Spare-Time Running
During childhood, I loved running to Primary School. But, you know how things go: Secondary School was rather in biking distance, and University was far enough by train... But since Spring 2010, I have become infected again with the running virus − not surprisingly, given the great jogging opportunities that Zürich offers. Parks and natural areas are almost literally around the corner and fountains with fresh water abound. Plus: the hilly areas offer beautiful views over the lake, with the Alps on the background (that is, when it's not too foggy). Of course, it is a great way to shake off the thoughts about science and loosen the muscles, too.
Running Events
Meanwhile, I have participated in the following running events:
- SOLA Stafette 2008 (11.1 km, 190 hm in 1:00'19"), 2010 (55'18"), 2011 (13.0 km, 405 hm in 1:02'01"), 2012 (58'29"), 2013 (12.5 km, 400 hm in 54'29)
Team relay run, consisting of 14 stretches throughout Zürich area - CityRunning Challenges 2011, 2012 (21.1 km)
Training runs along the Limmat river of 5−42 km (I chose the half marathon), organized by CityRunning - Forchlauf 2011 (21.1 km, 405 hm in 1:34'15"), 2012 (1:30'27"), 2013 (1:27'58")
Informal half marathon through beautiful scenery, organized yearly by the academic sports association Zürich ASVZ - International Greifenseelauf 2011 (21.1 km in 1:34'16"6)
Half marathon run around the Greifensee, the first next lake East of Zürich - Uetliberg-lauf 2011 (14 km, 409 hm in 1:00'35"3)
Nice but steep run, too bad it won't be organized anymore... - Zürcher Silvesterlauf 2011 (8.6 km in 36'28"1)
- PWN Egmond Half Marathon 2012 (21.1 km in 1:27'52")
Half marathon run from Egmond south over the beach and back through the dunes (my 1st race in my home country) - CityRunning PreRun 2012, 2013 (30 km)
Beautiful training run along the Limmat river, organized by CityRunning; ran as 5-min pacemaker this year - Zürich Marathon 2012 (42.2 km in 3:21'54"8), 2013 (3:02'32"6)
Marathon run through Zürich to Meilen and back - Swissalpine K21 2012 (22.9 km, +750/−260 hm in 1:59'46")
Run through the Bündner mountains from the Sunnibergbrücke near Klosters to Davos - Dam tot Damloop 2012 (16.1 km in 1:03'22")
Run from Amsterdam to Zaandam, 10 English Miles long - Hallwilerseelauf 2012 (21.1 km in 1:24'15"1)
Half marathon run around lake Hallwil, west of Zürich - Kyburglauf 2012 (10.4 km, 217 hm in 45'25"7)
Picturesque run through the fields and forest around Kyburg, east of Zürich, with ca 450 stair steps up. - Staaner Stadtlauf 2012 (21.1 km in 1:25'45"7)
Half marathon through the beautiful little town Stein am Rhein, along the river, and through snowy fields.
Note: "hm" stands for height meters
Upcoming Events
- Swissalpine K21, 27 July − 21.1 km, +860/−330 hm to Davos
Other Sportive Events
- Stadtzürcher Seeüberquerung 2012 (1.5 km)
Swim across lake Zürich (noncompetitive)
Running Music
Here's my current playlist, specifically for running:
| Artist | Song | Duration | SPM | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vangelis | I'll Find My Way Home | 4:21 | 172 | |
| Donna Summer | State Of Independence | 4:25 | 169.5 | Vangelis' original (165 SPM) connects seamlessly to the previous song but has a less clear beat |
| A-ha | Take On Me | 3:46 | 169 | |
| Eminem | Lose Yourself | 5:26 | 171 | I generally dislike rap, but this one brings me 100 hm (7.6%) up the Zürichberg: "You can do anything you set your mind to, man" |
| Stevie Wonder | Part Time Lover | 4:13 | 174.5 | |
| The Postal Service | Such Great Heights | 4:26 | 175 | |
| Bon Jovi | Last Man Standing | 4:37 | 175 | |
| Don Henley | The Boys Of Summer | 4:46 | 177 | Great tuneful song, perfectly bridging two rather "active" ones |
| Metric | Gold Guns And Girls | 4:03 | 180 | |
| Daryl Hall & John Oates | Maneater | 4:27 | 177.4 | |
| Ricky martin | Living La Vida Loca | 4:03 | 178 | |
| Pointer Sisters | I'm So Excited | 3:50 | 185 | Well, who wouldn't be excited at this tempo? |
| John Miles | Music | 5:51 | Mixed | This one is good for a steep downhill part or a final sprint; varying tempo of 169-185-172-133-155 SPM |
| Roxette | The Look | 3:56 | 190 | Go in overdrive! Good for hillwork |
| VOF de Kunst | Suzanne | 4:44 | 184.5 | |
| Herman van Veen | Hilversum III | 3:52 | 182 | Nicely light-footed Dutch song |
| Goldroom ft. Chela | Fifteen | 5:00 | 178 | Incites a smooth stride |
| Styx | Boat On The River | 3:14 | 176 | |
| Hans de Booij | Annabel | 3:35 | 173.5 | |
| Plushgun | Freeze The Frame | 4:22 | 170 | |
| Pat Benatar | Love Is A Battlefield | 5:23 | 181 | Good running tempo but won't ever show up on my normal playlist ;-) |
| Michael Sembello | Maniac | 4:16 | 158 | Nice warming-up song |
| Herman van Veen | Opzij | 3:17 | 158 | Idem |
Note: song tempos are in "Steps per minute" (SPM), which in several cases is twice the true tempo as determined by BPM Counter.
Running Quotes
It's the journey that matters, not the finish line.
Stadiums are for spectators. We runners have nature and that is much better.
− Juha Vaatainen
You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face.
− Gatorade ad
Links
- Lauftreff Zürich CityRunning - Organizes running meet-ups, open to all
- Runmap.net - Running routes and training log
- About.com: Running & Jogging - Running tips
- Runner's World