Berlin Marathon 2022
In 2019 I entered the ballot for Berlin marathon fully expecting to be unsuccessful. I based this expectation on the stories I’d heard about how hard it can be to get into London marathon via the ballot. My assumption was Berlin would be the same, how wrong I was!
With an acceptance email coming shortly after having my running clubs place confirmed for London marathon in 2020, it looked like I was going to run my first two World Majors in one year. Unfortunately for me, Covid put paid to those plans. So, after an agonisingly long wait to get there, it finally happened.
Now, you would think I’d be beyond pumped to finally be running it right? Well, a lot has changed in my life since I entered the ballot. This meant that I would be travelling on my own, something I had never done before. And also, I had the frustrating combination of having not had the best training while also really struggling with my mental health in the weeks leading up to the race. This turn of events blindsided me somewhat and at one point I briefly considered not even going. What a folly that would have been!
Readjusting my goals
So lets talk about my training. It suffered massively during the summer due to my shift pattern changing to 4 on 4 off rather than the usual 4 on 6 off. To add to this, on my 4 off, I would have my girls as much as possible. As this was during the school holidays and I have no childcare options, this had a big effect on my ability to get out and run.
In an attempt to counter act this as best I could, I started going to the classes at my local gym, the Goat Shed. I specifically went to the conditioning classes which are more cardio based. They helped with the mindset of pushing through the pain and tiredness, something you undoubtedly need during a marathon. Thankfully, its the kind of gym that allows me to take my girls who are always so well behaved when there.
While this helped, I knew it wasn’t a replacement for time on feet or miles in my legs. Sometimes though, you’ve just got to do whatever you can do. In the end, I only banked three proper long runs, one of which included Bridgwater half marathon. None of them were over 20 miles. I even ran just over 19 miles 2 weeks out from the race which wasn’t ideal, just to boost my confidence a little.
Unfortunately, it was at this point my mental health suffered. I won’t go into details now as that’s not what this post is about. However, it made me further question my ability to run this marathon which didn’t help at all.
With all this in mind, Simon, (my coach), and I decided that our original goal of 2.45 – 2.50 was dead in the water. As disappointing as this was, I’m a realist. I know how brutal the marathon can be, especially if you go into it underprepared.
At this point, no alternative plans were discussed but my own personal target was to still get that elusive sub 3 hour time.
Shifting my mindset and heading to Berlin
The week of the race I had to work 3 days before flying out on the Friday. I spent that week working on my mindset. Last year I worked hard on my mental strength for races and utilised the power of positive visualisation. I kept visualising my finishing time starting with a 2.
I managed to successfully drown out all the noise in my head and push away much of the negativity. By the time I got to Germany I was ready. Maybe not as ready physically as I’d have liked, but certainly mentally.
I flew out from Bristol airport Friday lunchtime and will go into more detail about the trip itself in another post. I did meet up with my friend Hayley at Brandenburg airport and we headed to the expo together. We subsequently then walked in the opposite direction for 20 minutes before realising we’d gone the wrong way. Pushed for time to pick up our bib numbers, we got everything we needed after a bit of a mad dash.
Saturday was a pretty chilled day. I went for an amazing shake out run through the city and did a whistle stop tour of some of Berlins historic sights. I actually ran 10k. This was definitely further than planned but I was very much living in the moment so just went with it! Besides, it was a very gentle stop/start run that I was confident wouldn’t effect my legs too much.
After a trip to the DDR Museum, Hayley and I went for food together, had some alcohol free beers, and then retired to our respective accommodations to prepare for what lay ahead the next day.
Race day
My alarm was set for 6am but after a poor night sleep, I went back to bed for an extra 15 minutes. That meant I had just enough time to get ready and head to the starting area.
Travelling round Berlin was surprisingly easy. It’s very similar to London in many ways but less hectic and much more chilled. I left my apartment and headed for the U Bahn and after a few stops I was back at the Brandenburg Gate. Just past this was the race village. This was pretty well organised but there didn’t seem to be anywhere near enough toilets, for which I joined a typically long and slow moving queue.
Once done there, I dropped my bag off and headed for my start pen. Now this was hectic! Just as I got there I joined countless others in darting into the trees for a finally pre-race wee. While doing so I ran right into a large branch that left a nasty graze all down my leg. Ironically, as I came out of the trees I noticed there were a load of urinals so my detour had been unnecessary. I hoped this wasn’t a bad omen for the race.
The start pens were absolutely rammed. I, and countless others had to climb over the railing to get in and it was a very tight squeeze. On a slightly chilly morning, you could feel the heat coming off the sheer number of people that were penned in like sardines.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…..Go
After witnessing the introductions of the elite athletes on the big screens, including the GOAT, Eliud Kipchoge, the countdown began, the start gun went off and we started slowly shuffling forward. Because my PB upon entry was 3hr17, I was starting in the third pen back. I probably should have been at least one further forward but it didn’t really matter, it just meant navigating my way round more people.
Once over the timing mats, my race officially began. I was wary of both getting a good start amongst the crowds but also of going out too fast. We soon rounded the Brandenburg Tor and I had goosebumps and a stupid grin on my face. I almost couldn’t believe I was finally running this race, like for real!
I hadn’t been sure how to fuel during the race. Gels and water aren’t what I tend to need during training, except for really long runs or in hot weather. Before the race I was chatting to a guy who’s strategy was to take a gel after the first hour then one every half an hour after that. This would work out perfectly for me given my time goal and being that I had 4 gels so I went with it.
There were timing mats every 5k, plus one at halfway. The first 10k went quite quickly and I knew where I was as we went past the road I was staying on. I was managing my pace well and my HR was nice and steady at around 150bpm. At 55mins in I decided to take my first gel.
Feeding off the energy of the crowds
The crowds were pretty good around Berlin. Hayley said afterwards it was nothing compared to London. Some areas were definitely sparsely supported but there was still lots of music along the route and plenty of cheering.
Going through halfway, I was still feeling pretty good. Although, I feared the lack of high mileage and volume of training was going to come back to haunt me as my legs were starting to feel a little tired. I instantly started to fear I’d crash and burn, hit that wall the marathon is all too famous for, and not be able to recover.
I managed to assuage those fears and just focus on ticking off the miles. All the distance markers were in km’s which was actually ok for me despite always working in miles. It meant they came more regularly. I was itching to get to 32k just so that I knew I only had 10k left to go!
As previously mentioned, my alternative goal had been to go for anything under 3hrs. Simons advice the night before had been to run at 3hr pace and look to push on. I knew I was going faster than this but I still felt good. I began feeding off the energy of the crowds and was high fiving any kid or person who put their hand out.
Chasing down that goal
While part of me was still anticipating hitting the wall, I started to feel more confident that it wouldn’t come. At the 32k mark I worked out I had 47mins to run the last 10k in order get under 3hrs. Now I was confident!
In fact, I wasn’t just going to survive this marathon, I was going to thrive. I was feeling stronger the closer I got to the finish, something I never foresaw happening. It was a strange feeling. I allowed myself to start imagining the finish and how it would feel to go sub 3hrs. I knew right then it would be emotional. The urge to speed up was strong but I wanted something left at the end. I wanted to kick once through the famous Brandenburg Gate so I contained myself.
My discipline paid off. I’ll never forget turning that last corner onto the Unter den Linden with the Brandenburg Gate just up ahead. I held off starting my kick until through the gate when I was met by a wall of noise from all the spectators who had earlier witnessed history being made by Kipchoge who had once again broken the world record for the marathon. It was a privilege to be running the same race as true greatness.
But I was running my own race and I accelerated towards the finish line. It wasn’t exactly a sprint but after 26 miles, it was damn sure fast enough! Halfway to the finish line I, somewhat bizarrely given the nature of the already enthusiastic crowds, screamed “COME ON” while waving my hands in the air. I was pretty pumped! Fueled by adrenaline, I then roared as I approached the finish, letting out everything I had been feeling in the build up to this race.
I crossed the finish line with an official time of 2hrs55.56. I’d not only achieved my goal but I’d smashed it. I also never expected to feel so strong and comfortable and it was now that the real emotion hit. Perhaps a little naively, I went straight to my Instagram stories and immediately welled up and was lost for words as to what this race, this performance, meant to me.
After a tough year and not the best build up, I still turned up when it mattered most. To many, it’s just a race. Those who have run marathons, get it. Those who have gone sub 3 or achieved goals they didn’t think were possible, they really get it.
Statistically, only 1% of the population run a marathon. After the race, my mum text me to say she she’d googled how many people run a sub 3hr marathon. It was 4%, 1% for women. Only 4% of that initial 1% go under 3hrs, I think that says it all. It was a truly special moment for me, one that will live long in my memory.
It’s true what people say about running a marathon. After all the training, the months of dragging yourself out at various times of the day, in all weather conditions when you often don’t feel like it, the race itself truly is your victory lap and on this day, I couldn’t have wished for a better one!
Looking back now, I think Berlin will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s the home of some important firsts in my life. First time travelling abroad on my own, first time running under 3hrs and I just generally had the best time there. The race itself was special too, not just because of what I achieved but the vibe and atmosphere the race brought to the city. I loved every minute of my Berlin marathon experience and fully intend to return to both the city and this race in the future.
Without trying to sound too profound, I feel like I was liberated in Berlin and have come back a different person. It feels like a turning point in my life, after years of living in the same town, doing all the same things I now look at life differently. I want these new experiences to be a more regular thing. And as for my running, well, I feel once again that there’s no limits to what I can achieve moving forward.
