Powerful impulses for running

Three lectures by the former Salzburg Marathon winner Karl Aumayr, sports doctor Dr. Holger Förster and graduate trainer Johannes Langer formed the highlights of an informative, entertaining and atmospheric impulse evening in the Wyndham Grand Salzburg Conference Center. True to the motto of the running festival taking place from May 5th to 7th, the message to the dozens of interested listeners was: "Get active!" - running as part of an active, modern lifestyle.

All photos of the Wyndham Grand Salzburg Runner's Night

“Winners think differently. The principle of clever running” – lecture by Karl Aumayr

“To say running a marathon is easy shows disrespect for the challenge and is counterproductive. You have to run a marathon cleverly,” warns Karl Aumayr. The former national marathon champion should know, for years he was the best long-distance runner in the state of Salzburg. In 2015 - at his last marathon with competitive ambitions of all things - he celebrated his greatest success and was the first to reach the finish line of the Salzburg Marathon. “Whoever runs a marathon is not only doing sports, he or she is starting a new life. A runner's life. Being a runner is not just about going for a run. Being a runner is an attitude that the runner lives by example every single day. Being a runner does not mean chasing any records, but enjoying the activity, standing up for it and seeing running as a connecting element,” the father of two makes an emotional plea for running. The fact that the marathon still arouses enthusiastic feelings in him is unmistakable: “Running a marathon sometimes means suffering, but always great joy and it means achieving goals. Discipline in running means discipline in life. It is important to overcome boundaries, resolve conflicts with oneself and one's family. But if you make compromises and develop and live a passion for running, you can achieve what you want to achieve.”

health through exercise. Chronically healthy or what needs to be considered - lecture by Dr. Holger Forster

“Babies learn to walk, not walk. With natural curiosity and great joy. It's our society that requires them to learn to be quiet," Dr. Holger Förster his lecture. The pediatrician and sports doctor, who comes from East Tyrol and practices in Salzburg, clarifies two important aspects. First, humans are made to run. It's in their nature. Second, regular exercise and an active lifestyle are chronically healthy. Medicine presents solid evidence that running has a preventive effect against numerous serious illnesses over the course of a lifetime and fights obesity and high blood pressure. In addition, an active lifestyle promotes better brain performance, protects against depression and helps to reduce stress. Acquired flexibility, better coordination and a strong body keep you fit in everyday life. “Running is chronically healthy! Anyone who runs regularly adapts their lifestyle to running and changes as a person,” explains Förster, who has been running for 44 years and has celebrated numerous successes as a Masters athlete. However, it is essential to listen to the body: "Overflowing with infections, pain or injuries makes a runner chronically ill, not chronically healthy!" Sufficient regenerative phases play a very important role, which Förster considers "an important part of training ' than the training itself looks at.

Marathon modern! A great benefit for performance and well-being - lecture by Johannes Langer

In the last lecture of the evening, the experienced qualified trainer and running organizer Johannes Langer went into the right and up-to-date preparation for a marathon. “It is important to create an individually feasible training plan that can be carried out consistently and in a disciplined manner. The aim of the training is to create competition-like loads and situations in order to be able to call up known patterns during the competition," says Langer. Starting from this starting position, the experienced trainer recommends differentiated, varied and alternative training that provides targeted stimulation, includes sufficient strengthening exercises and ensures that you get enough restful sleep. Many runners in modern society have jobs that require hours of inactivity. This has lasting consequences for a dynamic movement sequence, which is why Langer suggests activation exercises at the start of a training session.

Even if running seems to be a purely physical activity, mental training is a secret to success: "It's incredibly important to find the inner voice that spreads a positive mood and gives optimistic instructions - even more important in competition than in training. Confidence in yourself is the key. The consistent work in training is the basis, but the decisive processes when running, especially in a marathon, take place in the head.”