Rafting is less often observed at the white water center in Troja, but on this particular run, I noticed this group in conversation next to their boat. Prague, Czechia, July 25, 2019.
While I’m not the greatest self-portrait fan on Earth, I’m trying to incorporate that element into my running as well; from time to time. Here, you can see bits of the Vltava and a bandage on my left hand. A reminder on the “dangers” of running. I tripped twice in the span of a month, the perks of big city life, I suppose. Prague, Czechia, July 28, 2019.
Two runners run toward sunset at the Vltava riverfront in Troja. Prague, Czechia, September 3, 2019.
Another solid running location are the Ruhr river wetlands farther north from Mülheim's city center, where the borders between Mülheim and Oberhausen meet. Here, I follow a path along the river and approach a fellow runner. Oberhausen, February, 19, 2020.
Both the Ruhr river and the Rhein-Herne canal have several locks in the area. Pictured here is a crossing of the Ruhr at the lock in Ruhrort during a Sunday long-run from Oberhausen, through parts of Mülheim to Duisburg, passing the Landschaftspark open-air museum (one of the largest reminders of the steel industry of the past), before closing the 27 km loop back where it began. Ruhrort was a former industrial hotspot of the region and today is home to one of the largest inland harbors in Europe. Duisburg, Germany, December 22, 2019.
Navigating narrow sidewalks is one of the struggles of city running. Pictured here is the passage down from Prague zoo back to Troja castle. Prague, Czechia, February 17, 2020.
Quiet sunrise on the bike expressway, a special bike and pedestrian street that crosses through Mülheim. Germany, March 18, 2020.
CentrO promenade, a place usually busy with shoppers and restaurant-goers from the mall, is deserted on this early evening run. Oberhausen, Germany, March 25, 2020.
run·ning | noun
the motion of moving one's body in a way that both feet leave the ground in each step and that at no point do both feet have ground contact at the same time, usually resulting in a faster movement than walking
the motion of moving one's body in a way that both feet leave the ground in each step and that at no point do both feet have ground contact at the same time, usually resulting in a faster movement than walking
Besides the technical definition of running, there's the psychology of the sport. While time-consuming, running is my happy place, so to speak, where I'm all alone with my thoughts, the one or so hour where I can clear my head. I don't want to miss it. It's what helps me stay focused throughout the day and be ready for whatever comes my way.
When I decided to re-enter the world of running back in March 2019 (after a long hiatus from my first much more casual contact with the sport around 2007-2009), the road to running-comfort was rocky.
Along the way, I sorted out knee issues that had stopped my first relationship with running (too long a story for this time) and discovered the freedom of a new level of mobility.
But I did also lose something — time for photography (my other happy place).
The green trail (Grüner Pfad) connects Oberhausen with the Landschaftspark, a former steel production site that has been transformed into an open-air museum. As I’m making my way into the park here, I’ve managed to capture a bird in flight dead ahead. Duisburg, Germany, June 20, 2019.
Scenes from early Sunday morning Prague: A group of partygoers stands in front of a night club, a man sleeps on a small wall. Prague, Czechia, September 15, 2019.
A rainy long run on the green trail between Duisburg and Oberhausen. Germany, December 22, 2020.
A rainy morning run along the Vltava riverfront. This passage leads back to Stromovka park. Czechia, Prague, February 4, 2020.
E-scooters parked on the sidewalk in Old Town. Prague, Czechia, February 16, 2020.
Signs of a pandemic: an empty and quiet street at 6 a.m. Mülheim, Germany, March 21, 2020.
A not very presentable shortcut from one of my 10 km routes near my parents' home. Oberhausen, Germany, March 21, 2020.
City streets that are usually busy are eerily empty and quiet during the COVID-19 pandemic; even at 6 p.m. Oberhausen, Germany, March 25, 2020.
Instead of zigzagging around people, I ran up the levee for a proper social distance; and a nicer view. Oberhausen, Germany, March 26, 2020.
per·spec·tive | noun
a mental view or prospect; the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed; the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance; the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions
a mental view or prospect; the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed; the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance; the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions
Being a photographer means one is always alert to the visual stimuli in the world. Running offers an interesting perspective on the world, one that, from time to time, reveals little details that would remain hidden with a more active photographic process. Photographing while running is very instinctual and freeing.
As a countermeasure to combat lost photography time, I slowly tripped into run photography, taking first my phone and then an action cam with me on every run.
The pictures are raw, far from optical or photographic perfection. While run photography has nothing in common with *normal* photography, it's still a way of practicing my eye for light, composition, moment.
To a degree, that is. You've got to appreciate the limitations. But once you do, there is a whole new world to discover; both photographically and in terms of looking at a location.
The pictures also more often than not allow me to mentally go back to runs I did months ago; preserving small moments I observe along the way, small encounters with my environment, small discoveries of a location I'm usually seeing very differently.
Running up the ramp of a bridge across the Vltava in Prague, the vista of the golden city appears from a unique perspective. Prague, Czechia, June 23, 2019.
Charles Bridge is the tourist attraction in the heart of the city. Sometimes you have to squeeze through the mass of people on the bridge. Here I pass a woman who's got her phone at the ready for a snapshot while a wall of people in the background tries to grab a shot of sunrise over the old town. Prague, Czechia, September 22, 2019.
Rez currently offers the first bridge after north of Troja bridge in Prague, which is more than 13 km (8 mi) south of Rez. Rez, Czechia, November 3, 2019.
In February, Prague's constant stream of tourists began slowing, parallel to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China. As a result, Charles Bridge is unusually empty and quiet. Prague, Czechia, February 9, 2020.
Crossing Troja Bridge at dawn. Prague, Czechia, February 15, 2020.
The Vltava riverfront is one of my favorite running spots in Prague. It's almost always free of traffic, and especially in the dawn hours, it's a serene nature retreat without leaving the city. Here, I approach a fellow runner as the sun is beginning to rise on my way back home. Prague, Czechia, February 24, 2020.
In my first year of running, I've collected a few locations across Europe that I've run at.
Prague is my current home base. The city feels like it's been made for running (despite being quite hilly).
The Vltava river offers many soothing waterfront kilometers to last years of diverse running routes. On my farthest run to date, I made it all the way from Holesovice in Prague to the village of Rez and back. A total of 33.29 km; exclusively on paths and trails along the river. The bridge across the Vltava in Rez that I used as a landmark to return back home is pictured on the back cover.
For the more urban adventures, there's the old town. Laden with tourists, running across Charles Bridge and through the narrow alleys packed with historic architecture to admire, is quite a unique experience.
Early afternoon traffic near the shopping mall CentrO. Oberhausen, Germany, December 17, 2019.
Passing a walker on a short stretch of dirt trail along the autobahn A40 on a newly discovered 10 km route near my parents' home. Mülheim, Germany, December 19, 2019.
Sunday is long-run day. Pictured here is a scene from a run that brought me all the way to Duisburg, where the green trail mentioned before ends. Here, a couple of graffiti sprayers stand in an underpass that crosses an autobahn. Duisburg, Germany, December 22, 2019.
The OLGA park is a reminder of Oberhausen's industrial past (and the venue for a state horticultural show some years past). While not many sights have survived the passing of time, the view on the city's most prominent edifice, the old Gasometer, is a highlight — not only at the end of a 15 km run. Oberhausen, Germany, December 29, 2019.
Traffic is another concern for city runners. Pictured here is a scene from a traffic light stop. Oberhausen, Germany, February 29, 2020.
The Rhein-Herne canal in Oberhausen is a great spot for running (and other forms of recreation). Pictured here is a sunrise near the marina Oberhausen. Germany, March 13, 2020.
A scene from a sunrise run in the early stages of stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pictured here is the lonely canal trail near the Gasometer with empty beer bottles on the ground. Oberhausen, Germany, March 17, 2020.
As a result of the pandemic, streets and bike trails had quieted down significantly by the end of March. But when you came across people in the wild, it was either surprisingly difficult to maintain proper distance or smaller groups of people could be observed that didn't seem to care or were all living under one roof. Here's a group standing to the side of a path at the Rhein-Herne canal. Oberhausen, Germany, March 25, 2020.
Keeping a distance was difficult on early evening runs in March. Pictured here is a path at the Ruhr river wetlands. Oberhausen, Germany, March 26, 2020.
Every time I'm home with my family, the Ruhr valley becomes my running turf. To my surprise, I did find plenty of calm routes away from the usual chaos of urbanity that is all the eye meets at first in this densely populated metropolitan area.
Canal paths and specific bike trails that connect one city with the next are ideal partners for shorter as well as longer runs. Especially on long-runs, one can re-discover the cultural heritage of a region once dominated by coal and steel.
It has to be said, though, that city streets can't be avoided around here. An experience one can get used to, though they're not quite as pretty as the streets of Prague.
Lately, however, the streets of the Ruhr valley have taken on a weird sensation. The novel coronavirus pandemic has caused a few very unusual pictures.
Lastly, my travels for Family Journeys have granted me access to a few very special running locations right by the North Sea.
There are not too many options when it comes to running routes in Norddeich. The harbor is almost always a destination to include. Pictured here is the landing area for the ferry to Norderney to the right with the ticket center ahead. Norddeich, Germany, March 5, 2020.
The fresh air and the serenity of ocean views make up for uneven surfaces and heavy winds. Pictured here the view from the stretch of a levee that eventually allows for access to the harbor (to the right). Norddeich, Germany, March 5, 2020.
Welcome to the windy East Frisian coast, a particularly refreshing running location. Norddeich, Germany, March 6, 2020.
The slope of the path at the waterfront doesn't make for the most comfortable running surface. So I used the road behind the levee for the first part of this particular run and enjoyed the ocean view during the second half. Pictured here, a woman and her dog on top of the levee at the access point I used to begin the way back home. Norddeich, Germany, March 8, 2020.
