Here we are back from the island. 3 years after my first trip to Mallorca I returned for spring this year, only this time I brought my family. Crazy how quickly life changes. After a few intense months at work with extensive business travel I desperately needed some rest and after months of only riding the trainer in my basement I desperately needed some outdoor sunshiny riding as well. The eagle-eyed reader might have noted that this websites banner was…
On the south western tip of Sweden we find the wonderful city of Malmö. It is a small city, a stone throw away from Copenhagen across the Oresund in the Baltic. Get there by flying to CPH and take then train across the Oresund bridge. Apparently there is (was?) a half marathon across the bridge which must be a fantastic experience, running across the Baltic. Malmö displays an incredible mix of historic buildings with influences from all across the Baltic,…
Brussels has become one of my favorite cities in Europe. The classic architecture is beautiful, historic pubs and restaurants take you back to the belle époque. The European quarter adds a certain vibe of true European-ness. I’ve always embraced the European spirit, but especially when I hang out here in the middle of the politic and bureaucratic Europe I can’t help but to feel glad it still works somehow. I don’t understand the appeal of re-nationalizing European politics, I really…
Usually when I go on a trip I scout my routes in advance. Running in an unknown environment, especially when you’re only there for a day or two takes some preparation to make sure you get a workout in between meetings, conferences, networking dinners and your flight back home. Here is what I like to do. I start with Strava’s global heatmap, which gives an indication of areas that are good for running, and those that aren’t. Big public parks,…
To keep this going let’s squeeze in one of my few adventures outside Europe. I was lucky to get invited to a conference in D.C. in October and took the opportunity to go for a few runs while I was there. Initially I was planning on running around the national mall, but as it turned out my hotel was situated close to the rock creek park and so I decided to collect some miles there. One thing I noticed wherever…
I’m still aimlessly meandering around. I have yet to decide on my next big project for the 2019 season. Until then I sort of wanna work out for fun, but in practice I hardly work out at all. Terribly stressful work and plenty of overtime provide ample excuses for hitting the beer fridge instead of my running shoes. Anyway, I hope that writing more about good memories of running help me get going again. And to make it a bit…
Finally the big day has come! Not entirely as expected though. On our way to Hamburg the news hit that the swim would be canceled due to high concentrations of blue and green algae and be replaced by a 6k warm up run. Bit of a bummer that my first ever long distance triathlon would not be an actual triathlon. But we were already on our way, had put in the work and nothing better to this weekend and so…
I’ve been a fan of Portugal and its people since my first visit to Lisbon two years ago. So when I got the chance to present a paper I wrote at a conference in Porto I didn’t think twice. I had three days and two nights to spend, but as always most of it was busy with work. I still managed to take a few walks across town, trying to soak it all in and even a run to the…
While I am waiting at the airport for my delayed flight I might as well write down a few thoughts about Nice, France. I´ve spend one night and half a day here and it was wonderful. I flew in yesterday morning and was surprised first by the bloody cold and by how tiny Nice apparently is. The airport is pretty right in the city and my hotel was only 15 minutes away. Unlike most other cities the airport didn´t feel…