Out of the running

By Kristin Fehlauer

This is it. This is what all my weeks of training were for. This is when all the physical discomfort, the mental pep talks, the money spent on equipment, the scheduling and planning time to train, this is when it all pays off. I’m about to run 6 kilometers in Munich’s B2Run for company teams: my first ever organized running event. Four of us are running on the Klein Wolf Peters team: two who have been running regularly for ages and two relative newcomers. I definitely fall into the latter category.

I took up running last fall as a way to improve my endurance for my main sport, krav maga. To help, a friend recommended a podcast sponsored by the UK’s NHS that helps you go from doing nothing to running 5K. Over the course of nine weeks, you run three sessions per week with the amount of running vs. walking steadily increasing. The podcast also provides tips on technique and plays music to help you keep the pace.

The podcast worked pretty well for me and I made it through all nine weeks. I felt good about my progress and I was starting to experience that famed “runner’s high” during and after each run. However, my right knee was starting to feel a bit … not painful, exactly, but after I ran I was more aware than usual that I _had_ a right knee, if that makes sense. My brother-in-law warned me to be careful to stretch properly after every run, which I made sure I did, and I also saw an orthopedist. She said it wasn’t my meniscus or anything like that (whew!), just that the kneecap doesn’t sit in place quite properly, so she prescribed some exercises to help stabilize it.

In the meantime, coworker and running maven Jess Crutchley told me that her running group was sponsoring a program for rookie runners, so I signed up for that. Each pair of rookies was assigned a “buddy”, a kind of running mentor who could run with us, answer questions, provide encouragement, etc. My run buddy was great, and it was fun to catch a glimpse into the world of fairly serious amateur running. The group as a whole is really encouraging, and it was with them that I achieved my longest distance yet: 8 kilometers.

All was going smoothly, and then disaster struck—and by “disaster,” I mean three weeks of vacation. I had a marvelous time visiting family in the US, but oy, the dangers of a break in routine!! I ran only three times while I was there, and the third time was just for a third of my usual loop as I was accompanied by my six-year-old nephew. Since I’ve returned to Munich, getting back into my running rhythm has been difficult. Fortunately, I’ve had coworkers to turn to for understanding and encouragement. We’ve even run together at lunch a few times to get ready for the big day. Still, I’m not running as often as I did before my break, and when I do, the next day always features a massively cranky right knee…

So here I am, not fully back in training, with a mild joint complaint, not having done more than 4.5k for over a month, and hoping to complete 6k in the midst of a huge crowd of runners—what will happen?

Update: I did it! I finished the 6 kilometers in about 45 minutes—about what I expected. It was a beautiful day, and it was fun seeing all the different companies that were participating. But the top highlight was probably our shout-out from the emcee: as our quartet edged its way to the start line, he was naming various teams over the loudspeaker. Jess subtly drew his attention to our company logo, and he read it out! He guessed that we were financial consultants, so we corrected him and had the satisfaction of hearing him announce our company name and industry to the crowd. An excellent first company run!