I spent a Marathon preparation week organized by Ryffel Running and led by Viktor Roethlin in Barosa at the Costa de la Luz in Spain. This was the third training holiday after a marathon preparation week on Mallorca with Bruno Lafranchi in 2006 and a Gigathlon preparation week with Olivier Bernhard/Urban Schumacher at the Costa Dorada in 2007.
	The trainers with a representative of Asics at the left, Viktor Roethlin (second from the left) and a representative of Ryffel Running on the right
	Morning Footing at the Beach
	Warm-up exercises
	The "hardest 10 minutes" training focusing on stability
	10K run at Marathon speed
	Viktor Roethlin handing out water at the 10K. Viktor's presence during the whole week was phenomenal. He did everything which there was to do including helping the bus driver getting free of a round-about he had run into. However, Viktor couldn't do some of the longer runs as he was still recovering from Tokyo Marathon which he had won in grand style two weeks earlier in a absolute world class time of 2:07:23
	The training group at the start of the 30k long-jog
	Just after the start of the long-jog struggling to slow down to the targeted pace
	En route at kilometer 18.5
	Coming home in 2:35 on the hilly course with the objective of a negative split achieved (= second half faster than first half)
	Having fun after the long-jog