Today's run in Athens...

Today's run took me from my friend Maya's home in the Pagrati district of Athens, down the hill to the Panathinaiko Stadium, then a right down the main drag, where I turned around in front of the US Embassy on Vasilissis Sophias Avenue.

As I doubled back from the US Embassy towards Panathinaiko Stadium, I retraced the last portion of the classic Marathon course, and thought about what Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor were thinking in the final miles of the marathon at the 2004 Olympics here.

I've said this before, and I will say this again: despite Athens' reputation as a runner-unfriendly city, it is still one of my favorite places to run in just for the sheer history of our sport.