A Runner’s Life in (Das Z) Letters
Let’s Get to Know Each Other
Welcome, New Subscribers!
And Old Ones.
There are numerous new faces here, and I'm happy for each and every one of you 🖤.
It's all thanks to a Runhundred t-shirt giveaway on my Instagram channel (still running) and my excellent social media promo skills.
I'm taking the opportunity to thoroughly introduce myself in today's Das Z Letter. In the two years this blog / newsletter exists, I've never really done that before. So it's about time.
I'm Chris. A runner. A writer. An avid learner and every so often a seeker. Not so different from any of you.
The Running Story So Far
Running and I became friends relatively late in life, about 12 years ago (I'm 45 now). Running has replaced my first love in life, music. Before I laced up my shoes for the first time, I was a musician, label owner and artist manager for bands you have probably never heard of.
Originally intended as a self-experiment, I finally realized what running was all about when I crossed my first official finish line. That was at the 10K of the Munich Marathon in 2013. Even though I was completely out of it due to the pain and exhaustion, I knew: this is it. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. And it's been going pretty well so far.
Fast-forward a few years and races, and I found myself starting my own running brand, Willpower. Since the running apparel I wanted to wear didn't exist, I just created it myself.
Through more detours and in the labyrinth between trail and road running, I somehow ended up at the legendary Western States 100. What I experienced there was so crazy that I wrote an entire book about it. Actually, it was two books.
And whoosh, here we are in the year 2025. After an extraordinarily boring and lengthy injury, I am at the beginning of my third (fourth?) running life, rediscovering myself and this wonderful sport.
Why 'Das Z Letter'?
Ah, the name. It sounds clever, right? (Well, I think so.)
My last name is quite cryptic. I've had to spell it half a million times in my life, and even that didn't always work. Since social media is fast and ephemeral, I ended up shortening it to the first letter (surprise, it’s a 'Z') and adding an article in front of it because it sounds cool. There used to be a Californian punk band called "Das Klown", does anyone remember them?
Originally started as New Z Letter (newsssssss...letter), the name for my weekly running blog & newsletter, soon turned into Das Z Letter.
What Do I Write About?
The short answer: about running.
The longer answer is: about my very personal perspectives, experiences, and ideas about the most beautiful sport in the world. Although running is a mass phenomenon, its true beauty lies in the highly individual expression of each and every one of us. All I do is put my thoughts and feelings about running into colorful and understandable words. So simple and yet so complicated (sometimes).
5 Random Facts About Me
Because We’re Friends Now
I'm left-handed. Not a big deal, I know, but you wouldn't believe how many barriers there are for people like me, even in 2025. #SauceLadle
It was my mother who originally came up with the names for the two hearts beating in my chest: The Levelhead and the Punk. The Punk part was obvious (I wore a studded jacket with DEAD KENNEDYS and THE EXPLOITED patches). The Levelhead (German: Spießer) was originally called "Bookkeeper", which also describes the intended characteristics very well.
I'm too fast for my age. Well, I'm anything but fast, but I'm much faster on short distances than on longer ones. A real imbalance. It's probably due to my love of interval training and my inefficient running style, which costs me more and more energy the longer I run.
After each run, I give thanks. Just like that, up to the sky. I'm not religious, but somehow it's become a ritual. Maybe I should write a Das Z Letter about it.
I have a real job. I work for the University of Munich. Writing, my running brand Willpower and of course running are just my side hustles and hobbies. I have no problem with long days and short nights. When I'm enthusiastic about something, it's easy for me to invest time and energy in it. You never know if it will be worth it in the end, but I'm always willing to take the risk.
Now, enough about me…
…tell me about you! Hit reply, or add a comment and let me know your running story and thoughts. Ultimately, it is this sharing that makes our community of runners so special.
Thanks for being here, and here's to many more miles and letters to come.
Everything Not Running
Every week, in the Everything Not Running section, I elaborate on a topic that has nothing to do with running. Well, sometimes it does have something to do with running because everything is connected to everything, but let yourself be surprised.
This week, it’s only a subtle hint that we are currently running a customer survey for Willpower. This "help us get better" stuff is real this time. There are significant changes coming to Willpower, and we want everyone who sees themselves in the brand to feel involved.
The response so far has been really insightful. Fortunately, the feedback is mostly positive (no wonder, why would you fill out a survey for a brand you hate?), but there are still plenty of helpful and constructive comments.
The survey is still open until Sunday, so if you'd like to take part, I'd really appreciate it! It only takes about 4 minutes (I timed it) and at the end you will get a €10 coupon for your next (first?) order. Thank you very much!
On Repeat
Remember when I wrote that a good song doesn't care what genre it comes in? Well, I'm the first to admit that you can still get something out of the weird deathcore genre. Paleface Swiss are the living proof. Although the band can and does deliver much more than just dull mosh parts.
If the band name "Slipknot" had been on their brand-new album "Cursed", everyone would have believed it. But maybe it's even better that it says "Paleface Swiss". It's almost strange how long it took for a new band to come along that sounds as fresh, challenging and fearless as Slipknot did in their prime at the turn of the millennium.
But just to be on the safe side, I would like to point out that I am not particularly familiar with this genre of music and only stumbled upon Paleface Swiss by chance, so to speak. Funnily enough, the name popped up three times in my running bubble instead of my dusty musician bubble.
To cut a long story short, the album "Cursed" is a real killer and the song "Hatred" is just one of many examples to prove it. Have fun with it!
Die Das Z Sprachnachricht
Attention, Germans!
Alles was ihr hier im Das Z Letter lest gibt es jede Woche auch auf deutsch, als Audiozusammenfassung aka Das Z Sprachnachricht aka der Podcast der keiner ist.
Hatred einfach richtiger Banger🥵🔥