Well, quite a lot since my last triathlon-related post in 2014.
The 2015 triathlon season went really well, with a German national championship title at Challenge Roth and a new solo marathon personal best later in the year.
In 2016 I wanted to improve my personal best time at the Ironman distance, but following a different training concept completely backfired and ended in overtraining. So I had to pull the plug mid-season to prevent further damage to my body, and during my 9 months recovery I decided to quit competing in triathlon alltogether.
Why?
- I reached all my goals I had when starting triathlon, I even completely overachieved
- My motivation wasn’t at 100% any longer
- I was really sick of living after a strict training schedule and subordinate everything else
Thanks triathlon, I’m deeply thankful for all you gave me and what you made me!
During my later years in triathlon I started listening to podcasts and somehow got sucked into it. I listened and still listen whenever I can to all kinds of podcasts – from sports to medicine, from work-related stuff to psychology, talks, coaching, motivation and so on … And on Tuesday, September 12th in 2017 I listened to one which literally changed my life. Even nearly 2 years later I remember this day as clearly as it just happened …
I was at work, alone in our room, developing some stuff for one of our products – when a TED-talk like podcast started playing, starring one of Germany’s best coaches. Under normal circumstances I listen to podcasts and consider them as “background-noice” while doing something else – but this one immediately took my full attention. I laughed halfway through the podcast while crying the second half. It triggered something in me, and there was no way of refusing it any longer. After it finished I tried to get back to work, but without success. I couldn’t let this go and concentrate on something else – so I headed home, just to listen to the podcast and watch the Youtube-video of it over and over again. And laughing and crying, again and again.
Later in the evening I tried falling asleep, without success either. So I started what I actually had planned for the weekend, immediately. Asking myself the hard questions in life and finding even harder answers to them. Like
- What to do? And what NOT to do anymore?
- What to regret? And what not? What would you regret not have tried?
One of the things on the list was “living in a foreign country for a longer time”, another one “having no regrets”. I already had a chance in 2012 of moving to the US, but didn’t dare to do it. Every now and then I thought about it and what would have happened if I did it etc.
So, after talking to very few people at work about it I had different options on my table just a few days later. But since I really liked (and still like) my job I also talked to my boss about it and whether it would be possible to keep my job and “just work from a different location, our office in Palo Alto, California”.
And this is what we did then …
Eight month and a lot of paperwork later I moved from Germany to the Unites States – living the California dream since then.
I really really like it over here and I’m happy having made the decision to move here.
Will I stay forever? I simply don’t know yet and it also depends on things not under my control (like visa). Right now life is awesome here and it would be really hard to leave again.
Have I stopped doing sports? No, not at all. I still run and bike a lot, just for fun and without any competition in mind. And nature here is fantastic for those activities.
What will this website be about? Let’s see, but mainly updates about myself, my travel and sight-seeing.