Malibu International Marathon - New Personal Record

It was a beautiful and sunny day and the course offered nice views of the mountains and the ocean. The wind at parts and the 3 hills between mile 18 and 24 gave me a hard time, but overall it was a great race. I was even able to improve my personal record for the marathon distance by 1:50 minutes. Funny, how it sometimes comes down to just a few seconds after running for 26.2 miles. 

Time: 4:20:26 [hrs]
Overall: 179 of 481 finishers
Pace: 9:56 min/mile

Nutrition: Breakfast (bread, cheese and salami, 2 cups of coffee) and 1 bottle Prolong Energy before the race. Tylenol 8 hrs. half a hour before the race. One, two and three hours into the race 3 capsules of Endurolytes each plus half a Fastpak of Clif Shot Bloks. Took an extra 3 capsules of Endurolytes at 3:30 hrs. Drank only water throughout the entire race.
Notes: Next time, double the intake of Endurolytes to prevent cramps (= 3 capsules every 30 minutes). Cramps started at about mile 18, but went away after doubling the dosage at the end of the race. Bring some Bengay or Muscle Spray (refill into small bag or bottle).

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Mountain Madness Ultra-Marathon (50K), Shepherd Lake, NJ

Trail Run 31.20mi+x / 51,82km+x (x=got lost during the race)
Time: 9:34:43 hrs. (includes about 2 hrs trying to find our way back to the finish)

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Trail running

Trail running has become an important part of my life. It combines two passions of mine - hiking and running. So, I frequently go running on trails and participate in races across the country. When I recently moved back to Orange County, I chose my apartment by proximity to one of the state parks where I can train on 65 miles of trails with an elevation from 500 to 1,700 feet.
















Trail running differs from regular running in many aspects. One of them is that one is surrounded by beautiful (almost) untouched nature. Normally, there are not too many two legged species (human beings) around which makes this a very peaceful experience and a nice contrast to the daily city life. On the other hand, one has always to be aware that there are other species out there who share the same nature with us - some with no legs, others with 4, 6 or even 8 legs ... .
As an experienced hiker, I know that I constantly need to watch where I place my next step to avoid stepping on one of them and to make noise when I run through areas with high brush, so that I don't have an unintentional sudden encounter with one of them.
Despite the high population and density of development in California, many wild animals can still be found in this state. During my many hikes and runs, I was lucky enough to see snakes (including rattle snakes), bears, turtles, coyotes, foxes and deer - to just name a few.
Being from Germany and not having grown up with these kinds of animals, it can sometimes be a little scary, but I also value each encounter as a new experience. Today, during another beautiful run on one of my regular trails in the Chino Hills State Park, we spotted something which I haven't seen before (other than in a zoo). We not only saw one, but two pretty large tarantulas!

More pictures available in the web album or as a slide show.

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Los Angeles' Hottest Day On Record

High-pressure aloft is bringing searing heat to Southern California. Los Angeles hit 113 degrees (45 degrees Celsius) on Monday making it their hottest temperature ever recorded since records began in 1877. This also beat the daily record high set in 1963 by seven degrees.

Temperatures have only been 110 degrees or higher three other times in L.A. The record heat comes on the tails of the The Weather Channel naming Los Angeles as having the 5th worst summer of 2010 for being unusually cool.

Read the full article on weather.com

Home number 6 in only 4 years

According to the U.S. Census Bureau about 1 in 6 Americans move each year (which is way more than the average for Germany or any other European country). In a lifetime, the "average" American makes 11.7 moves. After having lived in Irvine, Fullerton, Los Angeles, Long Beach and Los Angeles, it was time for me to move again (back to Orange County) - making this my 5th move and my 6th address in the U.S. in only 4 years. Since I already moved 7 times before in Germany (Karlsruhe, Woerth, Saarbruecken, Frankfurt, Munich, Saarbruecken, Aachen, Villingen-Schwenningen) - making it a total of 13 moves in my lifetime - does this mean that I won't have to move anymore?
















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My First Full Ironman - 2010 Vineman

After 16 hours and a 2.4 miles/3,9 km swim, a 112 mi/180 km bike ride and a full marathon run (26.2 miles/42,2 km) exhausted, but very excited to be crossing the finish line.





















Total Time: 16:06.25 hrs

Swim (2.4 mi/3,9 km): 01:30.09 hrs
T1 (Swim to Bike): 00:16.53 hrs
Bike (112 mi/180 km): 08:18.29 hrs
T2 (Bike to Run): 00:14:.07 hrs
Run (26.2 mi/42,2 km): 05:46.46 hrs

Overall: 531
Men: 400
M35-39: 96





















My race plan for the day:




















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3 Harbors Tour - My first 100 mile bike ride

Century Route: Channel Islands - Santa Barbara - Ventura Harbors
Distance: 99.49 mi (160.11 km)
Elevation Gain: 4,300 feet
Time: 6:24 hrs
Avg. 15.5 mph
Max 33.9 mph

No comment ;-)

Culver City 10k Run

Time: 59.00 min (Pace: 9.31)
Place: 237 (of 434)
Overall place by age group [35-39 Male]: 21 (of 34)
Notes: Training Run ;-)

First Iron-Distance Swim (2.4 miles / 4000 meters)

Just swam 4000 meters (2.4 miles) for the first time without a break. Now it's time for a burger and fries from Jack in the Box.

Wildflower Triathlon - My 2nd Half-Ironman

I had heard that the Wildflower Triathlon is considered one of the most challenging Half-Ironman courses in the US. And what a race it was! Wildflower certainly lived up to its reputation! I have never ridden or run over so many steep hills before ... It is definitely the toughest race I have competed in (so far)! BTW - A German won. It wasn't me ;-)














Overall: 08:11:39 hrs
Swim (1.2 mi): 00:42:56 (Pace: 00:02:13)
Bike (56 mi): 04:23:57 (Pace: 12.70)
Run (13.1 mi): 02:46:11 (Pace: 00:12:41)















More pictures available in the web album or as a slide show.

And make sure to watch the uRide.tv video of the Wildflower Triathlon 2010 (The Pro's).

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Culver City Running Group

Every Tuesday and Thursday, I go running with my friends from the Culver City Running Meetup Group.

Catalina Marathon - No. 6, but my No. 1 so far!

USA Today picks the Catalina Marathon as one of the 10 best winter marathons. Runner's World names the Catalina Marathon the #1 off road marathons in the world. I agree! It was an unforgettable day and an awesome race! While I will always remember the New York Marathon as the race with the most inspiring spectators along the course (besides the fact that it was my first), I will keep the Catalina Marathon in my mind for some of the most breathtaking scenery while running 26.2 miles over the Island of Catalina.

The marathon is one of the most difficult, but also most rewarding in the country. The race starts in Two Harbors and runs to Avalon. It traverses mostly dirt trails and roads through areas of the interior of the island where very few have gone. The first two and the last three miles of the race are simply nuts, with almost 1,000 feet of elevation gain in the first two miles and 1,500 feet of elevation loss in the last three. It is a hilly and challenging marathon with a total elevation gain of 4,310 feet (1.314 m), but worth every mile!

Time: 4:46:48 [hrs]
Overall: 174
Men: 137
Age Group (M35-39): 24















More pictures available in the web album or as a slide show.

And make sure to watch the last 47 seconds of my race as a video.

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Tobi visiting in LA

Enjoying German dinner and beer in the Chalet Edelweiss Restaurant & Bar (Swiss restaurant)












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LA Chinatown Firecracker 10k

Today, we participated in the LA Chinatown Firecracker 10k with an awesome opening ceremony with lighting of 100,000 firecrackers, lion dance, etc. The course through the hills of Elysian Park was challenging and scenic with the summit of Angels Point providing spectacular 180 degrees of the city. With a time of 49.43 min (Pace: 8.01) I am more than happy (new personal record for a 10k). What a great day!













Time: 49.43 min (Pace: 8.01) - New PR
Place: 252 (of 1996)
Overall place by age group [35-39 Male]: 37 (of 166)





















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The race under the sea level - Death Valley Trail Marathon

Though the day was a bit gray, there was still a lot of depth in the beauty surrounding the course. It was an unforgettable experience to run in Death Valley amidst the rain and with the snow covered sand next to the trail, considering that it is said to be one of the hottest, driest places on earth. In addition, the complete course was under the sea level (see elevation profile below).

1st Lap - 1:59:16 (Pace: 09:09/ 6.5 mph)
2nd Lap - 2:22:48 (Pace: 10:56/ 5.5 mph)

Total Official Time - 4:22:16 - New PR
Average Pace: 10:02
Average Speed: 6 mph = 9.66 kmh
Overall Place: 77/169









Pictures available in the web album or as a slide show.

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