Having a benchmark is damn good. Last year I hit a solid early season 36:51 along the alleyways of Dielheim. With a decent volume of running miles I was happy with the outcome past year. Yesterday’s bank holiday 10 kilometre contest should have been a fine little fitness investigation. After soaking in solid weeks of running ‘round the splendid La Palma landmass the form felt pretty decent. Despite piling up two 120 kilometres weeks which included a solid amount of uphill meters, I also got in enough open-water swimming and some moderate cycling miles (Nope. There is no triathlon on the schedule!) I was looking forward to exam my sunburned pins in a race.

With its 44th edition the “Dreikönigslauf“ (“Epiphany” is a bank holiday on the 6th of January in my part of Germany) could be called a classic. I like the course and the modest and welcoming organisation. What I did not like was my skill to stand up straight and simply run.

Put your left leg down your right leg up 
Tilt your head back let’s finish the cup
Beastie Boys – Brass Monkey

Extended story short – I fell. A tight right-hand bend became too close-fitting for me. I fell at 4 kilometres in the competition. Greasy underground and individual absurdity produced some unbalance. Instantaneously I got up and ran on. Still my 5k split was delightful. 17:55 displayed my watch. After the latest 5k race I was pretty cheerful with that. Just when I forgot the dump the path took another sharp right bend after the 6 kilometre sign. I slipped another time. Dense rain and some muck on the street combined with my imprudence were a lethal arrangement.

This time it was more severe. Some light scratches on the legs and hands didn’t hurt too much. It was more the frustration of two silly mistakes in one race. When I got up my motivation was down to zero. Nevertheless I jogged to the finish in just under 39 Minutes. Possibly my slowest ever 10k race. It looks like the form needs to be properly verified another time.

Running high. Flying low – a sneak peak of the Dielheim incident!