Saturday, April 7, 2012

#16--Berlin Marathon

Berlin, Germany
September 28, 2008
5:18:44

This was one of the more memorable marathons for a lot of reasons.  I was fortunate enough to be chosen for a one month European fellowship.  I spent the month of September in Switzerland learning from one of the great minds in foot and ankle surgery.  I figured as long as I was there, I might as well run a marathon!

I knew that Berlin was one of the great marathons in the world, so the timing was perfect.  I had run a sub 4 hr race in the spring, and my training was going very well.  I aimed to improve on that time.

The expo the day before the race was a disaster.  Germans are know for being organized and efficient, but this was the worst I have ever seen.  It took me almost 3 hours of waiting in line to get my race number and chip.  The youth hostel that I stayed at in East Berlin didn't exactly afford a very restful nights sleep, either.

Race day was perfect.  Sunny and calm, with temperatures in the 50s (F).  I ran the first few miles under 9 minutes/mile and felt really good.  At about mile 4 my left knee started to hurt like crazy.  IT band issues again.  If you've ever had it, you know it is not something you can easily run through.  I was forced to stop several times and try to massage out the soreness.  Lucky for me, there were actually a few places on the course that offered a massage, too!  

My pace slowed to almost a crawl and I wondered if I would ever finish.  One of the neat things about international races is the different traditions.  On this course I saw many spectators wearing medal from Berlin Marathons that they had finished.  I had never seen that done before, but it was the incentive I needed to finish.  I was going to get one of those medals!!

I did finish, but it took well over five hours.  I was beat, but very proud that I had finished.  I basically ran the entire race in severe pain.  The 5 flights of stairs I had to walk up to get back to my room at the hostel took almost as long as the race.

My wife and I then toured Berlin for a few days.  It is one of the most interesting and exciting places I have been.  It's very old, but also very new.  I will always cherish the experience there.  I will also always cherish the medal from the Berlin Marathon.  All of the others are in a shoebox in my basement.  Berlin is the only medal that I display.  It's a constant reminder to never give up in pursuit of your goals.

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