Six Months at a Glance

It’s been 6 f*cking long months without a blog post, Cristina! How are you going to tell them everything you have done in the last six months? 

Honestly, I have no clue how to summarize all my latest crazy adventures in one blog post, but I’m willing to try it, so please bear with me.

Why don’t you tell them about your latest races? Or better start with the beginning – how you severely injured yourself in February this year? 

Gosh, I have days when I almost forget that my right arm has been fixed with a beautiful (that’s how the doc described it) metal plate and screws only five months ago in order for the fracture to be held rigidly in a stable position while the bone healing occurs.

That sounds so bad. Go ahead, tell them how it happened, how you screwed it up big times, how you had to stop training for your biggest challenge – your first Ironman Hamburg planned so nicely with a year in advance,  how you couldn’t run Boston marathon the way you always dreamt of – in 3 hours – how you couldn’t work for a long time, how your family and friends were concerned about you?

It happened on a Sunday evening. I still remember that I spent that weekend with my dear friend, Miruna. We had a fantastic time together, went running, swimming, even made pancakes together. I was so happy at that moment of my life. Life was great, training for my first Ironman was really going well, and bouldering was a constant in my life thanks to Stefan. Until that evening, when I fell down to the ground – I must have been roughly 4 meters high – and I broke my good right arm. I guess I’ll never forget what the doc told me the next day “This is a total fracture, worse fracture one could do. And now I need to fix it!”

Three days later after the fall, I had the surgery done, wore the cast for 10 days and then I had all the time in the world to recover (doc words). By the way, I am still doing physiotherapy. The arm is now stable and recovered 90% however, there is room for improvement.

So what have you been up to since?

In the first two months, I couldn’t do anything, really. Walking was allowed only. Basically, I was mostly seeing doctors, Jens, my favorite physiotherapist, and Stefan.

Hmmm. When you look back, how does it feel?

Stefan described it so well not to mention “It’s been like a roller coaster” – for just a few minutes, your lizard brain thinks the world is ending while your more rational side can see that, even at 100 miles per hour, you’re in no real danger.

I was so damn fortunate to heal very well and fast. So fast that I ran Boston marathon two months later. I know I haven’t run it in 3 hours, but I still had the best time of my life. You see, running has been the greatest teacher in my life. I’ve had to pick myself up over and over when I’ve failed, and have learned to hope and dream again. I hope you can understand that I had to run Boston marathon 2018 that took place on Monday, April 16, I just had to.

And how was it? Was it even worth the effort? Your right arm was still a work in progress, not even 50% recovered. 

I know what you are thinking, that I should have stayed home and enjoyed the boring walks, I should not have put my arm through such a tremendous effort – but the thing is that Boston marathon 2018 was a legendary race. Stefan and I fought next to each other with all the elements of nature – we have had pretty much everything one could wish in a street marathon from heavy rain, strong headwind, and cold temperature to amazing spectators and a beautiful profiled route. I kept telling myself Cristina, the faster you run, the less time you have to spend out in the rain, so just make sure to run fast!

After four memorable hours (impressed with how my arm experienced the whole thing), we both finished it strong, very happy and with a strong desire of returning.

Proud to have run Boston marathon 2018!

What happened next?

After Boston, I slowly and surely got back to training: running, cycling and swimming on a daily basis. Bouldering was out of the question….unfortunately, it still is.

Do you miss bouldering?

You have no idea.

Which other races did you have?

Next one was Transylvania 50k that took place on the May, 19th. Funnily enough, compared to Boston marathon, we’ve had this time besides lots of rain, snow, mud, and some more mud. Stunning scenery. Passionate trail runners. Awesome event.

Romania, what a challenging race! Just so you know, we both loved every second of it.

Who are these guys?

Ah, these guys are my dear friends – The Crazy Ones, the ones that are always pushing my boundaries. The ones that are always there for me. The ones that always put a smile on my face. The ones I love running next to.

U. Trail Lamer Winkel 2018 done by trail runners for trail runners. 54km. 2600m elevation. Pure trail porn. Holy trail.

I’ll be honest with you, U.TLW was my worst ‘’enemy’’ for almost 7 hours. 7 hours of feeling miserable, not being able to get out of that damn bad moment… 7 hours of agony while I still had 16km to go. As I was at km 38, I told myself that if I wanted to end this race, I should start pushing and run faster… So I miraculously did, and finish strong and happy.

When too much it is too much?! 

If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that when you have a real passion for outdoor sports, there is no such thing as “doing too much”.

So what’s the message? 

Nelson Mandela beautifully said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

Stay healthy and be happy!

Xoxo, Cris