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I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this year’s run in Ulm. Just a week earlier in Tübingen , I had clocked one of my slowest 10ks in a long time. Last year in Ulm , on the other hand, I ran my fastest ever. Somewhere between those two extremes, I hoped this one would land. The weather felt more on my side this time. Not the sticky heat of the previous weekend, but also not the clear blue skies from last year. Instead, Ulm decided to dress in shades of gray. I arrived with less of a time buffer than usual, only about 40 minutes before the start. From the central station it was roughly a half-hour walk across town: first to drop my bag, then onwards to the start line. On the way I got a sneak peek of the finish stretch. I was walking on the side, while just a few meters over runners from the morning races were pushing hard toward the line, some already smiling, others grimacing their way through those last meters. That gentle incline up to the cathedral looked just as long as I reme...

This definitely wasn't my first race where I arrived at the starting line just in the nick of time. But having it in my hometown of Tübingen and running it for the fourth time definitely plays into my procrastination habit. With all my other races being a first, I always had a buffer "just in case." But for this one, I found myself waiting at home, slowly getting ready until it was time to rush and cycle downhill to the starting line. Even though the ride takes only ten minutes, I was still cutting it close. Luckily, I had enough time to run a few hundred meters to warm up and join the very back of the pack. Being towards the end and with the route having some narrow parts through the Old Town, the field stayed crowded, which ensured I didn't start too fast and was properly warmed up before I could really get going. My training leading up to this event had been pretty spotty, and I only became more disciplined in the last couple of weeks. After all, a half marathon is...