Because of a sudden and persistent Achilles Tendon injury I have not been able to run for the last 2 month. Have gingerly tested the waters a few times, but since I did not want to make this another chronic injury, I did not push very hard (not difficult to do as it feels like the tendon is going to tear when I am running more than 10m).
This injury did not fit well into my plans of running lots in the wonderful beech forests in Germany during my summer visit. I tried to get not to frustrated and managed to get out on a mountain bike a fair bit. The plan also was to participate in the Phyton Man, a CFA style Duathlon consisting of 1.8km run - 14km mountain bike - 1.8km run. A few weeks ago I figured that I surely would be able to run 3.6km by then...well Phyton Man was held yesterday and I am still not able to run. Here is my report:
I heard about Phyton Man last year, when our friends from Falkenbach, Germany, visited us in Vancouver for a week. It sounded a lot like a CFA event, complete with colourful characters and a party to round things off. When I received an invite to this year's Phyton Man and realized the date coincided with my visit in Germany I committed to participate.
The start details arrived by email, but were a bit sketchy, as several different start time were circulating. Turns out, the organizers wanted to make sure that everybody arrived in time (unlike the previous year) and therefore "faked" an earlier start time. Needless to say, my sister, my husband and I arrived via a 15km bike ride, well in time. Opportunity to catch up with our friends, Armin, an accomplished Triathlete (turned Cyclist because of busted knees) and Andrea, also a long time Triathlete. We learned where the name originated...something about milking a Phyton - don't ask. Despite her snake phobia, Andrea had donned fake phyton skin shorts and Armin sported a boa around his belly.
The hosts had organized cake and coffee for before the start and the whole thing seemed quite relaxed, despite some pretty chiseled looking bodies showing up. The boxes of bottled Franziskaner Wheat Bear under a table on the porch indicated a long party after the event.
At 15:00h sharp the neighborhood boy - Falkenbach is a village of about 200 and Phyton Man seems to be the social event of the year - sent us off by banging a garbage can shut and waving a German flag. Armin had assured me, that he would walk together with me since he cannot run anymore...well, the competitive spirit must have gotten the better of him. I saw him sprinting away and soon found myself at my customary spot at the end of the pack. The road led steep uphill out of the village into
rolling meadows and fruit orchards. A brief dogleg allowed me to see everybody briefly again, before they left me in the dust for good. I limped-ran my way to the transition zone and figured that I could close in on Andrea during the bike ride. Down a steep 2km road stretch and then onto a forest road, known as Lahn Hoehenweg. I "learned" running on that path a mere 36 years ago ;-). It contours the Lahn Valley and winds it's way steadily upwards through dense beech forest for about 5km.
My hopes to catch up to Andrea did not materialize. Her bike skills were better than her running. I pedalled for all my might trying not to brush the stinging nettle plants lining the path, but by the time I reached transition again, some participants were already finished with the second run leg. Off I went on a lonely walk to complete what I had started out to do. The opportunity to turn around earlier appeared for a split second, but I wasn't sure if the German Phyton Man rules allowed for custom courses like Club Fat Ass events. Everybody greeted me at the finish line before fleeing a sudden rain shower and congregating under a tent in Armin and Andrea's back yard.
Husband and sister had done well, in case your wonder. Old Back in Action Jackson was still nursing his half severed toe (read his KK blog to find out what happened) and I had fixed him up with a beater bike with hopes I could catch him ;-) Despite the handicap he toughed it out and finished way in front of me. Sis, also rides a beater bike, but her faster run securely put her into second last position.
The post event party beat all my expectations. More cake and coffee, bionade (a new fashion drink, surely to hit North America next year) and an awesome BBQ of Pork steaks and German sausages, accompanied by potluck dishes we had brought along. Only hiccup was the weather, which changed from hot to stormy and wet and the fact that I had mistakenly poured myself an alcohol free wheat beer (another new fashion - not sure if it will catch in North America, though). The evening was rounded of with live music by the local bluegrass band Foxchase. Photo are here.
