Thu, Aug 2, 2018 - 15K - 02:00:00
15K After-Work Run from Sonnenallee with Timed 5K IKEA Loop (25:42)
Looking to vary my after-work runs home through Berlin, I decided to start taking the S-Bahn to some station somewhere, getting out, and running home from there. Since today was quite hot (32°C), I took the Ringbahn to the Sonnenallee S-Bahn station, a point where I would have a shorter run home, but one that would include my 5K loop at IKEA.  
 
Getting out at Sonnenallee in Neukölln, I was surprised to find a very pleasant, almost village-looking, small S-Bahn station and quaint intersection of numerous streets with cafes, etc. The sun was still in the sky and hot, but I took off into its direction toward Tempelhofer Feld, lots of shade from the apartment buildings until of course I go to Tempelhofer Feld itself, and began the two kilometer trek across its south rim, often since there was next to nobody out there, simply closing my eyes and running into the sun, a wonderful, free feeling.  
 
Tempelhofer Feld is a peaceful wide-open space. Every once in awhile there would be a person lying on the grass reading a book or sunning themselves out in the middle of nowhere, or two people enjoying an extremely isolated private picnic, etc. I think during the entire two kilometers, I met less than a dozen walkers, runners, and bicyclists, including one woman riding a skateboard holding onto the back of a guy's bike.  
 
I finally made it to the starting line of my 5K IKEA loop with 7 kilometers of running in my legs, but kept a good pace, especially in the second half and finished under 26:00, stopped at the Bessemerstr. gas station on the way home for a refreshing cold tea and then ran the rest of the way home into the setting sun. Two hundred days until the Seville Marathon.