Running in late 20s

It's been quite a while since my last post here. There are several reasons or better said excuses for me not to write during this time. But as I am staying at home most of the time during these days it is the best time to start writing again. Anyway I am posting an update after more than four years. I would be grateful to hear your feedback. So please drop me a line and tell me what you would like to see on this blog. Do you prefer to read race reports and my experience? Or should I write more about my training? Or even update the reading list and race wish list? My last post here was the UTMB race report in 2015. After UTMB I attended a few other races listed below. I will write about my experience in future posts. Cappadocia Ultra Trail 2015 I ran this race in 2014 and finished with my first DNF. So came back in 2015 and ran the whole course.  Lavaredo Ultra Trail 2016  One of the most beautiful courses I have ever run and great organization. I finished in 25 hours an

I first came across UTMB in July 2013 when I ran my first ultramarathon. When I registered for the Swissalpine K78, I noticed that the finishers will get 2 UTMB points. After I finished that race, I came back and read about the UTMB, a 168 km race with more than 9000 meters of elevation gain. At that time I had no idea about this distance, but I set myself a long-term goal: to qualify and run the UTMB. Then I ran the Eiger E101 and the Swiss Irontrail T81 in 2014 to collect the remaining points and registered for the UTMB.  UTMB profile We arrived in Chamonix on Wednesday. This time I had my sister as my supporter. Shortly after our arrival we went to the expo (Salon Ultra-Trail) I needed to buy a new backpack as my old one was torn off. And just after 4pm we went to collect my bib number.  it was a long queue and it took more than eighty minutes to get to registration point. First of all there was mandatory gear check. They will provide you with a tray that you should put th

It is 47 km into the race and I'm  walking downhill through a forest towards Burglauenen. It's been a great race so far.  I passed the last check point (Faulhorn, the highest point of the race) 15 minutes before my expected time and enjoyed running downhill to Schynige platte.  A few minutes ago, when I approached a corner on this muddy terrain,  a sharp pain hit my left knee so badly that forced me to stop. I cannot run anymore, I am using my walking sticks to take some weigth off my knee and slowly walking down. I could have run this part of the race quite fast and effortless if my knee didn't hurt. Through my training, I put so much effort to master my downhill running technique and I was quite confident in it that I'd consider it as one of my strength points. It hurts a lot when you have trained a lot and on race day you just cannot perform well. In fact that is hurting much more than my sore knee. As I am limping cautiously, there are many runners passing by, mos