Sun, Feb 19, 2012 - 32K - 03:55:00
32K Berlin Wall Run with a 23:39 5K
Went back to the 5K starting line today for a rematch of my 24:14 icy 5K last week, and now that the ground has thawed out and is de-iced, I ran a faster 23:39, that's as fast as I can currently go, but faster than I probably have ever been in February. I'll do another 5K in summer sometime and see if I get can into the 22s. The whole family ran with me to the 5K starting line in preparation for their Frauenlauf in May, Gisela and Karla did 8K, and Hannah did a 3K-bike/5K-run, very nice. I passed them on my fast 5K run as they were going back home and we slapped hands, a bonding family moment, and then I ran off straight south all the way down to where the Berlin Wall used to divide West-Berlin and the GDR. It's always eerie to run there, saw two plaques of people murdered trying to cross into West-Berlin, one "shot 12 times in the back". It was getting quite dark as I ran along it to a point I finally found a cut through the trees back into Berlin, came out in super-wouth Lichterade and made my way back up through Berlin suburbia back up into Lankwitz, and the long Gallwitzallee back home. 
 
After 5K, ran to Tempelhofer Damm, then straight down one street to the border: 
 
The Frauen went with me on this run training for their Frauenlauf in May: Gisela and Karla did 8K, and Hannah did a 3K-bike/5K-run: 
 
Reaching her 5K starting line, Hannah locked up her bike: 
 
 
 
The wall runner: 
 
Approaching the start: 
 
5K starting line: 
 
5K finished (23:39): 
 
off to Brandenburg: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
der wahnsinn nimmt kein Ende, Currywurst for 1.10 €: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Berlin beginning to end: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Berlin is ending: 
 
 
 
 
 
To where the Berlin Wall use to run: 
 
Herbert Kiebler shot to death by GDR guards, June 27, 1975: 
 
Where the wall cut through the trees: 
 
VIDEO: Running the south Berlin wall cut: 
 
Eduard Wroblewski shot to death by GDR guards, July 27, 1966: 
 
Getting too dark so cut back into Berlin: 
 
 
 
S-Bahn into town: 
 
 
 
protests against the new airport just south of here: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
over the bridge and home: