Still excited about my new hat.
As huge as Berlin is, there is a lot of green space. And, like Bavaria, there are pedestrian and biking paths everywhere. Even though it would have been easy to run on streets since there are always sidewalks, and the blocks are huuuge, I wanted to stay near a park where I could run in car-free places. So we chose an Airbnb apartment near Treptower Park. All I had to do was run a block, cross a bridge, and miles of beautiful paths were at my disposal.
Nice view of the Molecule Man statue.
Seen on my run.
An outdoor club/bar that had techno music pumping 24 hours a day.
Hostel on a boat.
Once I was in the park, there were paths that ran along the Spree River, and also paths that ventured into the woods. I stayed on the dirt paths that went along the river for miles and miles.
I love these Weeping Willows.
We returned to rent a boat from this place later in the week.
Pedestrian paths for days.
Dirt path along the river.
The Spree River is massive.
I’ve been averaging three runs a week, and lots of walking on days I don’t run. I’ve been experimenting with listening to podcasts while running, and the first one I downloaded is called Motion Traxx. It’s actually just a techno-type mix that has a constant beat of 170 bpm. There are a lot of different ones you can download with different themes or bpm. I know I need to speed my cadence up, and so I made sure to keep on the beat the whole time while running. It made a big difference with my form, and I ended up running faster than usual, which is good since I need to start working on my endurance and speed again. I felt like I had so much energy, which was probably also thanks to the good night’s sleep I got the night before. I haven’t been sleeping great lately, and it makes such a big difference in energy levels.
My two other runs felt pretty good too, and I just really enjoyed running in the park.
I was hoping to join a sight running tour in Berlin, and I found one that runs part of the Berlin Marathon route. I contacted Mike’s SightRunning and was hoping to be able to squeeze into another group’s tour, since it was pretty expensive to take a private one just by myself. Unfortunately it didn’t work out, but I saw so many great reviews of Mike and he was very nice and responsive in our emails, I would recommend contacting him if you’re ever in Berlin and want to take a guided running tour!
Lily Runs the World 
I’m always so jealous when I see huge cities with such great running and green spaces! Atlanta is definitely getting better with the Beltline, but still has so far to come! By the way, you are killing it lady with your runs! I’m so proud of you. xo
At least you’ve got that awesome path in the woods near your house! Thank you! Too bad I’m sick today and can’t run; I was really looking forward to it 😦
I love running/walking/biking paths along rivers. The ones we have in Pittsburgh are my favorites to run on 🙂 The ones in Berlin look absolutely amazing, too! I like how you used a techno podcast to work on cadence, too. Never thought of that, but it’s super creative! Might have to give that a go myself 🙂
It was really fun the first time I ran with it, I actually laughed while running! I felt like I was in a video game or something, having to keep up with the beat. I need to download some other mixes so I don’t get sick of that one, but luckily they label them all so you know exactly what cadence the mix will be at. You should try it!
This makes me very excited for the Berlin marathon next year!!! 🙂
Oh man, that’s going to be incredible!
It looks like there are so many great places to run there! I love visiting places that make it easy for runners:)
Me too, I’ve found that Germany has been the best so far!
Looks like amazing trails over there! I hope you find a group, that’d be cool! And Euros love their techno music, don’t they!
I just accidentally stumbled across your blog – OMG Running and traveling, my two favourites! We were in Berlin around this time last year – I walked so much! Loved the Berliner Dom, I could have looked at it for days. I think the walking seriously helped my running, because after our trip i run a PB for a 10km! Look forward to hearing more about your travels. X
Thank you so much! I’m hoping the walking does the same for me, I’m planning on running a half marathon in September and I hope I’ll be somewhat prepared. I think I’d like to stay in Berlin for at least six months to see more of it, we didn’t even cover that much ground in a week, it’s just so massive!