The Wonderful Stories of Running Rat

Must-Watch

2011-08-24T10:14:00.000+02:00

Check it out! I like especially this video. Finally somebody makes it clear!

In 4 Weeks to Ultrarunner

2011-08-14T09:36:00.007+02:00

So, here I am, freshly baked ultratunner. ☺Ok, this was a small ultrarun and I wasn't very fast but everybody has to start somewhere, right?

And at the end of the day I'm really glad that I was able to start at all because when boyfriend#1 wanted to drive me to the race at 5:30 in the morning the car wouldn't start and it was pouring down with rain!! I had only 30 mins left to get to the race! My only chance was then to take the bike and I was constantly cursing while pedaling as fast as I could. I was soaked to the skin when I finally was at the start and when I locked my bike I heard starter's gun.

I was the very last runner to start and everyone was looking at me!

But well, as bad as it started it didn't go on - fortunately, I found some nice people to chat very quickly and that helped a lot not to think about the 49k I still had to go. I also ran some time for myself but chatted very lengthy with a woman from Berlin which helped especially on the last 10k when our feet and muscles already hurt very much.

Also my Dad visited me (even before he got his breakfast) which I really enjoyed!

I also have to confess that I'm now kind of a fan of running loops though I first thought it would be stupid and boring. This way you had the opportunity to see all the other runners again and again and we smiled at each other and gave some encouraging words and became like a huge community! It is also a psychological trick to smile all the time. The body can't differentiate between a real smile and a fake smile.

Luckily, boyfriend#1 found me at the finish when I just wanted to go home again (he wanted to go the last loop with me as it seemed, but went wrong somewhere). Well, I still had to cycle myself but it was still nice he was there. When I came home my doggy wanted a walk of course and so I went out with him as filthy as I was (remember: rain + soil = mud, and I had a lot of it on my legs and clothes) and people looked at me as if I were crazy (maybe also because I couldn't walk properly) so we kept it short.

After eating a huge pot of lentils (protein) with tomato-sauce I went for another long walk with runningfriend#2 to tell her about the run (of course I also took the dog). But after that I was totally finished and just lay on the bed watching TV (which I rarely do).

At about 3:30 am I woke up and had the idea to go dancing a bit to celebrate my victory over the 50k with a little prosecco or so. So I took my clothes and put on a little make up was almost out the door when the pouring rain started. I took it for a sign and I went back to bed... ☹

Well, maybe it was better like this - at least my muscles still hurt a lot - though I already did some regeneration sport (walk and bike) and also took chlorelle/spirulina + maca in my smoothie.

By the by: had some rice with tomatoes + a loooot of choci the evening before the run, muesli in the morning and lots of water, coke and sweetened tea, bananas and soaked nuts dunring the run. I felt like puking at 30k because my stomach couldn't handle all that food (remember: I always trained without food - so no good idea from this standpoint, too).

Today, I won't do much more: only cycle a bit, eat and rest. Next week I have kind of a rock climbing holiday. I'm really glad to have a day off in between.

Next goal: Magdeburg Marathon 2011!

P.S. Link to results and pictures following.

P.P.S. I am so impressed by those people who ran 100k. It is amazing. There were girls who run at an unbelievable pace and were still smiling at 70k! Of course also the men did well but somehow that wasn't so surprising to me... Though I want to do something similar some time in the not-so-far future I can't imagine how I can ever make that. We'll see.

Torture!

2011-08-08T17:33:00.000+02:00

What was my reason for running again? Can't remember - my feet hurt from running, my stomach hurts from eating too many lentils (need protein) and my eyes hurt because of the contacts but because my feet hurt I can't move to the bathroom to take them out and so I have been stuck on the bed for almost three hours. Well, at least I have water and choki - so that helps.
By the by - about the registration - everything is fine - you can even on competition day from 4-5:30am. Wow! But though I like to get up early I'll rather register on friday night. ✓

But after all I must confess I'm not quite sure what I'm doing here. I mean - I must be kind of insane to run that far. My feet hurt today already and it were only about 40k. Well. I told so many people, now I'll simply have to do it. I can lie the whole next day if I must. I only have to walk the dog three or four times. And I can also bike the dog so to say. Let's do it!

New Shoes

2011-08-07T22:29:00.000+02:00

I always told you 'bout running in vibrams, right? Well, surprise! I found really nice Fila-Shoes.

I just stumbled across them while shopping with my mum. They were so cheap that I simply couldn't resist (and mum did the rest) - only half the usual price. And moreover, are they not just so cute? They are called skele-toes. Though I don't like the name so much I do prefer the design to my vibrams at least (they're blue not pink).
So I used them already for walking and biking - not for running yet though. But soon! I just have to get used to them slowly - otherwise: who knows if I can run on saturday?
Yes, its only 6 days left. ♥ Tomorrow will be the last long run (about 40k). Then you have to cross fingers that they'll let me take part because - I'm soooo stupid - I missed the registration! You think that can't be true? Yes, I did.
I thought it would be such a small run that I could even register the day before the run. But - surprise again - you can't! :'( I wrote an email already and will also have to call them tomorrow. Maybe I can register personally. Their bureau only around the corner after all.

Long Run and Biking Tour

2011-08-02T22:30:00.001+02:00

Today I also did another long run - about 4 hours. The weather was perfect in the morning. A bit foggy and cool but supposed to become a nice, sunny day. When the outlook is like that I love to run! So I went for a quick walk with my doggy and was off.
This time I ate banana-muesli before I started and also took a bottle of cheap banana-apple-juice with me. Which was no good idea because it was just too sweet. Next time I'll try something else. Maybe a mixture with water but also a different juice. Any ideas? I don't like to take apple or orange juice for some reasons. Any good ideas?
Then I cheated myself again by telling me in the beginning that I wouldn't run all these kilometres anyway. In the end I did of course. But sometimes it's not very encouraging when you know from the beginning that you have almost four hours to run. So I told myself: "Maybe I can take this or that short cut or skip this or that part altogether." But time flew by, I also saw a fox like 5 metres away and he (or she?) allowed me to look at him/her for almost half a minute. Beautiful animal!
After my run I still hadn't enough (also the dog needed to go out) and so we went on a littler biking tour. I wanted to collect some mirabelles from trees I found on the run.

So we were away another two hours. After that I was really weary and so I slept a good three hours. Now I'm quite fit again for another small walk with the doggie.
Then I have a day 'off'. One 2-3 hour run on Thursday, some dancing on the weekend and a really long run (another 10k added) on monday and then I should be prepared...

P.S. Mirabelles are delicious!
Pic Source

Vegan Cheese

2011-08-02T22:17:00.002+02:00

Cows (and also all the other farm animals) are treated poorly (as you may remember form last nights video) - and of course most people know. Still, they buy their meat cheep - and don't even honor it. The same goes for cheese. Germans love cheese and eat a lot of it. But most do not even realize where it comes from and how it is produced.

The question I get the most is: "But why don't you drink milk or eat cheese? No animals die for milk!"
My question is then: "What do you think will happen to the calves?"
"Which calves?"
"Well, a cow has to get a calf first before she can give milk of course!"
"Really?..." ...

By the way: cheese is not even healthy. It comes from poorly treated animals and can't be healthy for that matter. It also contains a lot of saturated fat which is the bad fat that clots arteries.
Perhaps people need alternatives other than tofu. So boyfriend#1 gave me an idea. Did you know that there is nut cheese? It sounds delicious and it's not only vegan but also raw which makes it to a perfect alternative to normal cheese. We already wanted to by some but couldn't even get nut cheese in our Whole Food Store. I suppose I'll have to make it myself then...There are so many varieties that this will be fun! ☺

So Sad

2011-08-01T22:10:00.001+02:00

I just watched this and one or two other videos and now I'm really deeply sad. I mean I'm glad to be a vegan already but still there's so much suffering in this world and so many ignorant people who just don't care about a stupid cow.

Also: how can I even buy food for my dog ever again?

Long Run and Lazy Day

2011-07-29T11:36:00.000+02:00

At the moment I have not too much to say.
I finished the long run on Wednesday (again without taking water and this time also without food) and it was quite hard but okay though it was very warm. I had my muesli before and a big salad afterwards. I ran for 3,5 h very slowly and my feet hurt quite a bit afterwards.
Vibrams take some time to adapt again.

pic source

Maybe I have to run in 'normal' shoes at competition day. I don't know yet. Also my pace is still a bit of a problem. But maybe I can work at it during the next week. I'm not really rested anyway so that I could probably run faster.
Yesterday I didn't find the time to run because I had to work a bit for our website. I only cycled about 15k to see my parents and my aunt and went for a two-hour-walk with my best friend.
Today I ran about 2 hours slowly and will do the same tomorrow again.

I feel really wonderful and I'm very glad that I do the long runs again. ☀

NIce Running Breakfast

2011-07-27T00:36:00.001+02:00

Even if I didn't run today, I had a very nice breakfast: A self-made muesli ☺

I started with oats, then added some sesame seeds, some almonds, some sundflower seeds, some coco plus some roasted soy beans.

Then I also added fruit, like grapes here. Of course bananas, melon or any berrys go well, too. Then you add some soy milk, soy yoghurt, rice milk or anything you have and Voilá!

Bon Appetit!

P.S. That's what I'll be having tomorrow morning before the long run. Hmmm... I wish it was morning already!

Lazy Day

2011-07-25T19:51:00.000+02:00

Today was a regeneration day. So I did simply nothing. No, oft course that's not right. :)
I biked about 25k and went for one long and two rather short walks (about 10k I suppose). My leg muscles feel already fine again though the hurt quite a bit yesterday (especially my feet).
So I decided I'll do a short regeneration run tomorrow morning. It will be short and slow with my dog (who is not much of a runner) but that'll be alright. Wednesday will be hard again...

30k finished

2011-07-24T20:30:00.002+02:00

So, my second rather long run finished. It was a bit hard I must confess but this could also be due to the huge tour we did by bike yesterday...
Some impressions:

As you can see it was really beautiful. We have many lakes around town which I still need to discover...

But about the run: When I started I wasn't even sure if I would make it shouldn't do the run on an other day. But as my time is running up I just ran without thinking what was yet to come. So I finished the 30km rather slowly but I did.

Before I started I had a big banana-strawberry-melon-smoothie which was delicious and fueled well. On the run I only had some banana-chips. I took them mainly to get the mood up though. If I run alone I'm often a bit lonely. I often watch other people, animals and nature but when the pain starts sweet stuff helps. If I really need fuel on the long runs (which will start on wednesday) I'll take dates. I didn't even need water - it wasn't very hot anyway.

The last third of the run was pretty hard though and my right foot had a big blister afterwards. I also had a headache all afternoon until I decided I would take a tablet though tablets are not good for regeneration. But otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do anything.

So, I'll read some minutes and soon will fall asleep, I suppose. Nothing is better than a long run for a good sleep.

Stefania Licari

2011-07-23T09:29:00.001+02:00

I found a really amazing article about an Italian doctor with name Stefania. She is an ultrarunner and became vegan just because she felt it would be right for her. After over 20 years of 'bad' food.
She answers many questions about raw vegan food and also gives a lot of hints for runners. She is also very spiritual. If you are the least bit interested in sports and nutrition this article is a MUST!
pic source

P.S. After yesterdays run I'm about to do a 40km-bike-trip with boyfriend#1. :)

Thrive in 30

2011-07-22T12:31:00.000+02:00

Thrive is a book for a athletes. But it is not only for athletes! Also for the everyday person, who just wants to get a bit healtier and slimer. I must warn you though! The autor is vegan. But not only this, he is also former ironman-athlete: Brendan Brazier. I must confess that I'm a huge fan now because I feel this guy really knows his stuff.
On the other hand I know a lot of people who really don't like reading that much - or spending money on books they might not really enjoy. Especially if it is a topic which they are not really interested in. Therefore, Brendan made up something really great! He's got a page where he gives all the information for free. And in videos. So you don't have to read. No excuses! Sign up here and get healthy!

First Run: Positive

2011-07-22T12:22:00.000+02:00

So, my first rather long run today was okay. 22km and I feel okay (though not up to go out to Starbucks as boyfriend#1 suggested).
Right after I came in I made a smoothie (plum, apple, melon, nectarine) as Brendan Brazier recommends. That felt ok. To the second half of the smoothie I added some hemp protein, which I actually didn't like very much. But on the run I just listend to some podcast-interview and he mentioned how incredible hemp works for athletes.
But it was just as if my body didn't want it. So I left it standing in the fridge - maybe later. I also had a nice couscous-salad (I hope Brendon would approve) about one hour after the run.
And why all this: to get the fastest recovery as possible. Remember: Only 23 days to train. Let's see what sunday's run will bring.

Bye bye, Rats!

2011-07-21T17:16:00.000+02:00

I think, I didn't mention yet but running rat has no rats anymore. It's not because I don't want them anymore. Only commuting between Magdeburg and Leipzig doesn't work very well with rats. My last little boy found a very nice home at a friend of mine. Thank you, Caro!

However I've already decided that I want to go back to my hometown after I finished the job at Magdeburg. So maybe then I've got the time and space to have rats again.
Still, I'll stay the running rat!

Ultramarathon coming up

2011-07-21T17:00:00.004+02:00

Probably I mentioned once or twice that my big, big goal is, to run an ultramarathon before I'm 30. Well, I still have three years to train but I guess I could also already try this year.

I must confess that I really didn't train that much during the past year but I still feel quite fit.

My motivation just wasn't really well due to the new job and maybe also because my little running partner Joschi is not very fond of running at all. He runs after balls, frisbees and stuff but rather not after me. At least not for more than 30 minutes. That's so booooring!

But now I actually feel that I could still make it. Tomorrow I'll do a two-hour (about 22km)-run to get the feeling again, on Sunday a three-hour-run (about 30km) and on Wednesday a four-hour-run (if I can still walk - so let's see how far I'll get).

If all these runs go well I'll register for the ultramarathon on 13th of August. Yes, that's right. August. Not far away at all. But I really feel that if you ran a marathon before it is not too hard to do it again. Maybe not as fast but you will still get to the finish line somehow. So I suppose I'll also finish the other 8km after that.

Oh, I didn't mention: of course it is only a 'small' ultra for the start. Only 50km and right here in my hometown. If that's not my chance then I don't know. Maybe next year I've enough passion to run 100km. I also have to go on a trip to the mountains the next day. Guess what we'll do there. Right, we'll climb them. Yeah. Though I'll probably won't climb anything except of my bed.

So well, keep your fingers crossed. Let's see what the next two weeks will bring. :)

Two Months Vegan

2011-04-05T18:40:00.000+02:00

Now I'm living almost two months as a vegan.
As I'm also quite active, some problems developed. I often feel tired and exhausted (may also be due to 3-hour-runs but I did never feel like that last year with the same training).
Luckily, I think I discovered the solution: I didn't eat enough protein to heal my muscles after the long runs. Great! Finally I've got the permission to devour as much soy stuff as I want!! Soy yoghurt, tofu, soy sausages, soy sauce.. hmmm!
No, of course it is important to use different protein sources. So I eat as much leafy greens as I can; mixed with even more beans of all kinds (and many, many, many soy sausages and soy yoghurt -MIAM!). So let's see where this will take me - I hope right to the ultramarathon.
Very soon I'll have about two weeks off (Easter Holidays), then the big training starts! I plan to run the first really long run; at least 40km. Of course there will be also many smaller ones. Plus a lot of work for my job AND many translations for my new page.

Running Rat Goes Vegan

2011-03-17T15:02:00.003+01:00

I simply felt it was time to change something. I wanted to vegan for a very long time already. But I always thought it must be awfully difficult and I would never make it to swear off cheese, which was my only vice (apart form the chocolate of course).
And after reading a lot about veganism and its benefits recently I decided, I want to try it for 30 days. A 30-day trial is to circumvent oneself. You tell yourself that it will only be 30 days and if you don't like it you can always go back to your former life style. This way it is very easy to adopt new habits because it is not like 'oh my, now I'll never be able to eat cheese/smoke a cigarette/drink alcohol ... again!'
I was 10-15 days in the trial when I was sure I want to stay vegan. The benefits about which I read were:
- you have a lot more energy,
- you feel alert, you lose weight (maybe),
- you have more endurance and
- need less sleep.

As I plan to run the first ultra marathon in August 2011 and still have to pass some exams before I finally am really a teacher I thought this might be something for me.
Unfortunately I didn't lose any weight (this was so clear), but I do have more energy. And today I had a revelation: after not running for quite some time (you know: lots of work etc.) I ran 3 hours without any physical tiredness or pain just like that.
And it was really easy: I substituted cheese with tofu, vegan spreads and fruit mash; yoghurt with soy yoghurt, cappuccino with caro + rice milk. The only problem I had was that I had to re-read all the lists of ingredients on products I usually buy to be sure that they don't contain any dairy. I already was kind of vegetarian before I went vegan. Though I was never really strict about this because I never liked meat or sausage. I suppose this is also the reason why I didn't lose weight. I didn't change very much.
I also still eat my chocolate and other sweets like chocolate, banana chips or self-made cookies. Boyfriend#1 calls me a pudding vegan sometimes. ;)

Unfortunately the part about less sleeping didn't occur with me but after all I usually get up before 5 am at the moment so it should be quite natural to be tired by 8/9 pm.
By the by: I also gave up coffee. And I really do feel wonderful.
The only thing I still miss is SUMMER!!

Here also the German links for those who care:

Are we born to run?

2011-02-04T20:02:00.000+01:00

The answer is simple: Yes, we are! Incredible TED talk by Christopher McDougall, the author od Born to Run. It summarizes the book perfectly.
For all people who rather watch short films than read extensive books.
Though I'd still recommend the book. It's also incredibly entertaining. ;)

A new running partner

2010-11-23T17:38:00.001+01:00

He is cute, he is black and he is funny. The perfect combination. Who I am talking about, you'll ask. It is my new running partner and best friend. He unfortunately never talks but runs very bravely every track with me.
Of course, I wouldn't take him for marathon training as he is not prepared, yet. But I'll train him. He is also perfect because he is almost never tired, very athletic and happy.
I'm talking about my dog. Who can imagine a better running partner?

First Marathon in Vibrams

2010-10-30T13:37:00.004+02:00

Oh my, I wasn't here for a loooong time. But I'm still here and I am still the running rat.

I have tested Vibram five fingers now for over six month and I must confess: they are gorgeous!
I know so many people who have big problems with their knees especially on long runs. Since I'm running in Vibrams I hadn't had this problem any more. I even ran my first marathon wearing Vibrams just one week ago.

Before I even got to the start I got some bewildered looks. Apparently, nobody in the small town of Magdeburg has ever heard of Vibrams. At the start the first people asked about the shoes. 'Is that how you do this in these times?', an about fourty-year-old lady asked me.
Another older man caught me on the track an wanted to know if running in these shoes was ok. Well, that was at about 38km. He could have guessed that everything was alright as I managed quite a bit of the way and still looked happier as some of the other runners .
Some young track attendants even knew the name of the shoes. Seems as if they get through slowly.

Still, there occured some minor difficulties. As Vibrams feel almost as if you'd run barefoot and the track had many of stony, chipsy paths my feet hurt quite a bit after only half of the way. But I guess that was just the same with all the other runners.
However, as a Vibram runner you tend to chose your tracks on the basis of the quality of the ground. I'm sure as I kepp to running barefoot I will get tougher as my feet will adapt.
During the marathon, however, I tended to run beneath the track from time to time to give my feet a break. All these asphalt streets were quite uncomfortable.
Afterwards I realized running on the grass wasn't the best idea after all as I got a bit lazy concerning the running style.
I noticed a some pain in my lumbar region after the run which hints on a wrong style of running.

Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the result (which I'll keep to myself as it is not even close to four hours). It was a very windy day and I am happy that I ran in Vibrams.

Fit to Run!

2010-05-04T07:49:00.003+02:00

I made it!

The marathon was pure torture though which was mostly due to the weather. Usually, you would have expected nice spring weather. Warm, but not hot and a little rain maybe. Even low temperatures would have been okay.

But what did we got: 25° in shade, lots of sun and trees with spring leaves that gave almost no shade. With the low temperatures during the spring and lots of rain most of the non-pro runners like me were not prepaired for a day like this. Moreover, I caught a huge sunburn. Bad, bad preparation!

The day after: cloudy, cool, perfect marathon weather. Hmpf.

Never mind. I got through though I must confess that the time made me weep. 4:40. Embarrasing. But never mind again. I will improve considerably until the end of the season. I promise!

Fit to Run?

2010-04-21T10:35:00.005+02:00

I'd better be! Marathon weekend just coming up. And what about my actual shape? I am sitting. Daily. Always. Since almost three months now. I will appreciate the time when - finally - there is not pile of eight or nine books on my table which actually should have been read until yesterday.

I want to run. Sincerely. But I simply cannot spare the time. Still, I am sure to run the marathon. Why you will ask, I suppose. Because I am sure, I am capable and I made an affirmation.
I am full of sorrow though: Maybe I won't be able to move afterwards for a week and maybe I will be full of remorse. How will I work then? On the other hand I cannot not make it. It would mean to having to dissapoint myself and to actually admitt that the running-group-money was entirely wasted. Moreover, it would be devastating to meet running group people after the run who made it and to be forced admitt that I didn't make it.
Therfore: Fingers crossed on Sunday, please. My affirmation will (hopefully) do the rest.

The Perfect Job!

2010-04-05T09:40:00.002+02:00

Running Rat got the perfect job now!

I can and actually have to train endurance as much as pace while working. Unbelieveable? Then you haven't worked as a waitress yet. Especially during Easter time it is amazing what people can eat and drink in almost no time. And this time I am really not talking about myself!

Anyway: it is a training for your whole body. You have to move fast, have to carry much and moreover, have no time to eat or drink at all. It is hot at my work place, too. This way, you not only feel like in a sauna all the time you're actually also perfectly prepared for the Marathon les Sables.

But to be at least a little bit serious: I appreciate this job very much. It helps me get my ideal marathon weight quickly (lost two pounds aready). And after over eight hours of rushing to and fro I am sure to be marathon fit!

On Running Groups

2010-04-01T20:46:00.005+02:00

As I mentioned once or twice I payed for attending a running group. Nice thing if you want to get to know people who are interessted in the same stuff as you are. Probably lots of good looking men (and women but who cares). You can also learn so much from your trainers and ask questions about every little problem you seem to be having. You can even ask about you friends' problems. Awesome!

By the by: I never attended above two meetings of my running group during the whole winter. And they were both at the very beginning of it all. Then the weather got bad, it was dark early and I realised: it is simply not my thing to run in the dark parks as they usually did with the group. I am much too anxious to break my dear legs while not recognising the path I run on.

I understand the concept of timing the meetings late at night, though, when most people are free and can actually attend. I, however, really prefer using the daylight especially in winter when it is so bloody sparse anyway.

Therefore, I advise myself to not join a running group during winter again. There is no point in wasting money this way.

Moreover, me, the smart alec, never joined one of the lectures because those graduates in sports science won't be able to teach me anything new anyway. At least this was my excuse for not having to go out in the rain late at night.

On the other hand, I got to know one or two nice runners actually. If I had attend regularly it might have even been more. Well.

Maybe there is a future for running groups after all. But first, boyfriend#1 needs to be fed up with me (or I with him).

pic by Kingray

The First Vibram Week

2010-03-29T09:40:00.001+02:00

The past week has been very different from the weeks before. Probably the nice weather is a point but also the shoes do very much for my motivation:
In contrast to the passed few weeks without Vibrams I am very motivated to run now. Vibrams rock my world! Actually, I would like to run daily. Unfortunately, this simply not possible as my muscles first need to get used to (almost) barefoot running.

But after all, I am a little bit proud really. I improved this week from eight minutes to over a whole hour (73mins) of running. And I didn't even have to rest long in between the runs as others had to because of not being able to walk at all. ;) Altough, I confess that I planned a day's rest in between the runs. Therefore, I really had no bad muscle pains (which was astonishing to boyfriend#1).

That also proves the whole point of not overtraining. You can achieve so much more with starting slowly and carefully and not just starting with a normal 10km track.

On the other hand I really ~~like~~ adore to run the marathon in Vibrams because I am much more motivated to improve running barefoot than in 'normal' running shoes. Moreover, I didn't experience any joint pain until now which I often did in usual running shoes (especially on long runs). My biggest hope actually is exactly not to have them ever again as barefoot running spares your joints much better than the cusioning effect of common running shoes.

On monday and tuesday I'll go for long(er) runs (about 20km) with running friend#2. I suppose I'll have to do at least one in common shoes. This way, I can actually observe the difference between the shoes very closely. I'm very curious already.

Vibrams: Start Small

2010-03-25T10:44:00.001+01:00

Boyfriend#1 started the whole Vibram thing as men tend to do. He read about them on a apparently really up-to-date blog and showed me the article right away. It was this very informative one.
I was actually very interested, too but not in the mood to spend a lot of money (which I do not possess) for shoes (which I may never use). But it all made very much sense indeed.
Then boyfriend#1 is apparently richer than I am (though I am not quite convinced yet) and not as stingy he got to try them out first. The day they got deliverd he wore them in his apartment and felt fine. The next day he said he wanted to try them running and worked a little circuit of 10km. He went to bed happy though with a slight muscle pain in his calves.
He couldn't get up the morning after. And the morning after, and the morning after. I laughed my head of but he really had severe problems to get even to the loo. I confess that I pittied him a bit. Who could have known...
Well, at least now I know. He highly recommended to start with only 5km for a maximum. I started with 8mins (two kilometres maximum). Then I did 12mins the day after. Today I made the whole of 16mins. Maybe I get crazy with 30mins tomorrow. But we'll see. I really don't want to end up in such a pain. I'll have that after the marathon anyway.
On the other hand it would be so much fun to run the marathon in Vibrams. But I guess that is a bit short notice as we only have a month's training left. Therefore, the marathon in Vibrams will mean so much pain that I won't be able to work for a whole week. Who will pay for all the food I usually consume after this long a distance??
Would have really been so much fun to watch people's faces. Probably, I wouldn't have even noticed the first 20km. On the other hand, I can do that in a couple of months still. :)

Running Rat Became Entertainer

2010-03-24T17:43:00.001+01:00

You can see her shows almost daily in a small park in a German town called Leipzig. Most people there believe her obviously to be hilarious. You can see it in their faces as she runs by with her stoic face looking at her watch from time to time.

But why is she so funny? She is wearing ordinary running clothes: black running pants, a white cap, sometimes a pink shirt which may be out of the ordinary to one or the other - but in general...

But wait! What's that on her feet?? You have never seen that before!

They are called Vibrams and are believed to be the new trend in sports and health. I (and most peope around me) admitt that they do look, well, let's call it special. A runner wearing them looks even more special to grandmas and grandpas in the park and to the average uneducated park runner.

Just a couple of minutes ago people stared at me as if I was from a different galaxy.

However, it is kind of fun to watch people's reactions. I could hardly refrain from laughing as I watched their faces.

Not even one of the runners held his hand up to greet me as it is usual around here. They all stared at my feet and probably had severe thoughts about me having escaped the nuthouse.

Therefore, I am still quite relieved that I only run a couple of minutes a day to get used to these shoes. Why you should better start small I'll tell you very soon.

Passing Exams and Marathon?!

2010-03-13T17:47:00.002+01:00

Oh my, I am really registered at this marathon in April and actually do neither feel fit nor motivated. Maybe you know exam times when you do not even have time for a single day to relax (or to train). I feel quite burnt out, don't want to study anymore (at least not daily). I would prefer anything to English literature, essay writing and translations.

But I will make this exam! And do you know why? Because I want it. I made an affirmation. And I have a strong motivator: I want to start my first real job finally, have my own place to live and save for fabulous trips around the world (though that kind of collides with my wish for a dog). There you have it. If you look for me, I am studying.
On Wednesday everything is over (at least for a couple of weeks) then training starts again!! And I'll make the marathon as well.

pic by drexel.edu

HIT it!

2010-03-08T14:43:00.001+01:00

Do you know these desperate times? Times when you have no idea how to handle your life? Times when you don't have time for friends or a relationship, not to speak of hobbies? I just have a time like that. It is awful. I study most of my day and have to work the rest of it to earn at least a little bit of money.
And the Leipzig Marathon is comming up! Only 47 days to train but no time at all. And I want to improve my time of course. I need to run the 42,2 km under four hours this time. I'll lose my self-esteem otherwise.

So, thanks to boyfriend#1 here is the solution for all this: HIT. Of course you can use hit also as a running training. I'll try for the next two weaks at least. Of course you'll never make a marathon with skipping the long runs altogether. But with HIT you can save a lot of time and improve your performance. See also here.

Then, let's try it. I'll keep you updated on this.

Futher Thoughts to Intermittend Fasting

2010-02-17T15:44:00.002+01:00

Maybe I said it already. I love the concept of intermittend fasting!

That brought me the idea I might try a thirty day trial. One day I faste until noon, the next I don't. This is really a nice thing.

I felt wonderful about a week in a row. The pros were: I did't get all these aggressions when I can't run for a while. I usually begin to bug all people around me then by being either whiny or grumpy. I feel very clearly that I have to much energy in me then.

But I also bug myself then by being kind of unsettled sitting anywhere for a longer time.

Moreover, me - the never satisfied running rat - have a time in the day when I don't eat. This is very new. The only time I didn't eat before IF was while sleeping. And I really mean that. I practically ate the whole day through and dropped asleep when I stopped.

Now that I don't have the time to run very much as it is winter and I need to study I was gaining weight each day. I rather lose weight with IF and a bit of training. Though I really hope it is not muscle weight I lose.

But after a while there became more and more cons manifest: I felt light-headed and dizzy. Also, I was thirsty. Always. I could hardly schlepp all my drinks with me for some hours' work in the library. And I drank too much coffee, especially cappuccino. Then there was the heart-racing sometimes. I also prefered eating choci absoultely over anything healthy. And I just quit this bad habit. I don't want to start all over again.

And all those things happend though a drank a lot of juices, too. So there actually was 500kcal calorie income. But maybe this is simply not enough for a running rat.

Therefore, I cut back on fasting days again. I guess I'll do a lighter variation with fasting once or twice a week depending on the amount of kilometres I ran. I guess that might be healthier, too.

Intermittend Fasting

2010-02-09T16:58:00.004+01:00

I did it. A fasted for about 24 hours. Actually not on Sunday because I was kind of hung over and needed vitamins desperately.

Eventually, I succeeded to fast from Sunday afternoon to Monday. It wasn't really that bad. I thought it might get ugly but it didn't.

I assumed that my mood would drop during the day and that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my studies but that was not the case.

Actually, my mood was perfectly fine and concentration even better than usual. Maybe that was because I didn't have to think about food, choci and sweets all the time? I also felt light as a feather and didn't have this annoying rumble in my stomach which I usually have when sitting too long and eating too much.

There were some annoying things, though: First, the drowsiness on Monday morning so that I needed a cup of coffee eventually. Therefore, it was not a perfect fast but much better than nothing. Some fruit juice was a nice breakfast and kept me from the worst starving feeling.

Second, I had those really loud collywobbles after having the second tiny coffee. This was kind of embarrassing in the very quiet reading room of the library but I needed something warm in my stomach (apparently they don't sell tea there).But I suppose that was only because my stomach is not used to fast.

Third, my heart raced again and again for some time. This might have been due to the coffee, though. I also have to add that I drank about three litres of water, tea and juice only on monday morning until lunch. So whenever you plan to fast better take a couple of liquids whereever you go.

Monday afternoon I ate again. A little wrap with vegetables for a start. It made me feel kind of nauseous first. Should I have strated with something else? It could hardly have been too much because it was really a teeny tiny thing. I should do some research on that issue. By the way: of course I ate the whole evening afterwards. But I think, that's how it's supposed to work. I never ate a whole day's amount of food then but felt absolutely satisfied by some greens (and some choci).

In conclusion, I must say that I think I'll need some practise. If I can avoid the coffee and drink more tea instead I guess that my heart won't race. And I also think that I won't feel nauseous anymore. I'll stick with it for 30 days. Intermittend fasting is my thing!

Actually, my clothes feel bigger already...

Old and New Issues

2010-02-06T17:45:00.010+01:00

I found myself thinking that it's really time for news here!

So in short (before I have to get back to studying) the topics I deal with recently:

1. Dark Chocolate Trial
I still stick to my just-very-dark-chocolate-trial (most of the time).
First, I gave it up after the 30 day trial. Actually, I gave myself a couple days to eat all the choci-stuff there is. I consumed huge amounts. What it brought was a rash on the skin of my hip. First, it was only one side, then it was both. It wasn't really itchy but it also didn't look nice and when I left the milkchoci alone the rash left me alone, too.
Running rat's mum made similar observations by the by. Of course, you can state now that this is probably a family issue but on the other hand it could as well have been a general body sign which may differ from person to person.

2. Gaining Weight
I'm still getting fat sitting on my bud all day (I also get insanely intellectual but who cares?). As a consequence, I still look for possibilities to intervene. Unfortunately, sport is not really in the question as I simply cannot afford daily hours on running.
Then I stumpled upon fasting again. I'm not really good with eating nothing for a longer period (as probably everybody else) but then I found a compromise! It's name is Intermittend Fasting. Not that it is an entirely new concept but now it has a name and a certain structure. You do it willingly and it shall help keeping you healthy (and slim). You can read about the benefits on wiki. Boyfriend#1 and me will start trying out tomorrow.

3. Sleep
I wanted to write an article about sleep for ages already. I still haven't. But then boyfriend#1's sleeping issues made me aware again how gifted I must be. I usually sleep within seconds.
So if you have sleep issues you probably want to do something about them. You'll soon be able to read an article about all the details here.
In the meantime some very short advice:
Skip coffee. Get up early, like at 6am - go to bed early, like at 10pm. Get a sleeping routine for your nights (like drinking tea and reading some book). Don't watch TV directly before you go to bed. Switch also your computer off early. Dim the lights directly before you go to bed and make sure that the room in which you sleep is really dark (and quiet of course) after you switched off your reading light.
If you didn't know already: There are certain devices to track you sleep which also might help you if you have sleep issues.
Believe me, with about 8-9 hours sleep a night you'll will feel much more rested, fresh and energetic.
I used to need naps during the day. But now that I have a daily routine (get up early, go to the library, sleep very early) I even sleep better than I used to (though I really rather have being-awake-issues than falling-asleep-issues). And my concentration span is longer, too.

4. Job Search
I still haven't got a new job. Though I'd really love to work for amazon if I can make it happen!

Now that was the short update. I'll post a longer one soon.

Sorry!

2010-01-26T13:57:00.006+01:00

Dear readers,

I want to apologise that it is that quiet over here. Please understand, that the running rat is very busy with studying because of the exams at the end of February. On top of it, I also lost my job and therefore, need to write many, many, many applications. Anyone a good job for a smart, polite, hard-working student (exeptional is the 'horizontal business' of course)?

P.S. There is nothing interesting anyway. It is much to cold to run excessively and all the rest is on hold also because I have to sit in the library daily. So you don't miss anything. Exept of me getting fat.

Winter Rules Our World

2010-01-17T17:28:00.000+01:00

A lot of snow over here! Which means: poor doggies with short legs, poor bikes that rust , poor bikers with broken bones and sleeping plants covered with a blanket of snow.

Actually, only the runners don't think it too bad. I ran 22 km on Saturday and was amazed what nature can do. Beautiful!

But let me tell you: don't care for your looks and wear a lot of warm clothes. I also needed to drink a little grog after about an hour outside. Now I feel pretty nauseous. My fault.

Made your Race Shedule up yet?

2010-01-12T14:26:00.002+01:00

Are you as hard-working and ambitious as running rat? Have a race shedule for 2010 yet?

You should better get started to plan the approximate number of races you aim at and maybe you can already select which ones you're going to take.

Remember: the earlier you register, the cheaper it is. Actually, I am registered for the Leipzig Marathon in April already (though this is rather because I joined the running group than because I am so quick in registering). Also, I planned to take the first race in March in a small place near our town called Eilenburg. I'll try to take the race offered at my company (though I take this race only because the company pays). I'm also going to take part in the marathon in Palma de Mallorca in October. For the gaps in between I use local small races.
So this will make a ten-kilomtere run to begin the season, two marathons, one half marathon and some 10- and 20-kilometre runs depending general health and time needed for studying.

I am prepared. Are you?

If now they snow might be so polite to melt soon I can start training... Thanks.

10 Good Reasons to Join a Running Group

2010-01-06T13:17:00.003+01:00

I finally did it. The first real sprint training!

Actually that was already some weaks ago already.When there wasn't as much snow, as there is now. And the good thing is, I'm going to do that regularly now. You probably would ask now why I am so sure about it. Well, I joined a running group in November. I would never be able to do that weekly on my own. A running group, on the other hand, is a thing that really helps. Why, you may ask. Well, there are several reasons:

1. You're not alone (and human beings are usually companionable beings).

2. You can get to know people very easily and maybe get new partners for training.

3. You get to know people that are similar to you (at least concerning the hobby you never know): Sporty, active, out going. So then you always also have topics to speak about.

4. You get a bit of competition. This is very helpful for getting faster obviously.

5. You have a trainer can advise you concerning your sport.

6. You get motivation very quickly. If there is a nice man (or woman) there, even better. You'll never miss a training!

7. You don't have to stay in your lonely home at night because you got a date there. And important people have dates. Always!
8. With a running group you are likely to plan your training in advance. Therefore, you are also likely to becoming better (which means faster).
9. You often get a cool shirt that tells you belong to a certain group. That's likely to give you more confindence in a race. Moreover, the running group guys are the cool ones!
10. Sometimes, there are not only meetings to train but also informational meetings. In most cases there will be professionals giving some lectures about different topics concerning nutrition, health and other topics concerning your sport. I thought in the beginning I won't learn anything new there but to err is human!

So, if you are a more or less lonely runner, make the big step and join a running group or a club, get to know people and become more motivated, faster and even looking better than now!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T11:52:00.002+01:00

Did you have resolutions for 2010? I had many (you probably, too). For example, I wanted to keep to my schedule. Run at least (!) 10 km per day. Well, I ran once in 2010 until now. I am impossible (you probably, too)!

My excuse: Over here, it snowed like almost all the time this year (What's yours?) You cannot really walk without slipping. I almost fell three times today and that was only on the way home from the library! How am I supposed to run like that? I tried yesterday though. 10km and it snowed like hell. I needed about three hours for defrosting. Boyfriend#1 took even longer. He ran in Vibrams (btw: good article about these shoes) and had frostbites in his toes.

So I decided: I give up. I simply leave it the way it is until the snow melts away. Living with the course of nature and all that. Because even when the snow melted my track will be rather consisting of one huge puddle than anthing close to a path. People in the Stone Age wouldn't have voluntarily went into a swamp to die either.

I gave something more up, too. Maybe you remember that my 30 day challenge ended on December 31th (well, I certainly did!). So I took that day and already started in the morning: I ate as much choci as I could. Actually, that was a lot. Something like two huge boxes of pure milk choci. Almost a whole pound all together. I didn't even feel sick.

Maybe that's the reason I can't go on like this with another 30 day challenge. I need choci! It's just too hard to live without it. I confess: Though, I made the resolution to stay with my new custom to only eat healthy sweets, I just can't. At least, I try to be a bit more sensible and only eat the 'bad' choci if I really have to. I try the healthy stuff first. I promise!

The good news is: We go on sports holiday on the weekend. I won't get down the treadmill until I ran 25km. And I will swim and hike and use the sauna and all that. That's a promise, too.

Have a happy 2010!

How to Develop the Mindset to Quit Smoking

2009-12-30T19:27:00.002+01:00

The time of year has come when little running animals want to work at themelves again. Most of us have resolutions for the new year. Some of the little running rats, rabbits and rhinos may want to quit smoking to become a cheetah finally.

I also smoked for a very long time. 10 years to be exact.

Often I tried to quit. I never made it longer than two months.

I am sure that many others have the same problems. Why is that? What makes quitting such an awful habit so difficult?

I noticed some strong influences: First of all it is your environment. Do your family, friends or collegues smoke? Are you maybe allowed to smoke at work? Worst case and ancient, too! Actually, I feel with the non-smokers at your work or in your family. You should do something for them and persuade your boss (or your mother) to forbid smoking at work (or in ther house). Smokers belong outside or in a seperate room. They shouldn't risk the health of all the other non-smokers. It's just unfair.

What about your mindset? Are you afraid of quitting? Do you think it will be awfully difficult? Do you think you'll suffer? NO. To quit is simple as that! With the mind set of a non-smoker it won't be difficult at all. You only need to want it. Desire to be a non-smoker. The best thing would be to have a strong motivator.

But how do you get there? You should start with reading. Maybe you read some wikipedia first. Of course you can as well find thousands of different informative pages on the internet or you buy non-smoking books. Read stories from people who made it! Get courage. Believe that you can make it. Believe in yourself. Believe in your strong will. Make an affirmation, write it down and put it in a place where you see it daily and as often as possible. Think about how free you will feel if you don't have to smoke anymore, how fit and healthy you will feel. Think about this as often and as long as you can. I mean: meditate over these thoughts. Go to bed while day dreaming of being a non-smoker and wake up with it. You need to persuade your mind that you are can make it. The more time you invest the easier it will be.

The next step would be to cut back. I think that this will be easier for heavy smokers and people who are really addicted. Start like I did.

In short: Try to change your environment in a way that makes it easier for you to quit. Avoid places with smokers and smokein general. Think about not smoking as often as you can. Make an affirmation that you won't smoke anymore. Than cut back. And finally just quit.
It's now the very best time to start your change. Stop smoking in 2010! I would wish you luck but you won't need it. Intead I wish you a successful and smoke-free new year!

A Running Tool You'll Love

2009-12-28T17:37:00.004+01:00

I've been looking for a certain tool. Something that tells me how far I ran. Of course, it needs to be exact.

I searched it, I found it and I love it! It is easy to handle and really helpful.

You wonder what I'm writing about. I love the Gmaps Pedometer!

If you want to be a more or less professional runner you'll need to measure the distances you run. Otherwise you'll be unable to follow a shedule. And you would be surprised how you can under- or overestimate the length of a distance. Therefore, you need to save this awesome tool and use it!

For measuring you hit the button 'start recording' and then double click on the point where you want to start. You can then mark your track by using double clicks which produce these points. The pedometer also shows you the mark of every full kilometer (or mile - you can choose between english and metric).

If you keep the kilometer marks in mind (or print the map) you can actually measure your speed while running (you need a watch of course).

If you went wrong you can 'undo points'.

You can also choose if you want to measure automatically (which sometimes doesn't work because surprisingly even google doesn't know every dirt track on earth) or manually. You may also switch between both.

When you finished you track you can also save it.
Moreover, you can use a calorie counter, too. On my 15km track the calorie counter says I burn over 1000 calories. Therefore, I rather think it might not be very exact. It is a nice toy anyway.

The pedometer is fantastic. It also always tells me that my distances are longer than I thought! Thanks, google!

A Running Tool You'll Love

2009-12-28T16:38:00.001+01:00

I've been looking for a certain tool. I found it and I love it! It is easy to handle and really helpful. You wonder what I'm writing about. I love the Pedometer! If you want to be a more or less professional runner you'll need to measure the distances you normally run. Otherwise you'll be unable to follow a shedule. And you would be surprised how you can under- or overestimate the length of a distance. Therefore, save this useful tool and use it!

Therefore, you hit the button 'start recording' and then double click on the point where you want to start. Every point that marks a

Almost Christmas Day!

2009-12-23T18:10:00.004+01:00

Do you like this day? I guess for most people who are not even slightly religious Christmas means just to have two days off and get presents. That's the same with me.When it comes to religion I agree with George Carlin.

Moreover, I usually don't notice that it's close to to the accursed day when the Christmas market shuts down and there is not a cup of hot wine punch to have anywhere.

I still haven't got all the presents. How am I to get any present without the smallest cup of alcohol? There are more people in the shopping centres than in my favorite club on a Saturday at 2am. I can't endure this without being a bit drunk.

The worst thing is: I have to work tomorrow until noon. That's going to be stressful. At least I can't run these times anyway. Saves a lot of time.
So I advice you, dear sportsmen, do it just like me. Leave your running shoes alone for a couple of days and rather spend time with your family and friends.

Tomorrow is christmas finally. And the day after it is over. Thank God (why is there no non-religious phrase for saying 'Thank God!'?)! Merry Christmas!

Desperation...

2009-12-21T11:44:00.008+01:00

I didn't run for almost two weaks now. It's getting annoying. I am annoyed. People around me are annoyed because I am so unrelaxed. I am really stressed out now and it's all due to my damn knee. It hurts and I really don't know why. Well, actually I trained a bit too hard (two weeks ago!!) but that should really be okay again by now.

I just tried to run a few minutes ago. Shortly after I began my knee hurt again. So I skipped the training and went back home. Mysteriously, the knee stopped to hurt on the way back. Was it the cold or should it all be about psychology?

I'll try later that day again. And I'll start reading a book about sport psychology today. I'll inform you if I learned something new...

Healthy Christmas-Muesli-Biscuits

2009-12-19T17:07:00.015+01:00

As poor running rat is not able to eat 'normal' sweets during christmas time I needed a plan what to do about my addiction to all kind of sweets. I was almost forced to invent those absolutely healthy biscuits.
You need:

100g raisins

100g almonds (minced)

300g oat flakes

100g butter

2 eggs

200g honey

150g spelt flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix oat flakes, raisins and almonds in a bowl. Add also baking soda and cinnamon. Let the butter melt and add. Let the butter cool down while stiring. Also add the honey and the eggs. Add enough spelt flour to create a homogeneous doug. Form little piles and bake at 150 to 180°C until the biscuits are light brown.

Sorry for your new (but wholesome) addiction!

Winter Running

2009-12-17T20:00:00.008+01:00

It's winter. People on the northern hemisphere probably noticed it already. People on the southern hemisphere are the lucky ones now. They don't have to put on so many clothes that they can barely move. They can ride their bikes without slipping, falling and freezing. They don't have to fear injuries as much and don't have a big problem if they get stuck in the middle of nowhere for an emergency or a lack of energy during running.

But actually there are some pros concerning winter running, especially if it snowed:

1. You need more energy on winter runs because your body needs to produce a lot of warmth to keep your skin supplied with warm blood to keep it from freezing. This also means you can eat more after the run. Or you lose weight during christmas time. Your family and collegues will be so jealous!

2. You can wear all the stylish running clothes you have in your drawer during only one run! You should rather dress in layers anyway to avoid the cold. I observed that this layer look must be very fancy these times, too. Especially running tights and skirts together seem to be all the rage.
3. You have the park almost to you own because there are only very few people who are as insane as we passionate runners. No howling children, no barking dogs, no grandmas and grandpas who need the whole path for themselves. Nobody that looks stunned when you pass on your very fast or very slow run. Even the birds prefer to fly to the south.
4. When everything is covered with snow the world looks so much friendlier than before. Moreover, there is no slippery mud anymore.
5. You may get tanned on long runs when the sun is shining. Moreover, you can finally use your cool sunglases again.
6. You look fresh, young and rosy-cheeked after exercising in the cold.
7. Also your bud will look fresh, rosy-cheeked and smooth. The perfect anti-cellulite treatment.
8. You deserve a warm bubble bath afterwards or a visit in the sauna.

After all these points you should be desperatly willing to run in cold weather. But you should also stick to some important tips:
0. Are you fit enough to run? Because if you feel a little weak or any pain already you better don't start in the cold. It is dangerous to be stuck in then with not enough energy to get back home. It is also possible that you don't feel pain while running as the hurting part gets cooled during the run already (specially if it's your leg and you only wear thin tights).
1. Wear enough layers of clothes! Rather put something on that you take off after a while if you don't want lie down with a cold on the next day. This advice is most important for long runs. If you are not perfectly trained you may have to run slower towards the end. That is when your body doesn't produce enough warmth anymore and you need more layers again.
2. Cover your head. You will look funny but as you lose almost 50% of your body heat trough the head it's highly adviseable to wear a fleece or woolen cap that covers as much of your head as possible. It should also cover your ears. Warm gloves or mittens help to keep your extremities warm, too.
3. Take Handkerchiefes. You'll need them. Not only in winter.
4. Take some cash and your mobile on long runs just in case you are stuck somewhere. You need to be able to call a taxi or in severe cases for an ambulance.
5. Take drinks on long runs! You'll sweat in the cold as well as in warmer temperatures but you won't feel it as much. There is always the risk of dehydration. If you start of with hot tea in your bottle there is a chance it's not frozen after thirty minutes.
6. If you are a girl it might be a good idea to also take pepper-spray with you if you run in rather isolated areas. In an emergency situation your mobile can help, too.

I know that's my things you have to take. But with all the clothes you put on you'll also have enough pockets where you can put the stuff.

Enjoy winter running!

Healthy Sweets Only

2009-12-15T16:00:00.005+01:00

I thought a picture in your mind might be helpful: I took a picture of the variety of sweets that I consider healthy.

There are all kinds of nuts in the background because nuts have the healthy unsaturated fats. In the middle we have dried apples and bananachips though bananachips are rather an exeption because they they are made with a lot of added fat and sugars (often from honey). Moreover, there is dark chocolate: 99% cacao and organic on the left (and that is really not sweets anymore) and 81% on the right which I really like.

If you want to buy all those nice things it might me adviseable to start looking in a healthy food shop. If you buy them there you can be sure that you buy good stuff without refined sugar. But there are also many supermarkets which have a quite wide range of those good sweets.

On the other hand, I (running rat's dad) make the dried apples myself. It's easy and you know exactly what they contain. Moreover, they taste just like the ones you just bought for a lot more money than they are worth. It might be as easy to make bananachips but I didn't try (yet). I used to buy them in a pet shop for my pets until I realized how tasty they were.

When it comes to the chocolate I often buy them in the shop I work in though it is not the same quality than in the healthy food shop. However, it is convenient and cheap.

Although this is an okay range already I still look for other things I might like. I didn't try dates, figs and a lot of other dried fruit yet. But often they do contain stuff I don't want in my food like sorbic acid, sulphur dioxide or other sulphides. These substances are used as antioxidants. Citric acid does the same job though. It is found in limes and lemons. But you an eat the apples just as well if they are not treated with lemon or lime juice. They do get a slightly brown then.

So if you also want to cut back on sweets during christmas, too, try dried fruit and nuts. They are perfect substitutes. I already feel lighter (and lost a whole pound)!

I am a Professional now!

2009-12-14T11:28:00.006+01:00

Now that I have a schedule to train after I feel so much more professional. Actually, I ran a 10km-run last week though it was pouring outside. I'll run in a few minutes though it is freezing outside. I am so a Pro! Unfortunately I chose the schedule for ambitious marathon training. I really want to be ambitious, fast and everything but my left knee and my right foot refuse to be. So I had to stop training last thursday though I vexed myself with traveling to see my running group late at night and in rain. After one fast kilometre I felt a severe pain in my left knee. Trainer#1 said I had to go home. Though it just stoped raining. I was kind of wet and angry. Now that I had schlepped myself to train in the cold and dark I couldn't and instead had to limp home.
At least until now I'm able to stick to my 30 day trial more or less. It's not exactly easy (I had a very weak day on fiday) as I eat even more than before and after all I have to see the Christmas Market downtown almost daily and the sell so nice sweet stuff: sugary almonds and other nuts, gingerbread, gummibears and wafers with cream. *sob*
Luckily, I found a very nice substitute for me: they also have nice fishy stuff: fried fish, calamaries and so on. It's not exactly the healthiest food you can imagine but at least it is not sweet. They also have nice rolls filled with cheese and bacon.
At length, I found out that I tend to eat food that contains a lot more fat than before I limited the sweets to an absolute minimum. So this may be a hint on the new 30 day trial in January.Fortunately, I also found so many 'good' sweets in a health food shop close by. You can't say that they're cheap but they are definitely healthy. Some of them are also almost fat-free. But the nice and tasty ones do contain a lot of nuts and therefore, a lot of fat. But as we learned already unsaturated fats from nuts are not really bad.
After writing so much about food I am hungry. See you soon!

7 Days out of 30

2009-12-08T19:33:00.005+01:00

I made the first week of the 30 day trial 'Healthy Sweets Only'. I made it but rather not exactly as I wanted.
This time it is really not my fault. I was kind of forced to bake for boyfriend#1 as it was our first anniversary and he likes sweets so much. We're now together for a whole year.
So I needed something that told him that I care. I made a gingerbread heart as they are common in Germany. How could I not taste the dough? It was filled with choci. How could I not lick the with melted chocolate covered spoon?? I tried hard and even ate huge amounts of vegetables while baking. But then they were not half as tasty as the gingerbread.
On the other hand, I did quite well the rest of the week. Since chocolate is not really allowed, except of this one:

I started to cook nice things and eat whole meals and not only single apples and tomatoes. I feel fine and I am really proud to having outlived advent coffee with my family, several stollens, biscuits and other sweets and not eating any. And that was after a 20km run when I usually eat everything I can find.

Running Rat's father does approve the 30 day challenge very much and decided to make about three pounds of dried apples for me. He's just so nice! Now I have those nice, healthy sweets on my coffee table and can eat as much as I want. So much better than biscuits or stollen (I try to tell myself). But well that is what I need: support. Running Rat's mother rather likes to support me by giving me chocolate and advocaat. That does not help. But she means good as parents always do.
Anyway: I really needed to cut back on the sugary stuff. Even boyfriend#1 was kinda shocked by the amounts of choci I consumed every night during November.
But actually I think it already worked. I only can't tell exactly if I feel better because I'm so proud of myself or if it's really all the good food that makes me feel better.
I actually think I could live like that with even more comfort than before. I can eat everything in huge amounts like huge meals and everything without beefing up. Just by avoiding all the sweets I really don't need to be happy. But I guess we'll see soon. 23 days to go.
Tomorrow I've to make cookies for grandma.

Rats love Avocado!

2009-12-07T12:55:00.009+01:00

But not only rats do like avocado also running rats love them.
I must confess that this is a rather new love but that makes it even stronger.
And as I suppose not everybody can use avocados on their menu yet I made up some little pictures with some preparation ideas so you can imagine what nice things you can make out of an avocado and some other vegetables.

If you have one or two really ripe avocados and mash them with a fork you can use them for almost everything. You can add mashed bananas, almonds and honey to get a sweet bread dip for breakfast or you add vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and garlic to have a savoury meal (spices like salt, black pepper or chili are also important!). You can also add sliced avocados to your salad or use them smoothly mixed for a vegan salad dressing. Herbs like parsely and chives also go wonderfully with avocado recipes. Be creative and try out this fruit and you'll discover some new tastes. If you need recipes you might like to try those or those.

If you want to try avocado make sure to buy them one or two days before you prepare the meal. Usually they are not quite ripe enough to mash them easily when you just bought them.

According to a highly valued page avocado is relatively high in energy and (saturated) fats but it also contains a moderate amount of magnesium which is very important for running rats. Moreover, avocado contains vitamins C, E, K, B6 and folate. If you add other fruit and veg you have a very wholesome and additionally, satisfying meal. Avocado tastes wonderful with bread or as a dip for other vegetables or bread sticks which makes it a perfect party snack. If you like butter you'll also love avocado. Give it a try!

Ode to the Rat

2009-12-03T11:15:00.013+01:00

People who read this blog regularly may know already that I keep rats. Others maybe surprised. Many people look at me slightly disgusted when I tell them that I own six rats. And usually noone believes that a nice girl like me has rats.

Well, there are several reasons for liking these little animals.

But first, I'd like to tell you, how I came to buy rats. I was 14 and went into a pet store to buy food for my dog. There I saw it: it was tiny and had huge ears. It's fur was black and white and had a pink nose. Curious it came to the cage door and I felt it wanted to greet me. So I had to love it from the first sight. I asked the owner of the pet shop what kind of pet it was and he told me it was a little rat.
I went home counting my pocket money. It was almost enough. I could buy it (and a cage for it) if my parents only let me. We would be best friends and I could take it everywhere. But my parents refused. They told me I had a dog already and that would be more than most children could wish for. I was heartbroken. The little thing and me never would be best friends.
But I was still curious. I started to read several books about rats and informed myself. I learned that rats are highly social and intelligent pets who need company amongst several other things.
Years later: I did never forget about the little rat. I still dreamt about it. My biggest wish were rats.
Then I moved in my own appartment when I was 19. The kitchen was quite big and there was space left. I felt lonely sometimes. So I just bought 2 little rats and a cage. Few weeks later there were rats number 3,4 and 5. and a bigger cage. I couldn't get enough.
I never met so friendly, uncomplicated pets. They don't need you desperately (except for feeding and entertaining) but they love it if you come home and keep them busy. You can built little playgrounds for them (my rats have scratching post with hammocks and everything) or hide food.
Fancy rats are highly individual. While one of them sits on your lap and wants to be kissed and huged another one kids around by biting in your big toe and running away only to do the exact same thing two minutes later again. I swear I heared this one giggeling while running away, that little goblin. But some also groom your hair as if you were one of them. And all of them act just cute. Almost like little dogs. Playful and innocent.

On the other hand, unlike a dog they are never lonely or sad if you are not at home as long as you keep them in a group. They are very clever and can learn to listen to you. But they are not only clever they are also nice to look at. If you observe their behaviour in the evenings you'll never need a TV again.

Honestly, I'm always thinking of getting a dog. I would love it because my parents always had one or two and eventually I'd have a perfect running partner who's there every time. On the other hand, a dog would much more depend on me than rats do. A dog would need me often and for long intervals. My rats are completely satisfied with on or two hours per day including feeding and cleaning. And I could even leave them alone for a day or two if I had to.
In the end they are a kind of compromise. But a very, very good one.

30 Day Challenge

2009-11-30T21:18:00.008+01:00

I concocted a new plan.
As you probably noticed I'm addicted to chocolate. I really have a hard time sticking to the 'good' chocolate when there is so much choice. Especially now that it's almost Chistmas and you can buy even more sweets than usual. Our Christmas Market just opened and you can guzzle your way completely through the whole town. As addiction never is a good thing I need to change. And I think I've got a good idea.

I'll start a new 30 day trial from tomorrow. 'Healthy' sweets only. Such as 85% cocoa containing chocolate, dried fuits and nuts. No milk chocolate, nougat or marcipan allowed. If I have a choice I'm eating whatever I want.
So that means that I'll stick to the good stuff for at least 30 days. I'll track what I ate and how I felt during this time and hope to get results afterwards.

As they found out dark chocolate is actually quite healthy I guess I should feelt great. Dark choci lowers blood pressure and keeps your heart healthy because it works against blood clotting. Also, it contains antioxidantes which help to protect your body from free radicals.

Dried fruit and nuts are wholesome snacks, too. Of course you should be aware of the calories they contain if you want to lose weight (just the same with chocolate). But in the end they are much more natural than a candy bar. Moreover, nuts contain unsaturated fats which are actually 'good' fats. They help to prevent heart diseases and keep your LDL cholesterol level low. They also contain omega-3 fatty acids which you usually only find in fish. These also help preventing heart diseases.

My goal is to be strong enough to say NO against all the unwholesome stuff during christmas time and also later on. I'd rather lose a couple of pounds because of more controlled eating instead of gaining weight during christmas time.
I also hope not to buy as many sweets as usual if I'm only to buy the 'good' ones because they are usually more expensive.

I'll keep you updated. :)

Join a Running Group!

2009-11-27T22:19:00.001+01:00

We've had our first meeting just yesterday. Very impressive. 350 runners in one room (though not everyone looked that sporty...). Most of them want to run a marathon. Everyone looks excited.

The beginning was just annoying though. Friend#2 and me had some really important party-shopping to do and left our homes very late. That's why we were late then of course. 350 people in one room and two sweating blondes entering to look for seats. I wanted to sit on the floor in the very back. Instead we went in the very front. Embarassing.

The catering was awful, too. No food at all. Didn't they fear canibalism with all those penned up runners? The chocolate in my purse saved our lifes.
And in the end the meeting didn't meet my expactations anyway.

I expected a enormous, nicely decorated hall for us all and a glass of champagne for the start (or beer at least).
I expected lots of young, good looking men (and women but wo cares).
I expected a perfectly recherched speech about nutrition, health, shoes and functional shirts and that stuff.
I expected intermingeling and exchange of experience.
I expected a very nice evening with similar-minded people.

And what did I get? A little, crowded room, not even water, lots of elderly guys, a commercial about expensive shoes and a boring long lasting speech which didn't taught me any news (and running friend#2 who would rather listen to that crap than slag the speaker). I also got hostile looks from women who obviously did only expect attractive men there (just like me).

At least there was one nice talk but it was all due to friend#2 who intermingles so much better than I do. She spotted the only attractive guy in the room and smiled at him throughout the whole boring speech. No wonder the two of them intermingeled so wonderfully after all.

Altogether, the best thing was that we got a training schedule which starts from next week. This was the thing I was interested in. Ours is called 'ambitious marathon training' (sounds so much better than 'beginner'). But I must confess: I'm not sure if I'll be able to stick to it. If I only imagine the weekly quota I need a nap already.
And that's only the marathon training. I need to be trained for a triathlon, too. I guess the next five months are going to suck. But I refuse to start worrying before the first real training next thursday (they are going to chase us 10km round a tartan track ).

On the bright side I might be able to eat whatever I want over Christmas. If that's not worth the money...

How I quit smoking

2009-11-26T07:40:00.001+01:00

This will be the story how I quit a sick-making habit.

A lot of people, even sportive ones, do smoke. I started in school just like probably everyone else. That's the time when you need friends and want to belong to a group. Health is not interesting if it comes to the gorgeous guy over there. And it's so much cooler to ask for a cigarette first than for the time or something. You'll never get a date if you're not cool.

10 years later you notice this inexplainable coughing when rising. Certainly because you need a cigarette. What else would it be. Even while you're ill and your body needs all power and vitamines you can't stop. Illnesses take much longer this way.

At this point in my life I also started running. And in the end sport was my wonder wall.
It still took a while (you know I'm not that fast) but at a point I didn't want to smoke anymore. That was not the point when I threw the stuff in the bin or anything. Nooooooo. It still took more time. I still didn't want anymore. But you are used to it. You love it. You're bored while waiting if you can't smoke. What would you do if you wouldn't smoke while drinking coffee??

But I tell you something: it's all in your head! That's why I wrote a little (huuuuge) note and pinned it where I saw it every two seconds (my mirror). It says: I won't smoke anymore (Yes, it's still there). I read it over and over and over. Daily. For weeks, months. The thoughts about quiting became manifest.
Meanwhile I also read on a (German) non-smoking-page. This one was nice. They didn't tell you you'd have to stop. In a test they told me that I wasn't even addicted. Hm. Then it should be easy actually.
So I followed some advise how to smoke less (I also would save so much money!). I didn't buy new packages anymore at once when I noticed they're about to get empty. Didn't smoke while biking anymore. Stoped smoking in my boyfriend's appartement. Didn't use the breaks at work for smoking. Didn't smoke while walking. Didn't smoke at home anymore.
When I felt ready I dismissed one after the other habit. Step by step. One by one. I took my time.
Eventually I left the cigarettes at home when I went out.
Then I also stoped smoking at home. So I really had no places left. Therefore, I also dismissed the one or two sickarettes I used to smoke with my morning coffee and before sleeping.

One or two days I struggeled. But not nearly as hard as I used to when I tried to quit just like that.
I still have some ciggis in my drawer. And I would be allowed if I liked to smoke them. Sometimes I even smoked while dancing and going out for a while. But that was rather seldom and I just hate the smell and the taste by now (you should see my disgusted face while I think of it).

Boyfriend#1 tells me when I'm whiny about anything I didn't make: Your will is a muscle. Train it just like you would with your body. And that's what I did. And you can make it, too. The only thing you need is as always: motivation.

I just won't smoke anymore (Not: I don't want to. I won't.) Don't leave yourself loopholes.

A second fitness sport eventually!

2009-11-20T12:09:00.006+01:00

My brain figured it out by itsself and I didn't even notice. I'm going swimming now regularly. I pay for it at least twice a week. I don't know where this change came from. It just happend. Is it the affirmations at my wall? Is it that I told friend#2 I'll do the triathlon with her? Probably both.
But guess what: I'm really enjoying to swim. It's not too bad. And wouldn't there be so many old people it would be actual fun. My muscles in shoulder and back were actually sore after yesterdays training. And it was only an hour. I need to get better.
I have now two long run goals (notice the pun): the iceland ultramarathon and an ironman. :D

Tips to change your diet

2009-11-20T11:06:00.006+01:00

Wanna lose a couple of pounds? Who doesn't?
Now we all know now what we should eat but everyone has difficulties in following the healthy-diet rules. I do have my difficulties with them, too. It's just so bugging to get through the supermatket with all those colorful, funny packages. I'm working in one and see all these 'nice' things daily and it makes me furious sometimes. Everybody is allowed to eat that stuff and I'm not. And why? Just because I want to run that stupid marathon as fast as I can. But on the other hand I do look so much better than years before.

That's why I figured out that I needed a complete new behaviour in the super-market. I ignore the parts with the colorful, funny packages and stick to the fruit and veg part as often as I can. It's colorful in the fruit and veg part, too. Green apples, yellow melons and red tomatoes. I do enjoy the non-artificial colours. And if I want to reward myself because of an overwhelming sportive achievement I buy organic food. It's actually not so much more expensive. But I just eat too much of it to buy it always.

It's still very difficult to leave the choci and go with carrots and cucumbers instead. But then maybe at least you can avoid supermarkets altogether. When I started to buy my stuff on small farmer's markets where you can also have a nice chat with the guy who knows exactly how the apples taste you'll start to consume less unwholesomes simply because you couldn't buy any. Moreover it's often much more fun there and has a holiday charme if the sun is out. And if it's not in walking distance: what does it matter? Take your bike on a nice ride and enjoy your ride and your shopping. Make the most of it.
If I don't have to work, I usually buy my stuff on Saturday mornings on such a maket. It's cheap and nice. And usually I've had a full workout afterwards because I buy so many nice things that I can hardly cycle home.

A good idea is also to look for substitutes in you diet. I try to substitute the sweets in the evening with a plate full of nice fruit. It doesn't always work entirely but at least I don't consume as much choci as if I hadn't had the fruit before.
I also don't go to work without my bag full of vegetables anymore. It looks much nicer than the stuff my collegues put in the microwave. Of course I'm not able to do this all day long but try to get better in substituting. But on the other hand I also almost always earned my chocolate by running, swimming and biking (You could have noticed here: Triathlon is close, too.).

In the end it's just the same with the running. Motivation comes first. I found a motivation: the marathon (and the triathlon actually). Also friend#2 helps a lot. And as boyfriend#1 always says: If you don't get what you want you don't want it badly enough.

Five steps to become a fast running rat

2009-11-11T11:18:00.015+01:00

As you read in my last post I'm now offically a stunningly fast runner. Here is the proof.

Next year I'll run the marathon at that pace (but with a lower pulse)!
And with all that experience I thought I'd give you some advice how to become just as good as me.

1. Of course the base is always the most important thing:
Look after your nutrition. Everything is okay as long as you have it under control. Try to eat as much fruit and veg as you can. As an athlete you need all the vitamins and minerals you can get. For the hard training ones it might be advisable to take supplements. I found it out the hard way. I was slow and tired for weeks until I finally went to donate blood and they told me I couldn't donate because I had a huge iron deficiency. I always knew I had problems to get iron because I don't like meat (though I am no vegetatrian) but I didn't really check that often.
My advice: if you really don't like something special you should better check what you miss (This page can be helpful) and then do something about it. Either you take supplements or you try to substitute with something else.

2. Regular Pace Training: There are two different possibilities. If you are more professional than me you should chose both. I'm usually just too lazy to do both pace trainings. I have a certain pace lap and when I'm running this one, I usually try to run it as fast as I can. But you can also do a sprint training. You sprint as long as you can, then jog for a bit and repeat that as often as you can. You should try to sprint a minute at least. I committed that I'll start this kind of training after the last race this year which was last weekend. I didn't start yet. But I will, I will, I will! Soon.

3. Motivation: If you're not motivated you don't have to run a bit. You won't achieve anything if you just don't want to anyway. Therefore, you need to find out what motivates you. Is it a new pair of running shoes? An upcoming race? An attractive running partner? Nice music? Nature? The neighbour's dog running with you? Look for you individual motivators and try to find new ones all the time. It'll improve your motivation and that's just everything.
I have a friend who actually wants to do sports but he's not motivated so he skips his trainings all the time. He would probably need a partner to run with but that's kind of difficult in his case. He's too far away from me at least.
I am a musical running rat for example: For me running works with music only. Though I started running without having an mp3 player I noticed that long runs can really be boring without entertainment. I can neither run fast nor far without music. And a really big motivator to train longer or race faster is new music.
I also love my heart rate montitor. It tells me if I'm too slow and makes me run faster by beeping (though I don't hear the beeping anyway with my cool music). But it tells me my results in the end and this does motivate me for the next run.

4. Running Technique: If you really want to run fast run on the balls of your feet. You can do longer steps which don't take as much time as if you put your heel down first. Moreover, it is an gentle way to run for your knee joints. But you really need to train this technique for some time. Start with short distances. It can hurt tremendously in your calves if you run a long distance without having tried it cautiously first. Boyfriend#1 learned it the hard way. He couldn't walk for three days. I learned it not quite as hard. I could only not walk for 24 hours.

5. Races: The very best training is a race! Competition will let you run with all energy you have and not only all the energy you are willing to invest in a training. On the other hand, a race is exhausting and you shouldn't race too often. The reason: The more you race the less time you have to have fun with your sport, and fun is important. Moreover, you lose time to relax and regenerate. Remember: Only a rested (and motivated) runner is a fast runner. So if you notice that you don't benefit from your races anymore you should better skip one and take a week to rest entirely. It is a quite good idea to get an overview in the beginning of the season (which is usually around march - in Germany at least) and mark those races you are interested in. Then you can chose as many as you like and commit your participation early so you rather have to race then. If you are quite new in running you start easily with only few races.

In a nutshell: make sure your basic nutrition fits for an athlete, try to run as fast as you can on a regular basis, look after your motivation, try to improve your running technique and last but not least race as often as you can.

The Experiment

2009-11-11T10:56:00.015+01:00

Stay on your couch today. Don't move. Eat as much as you want. You are allowed. This is why:

I ran a couple of days ago. Shocking, isn't it?!
But the really upsetting fact is: I ran 12 mins faster than usual! I repeat: 12. Just like that. Last time I ran 54:16 mins for a pace training. Same lap in the park that day. 42:33.
A day before the training I thought I an iron deficiency again which wouldn't have been surprising because I really don't eat a lot of red meat (the iron containing stuff). Obviously this wasn't the case. I take supplement most of the time anyway. (I'm a blood donor, so nobody has to sceam out loud that the sporty girl doesn't eat properly. Thanks.) So I really didn't know why I was that quick.

The good thing was: I had an assumption.
The reason why I ran was to relax myself. A dentist appointment was coming up and it was made fairly clear that I wouldn't leave the praxis without them pulling out one of my beloved teeth. I was full of mortal fear. Agony. Probably the pain would kill me. And if not the pain then at least my anxiety.
So I ran. Just the thing Oetzi would have done. Fleeing. As fast as I could of course. You'd better be the winner in Oetzi's times. And obviously I would have been the one that would have escaped the dinosaur (Though no Oetzi could have been as dumb as me and run back to the place where he met the dino.).

But of course I didn't want to tell to you to let your dentist get to your teeth without double checking. I don't want to see a lot of beautiful, young but teethless (male) runners at the next race (I don't care so much about the females.).
So I did just the same thing without a new dentist appointment coming up. And guess what. I even ran 20 sec faster than before they pulled my tooth out.
Scandalous.

But on the other hand, I'm kind of complacent now. I really am that fast. Without fear dilating my veins.

And after all I did some detection and discoverd in my running logs: I did my regeneration work really well both times (and now you see why it might be helpful to protocol your trainings). A lot of no sports days before. Couch, choci, no moving. It seems to work. Never underestimate the importance of regeneration (and nutrition)!

And one more thing I leaned certainly: Training is much more effective if you can give everything because you're fit.

And next time I'll tell you how I became that fast a rat. ;)

How to be a healty running rat

2009-11-08T20:13:00.005+01:00

I suppose it might a quite a good idea to drop some lines about nutrition as well.
Obviously you can't take me too serious most of the time. I mean the stuff about the tons of chocolate I eat daily is not very precise. I am really rather a nutrition control freak.

As you probably noticed everyone knows which diet is best for you (And I do, too.) Nutrions gurus and many different diets promise you to lose a million pounds a week and that kind of stuff. Doesn't sound real? Well try it (and pay 150 bucks) and you will be amazed! (Amazing how much money I spent on that shit!)
At least I am quite sure that all the diets I tried (and there are quite a lot, I started at 12) just made me more and more look like an (un)happy hippo. Of course they take all your self-confidence because you are too stupid to follow even such a simple plan as to only eat one carrot a day!
When I really was fed up with all that I decided I'll just go with healthy food (as far as I knew then). And guess what? It works! So you can stick with your weight easily and feel good.
Basically it's just this: fruit and veg as much as you want. Until your satisfied. Until you cannot crawl to your fridge again because your full belly is holding you back.

Maybe that's not what you wanted to hear if you're a fast food and sweets fan but believe me: you'll actually feel so much better, lighter, full of power and have a free mind! There are some raw vegans who state just the same (example). I'm amazed how they say everybody around you will notice your change. But I guess that's because you feel better if you eat healthy, are more self-concious and just have a complete new vision of the world.
In fact I also thought about going with raw vegan after boyfriend#1 brought it up. It sounded interesting and much like I would love it. But after thinking a while (you know I take longer sometimes) I decided that it might be too cumbersome for me. Sometimes it takes a while 'to cook' tasty raw food and I'd really miss my choci (which is not absolutely unwholesome if you buy the right one). Moreover, I learned right here that animal fats are sometimes healthier than they say.

Hence: strict raw vegan diet off the table.
The compromise: Raw-vegan (uncooked fruit and veg) with some vegan (including bread once in a while) and absolute carnivore food (chocolate).
Also, I try to eat fish on a regular basis (I didn't succeed yet). I also manage to eat some meat once in a while.

If you want to lose weight on the other hand you should control youself a bit more and step on the scales once a week (that's what I do currently so the next marathon will be easier). Of course you should do sports and it also would be a good idea to reduce the sugar containing parts of the diet, i.e. the bananas and grapes (and the choci of course!). What's helpful as well might be fasting a day per week if you can manage (or even over a longer period). A different idea would be to cut dinner out as often as you can (I can't) or only eat some veg for dinner (that's easier for me).

You really just have to listen to your body if you eat wholesome food. It learns what's good and what it needs and then tells you if you eate insufficiently.

Why would you have a second fitness sport?

2009-11-03T17:04:00.011+01:00

All the sportive people do more than one sport. Yes, that's adviceable. You need to train your whole body in order to keep healthy and balanced.

At least that's what I read in many books. Well, it does make sense. I just noticed how underdeveloped my arms were when I lifted (veeeery light) weights some weeks ago. A bit training would certainly help.
You also have to stretch after sports. I tend to forget it. Always.
And why should I pay for sports if I can run for nothing? I need to pay for swimming (at least in winter), I have to pay for the gym. And moreover it's almost always crowded with old people who just noticed if they don't intervene now it'll be over soon.
After you did your exercise and want to use the sauna... oh no-no-no! Don't look closer at your companions. I know it's natural but ugh. And this grandpa is even staring. Wah!
Even in a female fitness club. Don't wanna see what I'll look like in 40 years!

So I decided: as long as I have to pay for sports running and biking must be enough for my body. But the affirmations on my mirror say something different. I guess my brain needs to figure out the rest on it's own.

The current situation...

2009-10-30T21:52:00.006+01:00

That might be interesting, too.

After almost three years of running I am still heavy (it must be the bones!) but I don't look like it anymore. I do like fruit and veg but when it comes to choci I'm weaker than ever. I quit smoking two or three months ago but surprisingly didn't put weight on. My bike doesn't only see day but also night lights because it's my best friend and only means of transport since my car has been broken for a year and I don't have any interest (money) in fixing it. You might ask why I don't use public transport. You don't know the gawking people in the tram! Nope, thanks. Running? Daily about 20km when my legs allow me. Unfortunately they frequently won't. Specially if it's cold or raining they like to stay in bed.

But even with an uncalibrated training like this I ran my first whole marathon about two weeks ago. 4:24:16. Well, I thought I could be a lot faster but I really, honestly absolutely couldn't. Some guy on the other hand told me that this was quite good for the first 42,2km. Very continual. I'm a hero! Super-girl!

Next 42,2km in April. I join a running group from November. Need to be so much faster when I run in my home town and everyone can see. Big goal. Marathon in so much less than 4h.

Anyway: running friend#1 is pregnant now and has no interest for sport anyway anymore. Never again. Her next guy is going to be a couch potatoe with a fat belly (se said). I wonder if that's because her extremly sportive husband left her.

Therfore, I needed a new running friend (4h runs are just booooring – you need someone to chat about the nice guys you just passed or anything). And found her. Actually she's not entirely new: we've been running partners for almost two years now. You wouldn't believe that anyone can be worse than running rat but she is. After a two-hour run she still wants to go further. After a 40km-long-run she likes to cycle another 30km to our favourite lake to relax. Nuts that girl. But I guess it's partly my fault. I join her every time.

Boy-friend#1 is even better. He doesn't really run. 10km, 12 sometimes (doesn't count). On the other hand he's going to be a tennis pro (he says). With 27, almost 28. Training: daily from 7 to 9 a.m. Which means we daily get up at about 5. De - light - ful.

Why Running Rat?

2009-10-28T11:30:00.020+01:00

Now the interesting part: Why is the rat the runner here?
Well, first of all I am sure you know rat running. I am a city girl - so I do it all the time (but by bike of course). Sometimes I thought about doing it while racing but I honestly didn't cheat (yet).
Second, my chinese zodiac is the rat. Rats are loyal, devoting, intelligent, honest, talented and much more... I'm proud to be rat. Who wouldn't be?
Third, I was inspired by a different (but also rather unattractive) German animal.
Fourth, I didn't want to be identified (and presumably glorified) with a fair, beautiful and majestic animal like a horse or a lion (they are boring anyway). That is not me. If anything I'm small, quick 'n' creepy.
Last but not least I am not only a rat I also have some.
Yes, you read that. I have rats.
Everyone who shouted in digust: There is the hypothetic door. Get out.
Everyone who thought about sending me an exterminator or a cat: I don't like you.
And then look at this picture:

You would never hurt this little thing, would you?

Everyone who wants to alarm animal protection: I really do like you! But don't worry. My pets are no runners. In fact they are rather chubby and if at all they should rather start swimming. They are safe.

The Story Beginns

2009-10-27T14:56:00.006+01:00

We're in the year 2007. I am 22 and rather heavy. But not only heavy also a heavy smoker. I do like fruit and veg but if I have a choice I prefer chocolate over the healthy stuff. My bike was fine in the cellar. At least nobody could filch it. The poor thing never saw daylight.

My car on the other hand was parked just outside my door. Why would I take the effort to get my bike outside? Waaaay to much work! And running? Why the hell would you torture yourself like this? No thanks!

Then there was a new guy and it was just like it always is when a girl gets to know a new guy. You wanna be perfect for him. He was the attractive, very sporty doctor-kind. A girl-friend who wasn't into sport? Not his type. But he was absolutely mine. It took some time in my blond head but I knew I needed to do something about my unathleticism. So I went for it. Run you big, fat rat, run!

Friend#1 was begging me to sign up for a 10km run with her. 10Kilometer? Crazy or what?! I was rather indifferent. Until the new guy was there. 10km? Peanuts! Nothing! Let's go! When? In 30 days. No problem!

So I tried for the first time after PE in school to actually run. Agonising pain! My poor muscles. Air! I need air! And that were only the first 2 minutes. I didn't actually run anyway. It was more a kind of schlepping myself.

After about a week of absolute torture every single day I was surprised that it actually got better and better. I was amazed. I could breathe. Ok, people still looked at me when I passed them. Hobbling old men with crutches were faster than me. But I actually started to like the pain. Stupid, isn't it? Well, you know I'm blond.

And the doctor-guy gave me advise how to proceed. I was endlessly proud of myself. I got him! I got him! Never would he leave!

Then friend#1 asked my to sign up for a half-marathon. Half-marathon? What's that? 20 Kilometres?!?! Hmmm...

(The doctor said he had done it...)

...sure, why not?

Three months later all that was left of the doctor were 150 tear-wet pages in my diary and I passed my first 21.1km without friend#1 (at least she was a spectator) in only 2:13:something. Some guys ran the 42.2km faster than me. But I actually made it! Never thought I'd be able to run that distance! 21.1km. That's 21,100 metres! 2,110,000 centimetres! That's nuts!

My parents asked who I was and what I had done to their daughter. My friends would't recognise me on the street. Not bad! And it was only the beginning...