Training in snow shoes - for tropical marathons...!

When I woke up this morning at 5:00 it was 10 degrees below zero and very foggy. I filled my knapsack with everything one needs for a tour in the snow: a thermos of hot chocolate, sandwiches, water and headed for the hills, as it were. Here in the valley, it just looks like someone sprinkled powdered sugar everywhere - but as soon as you hit 1000 meters, the snow gets very deep - the best conditions for snow shoe training. Cristal clear air and the clearest of blue skies.

Most of you out there, especially those of you who live in the warmer parts of the globe, might not be able to imagine it, but the Black Forest has a one meter-deep blanket of snow in some parts. That means getting on the ol' snow shoes, a thick daun jacket and heading out for some deep-snow training, something I've been doing the last couple of years to prepare for the Sahara, as snow and sand are amazingly similar elements. Considering the fact that there's no sand in sight, the snow proves to be the next best element. Take one step forward, slip half a step back. It's pretty exhausting! As soon as I found the right remote area with the most virgin snow, I strapped up my knapsack, buckled on the snow shoes, and set out for the highest mountain of the Black Forest, the Feldberg.

The nicest things about today were a unique view of the Swiss Alps to the south, a view one has about twice a year. But nicer still and the biggest motivation to keep on going, kilometer for kilometer in the snow was the view to the southeast - towards Asia, India to be exact - and the view to the southwest, towards Costa Rica. What an awesome and far out feeling to have an icey wind and snow blowing in your face, but to have your mind full of very warm thoughts of marathons in far away tropical places, the hot sun pouring down on your bare skin.

Snow shoes and hot thoughts...

I’m back!

After a very wonderful and regenerative break from running, I’m back on the ball and it’s full steam ahead with training. Only 7 more weeks and the running season starts. First stop: India’s Mumbai Marathon on January 20. It’ll be more than fantastic to escape the harsh winter in Europe and head for warm India again. What could be a better start for the marathon season 2008 than Asia’s biggest and most social Marathon? Aside from being in one of my favourite countries, I’ll be able to see wonderful friends again I met at the Great Tibet Marathon in Ladakh.

And I can’t think of any better way to get acclimatised for the jungle in Costa Rica – you heard right, just one week after the Mumbai Marathon it’s off to The Coastal Challenge inviting to the deep green humid jungle of Costa Rica where I’ll be able to put my adventure skills to the test over 250 km in 6 very grueling stages, taking participants through the thick brush, over volcanoes through rivers to the northwest coast of this beautiful country. Promises to be a tough one!

Won’t have much time to relax, as then the Sahara will be calling me to its midst for a week of heat and sandstorms. Yes, just 6 weeks after returning from the Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica, it’ll be that wonderful time again, time to head for the deep south Moroccan desert for the most amazing desert challenge in 6 stages of between 28 and 90 km with average daily temperatures of between 45 and 50 degrees. You guess it right, now a third offender, I’m going for the Marathon des Sables, the third stop on my running list for 2008.