My stay in Berlin has come to an end, I'm heading to Zurich on Monday to race there Friday night. When I am in a city for a major championship my feelings about that city are often hinged on my experience on the track, more than what that city has to offer or encounters with its inhabitants.


For Example:

Paris, France 2003-"Loving it, Loving it!"

Athens, Greece 2004-"Ugh, never going back there!"

Osaka, Japan 007-"Sake for everyone!"

That brings us to Berlin 009...


It's post my final and I've not run a PB (personal best) but a PW...never heard of it? Me neither til Wednesday night, really. Its a personal worst. I'm not dazed or confused, the moment is very clear to me. It's not the first time I've seen the field run away from me, but this time I had the capacity to give chase and if my legs let me I was going to cross this finish line.

Customarily everyone stood around to see where they finished, and usually I would too. But it made no sense to do this, I wasn't even in the frame for one. So I said a "Congrats Ladies" to the ones that seemed to be holding out the most hope. I'm certain their silence meant they didn't hear me. No doubt transfixed by the enormity of the moment. My words must have sounded like white noise, since I wasn't the jumbotron. I've been there, so I understood and just headed for the exit.

West Side!
There I saw that the BF was waiting for me behind the rail at the mix zone. Phew. A soft place to fall...terrible word choice...make that sniffle. A fellow competitor who also had a bad day at the office came up beside me. At first the presence of our loved one was met with resistance by the steward. How could Manfred be so mean right now, can't he see how hurt we look?!

Finally the camera man nearby had seen enough and physically gestured our men onto his platform to be able to get near to us and the railing. Frankly I had to laugh at the irony and note how much the present setting felt like a scene at the Berlin wall, circa 1986, maybe. Poor Manfred just stood there, looking dry.

Goooood, I thought amidst my melancholy. We're not trying to escape Manfred...durr...just pretend this is the wailing wall!

"Berlin is In"

So Berlin is cool with me, no ill will here. I think this is a sign of growing up and not taking my results so personal like in the past. My racing has no bearing on my worth, so why should it a cities. In fact I`m currently looking for places to go for my post season vacation and what do you know, a bella might hop a plane to Santorini!

But first things first, on to Zurich...living my dream!

P