Last fall's (half)marathon in Darmstadt. Being very much acquainted with the forest and fields behind my back door, I felt right at home with the first open edition of the Darmstadt marathon. Unfortunately this will be the only time for the race to be held on this wonderful trail before it will change to a much more urban setting.

The half distance suited me perfectly for testing my adapted running style. Intimately knowing the race course and its 215 accumulated ascending meters was of great benefit for my tactics. Merely my position in the start grid could have been subject to improvement: Being inexperienced in running races I found mself investing into passing cohorts of slower competitors for quite some time. However, not the worst experience, I will keep that in mind next time around.

My preparations went smooth and race tactics turned out to be correct. No orthopedic issues (my former weakness), no nuts and bolts splitting off. 1:28:19h / 13 Age / 53 Men For me proof enough to assume that my new style will stand up to the upcoming challenges of 2009.

As a reward after the race I indulged something greasy and wholesome called a "Heavy Hoernsche" - actually a croissant with salmon and other good stuff. A nice point to call it quits for 2008. Winter can come (in fact it's already here) and with it the long, long road to Nice.

Peace Captn Crook a.k.a. Alex