I just discovered this thread. Was thinking about creating my own Running OT, but an existing (and active) one is miles better of course.
Short introduction: I'm from Cologne, Germany, home of Gamescom and some beautiful running spots. I've been running for my entire life (started at 10), but running always took a backseat to playing football. Now that I'm older (27) and I've come to accept my fairly limited capabilities on the pitch I've pivoted to running for its simplicity, required focus on discipline and the solo aspect of the sport, which was daunting at first. I've been running more seriously for about 2 years now (ran a couple of half marathons in my early twenties, but without actual conviction and/or goals) and it's been amazing to dive into all the aspects that make running a great sport (training plans, nutrition, endurance, racing,...)
I picked the Half Marathon for the next couple of years, since it's a great mix between the grueling speed of shorter races and the daunting grind of marathon or even ultra training. I'm looking to start my training cycle for 2 goal races (a 5k charity run in July and a half marathon in October) on Monday after reducing to about 20-30k weeks for the winter and I thought what better way to reaffirm my commitment than to introduce myself to Running ERA.
Anyways, did an easy 8k today, nursing a bit of knee pain due to overcommiting to new shoes (at least I hope that's what it is) and I got to enjoy the snow from below and above.
Looking forward to reading more about all of you and your adventures.
Bonus snow gif from today: