Holly Zimmermann

( Click here  for the English version) Meine Aufgabe: 51 Kilometer, 2080-Meter-Anstieg / Abstieg Der Tag begann nicht gut. Zwei Alarmglocken läuten, eine auf jeder Seite des Bettes, um 4 Uhr morgens. Ich setze mich verwirrt auf. Ich beugte mich vor, um den Wecker auszuschalten, und stoß mein Glas Wasser um, das auf meine Laufkleidung fiel, die ich ordentlich auf den Boden gelegt hatte, damit ich am Morgen blitzschnell hineinschlüpfen konnte. Plan B. Kaffee. Ich ging auf Zehenspitzen in die Küche, wo ich die Kaffeemaschine auseinandergenommen im Trockengestell der Spüle auffand. Ich baute sie zusammen, drückte die Daumen, schaltete die Maschine ein und wurde mit allen möglichen blinkenden roten Lichtern begrüßt. Kein gutes Zeichen. Ich drückte trotzdem auf ‚Brühen‘ und wurde mit unliebsamen Schleifgeräuschen konfrontiert, und nein, nicht mit dem Mahlen von Kaffee. Ich fing an, Tee zu machen. Während das Wasser kochte, nahm ich den Föhn mit zu meinen nassen Hos...

( Hier klicken  für die deutsche Version) The Task at Hand: 51 kilometers, 2080-meter gain/loss in the German/Austrian Alps  The day didn’t start well. Double alarm bells ringing, one on each side of the bed, at 4am. I bolted upright in confusion. Leaning over to turn off the ringer, I knocked over my glass of water which spilled onto my race clothes that I had placed neatly on the floor so that I could slip into them in a flash in the morning. Plan B. Coffee. I tiptoed into the kitchen to find the coffee machine disassembled and in parts in the sink’s drying rack. I pieced it together, crossed my fingers, turned on the machine, and was greeted with all kinds of blinking red lights. Not a good sign. I pressed 'brew' anyway and was treated to some unwelcome grinding noises, and no, not the grinding of coffee. I begin making tea. While the water was boiling, I took the hairdryer to my wet shorts. Back into the kitchen for toast and by this time Frank was...

Three and a half weeks after returning from Nepal, where I had been without my family for 3 weeks to run the Everest Marathon, I was scheduled to leave for Chamonix, France to run the Mont Blanc Marathon. The trip would have been only for 3 nights/ 4 days, but I cancelled it, because I felt that my family needed me at home. Thankfully I could still cancel my hotel booking, but I had already paid for the race as well as the flight there, and those were non-refundable. I receive harsh criticism from some people about luxurious travel to foreign destinations to pursue a selfish hobby. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, I respect that, but I believe everyone should be able to choose their own hobbies and do what they want with their own free time without being judged by others just because it is a different path than the norm.  My husband and I both devoted many years to self-funded higher education in order to create a solid basis for our future and that of our...