Triathlon | The man with the plan

Beep, beep, beep! Three beeping sounds are coming from my wrist, so I raise my arm and look at my sports watch as I continue jogging on this hot Sunday evening: "Too fast!" reads the display. Instead of 7:34 minutes per kilometer, I'm currently running at 7:10. I take a deep breath. I've just started running, and now I'm slowing down even more, speed limiters on the former border strip between Wilhelmsruh and Märkisches Viertel. I don't want to do anything wrong here; I want to shine, because: I now have a trainer!

My metamorphosis from desk jockey to hobby triathlete has progressed—even more so since I found Marcel Obersteller: 48, a former top athlete, sports scientist, personal trainer, and soon-to-be alternative practitioner from Berlin, a coach with a holistic approach. Two weeks ago, I discovered the website motrng.de and emailed him that I wanted to complete the triathlon in Fehmarn in 65 days and would report on it in the "nd" newspaper. "I'd love to help you, get in touch!" he replied, and in the second email, he exuded so much optimism and good humor that it warmed my heart. "It's going to be great!" he wrote.

During the first phone call, he didn't ask me about my personal bests, but about my daily routine: when I had time, how much I could realistically train, and what I found difficult. "Running is the worst!" I replied. "Okay!" he said. "I don't see any problems with swimming; you can manage the bike too. Then we'll focus on running. That'll be great!"

Since then, I've been following my own training plan, just like all 20 athletes who have hired Marcel as their coach or season planner, paying between €99 and €399 per month, depending on the effort. Every Sunday evening, Marcel uploads a plan to the app for me: swimming on Tuesdays, cycling on Saturdays, and running on Thursdays and Sundays. Plus, two "bonus" sessions, of which I complete at least one—I'm susceptible to psychological tricks.

Today, I just started the clock at the start, then my "6 km, gently increased" program began. Four 1.5-kilometer segments, the last of which I have to complete at 6:19 minutes per kilometer. I'm not the fastest, but there's still a risk of overdoing it, as Marcel told me. "With most beginners, you have to slow down," says Marcel. "The mind usually wants more than the body can handle." (More on that here .)

When I arrive at the Rosenthal Cemetery, my watch beeps again. Training session over. I check the data: All sections are within the specified pace range. Green checkmarks everywhere. Marcel should be happy, I certainly am.

I walk to my bike and feel the warm, tired feeling in my legs. Running used to be a battle – against time, against my pumping lungs, against the feeling of going way too slow. Now running is training. Systematic, clever, goal-oriented. I'm slowly starting to get a plan!