Summary of the ‘runnings’ of the last two weeks

 

Again, it is a wonderful Saturday morning, sunny and – along the lakeside – a little chilly. There we are – about 60-70 people, all dressed up in running gear, at 7am on a Saturday morning, and – while my wife is thinking of me as she turns around in bed one more time – we are preparing to run 7 miles on a 4-1 schedule today. 4-1 ?? Four minutes running, one minute walking, a program developed by a famous marathon runner, used by the AIDS Foundation choaches to train us for the different marathons this year.

This morning we are ‘guest-running’ at the Foster beach area, because there is another race going on down at 31st street, where our usual weekend-long run  location is.

It has been a bit of a struggle to keep up with the mileage (at least 45 minutes every day while I was on vacation visiting my parents in Gernsheim, Germany  (including a little ‘secret’ side trip to Cinque Terre in northern Italy(Pics, Info) . The picture to the left is from the area around my hometown. It was great to run alongside fields of strawberries, asparagus, corns, and through old german forests.

Cinque Terre was a short stop on the way to Germany, five little villages where – due to the lack of touristy attractions – one is forced to enjoy drinking espresso, eating three hour lunches and a leisure hiking along the ocean. A place to let one’s soul hang loose. Vernazza is the place we stayed, and may be for that reason my favorite. Running ? Well, stairs instead. About 2000-3000 total during the day, since everything is connected by stairs :-).

Day by day runs – the right equipment makes it a lot easier. I got new running shoes (which are feather light and provide noticable better support for my knee), a belt with water bottles and bags to transport keys, money and other necessities, as well as a headband. The daily runs combined with the relative ease of a 4-1 interval, the equipment and the short time required (45min. only), are beginning to form a habit that makes it easier to follow.

I run whenever I can find one hour of time. Morning, noon, afternoon, evening. No excuses. I am on a mission. I want to help fight AIDS. I want to set an example for others.. and for me. It is a goal that I will reach and I will be proud of. If you would like to SPONSOR my efforts click here.