Swiss Duathlon Champion!

That was well unexpected! I still can't quite believe it to have won my very first national title. So often I have been the runner-up. And it is more of a coincident that I was at the starting line in the first place. I have not finished a Duathlon in Switzerland for four years. In the end it was really my love Sandra who persuaded me to get on a plane home and start at this race as a bonus - you never know what happens.

So I arrived on Thursday in Switzerland, spent Friday in the Alpstein (quite a gem in the Alps) and had a wonderful time. For Sunday we looked at the starting list and we saw that there was a good chance for me to reach a good position in this field as some of the possible rivals just competed at the Ironman in South Africa and would be missing.

Sunday came and the weather got colder and colder and in St.Gallen there was even some snow. Luckily the weather forecast predicted no precipitation for the time of the race - be this rain or snow. It was great to see so many familiar faces and it felt as if I was never away. It was still dry when I installed my bike in the transition area but all of a sudden and about 20 minutes before the start another cloud passed and the wind and snow was everything else than what I wanted. I was hoping it was as quickly over as it came but you never know. I didn't change any of my clothing choices and if you take a closer look at the starting line its the fat bloke with most layers on - or the other way round ;)

Everybody was wearing at least something more than I did. At least I was wearing a short sleave shirt, gloves and a headband which saved me a little bit. Other than that I thought its the same for everybody and its over in less than an hour - what could possibly go wrong?

The race consisted of a 4km run/ 17km bike/ 4km run. Once the gun went Felix Köhler started the first few hundred meters rather quick trying to put some distance right away between him and everybody else. After the first kilometer we were on our own and we both did some work to get away from the rest. This was in the best of my interests as I knew I wouldn't be the fastest cyclist. I had to realize this again this year in the training camp that I have quite a disadvantage in the flat. However when it comes to hills, that's where my strengths lie. Unfortunately the whole course including the runs had probably under 50 meters of incline so it was flat as a pancake. 

I had a couple of seconds advantage before the transition area and was the first out. I positioned my bike slightly different than everybody else which gave me a bit of an advantage (professional secret). In the meantime the snow stopped but the roads were really wet. Out on the bike I thought Köhler would be right with me but I never looked back and just pedaled. After a few kilometers he passed me and it was clear he wanted to make a move so I had to shift a few gears up. I was hanging in there but I felt it would be hard. He pushed around the tight corners and because of the wet conditions and the fact that I was riding this bike for the second time this year I decided not to risk to much. If he would have been a Swiss athlete I would have given everything to stay with him but then again if I would have stayed with him I was taking the risk of hitting the wall. On the second bike lap of two I was still on my own and I knew that I should be able to close a potential handicap from now on if somebody comes from behind. I tried not to get irritated by the fact that one of the brakes was actually touching the wheel more or less constantly..

It was my teammate Martin Bader who first appeared next to me but then again he was another foreigner and as I was looking back I saw a whole bunch of athletes coming which were potentially drafting. Towards the end of the bike split Andy Sutz overtook us and tried to break away. It was clearly not his day because he should have been with Köhler and me after the first run. However, he didn't get away from the group and as the pace got higher we came closer on Köhler. 

Just before we entered the transition area I took a zip of my drink but was unable to put the bottle back because my fingers were numb. So I threw it away and I started to realize that it would be difficult to open my helmet in the transition area. I entered it on 5th position, placed my bike in the rack and tried to undo my helmet - without success. Alright i got into my running shoes and tried it again - again no luck I just didn't had the right control over my fingers and the gloves made it even worse to feel for button to undo the helmet. Instead of losing more time (this only took a few seconds but it feels like eternity) I decided to run out with my helmet still on taking the risk of finishing with it. I soon managed to get rid of it and a volunteer was kind enough to look after it. 

I was now in 3rd position overall with Köhler about 20 seconds ahead and Bader right in front of me. While I was passing Bader quite soon I wasn't able to make any ground on Köhler. All I wanted was to finish with a solid run and not getting into trouble with a potential sprint finish. On the last kilometer I realized that I was just about the be Swiss Champion for the first time. I have thought about the title throughout the whole race and all went according to my plans.

I have won medals at Swiss Championships in Duathlon, Half Marathon, Marathon and mountain running but never Gold. And here it was! I have to add that I am well aware that it hasn't been that easy for a very long time to gain this gold medal. However, it's not my fault other athletes weren't present and I am super happy to take the title. 

Now remains the question, am I going to do other Duathlons? As the national champion that's what you would expect. Unfortunately I will be very busy finishing my studies in June - just when the world championships are so this is not really an option. And after I finish my Osteopathy studies it is time to hit the mountains!

Gear used: 

Running Shoes: Scott Palani RC

Dress: Scott Plasma Suit

Bike: Scott Plasma Premium

Cycling shoes: Scott Tri Carbon Shoe

Cycling helmet: Scott Vanish

Sunglasses: Scott Spur

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Offical race recap (in German) 

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Kent 10 mile champion!

It is now already 3 weeks since this event but nevertheless worth to mention here!

It was Folkestone 10 mile race on Good Friday, the day before I flew to my training camp in beautiful Giverola, Spain. I then spent a good two weeks at the Costa Brava and was able to train about 1400 kilometers on the bike. It was my target to train a lot on the bike because that has been my base training for many years. It is almost like coming home if I approach the road along the coast to reach the hotel. It is now the 13th time I have been to Giverola in 14 years!

But now back to the Folkestone 10. My previous PB from Canterbury was 54:13 so my goal was to stay under 54 minutes. On one had Canterbury a few hills in it and I should be slightly faster in general. The preparation went also well but I was lacking a bit of running miles because I spent more time on the bike. That aside I was very motivated for this race too because it was the Kent Championship and quite often I am missing the top spot on any championship races. My last runner-up position was only last October at the Swiss marathon championships. It was also about the last of my Winter/Spring races where the intention was to get back to where I sort of have been over shorter distances.

The course is super flat. First you have to do about a kilometer loop on grass around the starting area before you head out to the sea side. It is an out and back course along the coast. The turning point goes has actually got a few meters of ascent in it but I guess after nearly 5 miles of dead flat terrain this is just what you want.

A factor at the coast is always the wind and that could not be discounted on the day. It weren't any strong cross winds but it starts to eat on you as they just wouldn't get any easier. On the way out the wind was slightly with us but that would change once we turn around. And from there it was pretty brutal as there is just no shelter at all.

After the start there were 2 runners going out fast but you could see that this was way beyond their 10 mile pace. So I hang in there in 3rd position and made my move after on the second kilometer. Soon I was on my own and thought - ha, that went well all I have to do is to get the pace all the way around. And as I was running along the shore I spotted Charles Bruford - the Principal of our school. After about mile two I heard that I wasn't alone. Footsteps were coming closer and closer so I was soon in company of Howard Bristow. I gave him the lead and just aimed to go with his pace. It was only a few seconds per kilometer faster than mine but I had to realize after another good mile that it was to much for me as I could feel that my heart rate was getting higher and higher. Ever so slowly he pulled away from me which was really frustrating! But on a positive note it was really nice as all the people who were just having a nice day at the beach cheered us on.

I spotted that he didn't wear the extra number you get when you are running for the Kent Champion. Even though I couldn't keep up with him I thought I still have a chance to win this title.
After 5 miles you get to the park with the bit of ascending. I could see that I got closer again but as we were back down at the seafront he pulled away again. With every step I tried to keep the balance between going hard enough but not to fast to blow closer to the finish. The pace dropped around 10-15 seconds per kilometer which was due to the wind.
I reached the finish after 53:28 in 2nd position exactly 30 seconds behind Howard Bristow. I was well clear of 3rd place - David Hattersley who was on the course shouted he would estimate two minutes by the looks of it and he was pretty accurate.

It was a good way to finish the early year road races. I didn't quite get to the pace I wanted to by the end of it but on the positive note I have not been injured or anything in this period. And this was before the training camp so hopefully this will give me a bit of a boost in the right direction!

Homepage Folkestone 10 mile
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Shoes: Scott Palani RC

2nd place at Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon

I have been a bit limited in the last few weeks by my hip muscles which are really sore. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I have tried to break up the fibrous tissue of the ITB with a foam roller to enhance the development of the muscle tissue. I think it has had a real good effect, but at the same time the area got somewhat destabilized and the insertions of the gluteal muscles (bum cheek) are struggling with the additional load. 

Because I had an exam on Friday I was not able to put in the same training effort than I would have wished - but then again it's more important I bring my osteopathic studies to a good end. So I did a training run Saturday morning including the Maidstone Park run to get a few miles in and a positive running feeling. Thanks for the company all around Tom! Just after the run I had a massage where I had to realize how bad the state of my quads and gluteals actually were. They need a lot of work and I was a bit unsure how that would influence my performance for the TW Half. 

The conditions were relatively good running weather - if only there wouldn't have been this wind which made it feel pretty cold. Gathering at the starting line of the 2000 men and women strong field I saw a few familiar faces from the Tonbridge AC including Julian Rendall. I had quite a battle against him in Canterbury and was wondering if I was able to convert the improvement on the road which I have felt during the Cross Countries. Among other runners there was with James Laing (24th Ally Pally) a familiar face from the MET League as well as the winner of Ally Pally - Paul Martelletti.

As a bonus local star and double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes gave the starting signal and did the race herself as a preparation for her Marathon debut in London. So off we were and Paul set the pace right from the beginning. Only a few meters back a whole bunch of athletes were following. I tried to hide myself in there somewhere as I did not want to lead in the wind. The group was still relatively big after three kilometers which I was surprised because the pace sure wasn't slow (~3:15min/km). I closed the gap to Paul and he was pulling me along for the next two kilometers which allowed me to get some space between me and the next runner. I felt that his pace wouldn't be very healthy for me as I would hit the wall at some point. So I let him go and the gap would just grow very slowly. But on a more important notice I was able to drop all other runners at this early stage of the race - if this only would not get back to me I thought. 

As I approached the half way point Paul was only half a minute ahead with the big hill just waiting for us so the 34:30 split was not reliable. I had no idea how far back the other runners were because I did not look back once. I thought it was important to keep the focus to myself and keep myself within a zone where I was comfortable but then again not too comfortable. My plan was to pick up the pace again when I reached the top of the hill and to sustain the pace on the last 5 kilometers. I was able to convert my targets and crossed the line in exactly 1:11:00. 

In secret I was hoping for a slightly better time but considering the course with about 220 meters uphill it was quite undulating. I really enjoyed the course and can truly recommend this race to anyone. Well organized, nice course route and great hospitality. To my surprise the leg didn't play up really except for a little niggle which reminded me of my limits. It was once more a positive outcome and I am looking forward to set hopefully a new PB at the Folkestone 10 mile race. 

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Shoes: Scott Palani RC

Met League fixture 5 at Alexandra Palace

The iconic Alexandra Palace hosted the last race of the cross country metropolitan league. Alexandra Palace was home of the world's first regular television service.

However, this was not of much interest a few hundred yards away. It looks always great with the tents and beach flags presenting their colours - it always reminds me of what medieval joust could have looked like - on a different scale obviously. Anyway it is always great to meet the club mates and other athletes. I did the warm up with Shaun Dixon who was looking for his first win of the season at the Met League before he moves to Amsterdam.

The temperatures were just a few degrees above zero, but the wind made it quite uncomfortable so everybody made sure they would be warm until they headed for the starting line. It was a three lap course consisting of a flat loop around the park with a brisk up & down section just underneath Alexandra Palace. Today it was muddy. Very muddy in places. Well who cares once you're dirty it doesn't get any worse does it.

Right after the start I struggled already in the slippery mud. I felt like I couldn't possibly run any faster without reeling which would mean more effort but not faster. So all I could do was to wait for firmer ground and focus on a stride where I would not waste to much energy. I was probably around the 40th position initially but was soon able to overtake a few runners. I was sitting back in the uphill only to change gears as we hit the top. This way I was able to jump from one group of runners to the next.
On the last lap there was a group of four runners I really wanted to catch but whenever I tried to go harder I would slip again. So I made the most of my abilities and made sure nobody would catch me.

This was certainly one of the best performances I have had in this league finishing in 17th place. Not only the position was a lot better than four weeks ago (31st) but also in comparison with the same athletes I was able to leave a few more behind me averaging some 50 seconds faster compared to the same runners. This shows my form is going in the right direction. I was second scorer of the team with Tom Phillips coming in 12th position not having his best day.

I heard some hard working athletes haven't got home before 2 am. I guess that's the result of a free bar! Terry I wish you a good start in Spain and thanks for all the sweat and tears you have given for the Woodies :)

Today I can feel again my gluteal muscles of my left hip, I hope this will be good again next weekend for the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon. It will be interesting who will turn up on the second fixture of the Kent Grand Prix. It sure will be a good race.

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Horsenden Hill XC Met League & Canterbury 10 mile

Back in the mud - Horsenden Hill

After a short last season I plan to train and race a lot more than last year. Last weekend I started with my London Club (Woodford Green) at the traditional XC metropolitan League. It was a first timer for me at Horsenden Hill. What I have heard of the venue was that its usually deep mud more or less all around the course. That's not exactly what I like ;)

And it was really muddy - apparently not as bad as it has been in recent years. But the water was forming some puddles in places and the previous categories have left quite a mess. Even my 9mm spikes did not help much - and from what I have heard neither the 15 mm spikes. I started relatively slow and was expecting a battle for half an hour with myself which it really was. After only a couple of minutes I was thinking of every possible excuse to abandon the race as it was no fun at all. However I came all the way here and everybody is in the same situation so I knew I had to deliver the best I possibly could. 

In this three lap course there were places where I didn't had any grip at all, constantly slipping. It seemed the runners around me were better off. However in the bottom part of the course the grip was better and I was able to take over a few runners.

As I was running I could feel all muscles connected to the greater trochanter (where you feel the hip bone) because I have been braking up the facial tissue with a foam roller around it. Over the years this area has stiffened up considerably so I thought its the perfect timing of the year to make a change. From the research I have read (mainly G. Schleip) I thought I have to try for myself. And it really seems to have an effect as the muscles have to compensate now for the lack of stability of the passive structures. 

I ended up on the 31st place - not being able to close the gap to the runners in front of me on the last lap. Considering the type of course and my form I think the result was ok - it could have been worse. Cross country running is tough and always a good exercise to analyze strength, cadence and core stability. I think the strength training I have done is certainly doing some good but I have to keep working. However it was difficult to bring the legs forward - especially as the shoes were glued in places to the ground. Next and last stop of the Met League series will be Ally Pally in February. 

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Canterbury 10 - or how to battle for a place on the podium

The first Kent Grand Prix was held today over the distance of 10 miles in Canterbury. With nearly 1200 finishers it was well-attended. Probably more than they were expecting because the organizers were struggling handing out the numbers, there was a lack of available toilets and also the bag drop was overextended once all the runners came back. 

I made up my thoughts what I want from that race. It was important to me not to start to quick and to maintain the speed in the bottom half. I would have to see how to adapt as the race was unfolding. There was one young runner quickly getting away from the field. I thought fair enough - he would probably hit the wall at some point. Greenwood from Kent AC was chasing him. I looked on my watch and decided to hang on with the bunch as I couldn't have gone any quicker anyway. 

I was soon forming a group of three with Jackaman (Cambridge) and Rendall (Tonbridge). I could barely follow them and kept myself back in the last position as we ran roughly a 3:20 min/km (5:20 min/mile). They both seemed to be confident and my thoughts were how long I was able to hang in there. This would change as we came to the first hill. Jackaman soon lost touch and I then followed Rendall to the top. 

As it got flat again I could feel that he was struggling a little so I pushed a bit harder. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold onto the 3rd place on my own for the second half so I let Rendall get back to me but made sure he had to suffer for it. He then took over the lead again and tried to get away after about 10 kilometers. I really struggled to follow but was able to stay with him. Soon after he was not able to maintain the pressure and as we hit the last hill just moments later I made sure there would be a little gap as I seemed to be more efficient uphill. It was now less than 4 kilometers to the finish but I only had like 10 meters. Sometimes that is all you need! The mind game was full on. I made sure to show no sign of weakness. I focused on a steady pace and effective stride (harder does not mean faster - and a tick faster is not necessarily harder). I reached the finish after 54:13 minutes in third position, just 8 seconds in front of Rendall. I was sorry for him because he did a lot of leading work until I was able to put a gap between us but that is racing. 

Abel Tsegay was the young African lad getting away quickly and finishing in 51:36. Certainly a runner to look out for as he has not reached his 20th birthday if I was informed correctly. 

I really enjoyed this race with its competitive field with the change of rhythm. It was also great to see so many familiar faces from the Maidstone Harriers family! 

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Shoes: Scott Palani RC

Top 10 bei Morat - Fribourg!

Morat-Fribourg is to my knowledge the most traditional run in Switzerland. This years edition was already the 82nd and attracted more than 12000 runners in total. It is in memoriam of the messenger of the battle of Morat in 1476 who was carrying a branch of lime tree to Fribourg to proclaim victory - similar to the messenger from Marathon to Athens.

It is the first time I made an appearance at this run. It is 17.17km long (~10.7 miles) and has about 300 meters of incline. It is a fast road course which gives me the opportunity to use my favourite shoe - the Scott Race Rocker. The race is usually dominated by runners from Africa. This should not be any different as the winners of the last couple of years were again at the start giving each other a hard fight to the finish line. I was not to sure of my own capabilities. My last training runs were strong and fast but I had no idea what it was really worth and if I could go with the fastest Swiss runners.

Right from the start in Morat I ran my own pace and didn't bother what the others did. After the first Kilometer I was in about 40th position and at one point it was the first female runner leading! I always say it does not matter if you run the first Kilometer with the leading pack - you just overexert yourself right from the beginning. If you can put in this effort on the last Kilometer - that is when it counts.

In the meantime I was overtaking all (native) Swiss runners and after 4 Kilometers I was running just a few seconds behind Tesfaye Eticha (4x Jungfrau Marathon winner) and Oumoussa. I could drop all the other runners and was now in 9th position. Just before we got to the halfway mark, I bridged the gap to these two runners. When they realised somebody was coming from behind the gave each other a look saying "who the hell is that".
I took my turn in leading our group. On the downhill to Kilometer 12 just before the biggest climb I got a stitch and lost about 40 meters on my rivals. I managed to get rid of it just in time to get back in touch with them on the uphill. The huge crowd literally carried me over the climb and I managed to overtake both of them so I tried to break at least one of them. It seemed to work as Eticha fell back a little. On the big road into Fribourg I didn't had the gear anymore to go with Oumoussa. I had to let him go little by little. And just before we got to the very final climb Eticha was back on my heels. He rushed past me and as we approached the climb I didn't had the strength anymore to fight back. I was giving everything but that was not enough - I pushed probably to hard on the penultimate climb. I crossed the finish line in 9th position and in a time of 57:47 which is an average of 3:21 - a respectable result on this course.

 

During the race everybody was cheering for me as everybody assumed I would be the first Swiss runner. It was not until after the race that I learned that Tesfaye Eticha has got also the Swiss passport.

It was a great race for me and I loved the atmosphere. The organisation is fantastic and very professional. Merci pour tous Fred ;) I will be back for more! It is a shame not more runners from the German part of Switzerland participate in this race.


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Shoes: Scott Palani RC

Ultraks Zermatt

Ultraks Zermatt K46

It was only the third edition of this race which replaced my favourite competition - the Matterhornlauf. I guess there are not many places which could inspire you more than Zermatt and the peaks which surround you. Zermatt - one of those places where cars are not allowed - has its very own charm. Especially in the light of the Matterhorn!

I knew this would be my longest race I would have done so far with 48km and 3600 meters of up & downhill with start and finish is in the heart of Zermatt (1605 m). And thats the kind of race where you know you would have to pace yourself well to make it to the finish in one piece.
The guys from Scott (thanks Martin) organized an apartment for the weekend where the whole team could stay. It was very nice to meet with all the other great athletes from all kinds of countries and also the crew from Scott. We sure had a good time! It gave me also the opportunity to help my teammate Elisa Desco with a hyper-contracted adductor muscle before the race. It felt a lot better and probably prevented her from any discomfort during the race.
Analyzing the times from previous years I set my target to beat the 5 hour mark. I knew this was going to be very hard as not many runners have done it previously. And they had more than 3 months of training. I also set a minimal target as 5:15 hours.
I had a bit of a handicap because on the Wednesday before the race I was doing some applesauce in a pressure cooker with apples from the garden. Even though the valve was in its original position somehow there was still pressure in it. When I tried to open the pressure cooker the lid would fly off and actually boiling applesauce was flying everywhere. The result was a burnt back of my left hand. Look for yourself what it looked like a week later. This was not what I needed before my biggest race of the season. It seems like I was incredibly lucky in the long-term outcome without any sensation changes.

 When we gathered for the start at 7 am in the morning it was really cold. The forecast was really good so nobody bothered about wearing to much. The pace felt quite hard right from the beginning. The first few kilometers I joined Martin Anthamatten as we climbed towards Sunnegga. Just as we approached it the first sunrays dazzled us through the highest trees as we just reached the forest line. It was pure magic! I tried to hold on to my pace, not overdoing it but also not to lose contact to the group of runners I was in now. After a short but brisk downhill we climbed up to the Gornergrat (3130m). Yes the air is thin up there, especially if you are not used to it. But again - the scenery is just spectacular with the Monte Rosa - the highest peak of Switzerland - in the backdrop. During the following downhill I did a misstep which hurt quite a bit. I tried to stay focused but only about a minute later I was about to do another one. Thanks to a reflex I avoided further damage but smashed my other shin on a rock instead.. After a bit of swearing I was back on track but loosing quite a bit of time on some specialists. It was Pere Aurell who went past me as if he had stolen something...

During the next climb up to Schwarzsee I could see a few combatants in front of me. I tried to go my own pace but also trying to catch up the guys in front of me which were not exactly low profile athletes. Even though we were high up in the mountains I was boiling and using everything I could to stay cool and hydrated and energized with the bottles I was carrying with me. For that I used the old version of this Scott bag. Even though this meant I was carrying constantly more weight I was able to drink at any time I wanted and what I wanted. And I was able to refill it on top of the peaks where the aid stations were.

On the third and last big climb above Stafel I was out of juice. In about the only section which could be considered as flat I was feeling dizzy which was a good 4 hours into the race. At that point I just tried to get as much sugar in as I could and the goal was now just to make it to the finish line with the least damage. I recovered a bit as I got to Trift. The last 200 meters uphill was followed by about 800 meters downhill in 3 kilometers. In case your legs have not been sore before they certainly will be now! During this downhill I was chased by Eirik Hausgnes and after a lot of pushing downhill I caught a stone with my foot and landed on my front. Nothing happened and I was standing already again before he was able to pass me but I gave way to Eirik as all I wanted is getting down without any injury. I was hanging on to the 9th place in 5:09 hours which I thought was realistically a good result in this highly competitive field which counts towards the skyrunning world cup.
It was great to see that my long-time rival and friend Martin Anthamatten was able to take the win on hometurf with almost a 10 minute gap to the second runner. Well done!

The views were absolutely stunning throughout the race. I think every competitor would agree in this. And the trails are so well done that you don't have to worry to much about any missteps. It just happens if you are going for any shortcuts or are trying to go faster than your legs allow you to. It is an incredibly beautiful race I can recommend to anybody. There is also a 16km, 30km and a vertical race (uphill only).

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Shoes: Scott Kinabalu RC
Bag: Scott Trail Summit 16