Berlin doesn't have a wall

Written and run by William Laye

Road running. I get it, it's an amazing form of running for a number of reasons. The primary ones that come to mind is that it's FAST, you can see cities in new weird and wonderful ways, personal bests come naturally and it's by far the most common form of mass participation racing that conjures up unique feelings of community.

With that in mind, I've become seduced by the hill, the trail and fells more and more over the past year. The feeling of connectivity with nature and your mammalian self - despite how brief or close - is something very special to explore and I recommend it to everyone. I've shunned the road. Club road training is social and it is convenient to train on wintery nights that are rolling in harder and faster but I avoid the races. Trail is a better all round package for me at least and gentle to the legs.

So three weeks out from the Berlin marathon, one of the biggest ROAD marathons in the world - in both size and reputation - I get offered a place due to some weird circumstances including error and forgetfulness, what do I do? You run the bloody thing!! It's a great opportunity and as one of the six major marathons of the world (along with London, New York, Boston, Chicago and Tokyo) it's one on my hit list. As you can see this paragraph is a direct contradiction to the previous but bare with me or skip to the final paragraph!

Berlin is an very modern city not least because it has been reborn several times in the past century but also due to it's young, diverse and thriving population. Anyone who has visited will know it has so much to offer in many ways. So I implore you to visit for a few days at least! It's full of museums that front up to its history and is sprinkled with great cafes, restaurants and wonderful open spaces. Also let's not forget the strong (understatement) beer culture. Anyway who cares about that there's a marathon on!!!

Saturday: The expo where you pick up your number and freebies (which were lacking it has to be said!) is situated at Tempelhof, the airport converted into a conference center and gigantic public park. This included the Bambino marathon - children running exemplifies one of the greatest errors in running a race but more importantly the greatest reason to run. First the error, it's about a 400m run for the kids, they shoot off at 100mph, you may have seen this at parkrun before. This is shortly followed by the proverbial wall of lactic acid at the mighty distance of 200m. Their pacing is truely shocking but my goodness are they enjoying themselves. That is the greatest lesson we can learn from Bambino running. The joy of running - the shear freedom of it. Learn from their error and take note of their success on the Saturday and you'll do well on the Sunday.

Sunday: The run. With 40,000 entries it is a huge race. The stereotypical German organisational skill is true to form, transport is spot on and everything is easy to find. The start line time creeps up like a keen running ninja as the anticipation grows. A tip off from my German buddy who is a regular vents his frustration at the worst English speaker in the form of the announcer but this acts as amusement plus I cannot speak German so who am I to judge (everyone in this city for the most part are exceptional english speakers!). Before you know it the mammoth bubble of balloons are released to signify the start of the race as is tradition. We are off.

The open roads create no congestion despite the numbers. It's a truly magnificent start as the stream of runners are bisected either side of the towering Victory Column that shines golden in the crisp morning sunlight. I get on pace quickly. I feel good - BEWARE this feeling I have learned from my first marathon in London earlier this year. So I held pace... focus on form. Head up, use the arms, 180 bpm (talk about my generation), kick off. Repeat. The efficiency gains are investment for later. Despite concentrating on pace and form, the atmosphere cannot be ignored. The crowds are not as deep as London but they are loud and vibrant. The streets are open and spotless. You feel special and privileged to be the centre of the generous applause. Bands play out every couple 100m. It's difficult not to lose rhythm for theirs.

5K in i'm pacing along with a pod of other runners clearly aiming around the 3hr mark. the next 5K breezes in and out of existence. OH... 10K impromptu toilet stop (ROOKIE ERROR) - this could have meant disaster if I didn't know better. I lost 30 seconds but over the course of the next 4-5K i had reached the pod again, still feeling fresh and better yet - lighter! It's important to remember, a marathon is not won or lost in the first 10 miles (unless you really mess up I suppose!). The running up until 21K is a beautiful flow of energy from the runners around as you drift in and out of other runners paces. These fluid partnerships forming as easily as they are broken. The pod is long disintegrated as early efforts are deemed too slow or fast. I hold pace. I'm the metronome.

Halfway - 1:31:00. 1 minute down. London thoughts when in a similar situation - you have to negative split the second half. Learn => Berlin thoughts. Listen to the body. Hold the rhythm. Use your head. I hold pace knowing that a marathon is the old cliche of a 20 mile warm up with a 10K race at the end. Get to 20 miles in good shape. I concentrate throughout. Form. Head up, use the arms, 180bpm (I've moved onto Red Red Wine by UB40 as by pacing song by now), kick off.

20 miles in - I'm feeling good. Miles floating by but noticeably getting tougher. About 1:30 down on 3hr but my body is what it is. I'm in control. This point of a marathon you begin to see the pain set into yourself and others visually. The struggle begins. London saw me break apart at 33K. The online timing splits showed this up big time. This time is different. Get to 35K in tact, show up on the splits that you're OK. This is where my friends and family at home come in. That one is for you ;) The atmosphere is ramping up. The final 10K. It's just a 10K.

35K down - Runners dropping all around. I am the metronome. It's tough. There are signs of the same issue from London - a brutal side cramp - so I learn, I hold back a smidge to control. It does. There is reminder to concentrate on pace and form as runners are reduced to walking. Get to 37K - it's only a parkrun from there. The ever more euphoric crowd grow deeper and louder. The music is more important than ever. The cliche slogans of motivation, ridiculed (and quite rightly) in day to day context, are another source of strength. The anticipation of the finish is tantalising. 37K comes. The head relaxes and increases pace in complacency only to be reminded 10 seconds later by a walking runner that it's not too late to fall apart. 3:05 is on. Concentrate, keep pace, keep form. Head up, use the arms, 180bpm (back to My Generation obviously), kick off. Hold to 40K. It could still fall apart. 

40K down - 2K to go. It's on. 2:54 on the clock. Sub 3hr is gone. Second best 3:05 and auto quali for London is on. 11 minutes for 2K. I call on the legs to up it. The streets are unreal. It's why we run - the energy is beyond description. Suffering all around on runners faces as the salt is poured on in the final stages. The legs cannot up it. They compromise and maintain forgivingly.

41K down - 1K to go. The streets of Berlin are very similar up to this point. Full of vibrancy and music however quite the same throughout. Not many landmarks, however the streets are beautifully lush and open. This changes though. The final 1K straight brings you onto the home straight. Turn left. 200m. Turn right. 100m. Turn left. There, the finish only a home straight away. Through the Brandenburg Gate and through the finishing tape (metaphorical tape - I'm not that fast!!). 41K. The legs aren't called to up it. They take it on themselves. The crowd. The music. The occasion. My friends and family. My Grandfather. The synergy is overwhelming and takes over. The marathon shackles are unleashed and the stride extends. 6 min mile pace over the last K as I run under the gate and into the final 200m. The emotion is overwhelming. The clock says 3:04:30, I started 2 min after gun time but leaving nothing to chance or anything in the tank. Finish. Gun time 3:04:57. Chip time 3:03:00 and auto quali for London. The feelings after that line are the same as anyones who has given everything - you've felt it before too. The feeling of unrivalled joy as your dedication and work is rewarded. I'll remember it forever.

For those who skipped to the last paragraph - fair play, it's probably not a good read anyway ;) - the Road and trail are two different beasts all together but they are long lost siblings in truth. Both have their ups and downs, pros and cons, however to gain as much as you can and become a more rounded runner, seeking out these experiences from different areas of running is - to me at least - a fundamentally important part of growing and feeling connected to your surroundings and others. Road running is on the surface less connected than the mountains and trails however, dig a little deeper and you'll be surprised what you find. You'll see me racing on the hills far more often than the road but what I'm beginning to learn is there's not a lot wrong with doing both. Onwards and upwards, the journey continues.

William Laye: I may not be the fastest but I'm one of the most passionate runners you'll meet. Try to talk to me about something other than running, go on I dare you!

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