You probably going to wonder what roller skating has to do with wine but I am just back from the 37th BERLIN MARATHON for Inline Skating and wanted to share that first experience.
2h42 is the time it took me to reach the Brandenburg gate that marked the finish of a 42 km loop around the German capital. I must say it was pretty strange to skate along the “Unter den Linden” boulevard and passed though that gigantesque gate so heavy with history.
The weather conditions last Saturday afternoon in Berlin were not ideal as it was pretty much pissing rain excuse my French here. The rain had replaced the hot balmy temperature that the weather forecast had predicted on the previous Thursday and the last item I packed in my luggage was suncream rather than a warm rain jacket.
That weather suited me as I almost used it as an excuse for not participating in the race. Actually any excuses could have worked that morning as I was pretty much a bag of nerves. After a test run on the very wet roads I decided to go for it and thank God that I changed my mind because it was such a great experience. I would highly recommend to people who are thinking of adding a marathon to their life to do list to consider doing it on roller blades. I have run 2 marathons in the past on my 2 feet and honestly roller blading is much easier and less strenuous on the body.
The reason for all the anxiety before starting the race was simply because my training did not go according to plan. 2010 has been a really busy year studying for the WSET diploma that I received this September and I only managed to train for 2 months starting from a total beginner position. Yes after the 2 months I was able to cover 20 miles no problem but the real issue was that I did not grasp the stopping technique at all. This was haunting me and I was imagining myself creating chaos by crashing in the middle of the 5000 competitors. I never managed to find a coach or even a group that I could join in Cork, I was just practising on my own on the old Blackrock railway line with very early morning starts to avoid buggies, dogs and crowds. BTW if you know any coach or people gathering together let me know as it will be very helpful for the next marathon.
On the race day, I started right at the back of the 5000 pack and an old German man told me that I should not worry because we would eventually overtake some other participants and manage to get a good position. This was not at all my concern but this is exactly what happened and I finally finished it without any fall in a relatively good position of 1230.
All that effort was well rewarded by some relaxation time spent in the liquidrom spa where you can relax in warm salty water listening to some cool music and also by wandering and discovering the eclectic areas of the city. I actually ended up drinking REJADORADA, Roble, Toro DOthat we have in our wine range here at Bubble Brothers in a tapas bar like the ones you find in Madrid with blue and white tile covered wall and the dried meat hanging from the ceiling. That Toro wine went well with all the different spicy meaty cheesy dishes shared amongst friends.
It all started last Christmas when I opened my present and saw a pair of K2 Inlineskates . The only way I was going to use them was to set myself with a challenge. I just hope now that Santa won’t be bringing me a pair of bag pipes otherwise I know some neighbours who won’t be happy in 2011.
