You know, I thought that at 58, I wasn’t doing too badly with keeping fit.
Then we spent two days with our friends Wolli and Marion, and I realised that I need to adjust my standards.
At 73, Wolli has qualified for one of the legendary UTMB races around Mont Blanc, the 60 km OCC ultra. To prepare, he and Marion are spending a couple of weeks in the area, hiking sections of the route.
We were super happy to join them for two days. The great thing about getting together with other runners is that you can TALK about running without boring anyone. We had such a blast!
Of course, our hiking days were not exactly gentle strolls. On Monday, we got caught in the rain and on Tuesday, we were out for 8½ hours, covering 27 km and climbing 1,920 m (6,300 ft).
Kai and I struggled to keep up with Wolli and Marion, who seemed to be treating the whole thing as a warm-up.
Inspired by two people who clearly have no intention of slowing down, we returned to Zurich. On Saturday, we lined up for our own, considerably shorter 14 km race.
It was a beautiful little race, meandering through fields and past a mountain lake. I was too busy running to take photos, so here’s an official photo from last year to give you an idea:
We had 220m (720ft) of elevation in this race, so I planned to follow my favourite strategy: start off slowly and gradually get faster if I felt good. It worked beautifully!
I crossed the finish line in 1:02 and Kai came in just a few minutes after me. He looked strong and fresh, and he said he felt good throughout the race.
There were only 14 women in my age group, so I managed to snag the age-group win. But what pleased me even more was finishing 4th woman overall, just a minute behind 3rd.
Besides the running event, there was also a Schwingen competition, Switzerland’s traditional style of wrestling. It dates back to the 13th century and is deeply rooted in the Swiss Alpine regions.
When we got home, I texted Wolli and Marion about our race. They had just returned from another monster hike. I wished Wolli good luck for his ultra on Thursday, and he reminded me that just 10 days later, they would be lining up for their next challenge: the Jungfrau Marathon on 5 September.
Yep. I definitely need to adjust my standards.
- Do you have real-life fitness role models?
- What’s your favourite type of bread?
I am linking up with Jenny from Runners Fly and Jenn from Runs with Pugs for Tuesday Topics as well as Runners’ Roundup with Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, and Runs with Pugs!
I would say you REALLY aren’t doing too badly with keeping fit… but then there’s always friends who make you think otherwise! What a fantastic time you had hiking with Wolli and Marion, despite the rain. So glad you got to do this together.
And then you snagged another age group win at the race. Huge congrats, Catrina. You truly are inspiring! And I love that you got a “Zopf” as a race prize! Yum! 🙂
Was für unglaublich wunderschöne Landschaften, in denen du deine Fitness nochmal mit neuen Anreizen und Vorbildern auf Vorderfrau bringst! Wobei ich ja finde, dass vermutlich du als Vorbild für andere eine ziemlich gute Figur abgibst.
Bei diesem Posting lässt sich quasi alles bejubeln: neben den Landschaften, den fitten Freunden, der bewundernswerten Wanderung – 27 mit 1,920 hm bei Regen sind wahrlich kein Sonntagsspaziergang – der Platz auf dem Siegerpodest – Glückwunsch dazu! – diese tollen Preise, die sich mit Genuss verwerten lassen und für Zuschauerinnen am Wegesrand wie ich eine bin, ganz besonders diese herrlichen Landschaftsfotos!
Als Mittelfeldmensch nehme ich als Vorbilder, wenn ich sie mal brauche (selten), die anderen Mittelfeldmenschen, die sich trotz diverser Hindernisse gelassen und froh im Mittelfeld wohlfühlen und kein Problem damit haben, in dem einen oder andren Punkt auch mal ins Hinterfeld zu rutschen. Sich natürlich gleichzeitig freuen, wenn es auch Punkte über Durchschnitt gibt.
Letztlich sehe ich das pragmatisch: damit es einen Durchschnitt gibt, müssen auch Leute drunter liegen. Sonst wär‘s ja kein Durchschnitt. Hier und da stehe ich für diese Rolle zur Verfügung 😀
Und natürlich mag ich am liebsten (auch meine) frisch gebackene Brote mit Sauerteig, langer Gare und einem hohen Vollkornanteil. Solche weißen Zöpfe wie der gewonnene sind auch mal lecker … persönlich muss ich damit sehr vorsichtig sein weil ich auf Weißmehlprodukte und viele andere Backwaren schnell mit unangenehmen Blähungen bis hin zu Bauchschmerzen und Magenproblemen reagiere. Bisschen davon geht – aber wirklich nie viel. Lasst ihr ihn euch schmecken! (Falls nicht schon geschehen 😉