OCR... more than running

  Some weekends are more exhausting than others. So was this weekend: On Saturday we ran the Xletix in Wuppertal and on Sunday we were at the Stolrun-OCR. It’s a small local run but not less funny! Unfortunately, I have to say that you have to pay more and more for your photos. Last year the pictures could be downloaded for free. But this year they have to be paid and with 5€ per picture they are not cheap. I’m thinking they might be included in the start price but for commercial reason they are not :-(  But let’s not spoil the mood: I’m there to run and for fun not for the pictures. It was a very funny run and, different than expected, my  legs carried me as if I had not run yesterday.

 Sometimes you have to do it a second time, if the first wasn’t great enough!  Looking back, the first Xletix in 2016 were not good! The location (a public park) wasn’t good enough for OCR. At that time we had decided not to come back. But they looked for a new location, and so we got back! Back to Xletix and it was fantastic! You can see me at 00:47. I’m the guy with the flag! ...

It was a Sunday during my holidays. A little run took my attention. Nearby my home in Belgium is a village named Walhorn. I like to try new OCR formats and new things. So it wasn’t a question: I registered and took part! After 10 minutes warm up, we started the 10km long track. More precisely I started at this distance. It’s up to every single runner to choose his own distance out of 5km, 7,5km and 10km and it was also possible to choose it during the run. It’s a nice feature for all who didn’t know who long they could run and a good feature for OCR newbies. Let me say it was (and I don’t say this is a bad idea) more a trail run with obstacles. The track was very funny to run. Very varied underground - absolutely my favorite! The Obstacles were more or less all at the event area. Think positive: At this way the runners have the most possible viewers at the obstacles and the viewers will have the best view at all “important” parts. But on the other hand (for some not so s...

                 

  Sadly, my best run-buddy wasn’t able to take part. But my group of crazy runners is big enough and there are many maniac guys like me. So, I didn’t have to run alone! Sadly again, I didn’t know yet how lonely the tip of the pyramid can be (just joking!)   The event isn’t that far away from my bed. It didn’t take long to got to the event area. It was a quiet morning. I felt like I’m the first one at the area. The check in was still closed, no music, nobody else then me. But that changed quick! My friends and I had some loud fun but didn’t know we will have only 20 minutes together today. What we knew was, that we sure will not run together. But I hoped we would see us at the finish. We didn’t…. The run started with a normal warm up. It’s a bit hard to follow the instructions if you don’t understand the language. It only 30 minutes away from my home but I don’t understand them. It’s a shame, isn’t it? Then the start: I didn’t recognize that I was at one of the firs...

 Today for the third time at Kitzenhauslauf in Walheim near my home. It’s a yearly event which is sponsored by my club for all us who want to participate. The track is mostly in fields or woods and scenic beautiful. Nevertheless, it is a bit hard to run. The first 3 km of the 10 km long track are uphill and the rest of it is more or less wavy and a mix of uphill and downhill. For me the first part is easier than the wavy part. That’s because I can not get used to the constant change of ups and downs. I did not come in a flow. But okay, that’s the challenge!       I finished faster than last year but lost one place. The most pleasure was my club again. It’s every time nice to participate on a club event!

Normally I take the name of the event as the headline. But this time it was two events and three runs: 13K Tougher Mudder in Arnsberg 13K Tough Mudder in Arnsberg 17k Break out Run in Nijmegen But let’s start at the beginning:   4:00 in the morning: the clock rings and I had to wake up. Absolutely not my time but it was not only a day. It was the day! We had planned something special. We wanted to run a triple and complete the distance of a marathon. 7:00 Gopal and I arrived in Arnsberg, the NRW Tough Mudder area. Here we wanted to do two of three runs. Both are nearly the same. There is only one different: The Tougher Mudder is a time race. Otherwise, the Tough Mudder isn’t a race and the time is not taken. But the track and obstacles are the same. And for both  one rule counts: One helps one another! We started with the Tougher Mudder at 8 o’clock.           It took around 100 minutes, and we passed the finish line after 13 km. Me first, ...