“I’m mentally stronger than ever,” says long-distance runner Alina Reh. In May she won her second German championship, now she wants to attack internationally again. But their road to success is paved with setbacks.
The 25-year-old Alina Reh from Laichingen in the Alb-Donau district is one of Germany’s best long-distance runners. In May, she confidently secured the with a lead of almost 20 seconds German championship over 10,000 meters. So far so good. But what sounds like a success story through and through is the end of a long period of suffering.
Mentally stronger than ever after a forced health break
A fatigue fracture in her calf prevented her from participating in the Tokyo Olympics. Most recently, the 25-year-old was banned from exercising after suffering from a myocarditis. The trained retail clerk was unable to train for months and instead helped out in the family supermarket.
Alina Reh even thought about quitting: “It was terrible,” says the 25-year-old in an interview with SWR about her sports-free time. Patience was required. Being patient: That’s not one of Reh’s strengths. But her love for the sport was too great, so the runner tried again. The title – of all things on her comeback – came out of nowhere.
Things have been going uphill since then, mainly because she mentally gained incredible strength during the difficult time. Deer got out of the “little hole” she fell into. Now she is mentally stronger than ever.
The sports soldier enjoys finally being able to walk across the Swabian Alb again. When she’s not training, Reh spends her time hiking, cycling or cross-country skiing – no matter what, “an activity or movement has to be there,” she confirms in an interview with SWR.
There is not much time for this: the long-distance runner usually completes two training sessions a day. 15 kilometers in the morning – mostly speed runs, sometimes endurance runs -, stabilization exercises and mobility training, then a lunch break and off towards Ulm, where the second training session of the day takes place.
Home EM in Munich in view
These efforts are worthwhile. With the championship title, Alina Reh also secured the Qualification for the upcoming European Championships in Munich Mid August. According to her own statements, the 25-year-old is still missing a bit to the international top because “there’s a lot going on up there right now”, but Alina Reh has already shown with her championship title that she is always good for a surprise.
