Berlin is flat! Knocked 30s a mile off my long run!

[APScotland]

I spent last week in Berlin - hot, sunny, and remarkably flat compared with home! For my long run - which I intended to be a consolidating 10k - I headed off from the hotel through some delightfully shady woodland, back onto a street, ending up in what looked like a huge area of green space on the map. I was tempted to delve into the various trails but worried about getting lost so just ran on the cycle/walkway alongside the quiet road. I ended up doing 7 miles, averaging 10m 41s per mile, over 30s per mile faster than my 10k route at home, and smashing a few PBs - an upside of having just started these longer distances! The main difference was how flat it is there. It's possible the seemingly unavoidabe carbohydrate loading from bread rolls and cereal at breakfast to pasta / pizza / risotto for lunch/dinner may have had an impact too! Back to hills and carbs mainly from fruit and veg now I'm home

[Razouski]

Wow, sounds like a lovely run and excellent pace too. Well done.

[APScotland Graduate10 in reply to Razouski]

Thank you Razouski! Definitely a bit too warm for my liking but I appreciated the trees and peace and quiet

[ancientrunner Graduate10]

Well done. Went to Berlin for the first time a few months ago. Did 5k from Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate and back. A great run through history.

[APScotland Graduate10 in reply to ancientrunner]

It was my first visit too. It's certainly full of history - quite shocking that it's all so recent too! Well done on your interesting 5k! I wondered about trying to find a park run there, but time was always in short supply so easier to just run from the hotel. I joined one of the guided bike tours though, which left from Alexanderplatz and covered a little over 10 miles, including the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the site of Hitler's bunker, the Jewish memorial etc. It all looked so peaceful and often beautiful on a glorious sunny May day!