On December 16th I had the chance to fly home. Almost 2 weeks of the home break were waiting for me. Yei - I have longed so much for it! On my travel day, I got my booster vaccination - yes that was risky but for me the best option :D.
The first days back home I took it easy and relaxed. The booster and jetlag said "hello". After a one-week training break, I started again on the following Monday.
Already the first days at home I noticed the beneficial effects. Home is simply medicine.
My first week: beautiful weather, but freezing temperatures. Brrrrr - I love it anyway. Plus, I went cross-country skiing for the first time in almost a decade. So beautiful.
Christmas days were cozy and quiet as usual with a small family circle. 😊
But what must not be forgotten? That's right, the New Year's Eve run!
The New Year's Eve run this year was again planned as a virtual run due to Corona. Every effort was made to represent the "AÜW|Georg Hieble New Year's Eve Run" as real as possible. The racecourse was marked out, and there was an official timing. In addition, each participant received an official start number. The distances were 5km and 10km. From 25.12.21 - 06.01.2021, the course was open. I consider the format is cool and the main organizer Laufsport Saukel did a great job. Thanks!
The positive thing about a New Year's Eve run in this format? I can run both distances 😉
Sunday 12/26/2021
New Year's Eve Run Part 1 😊 + first official run in Team Laufsport Saukel b_faster. I'm looking forward to running in the green jersey next year 😉.
The day was a bit rainy and had around 0 degrees Celsius - it is how it is :D
I met up with a few from the Laufsport Saukel team. So we didn't have to run all alone - I was very happy about that!
After the warm-up, we started. We agreed to keep an entry pace of 3:40 min/km, which I had calculated as a comfortable pace for the conditions. I knew the cold would be hard either way. Running in the company was soooo fun. The last 2 km dragged a bit; I noticed how my body was just stiff from the cold.
I was able to keep the pace, and I crossed the finish line with a 36:30 min!
Satisfied & happy. 😊
The following week enriched us with a lot of rain and unfortunately little sun. The snow is slowly disappearing - too bad. The days I used well for recreation 😉
Friday, 12/31/2021
New Year's Eve Run Part 2 - So, on the official New Year's Eve day, the run was duty 😉.
The weather: a DREAM! Cloudless and sunshine, no comparison to the days before.
That was also noticeable at the race site......already at 10 o'clock was hell going on there! No wonder, especially since it was also New Year's Eve.
Today, our squad grew, and I could meet more of the team in person. 😊 I thought that was nice; I feel comfortable already!
I decided to do the 5k. End of story: it was fun but had a bit of dying with a run-up for me. However, the time was still an acceptable 17:35 minutes. And as before, I am satisfied & happy with it. You can leave it like that.
Saturday 1/1/2021
Happy New Year to you all!
& bye-bye paradise! With a crying & laughing eye we drove to the airport - Florida is calling!
The time at home was short but valuable. I accomplished what I wanted to: recharge my batteries and fully recover.
Now work is calling again. The semester starts next week & the Indoor Track season is already ready in its starting blocks.
2021: A year of many ups and downs, many mistakes, lessons learned, successes, and so much more.
I finally made a breakthrough in the 10k in America this spring, with a time of 35:07 min. I spent most of the summer at home injured with an adductor strain. My triathlon season was shortened, but I still completed my first Olympic distance for the Cologne Triathlon Team. Fortunately, in September I could resume running training in a structured and pain-free manner, which went hand in hand with our cross country season. In December, I ran a half marathon out of joy in 1:21h, and on New Year's Eve, I could officially complete my first run for the Laufsportsaukel Team b_faster!
For this, I want to say thank you to every single person who supports and helps me.
2022: I am ready. I am on fire. I'm excited to see what the year will bring 😉 .
