The First Vibram Week

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

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

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?!

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!

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.

Old and New Issues

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.

Made your Race Shedule up yet?

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

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!

A Running Tool You'll Love

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!

Winter Running

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!

I am a Professional now!

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!

Join a Running Group!

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...

Five steps to become a fast running rat

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.

How to be a healty running rat

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.

The current situation...

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?

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

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...