Running tips: In our series, Marina Rappold explains what is so great about one-way routes.
Unterschwillach - The other day my boyfriend and I were invited to dinner with a couple we were friends with in Munich.
The day before, the friend in question called me and asked if we would eat prawns.
If there's one thing I absolutely don't like, it must be prawns.
Better a nasty interval training on the track than the little worms in my soup mug.
“Sure, no problem,” paradoxically I whistled into the receiver and the next day I was very annoyed that I had to eat around the prawns in the coconut soup.
"Why don't you just say straight away that you don't like shrimp," Max said to me later in the car.
Sometimes the direct route is probably the best.
And above all you can say everything directly, but still nicely.
And because I have to practice it a little better, I'll start with running.
Let's start on Monday. Always the same lap? Nope, somehow I didn't feel like doing it this week. Spontaneously I called my papa, who works for an insurance company in Neuperlach, to ask if he could pick me up somewhere near Trudering. I started in Poing, Heimstetten, Feldkirchen - and already I passed the place-name sign for “State Capital Munich”. Great feeling! I did a spontaneous lap in the Riemer Park because it reminded me of the Riem Arcaden Run, in which I didn't do too badly two years ago, and then I headed towards Trudering. My dad, who was able to track my location - thanks to WhatsApp - caught up with me shortly before an intersection near Trudering.
In the end it was almost 13 kilometers in bright sunshine - what fun. Sometimes running in one direction really has an incredible appeal. Maybe it's the unknown route or the one goal that you always have in mind. There's always something new to see, and all you really need is a volunteer to drop you off or pick you up somewhere.
It is Tuesday. Still euphoric from my run on Monday, I ran the next day in the other direction, namely to my parents' house in Unterschwillach. The Poing-Unterschwillach route measures eleven kilometers, which is really a stone's throw and can be expanded as required if necessary. Because I was so fond of one-way routes, I walked in exactly the opposite direction today, out into the country, which definitely has its appeal. Especially when everything is blooming and you don't have the worst hay fever, like my friend, a real treat. Seen deer, chatted with strollers, and actually the run was over almost too quickly. Just beautiful! I went back by car because my dad does almost everything by bike when the weather is good.
Because even the nicest dad needs his car himself at some point and the weather should get worse, I brought the car back to him on Friday, the meeting point should be the Sportpark Markt Schwaben.
Together we walked a few more kilometers in my direction before my dad turned around and I rushed home over the fields near Lindach for the remaining four kilometers.
So much for the one-way routes of the past week.
It's simple, great fun, and all you have to do is take care to go in the opposite direction when walking back.
Everything else is self-explanatory.
Incidentally, I'm probably not the only runner with a preference for one-way routes. During training yesterday, my runner-friend Patrick told me that he had been to the Circus Krone in Munich with his family last year. While his three children were looking forward to lions and artists, he already calculated the Circus Krone-Pliening route at home: Aha, exactly, a little over 21 kilometers, so the perfect Sunday half marathon. After the performance, his wife Sonja drove home with the three children and Patrick's normal shoes while he set out on the half marathon - which turned out to be a real highlight.
So as you can see - it just takes a little creativity. Then you can discover new direct paths and not have to deal with shrimp. In addition, you should of course not let the children or the dog drive home alone in the family car. Otherwise I don't see any problems. I wish you a lot of fun running one-way routes and a good start into May. MARINA RAPPOLD