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BQ or Bust!
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Sun 28 Sep
Berlin Marathon
Finally it was here, after a solid 18 weeks of preparation that kicked off in Albert College Park back in June. The goal - sub 3:40:00 and a 2016 BQ. This would be marathon number three, and while the main goal was to hit the time I also wanted to have a more consistent run, having faded over the last 10k in the previous two, missing out on targets by a minute or two on each occasion. As I prefer to use the metric system, it was great to finally be doing a race that would be properly marked out in kilometers. The plan was to take advantage of the flat terrain and run nice even 5k splits of 25:40. This would give a bit of leeway even if I faded a little at the end. A good bit of leeway in fact - the MP I'd trained at was 5:10 (8:19), and although this would be a bit under that, it would be a good reflection of the way training had gone in the past couple of months and also the decent race performances in the build-up. McMillan was predicting 3:36:28 based on the most recent race, the Frank Duffy 10-mile last month. Although I'd never hit one in a marathon, I've always been within a couple of minutes of McMillan, so I was confident going in that the sub-3:40 and the BQ was there for the taking on a nice flat course in autumnal Berlin.
Another confidence booster was that I'd trained to the high end of menoscemo's excellent "improver plan", which had delivered a 16-min PB the last time out, even though last year I'd only hit 90 percent of the low end of the suggested mileage. It's a flexible plan, peaking around 55 miles per week, and I had no trouble really with any of the long runs or midweek sessions. I'd also been careful to avoid injuries, despite the intermittent back problems, an unfortunate affliction for many aul codgers like myself.
So finally it was time to get down to business. Got a decent enough sleep the night before and had a good breakfast of muesli with milk and honey, the obligatory coffee, some yoghurt and bananas. 10 mins and a short train ride from the hotel later I was in the middle of the throngs converging on the Tiergarten from all directions. I wasn't particularly early but having figured out where to drop my bag, there was time for a brief warm-up jog before walking to the starting pen F, bumping into Belcarra on the way and exchanging good luck wishes. Things were not congested as I'd feared, despite the starting pen security being pretty lax, with plenty of people hopping over the barriers. Headed over to the far side of the road as suggested elsewhere in this forum and after some rousing music, handclaps and general good vibes we were off.
1-10 km
I was proudly wearing the Crusaders vest and this paid dividends right away when I was tapped on the shoulder by one of my new clubmates, Leo Lundy, who wished me well and even snapped a photo which ended up on his blog (Leo was doing his 28th marathon of the year). This gave me an early boost and settled my nerves a bit. I tried to absorb the enormity of the occasion, deliberately slowing in the third km after getting sucked in to a slightly faster start than planned. Hit the first split at 25 mins and was careful to check the distance against the garmin which had measured about 100m long, so that was 30secs I'd have to discount if things got down to the wire later (luckily the 100m stayed about the same throughout the race so I didn't have to do any more of this kind of arithmetic). The congestion increased noticeably as the race entered narrower roads in the Tiergarten district by the Hauptbahnhof, where I'd hopped off the train earlier. Took a first gel at 8k. Soon we were in the Mitte district near my hotel and sure enough I spotted de missus, annapr, on the side of the street. She hadn't seen me so I had to do the shout-out, even though it's supposed to work the other way around. :pac: 10km split reached bang on target at 51 mins.
11-20 km
Settled into the race now, I was starting to really appreciate the crowd and the many drummers, bands, organ grinders and acrobats lining the route. I was feeling good so I applauded as many of them as I could - although some might say this distracts from the business at hand, they were giving me a whole lot more energy than I could possibly expend. Gel number two around 16km with a sip of water. By now I'd gotten the hang of the water stations and decided on a walk through strategy as I just can't drink from the cups without stopping. I only needed a sip at each station, after which I'd throw the rest over my head and maybe a drop or two on the calves. Reached Karl Marx Allee and tried to take in the sheer scale of the monumental GDR architecture. Through 15km on schedule at 1:16 before taking gel number 2, noting now that the water stations needed a bit of care as the road was ankle deep in cups and of course very wet. Then we were in the heart of the Neukolln distict (which means something for old-school Bowie fans like myself) where I found myself alongside a guy in a grass-skirt being interviewed by a journalist and photographer. Through the 20 km split at 1:42.
21-30 km
The atmosphere around the halfway mark (1:47:28) was incredible, as were the surroundings, as the road dipped under a series of decaying cast iron bridges and overpasses - very much as I'd always imagined Berlin. By now it had long become obvious that half of Denmark was either running this race or supporting it. As Leo pointed out in his blog, the Cru vest "looks a bit Danish" and it seemed some of this support was being directed in my direction, which was gratefully accepted as things started to get a bit tougher in the second half of the race. Gel No.3 around 24km with some water - the water stations seemed to be around every corner in the second half, definitely no shortage of them, and I was able to skip every second one without ever getting thirsty. Through 25k at 2:08. Still on schedule, but those 5k timing mats were starting to feel farther apart than earlier in the race. My calves started to feel a bit tighter around now and I tried to loosen up and relax the muscles as much as possible. There was a massive Powerbar gel station set up on a very pretty part of the course - I declined the nutrition and noted the stickiness of the road around here from all the wrappers. 30 kms at 2:33, about a minute in the bank.
31-42.2 km
My memory of this stage of the race is a bit of a blur. The autumnal weather had never materialised and the sun was beating down. I was glad I'd remembered my visor which had almost gotten left at home with the safety pins.
I was getting sore and had a few twinges and phantom calf cramps. Gave myself a bit of a talking to. "Come on, it's going to get harder later on. Just hit those splits every 25:40". Took the fourth and last gel at the 32km point - 20 miles done, 10k to go - stay strong and don't let it slip now. But the way this race is organised you just keep getting a boost, whether it's from the Danes, the crowds, the entertainers, or the surroundings. On the Kurfurstendam, another notable landmark, there were all kinds of noisy distractions from the pain. 35k in 2:59 - that was the sub-3 I had in mind for today! Another good split and it would be almost done.I'd been passing people for miles now but around this point I started to pass a lot of walkers, many of whom seemed to be wearing cycle jerseys, possibly blowing up towards the end of an unofficial duathlon? After 38k there is a long and interminable staight (almost as long as the finishing straight in St. Anne's). :pac: I'd mentioned to the Mrs that this could well be a low point in the race for me and a good place for a bit of support and I was delighted to spot her around the 39k point where I got a quick hug and a bottle of water. That was a big boost and minutes later I was through 40k at 3:25, knowing it was in the bag. So I was able to relax and enjoy the final couple of kms as the route twisted around a maze of corners where we had to pause for a second or two to allow an ambulance through. The missus popped up again unexpectedly, having taken a shortcut through the maze. I knew from marthastew's previous race reports that Unter Den Linden would be the final straight but every corner showed a different street name until at last it was there and the Brandenburg gate loomed ahead. A great buzz to run through that and to see the finish line ahead. Over the line in 3:36:17, a 10-min PB.
What a feeling! Shook hands with the nearest few runners and got a genuinely warm congratulatory back slap from one of the stewards before another one placed the medal around my neck. I moved slowly through the finish area, helping myself to the water, lucozade, the various fruits and of course the (unfortunately alkohol-frei) Erdinger. I felt great, no aches or pains. Took a shortcut through a gap in the fence to the meeting area where Mrs M was already waiting and we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower before meeting up with the boards and Cru crowd in the Oscar Wilde. Mutual congrats all round as nearly everyone had had a good day, even those who missed out on the target. Especially good performances from yaboya, Loughie and WithCheesePlease. FBOT01's 3:00:xx was unlucky and he'd undoubtedly have hit the target on a cooler day. Marthastew was in good spirits after her tough day, while Mr. Stew thoroughly enjoyed his impromptu HM. Belcarra breezed through his training run and I suspect Roisin will be keeping him honest over the next while as she ramps up her own running career. Ferris B had played a blinder in the shoutout department, expertly navigating the U-Bahn system.
My memory of the later part of the evening is understandably a bit hazy as alas I am not as proficient in the drinking department as in the old days but I woke up the next day in relatively good shape so Mrs M must have gotten me out of there before I got too messy. Hope she did anyway. :)
So... BQ achieved. No negative split as yet, but I beat McMillan by 11 seconds, which is probably the hardest feat of all! We should coin a term for that, by the way - how about "the full McMillan"? :P Thanks to all who helped and encouraged along the way, it really does make a difference to be on this forum. Thanks also to meno for the plan; I owe you another pint.
Next up: LQ or bust!
Previous PB: 3:46:15
Target: 3:39:59
Time: 3:36:17
Verdict: Delira0 -
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Amazing performance and great report. This is where I want to be a year from now (or sooner if the stars align!)
I have a feeling I'll be rereading this report for inspiration in the next few months. Now just to translate into miles instead of metric and it would be perfect
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