The end of the year is always a special period and a good mark to take a look back.

A lot happened in the last 12 months and i would like to take the chance to thank some of the people that made my life something special.

Please forgive me if i forgot someone – i will update the list accordingly 😉

Aberle Gang – Thanks for your great friendship and positivity.
Andreas and Brooks – Thanks for giving me this massive oportunity to wear all this wicked gear. Appreciate it with every single run!
Andy – Thanks for a truly great friendship. I already miss the discussions and the great humor.
Anja – Thanks for such a long, special and honest friendship and for making it possible to get to BA in style. You’re a star!
Aoife – Thanks for being “one of da lads”. You’re a great girl – Miss ya!
Bernardo – Thanks for all that trust and being such an exceptional host.
Bernd – Thanks for being the legend you are. There when needed.
Caroline – Thanks for all the spins and laugh.
Christian – Thanks for being the special friend!
Dolcie – Thanks for the great times and all the fun.
Depeche Mode – Thanks for having a tune for every mood.
Emilie – Thanks for your honesty and being such a lovely and worring friend.
Eugene – Thanks for always beeing there when i needed help. You saved my life last christmas!
Fabse – Cheers for all the stupid comments and the good chats and times.
Feidhlim – Thanks for all the runs, fun and good chats. You are missed. Exactly, like eh!
Fernando – Thanks for all the training and the talks.
Flo – Thanks for making me smile every time i think about you – now even with white teeth.
Günther – Thanks for a great friendship and all the fun memories we share.
Ian – Thanks for making my times in Africa something unforgettable and truly special.
Jay – Thanks for all the advise and the pure honesty. I appreciate your style.
Jessica – Thanks for sticking in.
Jochen and Running Magazine – Thanks for giving me the opportunity to write all that running related nonsense.
Johannes – Thanks for being a special person and for your great support.
Jorge – Thanks for making my stay in South-America a special gift. Not many people get the opportunity i got.
Ken – Thanks for all the honesty, support and help. My computer wouldn’t be the same without you.
Mark and Shamrock Rovers – Thanks for the relentless support and help. You made my time in Ireland something really special. London will never be forgotten. KOH!
Markus – Thanks for beeing yourself. Whatever, whenever – MK stays MK!
Martin – Thanks for all your “positive attitude” and the great friendship.
Matt – Thanks for being a one-of-a-kind colleague and friend. Its getting really boring here between 12 and 14 o’clock.
Mia – Thanks for being such a great girl. You rock – I’m extremely proud of you!
Michael – Thanks for making the impossible possible. I will never forget that favour!
Moni – Thanks for such a long and special friendship. I am proud of what we share – it never gets old!
Percy – Thanks for all the positivity and the great moments we share. It is always special no matter where…
Philip – Thanks for a friendship that never looses the vibe. You’re the man!
Phillipp T. – Thanks for all the fun moments and the vibe we shared.
Rene – Thanks for guiding me through another tough marathon preperation.
Rob and Ais – Thanks for all the help and the great hospitality. I miss the rides and the runs!
Rudi A – Thanks for being yourself.
Rudi B – Thanks for always staying in touch and getting things organized.
Sandra – Thanks for minding Philip and being such a wicked friend!
Seb – Thanks for all those great years and the ones to come. Finally watching the “old firm” was another highlight amongst so many others.
Shane – Thanks for all the great moments and a friendship that has developed to something special.
Simone – Thanks for all the positive energy and the way you fought through you’re sickness. Positive thinking is one thing, but executing it is the other. To say I’m extremely proud of you doesn’t hit the note!
The Fitzgerald Gang – My irish family! Hope you don’t miss your 3rd son Siobhan! Thanks for all the trust and openness.
Timo – Thanks for walking your way. Im proud of you!
Tom – Thanks for the good talks and all you did for me. I will never forget.
Uli – Thanks for beeing a very special friend. Thanks for always having a solution and being there whenever i need help. Sicherlich forever!

Was this the most scary part of last weekend?

As i was crossing the finish line on Montevideo’s beautiful seafront i did not know if i had the toughest part of the weekend still behind or in front of me.

The journey from Buenos Aires’ Puerto Madeiro to Colonia Harbour in Uruguay was one of the most scary experiences i have wittnessed since using several traveling methods. A jam-packed “Colonia Express” boat was on its way to cross the huge Río de la Plata as the weather suddenly decided to get nasty. The rough conditions made the boat trip scary as the little ferry bounced from wave to wave. First it was fun for most of the passengers but the higher the waves got the more frightened it got. Laughs turned into silence and at least every 4th passenger used those nice little plastic bags in front of the seats.

I never looked more forward to get fresh air in and step on solid ground. What a commute to one of Uruguay’s classic Road Races – The San Felipe y Santiago 10k along the Río de la Plata beaches of Montevideo.

My friend “Daktari” Jorge in Montevideo convinced me to come over from Buenos Aires to run the 10k race. It was the last big race in Uruguay’s road running calendar and a good amount of runners (2.500) showed up right beside the Rio de la Plata at a little suburb just outside Montevideo. Jorge and i were joking about the weather all day long. I was hoping for cooler conditions and i got them. A bit to cool and a bit too “irish” anyway. No sign of the south-american summer during Saturday. Beside some solid rain and chilly temperatures i never experienced such a wind. The storm from friday carried on during saturday. Wind along a coast is nothing out of the extraordinary but that was something else. I wouldn’t have minded a nice “2011 Boston Style” tailwind. What we got was a very tough punch wright in the face – Headwind! As the course was a beautiful point-to-point route along the “river” (…can one really call that huge thing a river?) there was no escape.

I settled in with a nice relaxed pace. I knew i was not 100% race sharp for a 10k so i tried to hang in a solid group and draft my way towards Montevideo. I was more impressed with the great course profile along the Rio de la Plata than with my form. Average legs with tough Headwind made this 10 kilometer sightseeing tour something special, rather nice. Nevertheless i loved the race. One of the best courses i have ever ran paired with very nice people and a great community spirit in the local running scene. As the finish line came closer and closer i couldn’t take my thoughts of the nice “Asado” Jorge had planned for the evening.

At the moment i really don’t know what scared me more. The crazy ferry trip to Montevideo, seeing the amount of meat on the Jorge’s grill or my finishing time.

MORE INFO

You just can not resist the good weather over here. After some light jogs and drills around my new neighbourhood i decided to test the machine at a 3k race in Palermo Park. The „Maratón Hispano Argentino“ was on the cards. They also overed a 10k but i decided go for the 3 kilometers as i wanted to see how it feels to run hard in the heat before going up to a bigger distance. My short term goal ist o run fast at the “San Silvestre Buenos Aires” (8k) on the 31.12. so i need to get some speedwork in.

As last weekend the crowds were fairly decent. I misscalculated the journey and just had time to get changed and sprint to the start line. Lucky enough i already was registered and had the race number. Until the 1k mark it was hard to see where in the field i was as the 10k and 3k races started together. I tried to stay with the leaders as long as possible. When the turnaround point for the 3k came up i saw that i was in 2nd place. I tried to catch the leader but it was impossible to increase the speed. Breathing fully in in those conditions is very hard and i suffered the last couple of meteres in the heat. I could hold the 2nd place but the heat took a good amount of energy out of my body.

Today was time for another race around the Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. I travelled to Castelan on the outskirts of the city to run the “La Carrera de Nahuel” 5k. Again i underestimated the size of the city and the time it takes to get from one place to the other. Just on time i arrived at the registration and, as happened on Thursday, i was right on time for the race start.

Same procedure again. I stayed at the back of the leading pack which was travelling with some nice speed. Lucky enough it was overcasted so it was only hot. As one guy surged after 3k i could not hold the group and came home in 6th place. Great experience again to run on streets that are even worse than the ones in New York.

Overall it is a very special vibe at road races here. Good crowds paired with music and a extremly friendly atmosphere makes it very special to run in Argentina. I still wonder how all those people manage to have enough energy left to dance after a race. The Ska Band that was playing at the after-race party today definitely made a lot of people move!

Ir de Guatemala a Guatepeor.

To say it in Sheryl Crow’s words: “The first cut is the deepest”.

Its always nice to run for the first time in a new country and even on a new continent. Last sunday i had my first outing in the Buenos Aires’ running meka – Palermo Park.

When i switched on the watch before the start i got reminded what had happened just a couple of days ago. 42k was on the clock and reminded me of the jog around Florence 7 days ago.

I tried something new on the monday after the marathon. My legs were battered but i decided to go for a 2k run with my destroyed legs. The intention was to speed up the recovery process and it worked. I did not race 42k but i still had them in the legs. So i was not sure what to expect. So a little run on monday morning and the Lufthansa business class during my Frankfurt – Buenos Aires flight on Monday night (Thanks Hörni) did the job.

Bernardo, my home stay here in BA, was running the Lanpass 10k (chilean airline) race and i jumped in to run it with him. He was still tired from his Saturday long run so we took it easy. That gave me the chance to get a full impact of the very active Buenos Aires running scene. A great turnout (17.000) paired with some talent up front (top three men under 30 minutes) and in the middle of the pack (see picture).

Corredor agradable…

14 degrees – no wind – sunny. Perfect conditions awaited us at the start area right beside the river Arno in Florence. A perfect day for running in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.

The atmosphere was pumped and electric. Italian road races are always special and exiting. No difference this time in scenic Tuscany. As always Florence is the last major marathon in Europe’s road racing calendar. Runners from all over Europe gathered in the start corals. And a italian road race wouldn’t be an italian road race without that special hype around at the start line. A never-stopping, overexcited announcer paired with tons of hectic and important looking officials and runners that are not even stop their discussions during a minute of silence. One has to love that typical italo style mess.

When i started training for the race 16 weeks ago the goal was clear – sub 2:45. The build-up was great. Two weeks out of the race i was saying to a friend that this would be my first race without any injury or illness. I was wrong. Just 9 days out of the big day my body shut down. I got ill and now after running the marathon i have to say i was never fully recovered from the flu i had.

Anyway. I was in Florence with my friends Sebastian and Fabian. We were also supposed to meet my old Crusaders compariot Simone and so i was more than keen on the trip to Tuscany. The race plan was pretty clear and simple. 4 minutes per kilometer until half way and then listen to the body and pick up the pace. This time I relaxed and ran defensively and even paced from the start. I was hitting the kilometer marks perfectly which gave me huge confidence. Fabian, who was over to support, was delighted to see me traveling with a nice pace from the beginning. No “Harakiri Style” this time. The speed was OK and the conditions together with the great route made the run extremly enjoyable. Just a couple of meters after the half way mark Fabian was waiting again beside the road and told me that i passed exactly as planned out, clockwork.

I continued with the pace and tried to relaxed the body as good as possible. Just a couple of meters after the 26k mark the first signs of fatigue and pain came up and i never got in the mood of fighting through and simply not accept the first uncomfortable part of the race.

Now, a couple of days after the marathon, i have to be honest to myself as i was clearly was not 100% fit and thereof not mentally ready to run as hard as i wanted. Once you doubt that your body is not able to take the pain its hard to convince yourself to fight through. I had to accept that fact, disappointed.

There was no cloud at the sky and the weather was just too beautiful to give up completely. I decided to relax for a short while and continued jogging around the city. After 03:17:10 i arrived at the finish line on the Piazza di Santa Croce. The strange feeling of being happy that i jogged to the finish and being disappointed with the performance set in. I spotted a chair beside the grand stand and just sat down for 10 minutes. Someone brought me a blanket and a bottle of water. This was it. Another marathon under my belt. Yet again another lesson learned. Cazzo!

Im just back from a short trip to Nice.

On my flight from Aéroport Nice Côte d’Azur back to Frankfurt this morning i played around with a nice “Tilt-Shift Time-Lapse Videos” iPhone app by hit rolls.

Great way to capture a beautiful sunrise.