trails leading to memorials for various generals.

I felt so good at the end, I decided to skip sitting in the cold waiting for a bus and *walked all the way back*!! so with commuting by foot today, thats 3 hours of walking, running and climbing in 1 day!!! The reward: long soak in tub with relaxing bath salts and hot chocolate ... mmmm ....

Top that!