One more off the bucket list!

The 35th Vatenfall Berliner Halbmarathon, Sunday 29 March 2015.
In 2008 when John had progressed to half marathon distance, we went to Berlin for him to take part in the Half Marathon.  I remember the excitement of the event - it was about 20000 runners that year - a lot for a Half!  There were crowds out supporting along the route and the start and finish area was great with stalls selling bier, bratwurst, brezels etc.  He thoroughly enjoyed this race and I remember the excitement and emotion of watching him power down the finishing strait.  I said then that I'd like to come back and run this myself one day.  In 2011 we planned to go back and both entered, but I was ill with 3 chest infections at the start of this year so we didn't make it... Last Autumn, the race opened and we decided to try again, both getting places in what is now a Huge Half! 35000 places!
This was before I knew I'd got a place in the West Highland Way race.  As a result, my training has been focused on the WHW race, not on racing (?) Half Marathon or even Marathon distance.  My taper consisted of a 34.7 mile race on the WHW, a 4 miler midweek, and 3 hard circuit sessions, not the most conventional :)  We arrived Saturday evening to our first 'mishap' arrived at our hotel to be told that they'd had a problem with their booking system and had overbooked so we didn't have a room.  Before I had a chance to draw breathe to complain, the charming receptionist told us he had already booked us a room in a sister hotel and they would pay for a taxi to take us there.  True to his word, the taxi arrived and took us across the city to our new abode, ironically a lot closer to the race start than the one we'd chosen.  We spent the next three nights in the Park Plaza Wall Street and it was very nice.  Being closer to the start meant we'd time for breakfast before we left, bonus!  There were a few other runners and an Italian gentleman met John at the buffet and asked if he was ready :)
It was raining as we jogged the mile to the start, got heavier as we picked up our numbers, however there was plenty of shelter and the rain went off after about half an hour.  Like a big city marathon, there were baggage trucks, and an abundance of porta loos.  Half an hour to go, we dropped off the bags with our clothes for after, said our cheerios and went to our start corrals.  Second 'mishap' there was a problem with the chip timing system which meant the start was delayed.  John was 10mins late but I had to wait 40mins until I started and my left leg started seizing up and getting quite crampy and sore :-(  Eventually and after a quick exit from the corral to the porta loo, a fast jog up the pavement and hop back into the start corrals and it was time to go.
Off we went out to Charlottenburg and back, I enjoyed the route as I'm familiar with the city landmarks and having done the Marathon the second half of the route was well known.  We'd a bit of a headwind on the way out and a couple of large puddles to contend with if following the race line - yes there was a racing line in a Half!! On the way back it was cool to see the green lines for the race alongside the blue ones from last year's Marathon.  There were crowds most of the way and at least 7 bands to keep us going.  I am used to being in a fair bit of open space as I'm often near the back, I'd to run with elbows out a fair bit, this time there were 10,000 people who finished after me!
Ticking off the landmarks in my peripheral vision I was concentrating on trying to keep my pace consistent and to keep the work rate up, at the same time telling myself that I could keep going even though my left leg was killing me - nothing that can't be fixed when I go to physio on Tuesday, but really sore all the same.  300m from the finish I heard John shout my name and I waved as I kept on going and worked hard to overtake as many people as I could in the last 250m, I honestly think I managed to overtake about 20 people just by keeping going.  Job done, ticked off the list!  Medal, space blanket, water, banana, beer, met John, picked up bag from luggage truck, passed the showers and changing rooms (yep seriously!!) then walked back to the hotel (the long way...)
We spent the next two days being tourists, cocktails, cake & wine in KaDeWe, La Boheme at the Deutsche Oper, running in the snow to the East Side Gallery, pizza at 12 Apostel then the third 'mishap' our train to the airport was delayed!  (it didn't matter as we'd plenty of time) they say that things happen in threes :-)

We'd a great wee break, a decent run and more training miles in the bank.  I thought about including photos of some traditional landmarks, but decided to share these instead as they made me smile

Does size matter?

A friend recently posted a question in a running group which set me thinking...
He asked peope to say Big or Small - whether they preferred the Big event or a Small race?
I've been mulling this over for the past few days and decided to jot down my thoughts, they are my thoughts, my personal opinion nothing more, and in no way judgemental.
My answer will always be Big, and here are some of the reasons why...

I have now completed 14 full marathons, 1 full ultra, a couple of ultra relays, a number of half marathons and 10ks and I have been fortunate to experience both Big and Small.  I guess the unasked question in amongst all the comments was quantify Big?  For me, Big is 35,000 people or more, lining up at the start in Chicago, New York, London or Berlin, these are, in most people's opinion, Big events.  However, it's not just the number of participants that make an event Big, it's the event itself.  My first ever full marathon was Chicago in 2007, I will never forget arriving at Logan international airport to be greeted by 12 foot high banners welcoming marathoners to the city!  Then when you get into the city itself, there's the thrill of spotting the banners which hang from the lamposts along the actual route, you see where you're going to be running!  Then, there's the EXPO... having been very fortunate to have travelled to many wonderful cities in Europe and N America/Canada, I still think that the Chicago expo is the best.  It's held in a huge exhibition centre and you start by picking up your bib and race packet then you wander round all the stalls, other races touting their race to prospective participants, stalls where you can try gels, drinks, get your gait analysed, have a massage, shops selling merchandise, selling other sports gear, celebrities signing their latest books etc etc etc... it's not uncommon to go twice to a big expo :-) Berlin expo is held on the no longer used airfield at Templehof, where you enter past the memorial to the pilots who flew in the Berlin airlift and where John F Kennedy famously proclaimed himself to be a doughnut :-)
The trip to the expo can be fun too, in the US and Canada you are often offered free transport as part of your entry and it is invariably a yellow school bus!  These are not overly comfortable, but you do get to meet other runners on the way and it's all part of the experience.  Then there's race day itself and the organisation of these events is something to behold... even just the sheer number of portapottis!! The corrals are all labelled and marshalled the baggage drops run with military precision, you get chatting in the queue for the loo, you share anecdotes and good wishes for a great run, with complete strangers but there is a camaraderie unlike any other I have experienced in my life. 
Then there's the support - if like me you are a slower runner and often near the back of the pack, it can be a long and lonely road in a small event.  That's not to say that I am not trying my very best, and if I pass specatators then I do get support from them and this is hugely appreciated, but in a big event there are many many more people in the same place as me, and the spectators give us the same if not even more support as they did to the front runners racing past at the head of the pack.  I can never write eloquently enough to explain how it feels but it is a very emotional experience to be swept along on the wave of support that I have been fortunate enough to experience, to have my name called out in many different tongues especially when you are getting a bit tired, is hugely uplifting.
I could go on and on because for me, it's not just about the race itself, it's about being taken to the hearts of the host City and it's people, to be encouraged along the whole 26.2miles and then to be congratulated by complete strangers as you hobble back to your hotel or appartment with your medal hanging proudly around your neck is fantastic, and if you're really lucky, in Chicago you can even get a free beer in a bar if you wear your medal :-)  In Barcelona, the day after the event we had a really enjoyable meander round the city the next day, spotting the 'blue line' and noticing things that we hadn't seen on the race itself... like where the blue line disappears into a film set!!  This wasn't there the day before when we ran down this street!

I have also taken part in small events, as well as many medium sized ones, and I enjoy them all, however it can get a bit lonely in a smaller event if your near the end - there aren't as many spectators, there aren't as many runners around you and whilst you still get your medal and your banana at the end, it's not the same... that's not to say there's anything wrong with it, it's just different.
So there you go, I did as I was bid on the original posted question which was to answer Big or Small, no opinions or explanations were to be given, but it has been bothering me since, I felt I had to try to write down my reasons - and maybe I've managed to do this here... and in conclusion, whilst I am happy to take part in small local events and will always support them if I'm not participating, it has to be for me the Big event for my first choice.  I hope that I will be fortunate enough to continue to travel and participate in many more Big events :-)
The caveat to all of this has to be that none of the above applies to the Ultra scene, by there nature, Ultra races are smaller, with fewer participants, but immense organisation and a 'family feel' unlike no other, this is a totally different world inhabited by some very strange but lovely people :-)

Bah Humbug!! (no it's not Christmas yet...)

I sincerely hope that this is true...
I have had a sinus thing going on since I had a head cold 3 weeks ago and whilst it hasn't killed me it has severely ticked me off!  Please, please let it have made me stronger!
Up until this week I have managed to keep up my fitcamp session on a Monday and my running Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday with pilates on Thursdays - Friday is a rest day :-)  This week however I managed my fitcamp session on the Monday - which I REALLY, REALLY enjoyed :-)  but I haven't run all week :-(
Tuesday I ended up having to work late and was tired and stressed, Wednesday I was up at 5.30am to travel to Inverness for a meeting, getting home at 7pm, Thursday I had to travel to Glasgow in the morning and got soaked walking back to the train at lunchtime then it was mad, mad, mad at work... I came home last night absolutely shattered and feeling totally crap :-(  To make matters worse, I stress about missing my training sessions, and this was probably the toughest week of my program, it's the last week before taper starts.  I have a 12 mile run to do tomorrow at race pace (I hope) and then a 20mile long run on Sunday.  I fully intend getting both of those in the bag, as today I woke feeling much better than yesterday so am hoping that things are on the road to recuperation.  If not I guess I need to make an appointment with the Dr :-(

Last week (almost 2 weeks ago now) I had a good fitcamp session on Monday then went to the Wee County Harriers training session on the Tuesday.  I really enjoyed this session though I found it tough, and thanks to Anne and Jess who kept me company at the back of all the speedy blokes and couple of speedy girls!  Wednesday I did a mammoth session of 11 hill reps on Menstrie Brae then on Thursday we'd a good old 'stretch' at pilates.  If anybody ever tries to tell you pilates is gentle or for wimps - don't believe them!  It's a bloody tough workout!

So, to conclude, it's not been the best week - apart from Monday which was a total blast! Hard work as well!!  Work has been hectic, weather hasn't been great and I've not run... however it's less than 3 weeks now til we get our well deserved trip to Canada and I will get my runs in tomorrow and Sunday then it will be taper time :-)  Next Sunday I am doing the Inverness 10k with 3 guys from work as part of the Corporate Challenge so that should be fun, I'm looking forward to it :-)

On the same day, my son and his friend since school are both running their first marathon in Berlin and at the same time raising money for Help for Heroes, if anybody is feeling generous and has a spare pound or two, you can sponsor the boys here
Thanks!

Where did September go?

I can't believe that's us into October already and I've kinda fallen off the blog wagon a little bit...

Probably a combination of being incredibly busy at work and trying to train, and not having much of import to share :-(

However, on a positive note, we did get to Berlin and we did get round the course, so I did finish my 12th marathon and get the medal I couldn't pick up in 2008 as I DNS due to something weird happening to my liver 5 weeks out...
John was still injured so it was to be his turn to DNS, we flew out on the Thursday and met up with friends with whom we were sharing a nice apartment in the Charlottenburg area of the city. I'd stay there again, it was leafy, quiet, loads of shops, restaurants etc nearby and only a short walk to the UBahn to get to anywhere in the city centre you wanted.
On Saturday morning we ran the friendship run, 6km which finishes in the Olympic Stadium, this is the second Olympic Stadium we've finished a run in this year, we did it in Barcelona in March, and there is something really special about running through the tunnel, into the light and out onto the blue track where so many other famous feet have gone before you :-)

The weather was amazing all weekend - better than we'd had here all summer so on race day it was yet again absolutely roasting! John was still injured but he decided he was going to run round with me - he is my hero, it was probably the worst run I've ever had, I had real issues with the heat and my leg was giving me some serious trouble. I don't think I'd have finished without him and the ice cream cone which he bought me at 36km was the best ice cream I've EVER had :-)
This is definitely, so far, the best finishing chute I have ever run down, to come through the Brandenburg gate 400m from the finish is amazing and the street is lined with people all the way to the finish line, it was truly a wonderful day.

I am hoping that I will be able to do Frankfurt on 30 October, fingers crossed, then I think it's time to have some exploration of my knee so that I can keep on running...

I have a lovely wee video clip of our finish which I can't get to upload here, but I will come back and see if I can add it later.