Whether you want to run a full or Half Marathon, you probably have come across a training plan that features a test or training race a few weeks before your real race. You might have thought: “why should I run a race other than my real one?” —
On September 24th 2017 I ran my first Berlin Marathon. To my big surprise, I made it in under 4 hours, although the race was absolutely not easy. Please find my full race experience here.
Getting to the Berlin Marathon is of course quite easy. You can go there by plane, car or train from various European cities.
When you are a runner, you have heard about the Berlin Marathon. It is the flattest and fastest course in the world and origin of many World Records. The current one being 2:02:57 from Dennis Kimetto in 2014. Even if you are a non-elite athlete running Berlin Marathon is special. It is an honor, as you either have to be very fast or very lucky to get it. It is also a challenge, as nearly everyone running will try to take advantage of the flat course and run a new personal best. And it is historic because the course goes through a city that used to be divided for a long time. So when I won a spot in the ballot I was very happy. Even more when I found out that quite a lot of my friends would also be running. —
After running over 20 Marathons until now, 12 of them in 2018, I’ve made a LOT of mistakes. Especially when it comes to my Marathon pacing strategy. If you’ve ever ran a Marathon you’ve probably been told not to go out too fast. “Seconds gained in the end will be minutes lost in the end.”You might have a goal pace in mind, but then on race day the conditions change and you don’t know how to adjust. If you’ve never run a Marathon before you have probably no idea at all about how you should work out you Marathon pacing strategy. You are probably afraid to hit the wall and not finish at all. In case it’s your first marathon, you can read my five unconventional tips for your first Marathon here. Let me first explain why a Marathon pacing strategy is so important and than I’ll tell you my personal Marathon pacing strategy.
It is now nearly fourvyears since I ran my first Marathon. I am not going to lie about it: it was a complete disaster. I’ve followed a strict training plan and stuck to the rules. But it did not help.
But I learned from my mistakes. I completed some more Marathons and Ultra Marathons since, and here are my top 5 things that I wish I’d known back then.
In April 2017 I ran the London Marathon as my first of 6 World Major Marathons. I completed it just one week after the famous Two Oceans Ultramarathon in Cape Town. The London Marathon is a fantastic race, with thousands of charity runners and even more people celebrating in their favorite pub on the side lines..