July 13, 2005
What's up!
Today was one of the best days on the trip so far (I wish I could have said that on Saturday but I didn't run that well). Because I am really resting now, I got the morning off and was able to just sleep and relax. In the afternoon Alberto and I were picked up by Markus and then drove to his store in downtown Bern, Ryffel Running. Alberto had some business matters to discuss with Markus but while they were talking I walked up a couple of blocks and lifted weights. Yeah, yeah, you all are probably wondering why I am lifting weights when I am supposed to be resting. The reason I do it is because if I stay away from lifting for a long period of time I begin to feel tired and loose strength.
I continue to lift according to my regular schedule but just cut back on the number of reps so that I stay strong and maintain my level of fitness. After lifting I met Alberto and Markus and we went on a short tour around the Swiss capitol of Bern. Most of the city was built in around 1200 and the oldest parts of the city are still in real good shape.
We climbed to the top of the steeple of a cathedral that was built in the 13th century and could see the whole city from there. We also saw the capitol building and the famous old clock that is in the heart of the city. It is a really beautiful city and I would encourage anyone who has the opportunity, to visit Bern (or any part of Switzerland for that matter). I have been blessed to have been able to visit and run in Europe and I am forever grateful to my parents for working as hard as they do to allow me to compete around the world. Later that evening, Alberto and I went to Markus's house for dinner. His son, Christof, cooked for us and it was real good. After dinner Markus showed us a highlight tape of his career in the 80s.
He was a very talented runner. The tape showed him running in numerous races on the European circuit, as well as the 1984 Olympic 5000m where he won the silver medal (he also ran 13:07 in that race). I really enjoyed talking to Markus and hearing stories from when he ran. The times that he was running 20 years ago would still be very competitive today and this shows that people not from the continent of Africa can run fast and win big races.
If Europeans were consistently running under13:10 20 years ago, why can't people do that now? I believe that it can be done and I hope that other young distance runners feel the same way. It just takes lots of hard, smart training and a devoted lifestyle. There is no magic formula or quick solution to running fast when you are older. It just takes lots of consistent training that is built upon each year
2 Comments:
Galen, I recently read your the article about you and Salazar in Runners World, it inspired me so much in a time where I was sick and fed up with running. Ive realized that part of my recent failures has been with nutrition. Do you have a special diet?
Dear Galen,
As an athlete that many will be looking up to, it would be a real service if you would control the language in your blog. It is a real disappointment to read message boards where every other word is a curse word, and you can set a great example by avoiding that in your blog.
Thanks for listening!
TCSTrack
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