[Woddle]

Well done Krusty and VV, can't wait to see the others and hear about how they got on.
I had a great day (not time wise ), it really is such a great marathon, the support was fantastic, I met DaithiBC just before the off and we agreed to run together, nice one, we could not hit an 8 min mile to save our lives (well I couldn't) it felt good to run quicker, I felt good so I went with the flow, got to mile 8.5 and I had to go toilet, disaster struck, I lost Daithi and couldn't find him, on top of this I couldn't get the rhythm going again, I went through 10 in 78 sth but hte strain was now starting to show. It was getting so hot also but with the tall buildings it was easy to find shade at times. I decided to try and make it to the halfway mark at 1'45 but I was 3 mins over and at this point I decided to save it for Dublin. So I enjoyed the second half high fiving kids and I also had a massage that probably lasted 5 mins or so (it was well needed as I kept having that feeling that I was about to go into cramp. I walked alot, probably too muchand my heart rate reflects this.
Again what a fcuking marathon, sure I'd have to come back next year
I went for a swim after but kept getting cramp in my toes so I cut it short.
I finished in 4'03'50 or sth and to be honest I was happy to finish.
Congrats to all who finished

Garmin







I gave my friend my camera in the hopes he'd get some good pics of the leaders and he did OK. I think thats a Donore singlet in the last pic

[brutes]

It is indeed a Donore singlet... a 2.28 finish, some good Irish performances in results looks like 5/6 guys under 2.50..very good..well done all

[ergo]

Originally Posted by ergo

my current aims are:

a) to finish the marathon (it will be my first)
b) if I do finish, sub 3:10 would be great - I have put in a lot of mileage over the past 3 months
c) if things were going particularly well sub 3:05 or even the magical sub 3 would be unbelievable - you never know on the day - I don't feel my training has been enough for sub 3 but I know that physically I could be capable of it someday -

some setbacks have included a 2 week loss of training in July due to bizarre non-running injury and also doing some long runs with a friend who's going for sub 4:00 (not a setback because I enjoyed the runs and the company but a bit of a blip on the regimental training plan)

as it stands I plan to go for sub 3 pace for the first half and see how I'm feeling. Also, all depends on how I feel when I wake up next Sunday, you know yourself...my realistic goal is sub 3:05 to sub 3:10 - quite difficult for me to call having never done a marathon before

ok, wont be writing much, am a bit tired

ended up with 3:02:57

I am delighted with that really

was a great occasion, fantastic atmos, got caught a bit at the start as hadnt made it into the 3 hour pen (slightly delayed and start was further from changing place than I thought) so had to get past a lot of people

by half way my time was 1:29:16 but I couldn´t sustain that pace

right now off for some (more ) pasta and a few pints, hopefully I might catch up with some of the others later

[Hard Worker]

Great run by Krusty. If you have a look at his 5K splits, you will see how a marathon should be run.

[jrar]

Well, just back online after a long w/end in Berlin and what a marathon !!

Couldn't believe the sheer size and scale of everything associated with it (the start area felt the size of the Phoenix Park), and the crowds and bands on the street were brilliant ! Having done DCM twice, the Berlin event with 40K+ runners makes it seem like a parish sports day (no offence to anyone connected to organising DCM as it's brill too !)

Finished in 3:53 which I was well pleased with as I was starting to go backwards near the end - the heat was certainly a factor as were the cups of water which meant taking on as much as possible camel-style and then having to make do until the next station, whereas bottles allow you to grab and go and drink on the move, so I don't think I drank as much as I would have done say in DCM - my legs felt fine at the end (despite having a dodgy left hamstring for the last few weeks which twinged badly once or twice out on the route but held up) ........it was more a feeling of just having run out of gas, and that last km. looked and felt a lot longer than a km !

Dublin having a water sponsor with bottled supplies certainly scores better there..............I actually reckon it would have been as quick/easy to have an empty bottle and just pour the water in given that you had to stop for 5/10/15 secs. to get the water and drink it anyhow whilst being bumped and bored from all sides !

I thought not knowing the course would help (though I was staying on Torstrasse just at the 10K mark and say all 7000+ skaters fly though on Sat. afternoon - what a sight !) but instead of being able to watch the crowds and the Berlin cityscape, I found myself having to spend a lot of time looking down at the ground to ensure no tangling of legs - it was probably the 35km mark before the runners thinned out somewhat, and I'm sure like many others who started in block E or F, I was reduced to walking pace at some of the tighter corners in the first 15 kms.

But my overall feeling is of a brilliant experience all round and judging by the number of stiff legs etc. on yesterday's flight home, quite a lot of Irish did the run. Have already pencilled it in for next year - the the more immediate problem now is to devise a training prog. for the next 4 weeks which will allow me to tackle Dublin as well (any suggestions more than welcome)

[mithril]

The race for me nearly ended before it started. I had booked my flight well in advance for Saturday afternoon but number collection in Berlin closed at 6 P.M., my flight was delayed, most of the subways were shut for maintenance and if Krusty_Clown has not offered to pick it up for me, I think I would have been f***ed. Thanks!

I got to the start with plenty of time to spare and it’s a pretty impressive operation how they can organize 30,000 people into the starting area so efficiently – it’s a task that gets exponentially more difficult as the numbers expand in a race.

I got into the top of the sub 3 hour pen about 150 metres behind the start. The start of race was flawless and I was over the start line 40 seconds later running close to marathon pace very quickly. I had been concerned at the potential for congestion to frustrate a sub 3 hour bid but the wide roads and good organization meant that this was not an issue.

Although the forecast was for a hot day (26 degrees max) , at least the night before there was a little breeze but this had entirely vanished by the morning. I had forgotten to throw in a singlet into my bag and the shirt I was wearing was not able to wick away the perspiration. I found it tough from the start.

Normally, I try and find someone running at the same pace as me to chat to for the first half of the race, but I found the heat and humidity really difficult to cope with and on this occasion I was not in the mood.. More worryingly the Garmin showed that I was slipping slowly off marathon pace in the first 10k and I finding it quite difficult even to sustain that .

I bumped into Krusty_Clown around 7KM who was supposed to be targeting around 3:07 . I guessed he was going for the sub 3 since he had every possibility of doing it from his training times – I would have done the same if I was him. What really struck me though was how much more comfortable than me he appeared to be with the conditions (his blog confirms this – I did not look in good shape at this point).

I left him at the water station – I had brought along a bottle of Powerade to carry with me so skipped the early ones. I was one of the very few in the sub 3 group carrying fluid but I think it was the right call. The early water stations were very congested, people lost a lot of time trying to get water and could only gulp down a few sips from the plastic cups . Carrying a bottle may have disrupted my running action but I think I got the time back and extra in the later section of the race through staying reasonably hydrated

Anyway, I dug in and managed to slowly adjust to the conditions and maintain PMP but with a bit more effort than I hoped and the normal enjoyment I get from watching the scenery in the first half of the race while you are still fresh was missing.

At half way, the clock 1:30:43 and it had taken me about 40 seconds to cross the line so just over 1:30 in real time .In Seville I had run 3:03:40 but the second half there was 90 seconds slower and I thought it would be very difficult to run a negative split as it got hotter in Berlin. Still, there was a chance and I knew that if I could bring my time down to 3:01 or 3:02 I would have split the gap. I think you need to improve physically to take 4 minutes off a time but 1-2 minutes improvement are within the natural variability of a run on a day.

Then things started to improve. First, I took the first of my 2 power gels and instantly got a rush of energy. I also got a psychological lift from being at last on the homeward leg and the heat did not seem to bother me as much.

I started to speed up and felt a lot better while the KM splits started to come down , I realized I was now under 3 hour pace and I if I could sustain this to the end, I could do it. It was like a positive feedback loop for the next few KMs. I was running almost effortlessly, then feeling euphoric about the increasing probability of a sub 3 time and this was making me relaxed and running faster and bank more time. I started to anticipate the bands around each corner and do mental rankings and watch the contrasts in the neighbourhoods as I passed through them - Berlin has a very varied streetscape because of its unusual history and the KMs seemed to fly along.

By about 28 KM however, it started to harder – I took my second gel but I don’t think I washed it down with enough water and it did give me the same lift as before. Once I crossed the 30 KM post though , I could start counting down and I was still sustaining the required pace. It got more difficult again once I hit 37 KM, but I had carbo-loaded better than in Seville and I realized I had sustained a lot less muscle damage - I put this down to easy base running on the Wicklow Way which I had put in between the two marathons which seemed to have strengthened my leg muscles.

Crowds were getting thicker now, and unlike any previous marathon I seemed to feed off the noise and the sunny weather which earlier had been so oppressive now seemed a pleasant contrast from what I had left behind in Dublin the day before.

The sidelines seemed full of Danish supporters in their Viking hats waving their flags – they seem disproportionately to enter the race and one of them gave me a belt of a flag as I ran by but I was focussing on the watch.

I knew I was going to get a sub 3 hours official time by this point unless I dramatically slowed down and I still felt strong enough still so I knew if I could avoid an injury I would be OK. As I entered the last 2km I realized I was very close to finishing under 3 hours clock time as well so I speeded up and went for it.

The last KM was very long – literally . I had started the watch at the gun and was about 150M behind the line but at the end my Garmin indicated 42.98KM. From previous experience I know to add a margin onto the Garmin because you won’t run the optimum line but this was still around 250M further than any marathon I had previously run.

Then I heard the band start up, and the cheers at the end and could see the Brandenburg Gate up ahead. I hoped the finish was there but it was 100 M further on.

I managed the best sprint I could under the circumstances and crossed the line with the clock showing 2:59:43. I had anticipated that if I had managed a sub 3, I would be jumping up and down with joy but initially I just felt a sense of relief to have done it and ticked off what to me was somewhere between a major goal and an obsession. The euphoria came about 30 seconds later when I saw so many happy people screaming around me and congratulating each other.

Splits : Time

5 km 00:21:42

10 km 00:43:03

15 km 01:04:10

20 km 01:25:29

Halb 01:30:03

25 km 01:46:35

30 km 02:07:38

35 km 02:28:48

40 km 02:49:56

Clock Time 02:59:43

Official Time 02:59:03

[ergo]

Ok, so I just got back from Berlin yesterday evening,

inevitably have been thinking about the marathon over the last few days, going over the little details, here's a bit more about how my day went:

we stayed in a hostel out east near Landsberger Allee (Generator hostel) but had a twin room so less noise disturbance - there were quite a lot of runners staying there - the night before they had an all you can eat pasta deal going for €8 and they started breakfast from 5am just for the runners on Sunday (so it was perfect prep)

ended up in a very slow queue for the toilet on the Reichstag lawn before the race - took 20 or 30 mins - the upshot was that I had just 10 or 15 mins to get to the start from there - and with thousands of people doing the same thing there were traffic jams and I didn't get near the C pen - like to think I was in the back of D

as a result of this I ended up going through the start about 4.5 mins after the clock had started - had to overtake a lot of slower runners - for the first 3, maybe 5 km ended up running on footpaths, median strips etc, my first 2 km were particularly off the pace but got back on track by 5km - not really sure how this may have affected me overall - obviously it wasn't ideal but I was happy to get back on track and still feel quite strong

here are my splits: (target for sub 3 in brackets)

5 km 00:21:28 (21:20)
10 km 00:42:22 (42:40)
15 km 01:03:14 (1:03:59)
20 km 01:24:32
half 01:29:16 (1:30:00)
25 km 01:46:27 (1:46:39)
30 km 02:08:31 (2:07:59)
35 km 02:30:44 (2:29:18)
40 km 02:53:24 (2:50:38)
finish 03:02:57

I should mention at this point that the target splits I had gotten off a bracelet from the Asics stand at the marathon expo the day before - of course because my friends were rushing me out the door to go to the race I left the bracelet behind me ( ) and therefore spent approximately half my marathon calculating in my head what my next 5k split should be

I wsn't trying to put time in the bank - I had hoped to run an even split or better - in fact I felt really good during the first half and even remember (completely naively) thinking I could end up going under 2:59, never mind 3:00 at one brief point - well I could have if I kept up that pace...

got a stitch at about the 25km mark or maybe it was just after the half so had to slow down the pace there - shrugged it off though but it returned at around the 30km point and I stopped for about 10 or 15 seconds to try and get rid of it

I agree that the water cups were very difficult to drink out of, I had a belt with 4 small bottles on it and ended up pouring a cup into one of the bottles when I went through and then I could drink it at my leisure

some highlights for me along the course were those drummers under that bridge (incredible noise) and seeing a couple of different supporters with Irish flags and giving a big roar at them and getting the roar back! It is probably fair to say there were supporters along every stretch of the entire route which is some going really

back to my own run, so the stitch and stopping briefly were very obvious setbacks - I think I was a bit reluctant to drink too much after that and maybe that was my downfall - I also had some jelly babies with me but maybe I didn't eat enough of these - all part of the learning experience! I felt quite weak around the 35k mark but didn't experience a massive "wall" but mentally I was obviously struggling a bit as I was looking at my watch and convinced myself that the next marker was the 40km one but when the 39km loomed ahead I knew that was it, the (admittedly a massive long shot) sub 3 dream was over for this day. Anyway, I carried on and when I got to 40k decided to push as hard as I could, I felt alright actually for those 2k and probably did them in 4:15 each (back at my planned pace or close to it) but the last 300m was a struggle - I never thought I wasn't going to make it or have to stop but I just wasn't powering along

after the race we hung out (ie. laid down!) on the Reichstag lawn for quite a while before heading back to lie on the old beds. My friends had no intentions of going out but I got a text from a German friend who was going to the post race party so I popped in there. I was struggling quite a lot with the muscle soreness and was a bit put out to find that the party looked really good - there were people dancing around like lunatics! I arrived late, had half a bottle of beer and then struggled back to my bed to let the healing begin. Would have loved to join the party and had planned to try catch up with some boardsies at the Europa centre but I just didn't have it in me. Next time!

had a good old look around Berlin, is really a lovely city. Don't think I appreciated the Brandenberg gate on Sunday, could only keep thinking as I went under it "Why isn't this the end?!? " - I did know well that the end wouldn't be for another few hundred metres or more

so now, the slight emptiness after such a long summer focussing on the 20th of September...Well, I'm really glad I'm in for Dublin too - still trying to decide how to approach it - we'll have to see about that one.

on my igoogle "quotes of the day" thing yesterday this one popped up yesterday (I never normally look at it tbh but just noticed it)

"Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen."

John le Carre

just though I'd throw that in there!

- between now and Dublin am quite busy with wedding and stags and the like so we'll have to see how things are going- did my first gentle run last night - felt alright - lateral quads the worst hit -
If all goes ok I may well try carry out the same plan of attack for Dublin except not getting ahead of target at all, and maybe with some supporters and tactically located energy drinks etc along the way you never know what might happen. But I do feel it would be a big ask - in fact I think it would be a big ask to repeat the time I ran in Berlin in Dublin - am not going to get too focussed on it anyway, just gonna enjoy it!

and well done everyone else! I definitely want to go back for another crack at Berlin, maybe in 2011.....

PS: was just looking at the photos on Marathonfoto - some good ones

[Rusty Cogs 08]

Just as an fyi, my race report is over in the 'log' section for those with a spare minute (or 5).

[ergo]

rusty cogs, that training log is well worth reading - good stuff

quick question:

for those who did Berlin and are also doing Dublin how are ye approaching it at the moment?

I basically did a gentle run last Thursday (4 days post Berlin), then 7-8 miles slow easy Sat, then 6 miles regular (felt completely fine) on Monday this week and attempted to to 9 miles reasonable pace 2 days ago but then felt a tightness in my (often very tight) calf so pulled up a bit - am not too concerned about that - need tos tretch and wrk the knots out of the muscle

not sure what sort of long-ish run to try this weekend.... any suggestions or what are others doing?

I do plan on trying to run a decent enough effort in Dublin if all goes well. Am not liking the hills too much though out near Foster's Ave compared to Berlin!

[village runner]

Originally Posted by ergo

rusty cogs, that training log is well worth reading - good stuff

quick question:

for those who did Berlin and are also doing Dublin how are ye approaching it at the moment?

I basically did a gentle run last Thursday (4 days post Berlin), then 7-8 miles slow easy Sat, then 6 miles regular (felt completely fine) on Monday this week and attempted to to 9 miles reasonable pace 2 days ago but then felt a tightness in my (often very tight) calf so pulled up a bit - am not too concerned about that - need tos tretch and wrk the knots out of the muscle

not sure what sort of long-ish run to try this weekend.... any suggestions or what are others doing?

I do plan on trying to run a decent enough effort in Dublin if all goes well. Am not liking the hills too much though out near Foster's Ave compared to Berlin!

What did you run berlin in and what do you want to do dublin in ??

[ergo]

Originally Posted by village runner

What did you run berlin in and what do you want to do dublin in ??

3:02:57


obviously would love to do a sub 3, if you read further up this page there's a bit more on how my Berlin run went

am not a big fan of the hills though, am thinking will try and go for an exact even (90 minute) split in Dublin, see how I'm feeling if I'm sustaining that, try to take on board more carbs during Dublin than I managed in Berlin and see what happens during a local run in conditions 10-15 degrees cooler than Berlin was. TBH it may be a big ask to repeat my Berlin time

if I'm struggling to maintain that pace in Dublin I'll just relax and enjoy it and make sure I beat my (long time rival) friend's previous time of 3:11 (presuming that I'm able to finish the race.....)

[Krusty_Clown]

I did 3 hours in Berlin, and am doing 4 hours in Dublin (pacing), so the plan is based on getting the mileage up to around 18 miles, before dipping back down.
Long runs: 8, 13, 18, 12, race
Weekly mileage: 16, 30, 38, 34, 22

I am however also hoping to do a solid 10k two weeks after Dublin, so I've included a couple of speed/hill sessions in the schedule too (but not within 10 days of the races. I can still feel Berlin in my legs, so I'm glad i'm not going for a good time in DCM.

[village runner]

Originally Posted by ergo

3:02:57


obviously would love to do a sub 3, if you read further up this page there's a bit more on how my Berlin run went

am not a big fan of the hills though, am thinking will try and go for an exact even (90 minute) split in Dublin, see how I'm feeling if I'm sustaining that, try to take on board more carbs during Dublin than I managed in Berlin and see what happens during a local run in conditions 10-15 degrees cooler than Berlin was. TBH it may be a big ask to repeat my Berlin time

if I'm struggling to maintain that pace in Dublin I'll just relax and enjoy it and make sure I beat my (long time rival) friend's previous time of 3:11 (presuming that I'm able to finish the race.....)

I had read it 2 min before. Sorry.
Jeses i think you might get to 18-20 on course and then bang. Depends on your recovery but I wouldnt have a chance of going near my time in berlin 5 weeks later. 5 weeks aint along time but i suppose if you dont try you wont ever know. Plenty of slows runs with no races. Give your legs as much time as possible.

[ergo]

Originally Posted by village runner

I had read it 2 min before. Sorry.
Jeses i think you might get to 18-20 on course and then bang. Depends on your recovery but I wouldnt have a chance of going near my time in berlin 5 weeks later. 5 weeks aint along time but i suppose if you dont try you wont ever know. Plenty of slows runs with no races. Give your legs as much time as possible.

I suppose I was just trying to figure out what sort of distances I should be putting in right now when all of the normal DCM people are doing their longest LSR's - I've definitely (inevitably) lost some of the momentum I had going into Berlin

but, right now I'm thinking, well, I'm not sure when I'll next have the opportunity to do the training I have done this summer - I am probably going to go back playing football after this for another year or two (am 31 now) but to have this much mileage in my legs and the (admittedly) tiny chance of a sub 3 this season is just too tempting for me not to try for - I agree - big risk of burning out by 18 miles, but I think I have to at least give it a go

having said all that, I had to cut short my last run on Friday due to (recurrence of) left calf tightness so maybe my body is telling me something - am not worried but will see how things pan out over next few weeks