Again it has been quite a while since my last entry here.
Anyways... I got some news:

I have a new personal best time on 10k running. On Feb. 16th I ran 10.1k in 38.35min, stopped 10k at ca. 38.10min. My two teambuddies got in just before me. Here are two pics of the OTVMeile in my hometown Oberhausen.

2nd is my teambuddy Seb, 3rd is me!

My boss at my part-time job wants to help me setting up a bike. So I got my new bike parts: frame, steering, wheels. Now almost everything is ready.

I only got the frameset of this picture

Our team Nordtriathleten (or better just Robert) organized another Funrun. It was a trailrun on a track near Oberhausen (Rotbach). We were 12 people, of which some are just new to the team. We did almost 8km on the track and ran a little hill (like 200m) up 3 times. 

Nordtriathleten and guests during Funrun (Trailrun)

I will soon do my first training holiday on Mallorca. I cannot wait. Only one more week, YES! This is the hotel where we're going to stay: Ferrer Janeiro

My daughter is going to get confirmed in her protestant belief in April and we'll probably have a friend catering for us. This is the link to his startup catering service: Eat without meat

I was a little worried about my bodyfat index. I have never had more than 3,4% bodyfat, then 3,2% last week. Probably need to find another way to measure it. Found on the web that 3.something is ok as long as you feel good. Since I have not been serioulsy ill within the last 3 years, I might just be ok with it. I still feel very good! Need to check my blood again, though.

On Facebook I have come across the portrait of a person, who I really look up to:

WernerHofstetter   but I also hope to be inspiring a little myself.

My friend Tete (fellow vegan ultrarunner) from Barcelona and me have a portrait in a small book project called: "Sweet and low" by our common friend Patrycia.

I have also answered and Interview on parenting and HClifestyle, which will soon be online. I will let you know!

Training Febr. 17th- March 21st:

17th: 95 min running through woods, then 90 min cycling (indoor)

18th: Restday

19th: Toning Yoga, 1.20h cycling on fitnessbike

20th: 2.6km swimming

21st: Rowing, Power, 35 min running incl. 3 sprints and progressing pace

22nd: 2.5km swimming

23rd: 52 min running with weigths incl. 3 sprints

24th: Restday

25th: 54 min running, incl. 4 sprints

26th: 60 min running, 80 min cycling 

27th: 2.3km swimming, 70 min cycling in the evening (strength endurance)

28th: Power and stability

1st: 67 min running incl. 5*400m fast (3.20pace), then played a show

2nd: 93 min running through Hamburg along the "Alster", later Show

3rd:  120 cycling on spinbike, 12 min running with my daughter

4th: 3.2km swimming

5th: 65 min running

6th: 2.7km swimming, 17 min Yoga Stretch, 88 min running incl. 3 sprints

7th: 12 min rowing, 30 min power and stability

8th: 2.2km swimming,

9th: 1.10 h trailrun with my teambuddies (Funrun) incl. hillrepeats, later 1.20h cycling

10th: 70 min cycling, later 78 min running

11th: Restday

12th: 63 min running

13th: 2.7km swimming, 10 min toning Yoga, later indoor climbing

14th: 36 min running, 6 min rowing, power and stability

15th: 2.2km swimming

16th: Restday

17th: 1h running incl. 3 sprints, 90 min cycling

18th: 93 min running in barefoot shoes

19th: 35 km easy cycling, Yoga (Toning and Stretch)

20th: 35 min swimming, 85 min cycling

21st: 1.4km swimming, later power and stability, rowing ropeskipping and 40min run (progressive)

Stair running, heart diseases, next races + shows

 “Don't always walk on the smooth roads, walk ways
that no one has travelled before, so as to leave
behind traces and not only dust…”  Antoine de Saint-Exupéry


Hey!
Lately I have tried to integrate stair running in my training plan. After having done a stair run at the Halde Norddeutschland with my training buddy Robert I really got inspired. Fridays is a good day for me to run stairs on the Halde Hohe Mark in Recklinghausen. The view from the top of this slagheap is amazing: You can see the whole Ruhrarea, incl. the Schalkearena and the Signal Iduna Park, the Gasometer and so much more. But as much as it is a nice spot it can be a very high intensive training.
Last sunday we met up with a few fellow triathletes to go running there. My program after the warmup was to run the first 3 flights of stairs and back down to the start, then 5 and back, then 7, then 9, then 11, until the whole way up. One complete way up consists of 595 stairs and 100m height.
It is exhausting but also a very pleasant change from the daily routine of just running the same old route.
The day before I went 15km running in barefeet shoes on snow and trailtracks I have always wished to run when driving past in my car. It feels very good to skip the daily routine and set different stimuli.

There are several benefits from stair running:
stairrunning engl    treppenlauf deutsch
If you're eager you can also compete here: Treppenmarathon

Last week I have also done a 15km trail run with barefeet shoes on snow. I ran tracks I never ran before, some would have not been easy to run on if it wasn't for the snow. It felt great!!! So good when you're leaving your routine behind and search for new ways, explore new tracks, see new parts of the surrounding einvironment. You know this moment, when you see a hill and you know you want to run up there. It was just a very small hill that I have seen, but that was one destination I was heading for. I love to make new experiences, because that makes me think I am not old, because I will still grow. Of course I won't grow in height, but mentally, I can grow stronger physically and yeah... still experience new things, discover new goals in life. I hope for everyone to have this feeling at some point no matter how old you are.

Someone posted an interesting diagram on heart dieseases and its relation to (un)refined food consumption in different countries. Have a look!


I still try to eat 30-50 rawfood a day. Many fruits are the basis of my diet until the afternoon. Had banana, apple and pears + müsli today already. I have bought the Sunwarrior raw protein, so after training my proteins derive from raw food resources.

No, I don't get sponsored, I just think it is really really good.

Sunwarrior is very expensive, but judge for yourself if you think it is worth the money. I certainly do. Also try out the different tastes. I got natural and the taste is not overwhleming, but you can always mix it with chocflavoured milkalternatives and then it tastes pretty good!


The next races I am going to partake are:

Feb. 16th. OTVMeile in my hometown Oberhausen. My team Nordtriathleten is setting for the team championship.
OK... haven't managed to finish this blog entry ealrier, so it is over by now and I finished the 10.1km in 38.35min, which is my new PB! Yeah!
April 20th: Bleilochlauf in Kloster (Schleiz) probably combined with a show of my band Getitdone! on the evening after the show. 24km hilly running and a show in the evening! Psyched!

My band will also play in Hamburg on March 2nd, so get there!

Training Jan 18th- Feb 16th
18th: 2,2km swimming
19th: 70 min cycling
20th: 85 min cycling, 1h power and stability
21st: Restday
22nd: 73 min easy running incl. 3 sprints, then 90 min cycling on indoor trainer
23rd: 90 min easy cycling on fitnessbike
24th: 75 min cycling on fitnessbike
25th: 73 min running on a slagheap (stairruns), later 1,9km swimming
26th: 1.30 h cross country sking on Halde Hoheward with my girlfriend
27th: feeling sick, but had to go to a swimming course to better my technique
28th: sick, resting
29th: sick, resting
30th: 1.10 h cycling, a very short run of a few mins and a few exercises
31st: 1h cycling on fitnessbike, then 35 min toning and stretch yoga
Feb 1st: 1,8km swimming (still ill, couldn't do more)
2nd: 1.05h running and stability exercises
3rd: 2h cycling inl. 3*5min with hard resistance, then power and stability exercises
4th: short cycling warmup, then 33 min running incl. running exercises and 5 sprints
5th: 1h running incl. 3 sprints
6th: 2,65km swimming, then 18 min stretchYoga
7th: 45 min power+ stability exercises, later 70 min cycling on fitnessbike incl. hill intervals
8th: 3km swimming
9th: 1.50 cycling, 80 min trailrun incl. 3 sprints with barefeet shoes
10th: stairrun at Halde Hoheward, later power and stability exercises
11th: only a few power and stability exercises
12th: 2,8km swimming
13th: 2,6km swimming,  later exercises for coordination and 18 200m intervals with 200m slowjogs in between (after warmup of course and cool down at the end)
14th: 20 min cycling, 15 min running, 10 min rowing and some power and stability exercises
15th: 2,6km swimminf, 38 min running
16th: 10,1km race in 38.35 (new PB), a few minutes on fitnessbike later on

The world is changing for the better...

Lately I have been thinking about this a lot because I can see a significant change towards a more conscious lifestyle in todays society.

In 1996 at the age of 16 I have made a conscious and consequent step towards a vegan lifestyle.

I remember being happy when seeing soymilk in a supermarket and not having to pay a lot for an undelicious soymilk from the health food store.

I ran around with a "Veganissimo 1" in my backpack all the time.

Just today I went to Netto (german discount grocery store). Nowadays I can get soymilk, fakemeat stuff and organic bananas there. But they also label many of their products "vegan", even the aceto balsamico I have bought. That is an incredible progression towards a more conscious society und unthinkable 10 years ago.

3 weeks ago I went running with these fine dudes that are running the blog "beVegt". The forest "Stadtpark in Frankfurt was our destination and we ran almost 22km. Really nice!

Daniel, me and Katrin

We had an incredible hangout, good talk, they prepared a delicious meal and I have tasted their energy bar http://www.bevegt.de/selbstgemachte-energieriegel/. Thanks to you for these hours spent!

There's two more things that I want to see happening soon:

A network of veggie/vegan handymen, financial advisors, etc. so that I can choose for veggies to do jobs for me. I don't want my money to support other people to buy more meat and exploit more animals or perhaps even buy guns to go hunting! So someone should get that sort of info network together, please! 

I would also love to see a petition asking for all the german chocolate producers to leave butterfat out of their bitter chocolates. Until around ten years ago I was able to eat all the christmas chocolate stuff, but nowadays it is hard to come by vegan christmas stuff.

Another question: What's up with filtering fruit juices? It can be made with gelatine. Need to find that out as well. Anyone's got a hint? I've just heard that Aldi Süd's apple juice is vegan. I am happy about hearing that since it is my fave apple juice.

The second to last weekend I went running with my friends Kerstin and Sebastian, accompanied by my girlfriend. We went 20km around the 6-Seen-Platte which is the running mekka in Duisburg.

Last weekend we went mountainbiking with several cool dudes from my triathlon club plus one more friend of mine. It has been my first time on a MTB after 2 years since my bike got stolen. Awesome! I really love it and need to buy a decent MTB soon again. 

Some of the best dudes to go mountainbiking with!

On the next day 4 of us from the MTB tour did the 10km race of our club in Oberhausen Schmachtendorf. Sebastian placed first in our age group, I was second. 

Nordtriathleten after the race

Me and Seb. The 3rd guy was not there anymore, but that pic is real! :-)

Finally I was brave enough to get a "vegan" tattoo. I do have "No more" tattooed on my inner lip, which is from a veggie song by "Youth of Today", but up until a few months back I was not 100% sure if I will stay vegan for the rest of my life.

Now I do know! I have been vegan for the last 16 years of my life, which is half my life now and it has never been as easy to live vegan as it is now. So why should I ever take that decision back. It is the best choice in my life and feels totally natural, healthy and compassionate. It has also become so easy. So I went to my buddys at Lifetime Tattoos and got Frank to do this on me, after Andre has done a three other big tats on me.

After the tattoosession I went to Lolu, which is really close. It is a nice veggie restaurant with several vegan options and meals. They got great fresh tea as well. I can really recommend the hummus with bread and the seitan burger.

Before heading there I went to my favortite organic bakery in Duisburg: Schomaker. They got vegan nougatrings as well as other sweet things and delicious bread rolls with olives, etc.

You cannot go wrong there!

Training November 18th- December 18th:
18th: 2h running with Katrin and Daniel of BeVegt in Frankfurt
19th: mixed workout with kettlebell, ergobike, rope, own body weight
20th: 1h badminton with my daughter, 2.1km swimming with speed intervals
21st: 1h easy cycling on my fitnessbike
22nd: ropeskipping, treadmill, fitnessbike, TRX training, own body weight exercises at my new job
23rd: 10 min running to the swimming hall, then 2.1km swimming
24th: 1h running with Fila Skeletoes, 34 min Yoga (toning and stretch)
25th: 2 climbing, then 20.5km running
26th: Restday
27th: 2.3km swimming
28th: 35 min running in Fila Skeletoes, then 40 min easy cycling on fitnessbike
29th: 1h power and stability exercises +  ropeskipping and running on the treadmill
30th: 1h running incl. 3 sprints (with Fila Skeletoes again)
Dec. 1st: 3h mountainbiking with my teammates and friends, then 30 min badminton with my daughter
2nd: Nikolausrun (crossrun) of Sterkrade-Nord (my club): 10km in 39.03min
3rd: 34 min toning and stretch Yoga, then 15 min easy running with my daughter incl. sprints
4th: 2,4km swimming
5th: 42 min running incl. 3 sprints in the morning (fasting run)
6th: 1h power and stability, then 65 min treadmill incl. 4 sprints
7th: 34 min easy cycling on fitnessbike
8th: 3 spinning, 25 min running incl. 5x1min at 20 km/h, then a few exercises for power
9th: 11.2km running on snow and ice
10th: Just Yoga (toning and stretch)
11th: 70 min running incl. 3 sprints
12th: 1h cycling, ca. 40 min power and stablity, 70 min running incl. 10 sprints (first four moderate, 6-10 harder)
13th: 36 min running, 5 min rowing
14th: restday
15th: 29km running incl. several runs up the Schlackeberg (big big slagheap) 
16th: 64 min cycling incl. 2x 6 high intensive intervals
17th: 1h easy cycling (to compensate the weekends training)
18th: 45 min easy running incl. 3 sprints

Interview on beVegt (blog in german)

On one of my most favorite blogs you can read an interview with me: beVegt
I have also planted my first tree on my own. It is a sweet cherry tree and now stands in what will soon be my garden: 

I just relax from a full weekend with much hardcore and less anything else.
On thursday I went to Cologne to see a concert of the almighty Cro-Mags. Their singer John Joseph is a triathlete as well, so we had talks about sports and later on this night I made him record a line for one of my bands songs. If you like HC, keep your eyes open!
On friday I had a show with my own band in Gotha. Since Gotha is in the most beautiful german country Thuringia I took my bike with me and cycled from gotha to the Wartburg in Eisenach, where Martin Luther had translated the bible and set a mark in world history. It was my second time there, but the first time I had a chance to sneak in. The way up the hill was pretty exhausting, but the view and the beauty of the castle was totally worth it.

This pic was taken on my way up to the castle.

After coming back from the trip to Eisenach I just ran 4.5km to the castle of Gotha and through the parc behind it.

I love when I can mix sports and culture/history.

I got back to the club after the run and food has been waiting for me, so I ate shitload of pasta and lentilsauce before taking a nap. We were set to play after twelve... and after our set the dudes at the club partied until early in the morning and didnt let us sleep. At 6.40 we wanted to get up to go home (I wanted to see my daughter playing a badminton tournament) and at 6.45 the punks of the club woke us up with "Bolt Thrower" and when we left the buiding at 7 4 of the party dudes already sat outside and continued or restarted drinking....  Crazy dudes!

So we got home and I couldn't do much sports, had to correct schoolstuff, so I went buying some vegan barbecue stuff for this show:

I was glad I had to take care of the veggie stuff and needed to go shopping for some more veggie stuff during the day.

On sunday I wanted to relax but the tournament of my lil one had only really started this day, so I needed to wake up early again (after 5 hours of sleeping) at 8 o'clock.
Later this day I met up with my fellow vegan buddy for a 125km cycling action towards the netherlands. The weather was amazing and it felt very good despite not having caught enough sleep.


Training May 26th to June 10th:
26th: have deleted my diary but i think I went cycling and running
27th: did exercises for my stability in the morning before jumping on my fitnessbike for 56 min. Did intervals on the bike and then went running 1.45h incl. sprints. Went swimming 1.3km in the lake later this evening.
28th: Went cycling with my team (80km), then 50 km to Düsseldorf and met up with a friend with whom I ran 10km.
29th: 2.2km swimming, then 5.5km running with my team at the 6-Seen-Platte in Duisburg.. Afterwards I went cycling (very slowly) with my girlfriend and with her, my daughter and a friend we went playing basketball.

Olgapark in Oberhausen. Playing Basketball

30th: 1.2 km swimming (quite fast), then running ca. 4.5km with my teammates in Essen-Borbeck.
31st: bricktraining: 15min cycling, 12 running, 18 cycling, 12 running, 18 cycling, 13 running. All quite fast as direct preparation for my first triathlon race this year.
June 1st:  60 km cycling to my work and back
2nd: easy going training with my schoolkids for the Herne Ultra-Kurz-Triathlon.
3rd: First Triathlon in the Regionalliga: see and read here I was pretty satisfied, nevertheless the Regionalliga is on a high level... to high for us.
4th: Only exercises for muscle strength and sauna
5th: 74 min running incl. 3 sprints
6th: 3km swimming
7th: running 2hours incl. 3 sprints
8th: 3km swimming, 72 cycling (Gotha to Eisenach), 4.5km running, playing a show
9th: 36km cylcing
10th: 125 cycling

Open water season has begun!

Yo! I am happy to anounce the opening of the open water season in the Ruhr Area in western germany.
Went lakeswimming today for the second time after yesterday. It feels so so good. Not for my pal who was with me (first time swimming in a lake in a wetsuit), but I love to swim there again. My hotspot is the 6-Seen-Platte in Duisburg-Wedau (close to the Stadium of MSV Duisburg). 6-Seen-Platte means 6 lakes area. I usually go for the Wolfssee. Where I usually hang out, there is a nice, small sandy beach. You can also have barbecues there, it has supergood running routes. It just pleases all my needs.

I have been interviewed for another nice blog you should check out called beVegt. It will be online in the first week of June!

I am very happy of having done a few trainings with a guy from my Triathlon Club "Nordtriathleten" and finding a new buddy with whom I did quite a few trainings already. Luckily he is also vegan, so we're now the vegan triathlete power duo, when we're running, cycling or swimming around.
Actually he is the only other real vegan triathlete near my hometown I know, and the other way round, so we're quite happy. This might sound homosexual to some, but it is not... Just happy of having a trainingbuddy with a similar ethical mindset!

This is how to make healthy Kartoffelpuffer/Reibekuchen (potato pancakes):
grate potatoes
add wheat flour, wheat germs, soy flour, onions, nutmeg and oatflakes and make a dough out of it.
Fry the dough (in the size of the palm of a hand) in a pan.
Wait until it is golden.
Eat with apple puree!

Two of my 4th grade schoolboys thought more critically towards vegetarianism. I have strengthened their thoughts and now they claim to be veggies. I ahve brought them a few things to try out (schnitzel, meat slices) and they even made the schools canteen go veggie for one week. I am happy and proud.
Another kdi just told me today that he and his father went to a sheeps slaughterhouse a few days ago and he doesn't want to eat meat again. We'll see if they will maintain, but at least they got an image of how cruel the meat industry is and how easy it is to live an alternative and healthy way.

Training April 29th- May 12th
29th: Went to the RTF in Dorsten with dudes from my Triathlon club. In total 200km cycling.
30th: 5km running as quickly as possible in 18.26min.
1st of May: 1h exercises at home (stability and strength) and then 30km to Herne and 30km back on my roadbike
2nd: 57 min running incl. 4 sprints
3rd: 3.2km swimming, then exercises for stability and strength
4th: 28km to Herne and 28 km back to Oberhausen
5th: 3.2km swimming in the morning, 1 h spinning, 5 min rowing, 40 min hillrun intervalls and 3 min rowing.

6th: 65 min cycling on my fitnessbike (endurance strength), then 106 min running incl. 3 sprints
7th: 10 sprints, then 5km running in 18.46min
8th: 3.2km swimming
9th: 10 sprints, then 5km running in 8.53min, then lifting weights
10th: Badminton with my daughter
11th: 2.7km swimming, then a few nice exercises (stability and strength)
12th: 64 min running incl. 3 sprints, 1.5h cycling on my fitnessbike

Getting in training again after the Cologne Marathon

So on tuesday I went to my school in Herne by bike. It is around 26 km away, but I gotta cycle from Oberhausen through Bottrop, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Wanne-Eickel to get there. You can never really speed up, but you are able to see a lot of the northern Ruhrregion. On my way back I have passed an interesting "Heimatmuseum" in Wanne-Eickel near the former coal mine "Alter Fritz" which is now used as a place for artists and culture in general. Then in Gelsenkirchen I have seen signs to an NS-documentation center. So I guess I gotta check these museums in the next couple of months.
In the evening I met up with some Ironman triathletes to see if I can join their club.
After that I have visited a new gym to check if it fits my training. Had a nice sauna and loads of cardiostuff. Lifted some weights there and did some stabilizing exercises. Gonna give it another try when there's a cycling course happening.

Yesterday I just went running for 32 minutes and it felt well again. I also went to my daughters school by bike, which was only 9 km. My legs have pretty much recovered and that makes me unexpectedly happy.
Did 10 minutes of weightlifting before going to bed.

Today I haven't done much apart from ropeskipping and running to the postal office, until I met up with the triathlonclub dudes to go swimming at the Allwetterbad Duisburg-Walsum. http://www.duisburg.de/micro/duisburgsport/baeder/AllwetterbadWalsum.php Pretty nice and clean there and not much going on tonight.
First time for more than a year without a fixed training schedule. So I just did like 2km, I guess.
Used pullbouy, paddles and float.
Gotta be there again next week I guess and gonna go mountainbiking with them on sunday.