They braved the heat and didn’t let the rain stop them. You have completed many laps in the stadium, climbed the hills in the landscape park with brisk steps and felt the forest floor under your jogging shoes. You have overcome your weaker self, sweated, panted and found new training partners. For the past nine weeks, around 30 participants in the SZ campaign “Run with us” have been training together with the trainers from TSV Unterhaching. This week the runners and walkers are entering the final round, which ends with the “Run for Trees” charity run on Sunday, July 10, starting at the fairground in the local park.
Not everyone stayed, but most did. And they have definitely gotten fitter, as the trainers were able to determine. One of them is Piia Lipiäinen, who awaited her group every Tuesday at the Hachinger Halle. “It went well, they all got better,” says the Finnish marathon runner. You will also be able to put a figure on this at the end of the training session. Because at the first meeting in early May, she used the “Cooper Test” to check the general stamina of her participants. This recognized procedure is about speed, endurance and distance. Everyone runs for twelve minutes and tries to cover the maximum possible distance for them. Lipiäinen will repeat the test this Tuesday. “Then we’ll see,” says Lipiäinen, who is also looking forward to the results.
But she already knows one thing: Five kilometers without a break should no longer be a problem for most people. “Everyone is still highly motivated,” she reports. Only the Pentecost holidays had brought a small setback on the way to endurance runners for some, because many had been away during this time. A corona infection has also slowed some people down, “there’s nothing you can do about it,” says Lipiäinen. But the most important thing is that everyone continues to be happy. “We have a team spirit,” she says, even though the members of the group are so different: from 18 to 60 years old.
“Everyone is still highly motivated”: Former marathon runner Piia Lipiäinen trains one of the groups.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
Which is why Lipiäinen trained mainly in the stadium at the Hachingahalle, only twice on the field and once on the toboggan hill. Her training sessions on the track were not just about improving endurance, strength and technique training were also on the agenda. “We took videos and looked at what you can improve in the running style, how is the use of the arms, where do the hips have to go,” she reports.
Also with Willi Hochholzer the running group was very heterogeneous. Some had never run before, others came to improve. Because Hochholzer was out and about on the grounds of the landscape park with his participants on Thursdays, he involved a long-time friend, Hans Forster, who took over part of the course. So everyone could run at their own pace, the slower ones didn’t run out of breath right away, the faster ones were also challenged. “Everyone liked it,” Hochholzer said. The training route was varied, going up and down the hills, over the runway and through wooded areas. Sometimes there was even a dog as a companion. They covered up to 7.5 kilometers in one go. “It was just too hot last week,” says Hochholzer.
Many didn’t last two minutes at first, now they can do a quarter of an hour
The third running group, with Carmen Johannhardt, chose the Perlacher Forst as their training ground, as did Hedy Nguyen’s two walking groups, who always walked briskly on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The runners, on the other hand, trotted along the forest paths on Saturdays, but not only. “Some then decided to train several times a week and also used the practice hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” reports Johannhardt. She can also clearly see an increase in fitness. “In the beginning, many found it difficult to last two minutes at a time, now they can do at least ten to 15 minutes,” says Johannhardt. The trainer works in the TSV office and says the club is considering making a similar offer next year. The interest of the participants is great.
This can also be confirmed by Piia Lipiäinen, who has received many requests from the group to continue training in the autumn. Most wanted to continue. “Stefan said it’s his highlight of the week,” says the trainer, pleased with the praise. How many of the participants in the campaign will actually try the 5.4 kilometers, maybe the 10.3 kilometers or even the half marathon in the “Run for Trees” is not yet certain. “Some already have plans,” says Carmen Johannhardt. And if they don’t make it all the way, she advised them to walk the rest of the way. Piia Lipiäinen offers her participants: “I’ll run with you! Whatever the pace.”