October 22nd, 2017
On a chilly Sunday morning, I somehow convinced myself to get up and lace up for what would be my second half-marathon.
Kicking off in Mannheim I boarded the S-Bahn down the street from my flat and made my way to the central station to board the next train leaving for Frankfurt which would take me out to Baden Württemberg, the state south of Hessen.
Woken up by the recorded sounds RMV programmed into their public transport to reminded you of each stop I felt groggy as my neighbors seemed to have already finished the race celebrating the night before into the early morning.
After I stepped off the train I realised the journey had only just begun as I took my last transfer by foot walking for little over an hour to my final destination just to find my phone’s battery taking a snooze half way there.
Reminded of my decision were street signs along the way reading “small steps” and “good progress” as I made my way to what seemed to be an abandoned settlement soon to find out was an American Military Base that was left to the Germans after 2014.
Waiting anxiously I watched the children loop around the track with their parents (Bambini-Lauf) as I stretched inside not coming prepared with warm enough clothing to warm-up in.
Soon after snacking on a few apples and banana bits I made my way to the starting line to feel the rush of blood head to my legs and feet as I started to breathe more slowly as my heart raced with anticipation.
With a shot of a gun, 560 runners were off running through an over-grown military base surrounded by cheering spectators handing out water, Gatorade and fruit to re-energize along the way.
Along every kilometer were signs reminding you to stay positive with jokes such as “you’ve only just begun” to “God is with you at kilometer 21”.
Finding a strong mental focus and pace after 10km I kicked into a second gear maintaining a far better pace than Jog n’Rock supported by a little boy shouting “Michael Los” and dude working one of the rest stops as I passed by cheering “Du bist ein Super-Champ”.
Unfortunately, by the last kilometer, there was not enough “Gas” to be found as I struggled to find the energy to make a sprinting finish. Running neck-to-neck with the gentleman beside me we crossed the finish line together congratulating one another with a slap on the back and chowing down on a few pretzels afterward.
Consistency, after another month of training, is what I found my results to be finishing 126th with a time of 1:43:38 as I stared at the race results posted up on the wall of the changing room after gathering my belongings.
Waiting for my knight in shining armor I snacked on the free food and beverages served as the other 100’s of runners crossed the finished line to be greeted by a familiar face who took me over to Schwetzingen to visit with his Father’s family who had tempted me with a few pieces of scrumptious cake. Needless to say, nobody had to say Mahlzeit for Kaffeezeit was already underway as I was tongue-tied to say anything in the moment enjoying the fruits of my labor.
Luftschloss 