Mallorca Training camp

So in March I went on a trainingcamp for the first time ever.

Seb, me, Ironmario, Tobi in Petra waiting for coffee and bread, 
on top: Timmi, me and Seb on Sant Salvador

Me and my buddy Seb were happy about having found a nice hotel with 25m pool, spa and a reasonable price. Shortly after we got there we found out it is one of THE Triathlon hotels on Mallorca. Hotel ferrer janeiro

So many freaks everywhere: Pro-Triathletes, Triathletes that booked a full training camp with trainer, etc, county elite teams... 95% of the customers there were aspiring triathletes.

On the first day we only ran, because we got there in the afternoon.

Due to my full agenda on the days before I couldn't really sleep much so I slept 10 hours. We got up around 8 and out of the hotel at 8:15 and were some of the last to leave the hotel for training. haha Freaks!

Anyways... we had a good time, missed the veggie restaurant in Inca 2 times, because of their opening times, had seen 3 veggie restaurants in Palma de Mallorca, cycled 850 km in 7 days on the bike, met nice people, spent hours and hours in the spa and ate probably more than double what "normal" people eat, but still all vegan, much raw and these 9 days felt soo soo great!
We did on guided tour, which was offered from the hotel, with the pro-triathlete Tine Holst. She was supernice to us, showed us new routes and gave us hints for races. She also works a few hours as physiotherapist and since my knee started to hurt, I had an appointment with her, which gave me quite some insight and made me continue training with far less pain. She's one positive, very nice person. You should definitely try to meet her, once you're in Ca'n Picafort!

Did I say we also went to Petra, which is the cyclists "Mekka" on Mallorca. I could have easily lived without the experience of hanging out there, but the pa amb olives (bread with olives, for us a vegan version with tomatoes on the bread) was really good. I will most definitely come back next year!!!
Ah yeah.... before I forget: We ate at Temple Natura in Palma. We really liked the mune del dia and they had enough vegan stuff for us. 

So this was the starter plate of the 1st evening

 

This was our second trip towards puig major

Off day in Palma, Cathedral in the back.

The other side of the cathedral site, towards the sea.

Our second to last trip with high elevation climbs. This is Sa Calobra! THE elevation climb on Mallorca!

Me and the Iron Mind Crew ran the Bleilochlauf in Kloster/ Schleiz in Thuringia. It is one of the most beautiful runs I ran and was my first real run, my impulse for starting to train 4.5 years ago, so it is special to me. Jan-Albert, Rene and me went there in one car. We got there late friday night and went into the ship, where we usually stay to meet up with Dominik and Thomas and sleep. Jan-Albert came from the north of the Netherlands to win the race and he did. 1:34h was his finish time. Congratulations!!!

Vegan Power placing 1st! Jan-Albert Venema, Team Iron Mind

I was slower than last year and not really satisfied but still placed 8th out of more than 100 and the run was nice as always. 
 

I had also asked my friend Freddy to put up a show in the evening after the run, which he did. Unluckily my own band had to cancel, so I just helped running the show in the evening. "Final Prayer", "Dogchains" and "Reality Returns" were on the bill as well as "Light it up" who replaced us. Awesome lineup, good atmosphere together with awesome dudes and great food it made a perfect day in Schleiz! I wish a weekend can always be like this. Iron Mind Army!

This weekend we will play 2 shows:

Dinslaken May 10th

Arnhem May 12th

Finally I do own a new bike:

I love to ride this rocket!

Climbing in a former industrial complex: Landschaftspark Nord in Duisburg

Pic taken on my way back home from Herne on my last 30+ run before the Marathon. This is Nordsternpark Gelsenkirchen.

Both these sites on the pics above belong to the Route der Industriekultur (Route of industrial culture)

Check this out if you speak german:
Milch und Kalzium

My daughters Confirmation in her christian believe (not mine!!! haha) took place at the end of april and therefore we had to find a vegan catering service. Luckily Papa Lufu took these duties and prepared several pizzas, african rice meals, pasta, desserts, bread, spreads, a soup, etc. This awesome stuff together with our selfmade cakes and salads made up a wonderful and satisfying meal. I can only recommend "Delicious" for catering but also as a restaurant. Check it out! Organic, vegetarian and 90% vegan.

Next race for me: Vivawest Marathon May 12th

Training March 22nd- May 9th

22nd: Played a show in Saalfeld and therefore did not much apart from ropeskipping and the show
23rd: Landed on Mallorca, ran 15,5k incl. intervals, then some minutes on spinbike, then training power
24th: 8k running, 135 cycling, then coupling run 15 min
25th: 1k swimming, 166k cycling incl. 4 of the hardest elevation climbs (puig major, Coll de soller, etc.) , only spa afterwards
26th: 10k running, some weightlifting, 102km cycling at 29km/h, kneeproblems, 6,5km coupling run (fast), 1,4k swimming
27th: 20 min power and stability training, 130k cycling with Tine Holst, 12k coupling run at (5min/k, then 4.20 min/k)
28th: 2.7k swimming and then off to Palma... Palma... Palma de Mallorca!
29th: 2,4k swimming, 145k cycling up to Sant Salvador with Timmi (our new teammember), just 10 min coupling run, then physiotherapy appointment with Tine
30th: 2,6k swimming incl. 3*400m faster and 4*100 with progressing speed, 135k cycling (Sa Calobra)
31st: 18k running (incl. 10*1k from 3.55 to 3.40 pace), 96 k cycling incl. 1.6k elevation climbs, then power and stability
April 1st:  58 min running, power and stability    in Total: 85k running, 880k cycling and 8,7k swimming

2nd: Yogastretch and stretching
3rd: 1.4h cycling on fitnessbike
4th: 2.7k swimming
5th: 2.8k swimming
6th: 1.4 cycling on my TTbike for the first time, then played a show in Aachen
7th: Olympic Triathlon in Voerde in 1:58
8th: Yogastretch
9th: 100 min running incl. 7*1k at 4:00 pace
10th: 2.8k swimming, later 65 min running easy, then played a show in Essen
11th: Power and stability
12th: 2.8k swimming
13th: 19k running at marathonpace, moshing at a show in Duisburg, later 19k back home slower

14th: 35k cycling with my GF (meaning really slow), then 35 back home at faster pace
15th: 2.5h cycling
16th: running and cycling, but easy. ca 40k cycling, 4k running
17th: 2.8k swimming
18th: Power and stability, then swimming
19th: Restday
20th: Bleilochlauf: 24k run with elevation climbs!!! in 1:41:47
21st: 5 min running with Jan-Albert so show him the Schalke Arena, haha, some stretching
22nd: 2.10h cycling
23rd: 57 min cycling on fitnessbike incl. HIIT
24th: 30 cycling to Herne in the morning, 32k running back from Herne in the afternoon
25th: Power and stability and rowing
26th: 2.6k swimming
27th: 1h cycling on fitnessbike
28th: 1:05 h cycling, 40 min coupling run incl. some exercises (stairhopping, pushups, etc.)
29th: 1h cycling on fitnessbike
30th: cycling, 6.5k running incl. 4*1k at 3.20 pace, cycling, then 30 min cycling on fitnessbike
May 1st: Climbing, 57k cycling, 20 min coupling run
2nd: 1h power and stability, rpeskipping, rowing, 30 min progressive run
3rd: 30k cycling in the morning, 30k back in the afternoon, 2.7k swimming in the evening
4th: 64 min running incl. 3*4HIIT, 1h cycling in the evening at 30.6km/h
5th: 115 km cycling at RTF Velbert with 1700m of elevation climbs, eating at Delicious afterwards
6th: 2.6k swimming
7th: 90 min running incl. intervals, but my body couldn't really... took a break, kept on running slower, stretch Yoga
8th: 2.7k swimming
9th: Yoga in the morning, 35min running

Video and gear

Check this vid, which has been shot on the second half of the marathon in Cologne.
Adidas tanktop, decathlons (cheapest) kalenji pant, "Zoot" compression calf guards, Nike+ Lunar Rejuvenate Presto, XSocks "Speed Metal". A good combination. I felt very comfortable with that gear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvUmDr6omKM

Cologne Marathon

Before the Marathon: 
I finished my 2nd Marathon ever. 
Cologne was a real good one, since such a crowd is really helpful, when they scream your name.
Me and Jasmin met at her parents place and went by car and tram to the Marathon start. I registered my bag and went to the start... had to go to the toilet for 3 more times... haha. Better now then during the race!

The first few kilometeres went slowly, due to the high number of runners. I have estimated 3:10-3:13h. I knew I could do the 3:10h, but would have had to do more 30Km + runs in training. I did the halfmarathon in 1:32h (pic above taken by Britta at 21,5km), so I thought I should make it in 3:10h, but after Km 30 my body slowly rejected the pace.
In the end I finished in 3:12:51 h, which is cool considering my lack of long joggs in training and the short specialized marathon training period of 2.5 weeks.

But this was the first run without blisters. My muscles weren't too sore in the end. Only the upper leg muscles. I wore compression calf guards by "Zoot" and my socks "Speed Metal" by X-Socks kept my feet fresh and vital. The shoes I ran my fastest 10km race with also proved to be the best marathon shoes I got. These are a sneakers version of the Nike Lunar Racer, but cheaper. Nike Lunar Rejuvenate Presto is the name and I have never seen those at usual running shops, but sneaker shops sometimes got these. They are truely amazing! I can only write this again... they proved to be fast at 10km, but they also proved to endure a marathon.

Food: I put a few Aptonia fruit jellys from Decathlon in my mouth behind my cheeks and didn't eat them but let them slowly disappear. That way the body gets the sugar constantly through the saliva that gets resorbed easier than through food in the stomach. I chewed a salt tablet, took two sachets of "High5 Energy Gel", ate some slices of banana and half an "Oat Energy banana bread" supplied by my sponsor "Alles-Vegetarisch.de" http://www.alles-vegetarisch.de/Suesswaren-Riegel-Davina-ENERGY-OAT-SNACK-Banana-Bread--70g-,art-1326.Oh I also had a maca tablet during and right before the race.
After the race I ate as much vegan stuff as provided. They had loads of raisin and nut mixes, apple water, laugengebäck, bread, bananas and apples. I think I stayed there for like half an hour to eat and drink.

After the run: 
Jasmins mother was kind enough to provide us with some proteins and carbohydrates through delicious potatoes and vegetables after the run. I was invited to my friend Kouider for dinner in Dortmund. So I drove there, got some north african starter (mixed vegetables with bread), a very nice salad, canneloni with spinach and more vegetables as second and prickly pears and figs as dessert. Thanks to people who are not even vegetarian themselves but are open minded enough to make dinner comfortable for vegans and even eat vegetarian on that day! I love you!
Didn't want to drive back home due to feeling worn out, so I slept at my friends place.
Got up in the morning around ten and we ate the remains of the dinner from the evening before. Then I went back home, picked up my daughter and we went waterskiing. No other sports to be done today!
I will see what tomorrow brings... either cycling or swimming. Good night!

I will post a pic of all my gear within the next few days!