A few days ago I ran the 50th edition of Berlin Marathon. One of the most anticipated running events this year. There was so much hype about this event. It’s one of the most flat marathons and a lot of runners had special plans for it. However, I will not go into others. Here and now you can read my Berlin Marathon Review.
It was an amazing weekend with over 54.000 finishers which made it the biggest marathon ever. I met runners from all over the world, some at the expo, with some we ran the shakeout run together, with others the marathon and with some I went around the city and even tried Korean food for the first time in my life, after the race of course.
My training
Let’s look a bit back at my training for Berlin Marathon. I had not the most perfect build up to this marathon. Beginning of August I went on a two week vacation. I took my running shoes with me but on an island that’s like 4 kilometers long, with only one small road between two villages. You can imagine that my runs were not longer than about 10-15 kilometers and I was running every other day during my vacation. No longruns, no marathon pace workouts.
Then, the last few weeks we had like summer one day and almost winter the next day. So my last two over 30k longruns where a bit shorter. One was 26k long, the other one only 20k. But I didn’t panic. I knew that I was fit and ready. Not to run my fastest marathon ever, but to run a decent marathon I could be proud of.
Berlin Marathon goals
As for every marathon I gave myself 3 goals:
My A goal was to finish the race with a smile on my face
My B goal was to run somewhere between 3.25 and 3.30
and my C goal was to run somewhere between 3.20 and 3.25
I planned to go out at a slower pace and work my way into the race. The first 5k at about 4.50 – 4.55 min/km and if feeling good working my way up to 4.40-4.45 min/km pace over the next kilometer or two. If the pace would feel good, maintaining it till the 30k mark and after that the plan was to run the last 12k by feel.
And with that mindset I travelled to Berlin.
Race day
On race morning the sky was clear, temperature around 8 degrees, almost no wind. Perfect conditions for a marathon. Maybe a bit too perfect. And I was super excited and hyped.
I know that I give advice to other runners, even coach a few. And what have I done in such perfect conditions? Yes, the one thing I tell everyone not to do, regardless the distance: I went out too fast. Not by much, just a few seconds per kilometer too fast.
At the start I set my Garmin to heart rate only because last time I ran a marathon, my heart rate was too hight in the first 5 kilometers and it settled down after I dropped the pace a bit. This time around I wanted to avoid that mistake, so I made another one. Heart rate was very much in control but still I was running a bit too fast.
With all the training I did it felt good. My whole body was functioning really well and my legs felt great. It was at the first 5k split where I realized that my pace was maybe a bit on the fast side.
But since I felt so good I just kept going, that was my second mistake of the day. At the 10k mark everything still as planned, well except the pace. But my body and legs were feeling strong and I had no issues sticking to my fueling strategy I practiced in training. And then, just a bit after the 15k mark I knew it was time to slow down and I’m glad I did. Well, to be honest it would be a wise decision if I have never gone out so fast as I did
Long story short: from the 15k mark on I managed myself. I ran a pace I knew I could sustain to get me to the finish line, well not pace, I ran by effort. By that time the finish time was no longer my primary goal, my primary goal became enjoying the fact that I was part of the 50th Berlin Marathon. To enjoy every step through the streets of this amazing city.
It was not only the city that was amazing. According to some information, there were about 1 million spectators around the course. It was absolutely crazy and amazing. People shouting out our names, cheering for us, bands playing music, deejays and all kind of stuff happening on every inch of this marathon course.
All those people supporting us, all the volunteers that made the race happen, everything around the race is what we runners need to be thankful for. It was the energy of this city that helped us get to the finish line just beyond Brandenburg gate.
As I crossed the finish line and stopped my Garmin the finish time at first was not relevant. The last 2 kilometers I ran in a group and after the finish line we all congratulated and hugged each other, we celebrated because we became Berlin Legends.
We completed one of the most iconic marathons in the world, supper proud and happy. And then, after a few minutes I looked down at my watch, it stopped at 3.29.18. Wuhuu! Despite the fact I went out too fast and made the mistakes I did, I was still able to reach the A and B goal I set to myself. What a day! Full of emotions, positive vibes, an amazing atmosphere and a crowd that gave so much energy, just incredible.
Post run thoughts
Will I run this race again? Probably not. This was my second marathon in Berlin and to be honest, if it would not be the anniversary marathon I would probably run Valencia. But for now I don’t have any plans, no other races, except a half marathon through the streets of Ljubljana in a few weeks. I will run it with some friends, support them and pace them around the course.
As for next year: well, I now know my body can still handle the training and as long as I will enjoy training for and running marathons I probably will. There are many amazing marathons around the world and one of them will be my next one.
If you want to find out more about my Berlin Marathon experience – The Happy Runner podcast:
