{"id":515,"date":"2022-10-05T18:46:29","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T17:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/?p=515"},"modified":"2023-03-20T12:00:04","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T12:00:04","slug":"berlin-marathon-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/berlin-marathon-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Berlin Marathon 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"515\" class=\"elementor elementor-515\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c904e4e elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c904e4e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-49480d3\" data-id=\"49480d3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2d0212f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2d0212f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.13.3 - 28-05-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-55b7fd8 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"55b7fd8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-937f828\" data-id=\"937f828\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64f7c85 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"64f7c85\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>I deferred my\u00a0Berlin Marathon\u00a0place from 2021, when I had two torn adductors holding me back. I made it to the start line in 2022 almost in one piece. Coming off two consecutive marathon Personal Bests earlier in the year, I had no real expectations for this one. Although, we all want to run our best on the day.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">I arrived in Berlin, with my travelling companions, in the early morning the day before the race. In hindsight, we should have travelled at least a day earlier, just to take some of the pressure off. The organisers of the run arranged for all participants to get\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com\/en\/your-race\/start\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free passes for public transport<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">\u00a0for the weekend, which was an excellent bonus. It must be said that the public transport in Berlin is second to none, reliable and easy to navigate.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">We had no issues travelling to our Airbnb which was less than 1k from the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitberlin.de\/en\/brandenburg-gate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brandenburg Gate<\/a><span style=\"font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">. This was a terrific location for anyone taking part. We dropped our bags and then it was back on the underground to the old airport, where the expo was being held. This was a little disorganised and felt like it wasn\u2019t well thought out. We waited along with a great mass of people in order to get our wristband which would gain us entry. Once through that horde of bodies, it was into the main building where we were once again herded like sheep to the counters where the bibs were printed off and distributed. Again, this felt unorganised. There were no barriers or coherent lines being formed.<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-ac3b68c\" data-id=\"ac3b68c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-952ec6c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"952ec6c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.13.3 - 28-05-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1152\" src=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Marathon-2022a-768x1152.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-521\" alt=\"Berlin Marathon 2022\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Marathon-2022a-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Marathon-2022a-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Marathon-2022a-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Marathon-2022a-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Marathon-2022a.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Running along the Berlin Marathon Route<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-f12fb8c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f12fb8c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-f3dbf0c\" data-id=\"f3dbf0c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0bb5ebf elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0bb5ebf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Pre-Race-1-600x600.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-ocean-thumb-m size-ocean-thumb-m wp-image-542\" alt=\"Pre Berlin Marathon Brendenburg Gate\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Pre-Race-1-600x600.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Pre-Race-1-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Pre-Race-1-100x100.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Pre-Race-1-150x150.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Posing for one last photo before the race<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-c20c2cb\" data-id=\"c20c2cb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e04750 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1e04750\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Road-Tripping-600x600.jpg\" class=\"attachment-ocean-thumb-m size-ocean-thumb-m wp-image-522\" alt=\"Road Trip\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Road-Tripping-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Road-Tripping-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Road-Tripping-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Road-Tripping-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Family before our 2,500 mile road trip<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-a619784\" data-id=\"a619784\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f6c25be elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"f6c25be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EF687798-EC82-475E-A697-0873A2247701-600x600.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-ocean-thumb-m size-ocean-thumb-m wp-image-654\" alt=\"Berlin Pre Race Dinner\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EF687798-EC82-475E-A697-0873A2247701-600x600.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EF687798-EC82-475E-A697-0873A2247701-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EF687798-EC82-475E-A697-0873A2247701-100x100.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/EF687798-EC82-475E-A697-0873A2247701-150x150.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Pre-Race Italian Dinner with Friends<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5fcc4d7 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5fcc4d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>It took ages, however, once that was all taken care of and we got our bibs and bags I found the expo quite large and there was a great buzz. After browsing and chatting to different vendors it was back on the tube to go to the apartment. The look and feel of Berlin wasn\u2019t inspiring me with any sense of awe up to this point, but this would change.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">I met up with some friends from the States and we had the perfect pre-race meal at a lovely Italian restaurant just beside the Brandenburg Gate. The city was buzzing at this time because this near the finish of the in-line skating marathon currently taking place. What an amazing event and one I\u2019d never witnessed before. The skaters were flying by at great speeds.<\/span><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-size: 14px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-size: 14px;\">The Trip That Broke My Back<\/span><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;\">I had a decent training block for the Berlin Marathon, up until\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;\">mid-August when I visited the U.S. While in the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;\">States, we planned a family road-trip. This consisted of a 1.000-mile drive\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;\">from Boston to South Carolina. We spent a few days there and then took some additional\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">sightseeing stops on the way back. On that one-week road trip we covered 2,500\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">miles in a 12-passenger van.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-size: 14px;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p><p>On the conclusion of that trip, I noticed my back was stiff and my legs were quite heavy when going out on my training runs. Add to that the flight back to Dublin. This trip really did a number on me. My wife, Roisin, is a talented, and busy, sports massage therapist. She was able to do her best to release some of the pressure points. During that first week back, I can\u2019t say I was overly optimistic about Berlin. Things started to loosen up with about two-weeks to go before the start. Loose enough that I felt OK on my medium-long runs. Between the travelling and the soreness, I missed quite a few long runs which left me unsure about where I was.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">Thus, on the start line in Berlin I felt it could go either way, a rousing success or a painful demise. I was going hell-for-leather one way or the other.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-size: 14px;\">My roommates and I headed for the start line, near to the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Reichstag-building-Berlin-Germany\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reichstag<\/a><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-size: 14px;\">, which is impressive to say the least. The Athlete\u2019s Village was set up on the lawns, out front. Along with 45,000 other runners we did what we needed to do and headed for our appropriate coral. This was another pain point as it took about 25 minutes to finally get into the right pen due to the huge mass of people. We were all funnelled into a small path, everyone trying to get through small gaps in the barriers. Eventually, people started jumping the barriers to get in.<\/span><\/p><h3>Berlin Marathon 2022 Starts<\/h3><p><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-size: 14px;\">I found a place in my starting pen about 10 minutes before the gun went off and had a great view of the screens as they introduced the elites, as I was only about 30m from them, lucky enough to be starting at the front of Group B. The experience from then on was amazing. There were no issues with trying to find space, the roads were quite wide and the surface quite smooth. The landmarks were incredible starting with the spectacular Victory Column within the first mile. What can I say about the support on the streets? It was mind-blowing. There was music around every corner and so many spectators making the city shake.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-size: 14px;\">Unlike the course in\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"\/kildare-thoroughbred-marathon-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kildare<\/a><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-size: 14px;\">, this one is flat, as advertised. The occasional very-slight uphill over a bridge never felt like a climb, however, there always seemed to be a slight benefit of the down slope. It was sunny, and I think it got up to about 20 degrees. I struggled on through the course and thankfully, I was forewarned about thinking the Brandenburg Gate was the finish line. That was excellent information as the finish is some 300m or so beyond that landmark and the finish was as loud and exciting as any race I\u2019ve done. Once through the finish the event organisers shined as it was a simple process of getting all they had to offer, and then some.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-62aa224 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"62aa224\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-ffe25fb\" data-id=\"ffe25fb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-da348cd elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"da348cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Finish-Area-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-524\" alt=\"Berlin Marathon finish area\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Finish-Area-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Finish-Area-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Finish-Area-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Finish-Area-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Finish-Area.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Berlin Marathon Course 2022<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-47b226e\" data-id=\"47b226e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a660ab9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a660ab9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Buildings-1024x682.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-519\" alt=\"Berlin marathon church\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Buildings-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Buildings-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Buildings-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Buildings-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aheartforrunning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Berlin-Buildings.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">New Church along the Berlin Marathon Route<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-d36fd84 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d36fd84\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-445517e\" data-id=\"445517e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-476944e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"476944e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>There were a few interesting and unusual things on the course. For one thing they offered warm lemon tea at the water stations. I\u2019ve never heard of that before in anything other than an ultra-distance race. Also, they offered Maurten Drink Mix at k\u2019s 9, 15, 20, 25, 30, 36 along with water. Additionally, there was Maurten Gels at 27.5k. My only issue with the water stops is unlike some of the other major\u2019s, there was only water on the right side of the road instead of both. Water was given out in rigid plastic cups which made it difficult to get enough water without slowing down or stopping. There were quite a few runners complaining that other runners stopped right in front of them at these tables.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">As for my race, well it was the painful demise after all. All was going fine up until mile 14, when my back started to tighten up. I had a bad feeling about it after that point and by mile 17, I knew my race was run. I was keeping a steady 6:40\/mile pace until 17 and from there each mile got slower and slower. Eventually, when I crossed the line with a time of 3:08:46 my average pace had climbed to 7:08\/mile. My lower back had been spasming, throwing bolts of pain into my glutes, hamstrings and as far as my calves. Until about an hour after the run, I was telling myself I\u2019d never do another marathon. I was pretty frustrated with my body.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">I sprawled out on the grounds of the Reichstag for about an hour. Eventually I came around and realised that I did in fact enjoy the day. Things started getting back into perspective and I remembered how lucky I am to be able to run and how lucky I was to be where I was. Oh, and who wouldn\u2019t be thrilled to say they\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/worldathletics.org\/news\/report\/eliud-kipchoge-world-record-berlin-marathon-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ran in the race when the world record was broken thanks to Eluid Kipchoge<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">!<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">That night we enjoyed some post-marathon food and drinks, eventually settling into Charlie\u2019s Beach area at Checkpoint Charlie. The next day we spent on a hop-on hop-off bus tour of the city and my whole perspective on Berlin was flipped. What a remarkable place and a brilliant city. I honestly can\u2019t wait to get back for a visit. Next up, the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"\/dublin-marathon-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dublin Marathon 2022<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I deferred my\u00a0Berlin Marathon\u00a0place from 2021, when I had two torn adductors holding me back. I made it to the start line in 2022 almost in one piece. Coming off two consecutive marathon Personal Bests earlier in the year, I had no real expectations for this one. Although, we all want to run our best [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,11],"tags":[98],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Berlin Marathon 2022 - A Heart For Running<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Berlin Marathon 2022 delivered on everything it is made out to be. A flat fast course on wide roads, passing historic landmarks. 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