The year 2024 has already brought a wealth of events in its first three months, yet the season is only just starting!
January began with a 3-day illness that confined me to bed. Initially, I was pretty mad, but in the end, this break proved to be a necessary reset for my body. Since my Covid illness last September, which left me incapacitated for weeks, I have been struggling with low recovery levels, an elevated resting heart rate, and aggravated asthma.
However, after three days of bed rest, I felt completely rejuvenated. My health improved significantly, and I was able to better cope with stress again. My training also started to go more smoothly. Sometimes, an infection is a key to recovery 🤗👌🏻.
On January 28th, I traveled to Cologne for the KTT01 Bundesliga weekend and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all my friends from Cologne again. As part of it, we all participated in the Pulheim relay marathon, with 16 KTT01 teams taking part - an incredible experience.
The competition was not only entertaining but also beneficial for my body. I ran the 10 km in 35:28 minutes comfortably and steadily, but I felt my asthma in the last 3 km. On a whim, I decided to run as a substitute in another relay for the 5 km after a short break. Initially, I only planned for an easy run, but it turned into a slightly easy tempo run (18:45 minutes). Very cool! The form is coming back :)
At the beginning of February, I was hit by another illness, a regular flu. And at the same time, an iron and vitamin D deficiency were detected - perhaps a tiny connection?
After a short break, I continued again. February went well: lots of work, training, and normal everyday life. ☺️
And now we've arrived in March, and it was time for the next performance check - the German Champs 10 km road in Leverkusen.
My personal best is almost 5 years old - 35:05 minutes. My goal was a time with a '34' in front, which should be achievable!
The race started on Sunday at exactly 1 p.m. The weather was simply fantastic - almost too warm, to be honest.
We had to run four laps. The first two laps went well. I felt comfortable and had fun. After 17:08 minutes for the first 5 km, I got anxious, and the last two laps were mentally challenging. I couldn't pull it together in the last kilometer anymore—the official time was 35:18 minutes.
It was still a solid time, that's true, but I was disappointed not to deliver. It was just underperformance. But I learned a lot and now know what I need to work on - and it's not about the training. :)
The following week was short - only four working days - and I couldn't properly recover because I went to Italy on Thursday. The weekend drained me; I was just exhausted. I was done. 😂
But, as they say, the show must go on!
I traveled to Tarvisio in Italy on Thursday for the Sky Snow World Championships!
Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Vertical - 3.6 km and 974 meters of altitude gain - up to Monte Lussari.
Saturday, 2 p.m.: 17.3 km and 630 meters of altitude gain.
I didn't have high expectations, especially since I was still completely worn out from the previous week. And specific training? None. The last time I ran in the snow or on trails was a few weeks ago. I only did hill intervals (2 minutes, 4 minutes, 6 minutes), usually once a week. But that's normal. 😂😂
There's not much to say; both races were just fun! The bad weather was immediately forgotten.
The Vertical was a real challenge. The snow was slushy, and running was very exhausting. It took me a while to find my rhythm, but gradually, I overtook some athletes. I had no idea what place I was in. I discovered I was the second woman at the finish - I became the vice-world champion.
I could hardly believe it, especially since I landed just behind the world champion, Tove Alexandersson, one of the most amazing elite athletes ever. Insane!
Less than 24 hours later, we were at the start of the Classic. Unfortunately, the snow turned into rain. I started rather slowly to see what was still possible. Since it was both uphill and downhill, I didn't have too high expectations, especially since downhill is not necessarily my strength. Haha.
Nevertheless, the race was fun, even though the snow was sometimes annoying. I focused on maintaining my rhythm. The last downhill was challenging, and I felt my legs getting tired. Running downhill was really much more exhausting than uphill.
My motto downhill was really: Living on the edge, no woman should overtake me anymore. And it worked! The last kilometer was tough, but I made it. Again, 2nd place, and only a few seconds behind Tove??!! Madness!
Double Vice-Champion. Who would have ever thought? Certainly not me!
And then two cherries on top: In the combined ranking (Vertical Kilometer and Classic), I also came second, AND we took second place in the team ranking!!! Vice-World Champions for TEAM GERMANY. Yes!!
I am incredibly proud of Team Germany. Everyone did their best and performed strongly. Mega!!!
It was a fantastic weekend. Great competitions, only good vibes, and an amazing team. It was just fun - please, again.
At this point, I thank Skyrunning Germany very much for allowing me to participate.
A huge thank you to Macy and Wendall, who founded Team Germany 2 years ago. Without you, we wouldn't be here. :)
And now? It's time to let the body recover and process the experiences. One week, four days spent only in the car, sleep deprivation, stress, and three competitions - it takes its toll.
So, first, relax and find your way back into everyday life :)
What's next? There are still 1-2 small training races in April, and on May 5th, I start my season at Powerman Alsdorf!!! The European Champs Duathlon is calling. :)
Woop. Woop. I'm super excited. See you soon :)
