Project by an early retiree: After the ski winter, Fredy now runs marathons

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The ski season is coming to an end. Fredy, who took early retirement a year ago, is very happy with the winter. “We were on the board for 25 days. As planned,” he says to his wife Rosmarie as they drive home from their holiday apartment in the Graubünden mountains.

And now? Now Fredy is tackling his next project. “You need structure as you get older,” he learned in the course his company offered to early retirees. Fredy wants to run a marathon. Rosemarie is worried. “Why does it have to be a marathon?” she asks. And adds: “You can just go for a jog.”

But with Fredy she ended up with the wrong person. ‘Go for a little jog. It is precisely this Larifari attitude that will not make any progress. People need goals. Measurable goals. Otherwise he wanders through life without any sense of direction,” says Fredy. And supports his plans with a quote from miracle runner Emil Zatopek. “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a new life, run a marathon.”

Clear and measurable goals were important to him when raising his children. He taught his two daughters to add to 20 in kindergarten. “They will have this advantage for the rest of their lives,” he explained to Rosmarie at the time. Both daughters are now team leaders. One at the Coop, the other at Aldi.

Fredy also rejects Rosmarie’s suggestion that he perhaps start a half marathon. «I am not a man of half measures! If so, then so!” The only thing that could slow him down is his bowed foot, which is causing him some concern. His orthopedist advised him to walk barefoot a lot. That would have a therapeutic effect. Fredy immediately thinks of the legendary Zola Budd, and her story calms him down. The South African became world famous as a barefoot runner. Because her country was boycotted by the apartheid system, her world record in the 5000 meters was not recognized.

Rosmarie is also a bit surprised that Fredy has already drawn up a nutrition plan. She shakes her head because she now has to alternate between preparing steamed fennel with three tablespoons of basmati rice or a lentil stew with pumpkin seed oil for breakfast every day.

Yes, the whole family is integrated into Fredy’s marathon project. “Something like that is also a logistical challenge,” he explains to Rosmarie. He also wants to call on his cousins, whom he has not seen since the 1970s, to help with his twelve personal refreshment stations during the marathon. “They will already know what it is about,” says Fredy.

It is clear to him that the planning of the summer holidays must also be subordinated to the marathon project. He has been traveling with Rosmarie to the Ligurian coast for 26 years, to this small, beautiful hotel right on the beach. “Not ideal for training,” says Fredy. «I have reserved a house in Sweden for three weeks. “You’ve been wanting to read more for a while,” he says of what he sees as a crystal-clear win-win situation.

On average, a person walks 150,000 kilometers in his life. A few more will follow at Fredy’s.

Source : Blick