My second marathon- Berlin 2011

25 Sept 2011- date of Berlin marathon

Well its quite late that I am writing about my second marathon but as the saying goes "better late than never". Well it all started with Anand Teke informing me about the Berlin marathon last year in October and suggested that we do the run together. I was quite thrilled at the idea and quickly jumped into it, registering as soon as I can, paying the early bid registration fee of 66 euros. So I had actually planned for my second marathon almost a year in advance.

I started training for Berlin in April, combining cross training (mainly cycling and football) with my weekly runs. My aim was to finish Berlin in 4:30 hrs, at least thats what I had indicated when I registered for it last November (in 2010). So I started training hard, not loading myself with much coursework during my 4th quarter.

In July I went back to Chennai for my summer vacation (for those who are reading it, I am pursuing my masters at TU Delft, The Netherlands) and had a good time there. But the thing is the roads are so not pedestrian friendly that one has to be on the constant lookout for any vehicle, for not getting hit. I booked my bus tickets quite early and got a cheap deal for 42 euros to & fro from Den Hague. Then I also booked my accommodation, a hostel quite close to the starting point. At this moment Anand said that he would not be joining me as he had stopped training for it. I was disappointed because the fun and excitement of running with someone else, together in a big event like this is quite special. Anyways I carried forward.

So on the 23rd of September, the Friday I left for Berlin from Den Hague, boarding the bus at 19:00 hrs. The journey was quite comfortable and as soon as the bus crossed the German border we were held up for passport checks by the German Police. I guess this is a routine check by the police. Anyways didn't matter. The bus dropped me at the central bus station near Kaiserdam subway at 6:00 am on 24th Sept. I had already informed the hostel guys that I would be arriving at 8:00 in the morning and the directions provided by 'Hostel world.com' to reach that hostel were perfect. I have always received excellent service from hostelworld.com. So I arrived, checked in my baggages, had a shower, ate breakfast and set out for the marathon expo. I did the routine of collecting the bib number, pins to attach the bib number to my running shirt. I also purchased a new running jacket to help me out for the cold Dutch winter and also a pair of full length dry fit running slacks. The best part was I was clicking photos in front of a apparel stall and the guy called me in and gave me a 25 euro t-shirt absolutely free. I was thrilled, thanked him from the bottom of my heart and thought 'that was one lucky moment'. I loaded myself with a cheese pineapple sandwich and a veggie pizza for lunch.

Then I got back to the hostel, took some rest and went out in the evening to check how far is the starting point, how should I get there etc etc. The starting point was quite close, just one station away from the place where I was staying. When I got there in the evening I saw many runners like me exploring the area, taking in the marathon atmosphere. I walked around Tiergarten and also Brandenburg gate, had a couple of strawberry waffles then proceeded to a pure vegetarian Chinese restaurant named 'Samadhi' to have my dinner. I must admit vegetarian Chinese food is excellent I really loved it.

The next day was the D day. I got up by 7 in the morning, did my daily business, had a good breakfast, muesli, bread with peanut butter and also milk. I had already set aside my running dress, my running belt, loaded with isotonic drink, chocolates and biscuits. I then proceeded to the starting point, taking the morning subway train, accompanying many of the runners. I was little confused as to where to leave my bag but the organization was good and eventually I found the stall to leave my bag. I then proceeded to the starting point, excitement kicking in, the thrill of running my first of the BIG FIVE marathons in the world. Before the start there were hot girls on top of erected stages doing warm ups, urging the sea of runners to get into the rhythm with them. That was definitely a motivation INDEED.

I was in starting block H and started after a gap of 20 min or so after the elite runners started. I had previously done two long distances during my training sessions so I exactly knew how much time I would be crossing each kilometer. I comfortable crossed the 10K mark in 58:43, the half way mark in 2:04 hrs. I even crossed the 35 K in 3:38:52, three minutes ahead of what I had done in my training. So I thought I was definitely in for a 4:10 finish, quite ambitious. But then fatigue kicked in and then I crossed the finish line in 4:34:40 hrs.

I was skeptical if I had stepped on the mat kept at 40 K distance was was worried if I would be qualified as a finisher but eventually I had stepped and that got confirmed when I received my finish time and position via SMS late that evening. I had also subscribed for the SMS service that would send my running details to my parents back home so that they don't worry if I had completed successfully or not.

After the race I was still feeling fresh, legs okay unlike my first marathon where my quads and hamstrings were completely fatigued. I got back to the hostel took complete rest till about 5 in the evening and then proceeded to the Marathon Party at a Hotel, whose name I forgot but it was situated in the area where most of the embassies were located. I took another guy who was staying with me in the same hostel, his name was Joshua and he had come to Berlin to do his internship at the American Embassy. Guess what at the marathon party we actually got to see the first three elite runners in both the mens and the womens category. I got to see Paula Radcliffe the elite British runner and the current marathon world record holder Patrick Makau. Unfortunately I was standing quite far away from them and could get my Berlin medla signed by them by nonetheless it was indeed once in a life time opportunity and I was grateful to GOD for giving me the strength to complete my own run, achieving my personal best and shaving a nest 30 minutes from my first marathon and also to be a part of Berlin where the current record for the marathon in the mens category is set.

It was an unforgettable experience and a wonderful one too.