The Art of Backing Off
Why I'm entering Off-Season in July Already
So, I've accomplished all my running goals for 2025. It's the beginning of July, and I'm already entering off-season. Yes, I'm serious.
I don't know whether I'm being super smart or overly cautious, but on Monday, after two weeks of my self-imposed three-week-running-break following the Zugspitz Ultratrail (ZUT), I decided to extend the break and officially enter my off-season.
There are five reasons for this.
1. I'm full.
My competitive hunger has been satisfied. After five races in two months that couldn't have been more different, I've gotten everything I love from competing. This includes my A-goal that I was pursuing in my A-race: qualifying for the Western States Lottery at the ZUT.
I love racing, but, realistically, I just can't do it every weekend anymore, especially at my age. At least, not if I want to give each race my all. I don't say this with regret, quite the contrary. Being forced — or rather, encouraged — to carefully consider where to invest my energy and time is a beautiful thing. It makes the main competitions all the more meaningful.
The ZUT more than lived up to its status as an A-race, and I'm grateful for how things turned out.
2. My knee needs more than three weeks of rest.
What did I write about my physical condition one week before ZUT?
Not good, but good enough.
This time, it's the opposite:
Good, but not good enough.
Compared to my pre-ZUT knee, it feels significantly better now. Before the ZUT, my only goal was to avoid a full-blown injury. After ZUT, however, the goal was clear from the start: complete recovery.
It quickly became apparent that rest is only one component. It's only the first step on the road to recovery. The second step, where I am now, is targeted strength training. I don't just want to return to my previous state; I want my knee to be better than ever. After all, there was a reason the irritation in my knee occurred in the first place, and I would rather not start the next racing season with that hanging over my head. Nice transition...
3. After the racing season is before racing season.
I don't know how long I'll take a break from running. But I know what will happen after that. Just like in January, I'll rebuild the house from the ground up, basement and all, piece by piece. With patience, love, and smarts.
And who says you have to stick to the usual seasonal rhythm? I'm not dependent on specific race dates or sponsors' collection drop planning. If I'm in top form in November, I'm sure I'll find a race where I can prove it. Even if I don't, I'll be happy with my fantastic new shape. Another smooth transition.
4. That shape is gone now anyway.
A 100K ultra and three weeks without running are enough to make me feel like I've never run farther than three kilometers. Of course, not all the progress I've made over the last few months is gone. However, if I wanted to pick up where I left off after the ZUT, I would've had to approach the break differently. Run less and less hard? Yes. Stop running completely: no. My alternative sports program wasn't designed to maintain my fitness, either. As a rule of thumb, to simulate an hour of running, you should spend 1.5–2 hours cycling at a +10 bpm heart rate. I was and still am far from that with my occasional leisurely cycling, which at best helps with blood flow.
None of this comes as a big surprise. Even though I find it difficult to let go of my old form each time, I have learned over the years that the next form curve will come and often go higher than the previous ones. I'm excited about that.
5. I usually make my best decisions when I back off.
Slowing down in itself is almost always a good decision. Many things in my life are moving at full speed.
I want a lot. I'm also willing to sacrifice a lot to get what I want.
While I'm glad to have this drive, it's also dangerous. It's like overpacing in a race. It feels good at first, but then you run out of steam and inevitably crash and burn.
When running — my safe zone, my retreat, and my source of inspiration — I want to avoid crashing and burning as much as possible, even though that's when it's most tempting (and easiest) to overdo it.
As I wrote at the beginning, I'm either super smart or overly cautious. Maybe they're the same thing.
The price for my off-season
One thing makes me really sad about my off-season: it's the second year in a row that I have to cancel my planned participation in Sierre-Zinal. I had really been eagerly awaiting this race, and I only managed to secure a starting place under extremely dramatic circumstances.
I am still considering starting as a "touriste" instead of a "coureur" and maybe taking the race more leisurely. However, I doubt that would be as enjoyable as being in top form and racing.
I believe I will have to die this death.
Everything Not Running
My "Hundert-Meilen-Herz" / “Runhundred” book talk at the United By Summer Festival this Saturday will be different. Instead of a running store with a running crowd: a hardcore show with hardcore kids at Kulturzentrum Das Haus.
For me, though, it's not such a big difference. Both communities have shaped me profoundly. Both have made me who I am today. And the influence of both is woven into my book about the Western States Endurance Run.
Even though I haven't been sitting in tour buses and standing on stages for a while now, but running over mountains instead (both equally exhausting), I still feel a deep connection to the hardcore subculture, its ideas and values.
I'm genuinely looking forward to connecting with non-runners at the United By Summer Festival. You don't need to be an (ultra)runner to understand what I experienced at Western States. In the end, it's about a deep confrontation with yourself. With all the good, all the heavy, and all the inexplicable things inside us that sometimes surface when we least expect them.
I invite anyone who has nothing planned for Saturday to come by. Doors at 4pm, book talk 5pm, admission is free. I'm equally excited to see familiar faces and new ones. Looking forward to the vegan food from the Kombüse crew and of course the bands.
On Repeat
I was never a huge Dropkick Murphys fan, but I always understood why others were. We all long for something lasting and authentic — something that shows us a direction we can rely on. Dropkick Murphys are exactly that, especially for the American working class. For almost 30 years.
However, Dropkick Murphys recently got my undivided attention when the band took on Mump & Trusk in an inimitable way. They couldn't have asked for better promotion for their thirteenth studio album.
The fact that their new album is called For the People and is being released on July 4, American Independence Day, is unbeatable symbolism.
That's reason enough to include their wonderful fight song, "Who'll Stand With Us," as our On Repeat music recommendation.