Welcome Innsbruck - Sommer 2018

W E L C O M E 32 S O M M E R How do you run properly to begin with? “As to the latter, I always like to say: just go out and run. Nearly everyone can do the sport. Not everyone can do it properly, but hardly anyone can do it wrong.” M E A S U R E D The big advantage: you don’t need much to go running. A pair of run- ning shoes and chafe-free clothing are the only things you definitely shouldn’t do without, though. “Beyond that there’s a whole number of things, of course, that are helpful and that can be fun as well. I don’t be- lieve you can’t run without a heart rate watch, a head torch, a backpack, or three-part carbon sticks. Yet all these components could, of course, make a runner’s life more interesting and more fun.” And fun is what running to a large extent is all about. At least it makes the whole thing easier. In order to have fun, the basics at any rate should be perfect. The running shoes have to fit. At Rückenwind a running gait analysis is included when buying a pair of shoes. On the treadmill, the runner runs barefoot to begin with. A camera films the movement of the feet. The experts see at a glance how the feet touch the ground – and which run- ning shoe accordingly supports and carries the runner optimally. And then the lightness of running waits to be discovered. Because sooner or later it will arrive. Then it is not a struggle, or at least not a big one, to put on the shoes and leave the house. Then run- ning becomes a part of life, not only of everyday life, but part of oneself. Then it becomes a sort of life attitude. Which will not happen in a day, though. Of course it won’t. But those who persevere will be rewarded. After all, skills don’t come from nowhere. Those who want to extend their running scope, at some time have to start running longer distanc- es. Those who want to run uphill, have to tackle inclines. Those who want to run more effortlessly, will have to work on their running style. “It’s all about the expectations that you have in connection with what you do. A training plan, or running to certain specifications, makes sense from the moment you realise that you don’t improve, even though you want to.” And it doesn’t always have to be a sophisticated plan, as Re- inhard says, remembering a good friend who asked him for advice a few years ago. He wanted to run a marathon, but didn’t manage the kilometre below seven minutes. Accordingly, the forty-two kilometres would have taken him five hours – too long for his liking. “After a lengthy conversation, I finally advised him to go running four times a week. One hour at a comfortable speed, one hour going comfortably but with twenty minutes at a faster speed, one unit should extend over an hour and a half, and the fourth time he should run a little longer still.” It was November when the training began. “The marathon, a few months later, he ran in four hours. One year later, in less than three hours and forty minutes. And all that with very simple instructions and consistent train- ing. He simply ran, without torturing himself much.” After all, as Rein- hard says: “Every time you torture yourself and don’t make any progress, there’s something going wrong.” The motto “no pain, no gain,” in Rein- hard’s opinion, has no place when it comes to an average runner. When something – in the truest sense – goes wrong, the body very quickly sends out signals and this feedback should by no means be ignored. Running too can lead to injuries or signs of overexertion. Only because it’s a sport that doesn’t require a lot of tools, doesn’t mean its effects on the body should be underestimated. Not everyone must, or will, run a marathon. Not everyone indeed wants to take part in competitions. Some simply run for themselves. In order to feel the freedom in the legs and in the head, in order to feel alive. It’s terrific if the running trails start right outside your door, or the hotel door. It’s terrific when there’s something for every running taste, be it city run- ning, cross-country or hill running, or even vertical up, be it a comfortable or speed run, be it as the wind takes you or meticulously planned out. In Innsbruck and the surrounding area, runners’ hearts may beat a little faster – if they want to. But there’s also the gentler option … W A L L E S I M P L A N Unter www.innsbruck.info und www.run-walk-innsbruck .at gibt es einen tollen Überblick über Laufstrecken in der Region Innsbruck. Damit jeder die ideale Strecke für sich finden kann, sind die Strecken mit dem Laufland Tirol Leitsystem für Lauf-, Berglauf- oder Nordic- Walking-Strecken ausgestattet. Das eigens entwickelte 2-Tafel- Leitsystem, bestehend aus Richtungs- und Distanztafeln, vermittelt Informationen zu Richtung, Streckenlänge und -schwierigkeit und weist exakt die gelaufenen Kilometerabschnitte aus. A L L M A P P E D O U T The two homepages www.innsbruck.info and www.run-walk- innsbruck.at provide a great overview of the running trails in Innsbruck and beyond. So that everyone can find their ideal option, the trails are marked according to the Tyrol guidance system for running, hill running, and Nordic walking trails. The bespoke two- table guidance system, consisting of route and distance tables, supplies all necessary information on route, distance and difficulty level and also marks the exact distance covered up to any point along the way.