How to get in shape after a long winter

We all know after the last race of the season the following days are filled with parties and good food–and lots of it. I really do crave certain food that I didn’t get to eat during the season because it’s just “not good for me”.

Honestly, my opinion is that we need to have a down time after all the hard work and focus before the big race. We all deserve it! For instance, after Hawaii I took seven weeks off- completely. Meaning I had 3 runs (30-45 min) and 2 swims (1.5 – 2 km) and some minor sport activity and that was it. I am sure it’s not the ideal for some people, but I need that time to recharge and to live a “normal” life for a few weeks. Continue reading →

Chasing The Sun

What a great time! After Prague, I took some fun time off to explore Barcelona-which was awesome, impressive but also a bit stressful like most big cities.

After 6 easy days, I went back to another training camp to do some more necessary work. Location: the hot and dry south of France. The purpose of the camp was to get used to the heat and the sweltering hot conditions. Continue reading →

Update from Up High

After the successful cycling competitions at Luxembourg Champs, I packed my stuff and left Luxembourg for another long term training block. First, I went to the South of France, near Perpignan, and stayed there for a two week block. Focus was more on speed and getting used to some longer training sessions before heading to Font Romeu to enjoy three weeks of altitude training Continue reading →

Reflecting back on Beijing–and getting ready for a big racing month.

It’s time for some more news. After the trip to Austin, we continued our trip to Tampa, Florida, where we have been staying with our good friends Vanessa and Simon. We had a really good time so far and training is going pretty good again. The time in Austin was planned to get me back into shape and since then I have gotten my feet back on the ground here in Florida. My swimming and especially biking is on a very high level and I am very surprised about how big the steps are that I take- cause, hey I am 32 and I have been doing this for a while already. But I have never before focused so much on riding–and man–I can only say: bring it on. Simon is a great help, he has so much knowledge from his past pro cycling career so we have a lot to talk about every day. I also did my first triathlon clinic here in Flroida with him and that was lots of fun for all of us.

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Training in Lance Armstrongs’ Territory

After a well deserved week off in San Francisco, I travelled to Austin, Texas for a two week “getting back into it” training camp. My buddy Brant Speed, a former college runner who now turned into a strong cyclist, accomodated us at his place. We did several rides together and he showed us the crowded but amazing SXSW music festival that was going on last weekend. I really like the city of Austin but also need some time to get used to the many stop signs and traffic lights around here.

I was also very sad to hear the news about Mr Lance Armstrong crashing- he is back here in Austin, so my dream of going for a ride with him has to wait a bit longer…

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