by Axel Rittershaus | 4 Apr 2016 | Marathon, Race Review, Top, Ultra Marathon
My 8th Two Oceans Ultra was on the list, and I felt great. The preparation so far went very good. No injuries, perfect race weight, good mindset. I had covered some 740 km since the 1st of Jan 2016 – and I already trained well in December of 2015. International...
by Axel Rittershaus | 31 Jan 2016 | Training Session, Ultra Marathon
What a great month January 2016 was. Training was often quite hard due to multiple heatwaves moving through Cape Town with morning (5:00 am) temperatures of 20°C and higher. My January 2016 training plan: Run at least one 30+ km run per week, add some pace sessions...
by Axel Rittershaus | 13 Jun 2015 | Race Review, Top, Ultra Marathon
“If I don’t finish in less than 9 hours, it won’t be because I am not fit enough, but because I am mentally holding myself back from running fast enough” were my words to my wife at dinner the evening before the race. I kept them in my mind all...
by Axel Rittershaus | 30 Mar 2015 | Training Session, Ultra Marathon
Two weeks before the Two Oceans Ultra I usually do a final long run. After last weeks 53 km training session, my plan for today was a 40+ km run, easy and smooth. It went perfectly, the first 3 hours I ran in the fog, cooling me down wonderfully. For the last 1.25 h...
by Axel Rittershaus | 23 Mar 2015 | Marathon, Ultra Marathon
The Two Oceans Marathon organizers asked me to write a blog post regarding running in what in South Africa is called a “bus”. Other call it “pace setter”. The principle is the same: A girl or a guy has a balloon or a flag indicating her or his...
by Axel Rittershaus | 21 Mar 2015 | Training Session, Ultra Marathon
Thanks to Atlantic Athletic Club, the running club I belong to, for once again organizing a fantastic “Nek 2 Nek” training run, 3 weeks before the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon 2015. The distance was calculated with 47 km, but I always like to do one 50 km run...
