My last post was from Sorrento — it still felt like summer then. Now, suddenly, we’re deep into winter. Time passes quickly when you stop paying attention for a moment.

In between came the 3 Länder Marathon. I started fast, maybe too fast, and paid for it later. It wasn’t really a beginner’s mistake this time — more a test, to see how far I could push it. The first half felt easy; everything after 21 k was hard. Maybe my slowest marathon ever, except for the corona one I ran alone, unsupported. Still, I’m glad I finished, just under four hours. I wanted to feel that again — the simple fact that I can still run a marathon.

Does being a marathon runner expire after a long break?

After the race came an early skiing trip with my family — a soft transition into winter. I even did one long mountain run up there, the kind that leaves you empty and completely alive at the same time. For a moment I thought: maybe I should skip the Ironman altogether and just keep running in the mountains forever.

But I’m already registered for Nice. And that’s good. Today I went swimming again, another step toward form. It felt hard, but right. Like the training slowly kicking in.