Training hard
Hi there,
it's just over 5 weeks until the Marathon! I've been training hard and it's been a very hot summer. The last couple of days have been mercifully cooler in the morning and a lot more pleasant to run. I suppose the tougher training conditions mean I'll do better come September when things are (hopefully) not so hot - we'll see! Meanwhile the lovely Ami Garmon of Remedy Studio (http://remedy-berlin.com/en), where I do a bit of Pilates and yoga for my core strength, has made a great donation to my fundraising and running campaign - I get to test the new infrared sauna! I'm not a hot weather person and I don't really like heat so I've never been to a sauna before. However, I am a sucker for gadgets and this thing isn't just infrared, meaning less sweat more muscle relaxation, it has built in disco lights and a stereo. No really. I'm loving it.
Another consequence of all this hot weather is I have been avoiding alcohol, but I can't bring myself to avoid beer... so I've been sampling what Germany can offer in terms of 'alkoholfrei'. Beer, regardless of booze content, is a great isotonic thirst quencher and wheat beers in particular are great after a run. Results so far: best wheat beer is a tie between Erdinger and Schöfferhofer although there are some award winning brews I haven't tried yet; best pils Clausthaler Extra Herb; and special mention for Nanny State by Brewdog from Scotland. At 0,5% alcohol it just legally qualifies as 'alcohol-free' but it's a full-flavour IPA that will knock your socks off. I found it in 'Whatever' a late-night shop on Torstrasse (I want to call it a Späti but they only sell booze so really it's what I'd call an off-licence, https://de-de.facebook.com/WhateverSpirituosen).