A few days ago I took part in my third BASF Firmencup at the Hockenheim Ring. It was my best so far, 25'29 for the 4.8 km track, a two minute improvement over last time, yet leaves me with an obvious goal for next year, to beat 25 minutes.
Where does that stand in relation to the best runners? Well, the best in our group ran it in 19 minutes, and he was 200th or so. I was 2500th, give or take, and there were around 12000 participants, so I didn't do too badly. I definitely felt fitter than the previous two times, and I had more energy.
Energy was the biggest realisation from 2010. That year I had trained reasonably well, but I made the mistake of eating nothing other than an energy bar from lunchtime. This year I ate well at lunchtime, but kept munching at various intervals (I was at work, it being a Wednesday). I also made sure that I was well stocked for the bike ride from Heidelberg Pfaffengrund, where I work, to the Hockenheim Ring.
2011 was also my first "race" with the Terra Plana Evo "barefoot" running shoes. These have transformed my running. From clomping around in chunky Asics via Nike Free to the Evos, my feet have become steadily lighter and more flexible. My achilles tendon did receive a hard workout that points to potential for improvement, but basically I am a convert to barefoot running, landing on the front to middle of the foot rather than on the heel.
Naturally, I received a few comments about them, but mostly interested ones rather than snide.
Since that run, I have felt freed up to get back onto my various bikes, but the warm feeling of good intent is there, the thought in the back of my mind that a half marathon would be on the cards. But can I devote sufficient time to running rather than music or biking? That remains to be seen.
Where does that stand in relation to the best runners? Well, the best in our group ran it in 19 minutes, and he was 200th or so. I was 2500th, give or take, and there were around 12000 participants, so I didn't do too badly. I definitely felt fitter than the previous two times, and I had more energy.
Energy was the biggest realisation from 2010. That year I had trained reasonably well, but I made the mistake of eating nothing other than an energy bar from lunchtime. This year I ate well at lunchtime, but kept munching at various intervals (I was at work, it being a Wednesday). I also made sure that I was well stocked for the bike ride from Heidelberg Pfaffengrund, where I work, to the Hockenheim Ring.
2011 was also my first "race" with the Terra Plana Evo "barefoot" running shoes. These have transformed my running. From clomping around in chunky Asics via Nike Free to the Evos, my feet have become steadily lighter and more flexible. My achilles tendon did receive a hard workout that points to potential for improvement, but basically I am a convert to barefoot running, landing on the front to middle of the foot rather than on the heel.
Naturally, I received a few comments about them, but mostly interested ones rather than snide.
Since that run, I have felt freed up to get back onto my various bikes, but the warm feeling of good intent is there, the thought in the back of my mind that a half marathon would be on the cards. But can I devote sufficient time to running rather than music or biking? That remains to be seen.
