Sun, Jul 22, 2012 - 48K - 06:00:00
48K Personal Berlin Marathon
Legs have been feeling good after my 35K Austrian mountain run last week, so I decided to run the Berlin marathon route today by myself. Got out the door at 6:30 AM and ran 3 kilometers to Berlin marathon route, got in at the 25K mark, ran to the finish and around the route once, and got back out at the 25K mark again, then back home again, for total of 42K + 3K + 3K = 48K. Legs feel fairly hammered, good workout and had a unique experience running the Berlin marathon with empty streets, no fans, and having to find my own water stations. 
 
 
 
 
 
out the door at 6:30 AM: 
 
Three kilometer warm-up run to the marathon loop: 
 
 
 
entering marathon loop at Rheinstr./Schmiljanstr. 
 
 
 
personal marathon GO! 
 
official blue marathon lines still on road from last year 
 
reminded me I was still on the right route: 
 
left on Südwestkorso: 
 
 
 
 
 
under the bridge at 27K, always where legs lose 100%: 
 
Lentzallee and Rheinbabenallee, always a long, slow uphill, today went by in minutes: 
 
 
 
always some of the most enthusiastic fans on this stretch, today nobody: 
 
 
 
up Hohenzollerdamm, always where it starts to get painful, today still running strong: 
 
 
 
the 31K bridge, end of the leg-breaking hill and back through the city: 
 
 
 
 
 
up Konstanzerstr. to Kudamm: 
 
 
 
haven't missed a turn yet: 
 
 
 
Kudamm, where there are so many fans they fight for front row: 
 
but not today: 
 
 
 
shops closed on Sunday, room to run: 
 
on up to Potsdamer Platz: 
 
 
 
got a cat-call here from a Bülowstr. hooker still in Saturday night mode, "Hey, I'm married, and besides I'm running a marathon, go to bed!": 
 
with no water stations, you take what you can get: 
 
the turn up Potsdamerstr. left: 
 
up to Potsdamer Platz: 
 
 
 
 
 
crossing into East Berlin: 
 
down Leipzigerstr., I love this part of the marathon, you can start to feel the finish line: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
marathon markers show the way: 
 
 
 
Gendarmenmarkt: 
 
in the marathon, first glimpse of Brandenburg Gate always such a beautiful site: 
 
 
 
marathon's last 200 meters minus the fans and stands: 
 
see you in September, finish line: 
 
and now the marathon start, minus the runners, made it here almost right at 9:00 A.M., in my run this morning I was right at 20K: 
 
first 5K always a blast: 
 
 
 
 
 
ran through a flea market just getting underway: 
 
Ernst Reuter Platz: 
 
found a gas station, personal water station #2: 
 
Berlin was surprisingly quiet this morning: 
 
 
 
Turned right on Alt-Moabit: 
 
heading down to the government buildings: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Frau Merkel on the right, Reichstag on the left: 
 
 
 
 
in the marathon that bridge is one of the most crowded areas: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
down to Friedrichstadtpalast and turn left: 
 
 
 
 
 
take a right down Torstr.: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I went straight here, got a bit off the marathon track, but I saw that the route had changed here in the last couple years: 
 
 
 
got back on track at Straus-Berger Platz: 
 
sun was out, getting warm, so dunked my head rag in this fountain: 
 
refreshing: 
 
on down through Neukölln: 
 
 
 
water station #3: 
 
beautiful sunny morning: 
 
 
 
marathon markers, show me the way: 
 
 
 
 
 
sharp right up Hasenheide: 
 
 
 
just like I remember the sunny marathons: 
 
welcome to Kreuzberg: 
 
water station #4: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
into Schöneberg: 
 
 
 
 
 
right turn to run under the train bridges: 
 
one of the funnest parts of the marathon, running under the Yorkstr. bridges: 
 
Schöneberg in sight: 
 
approaching half marathon mark where I always get an SMS that the first runner has finished: 
 
turning down Potsdamstr.: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
turn right at Kleistpark: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
left on Martin-Luther-Str.: 
 
 
 
Rathaus Schöneberg: 
 
 
 
 
 
reaching 25K marker again, final stretch on today's marathon route: 
 
 
 
 
 
last water station: 
 
best Snickers bar I've had in years: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Berlin marathon route finished: 
 
3K warm-down back home: