Race report: Berlin Marathon, 26th of Sep-2010

Minimarathon, Unter  den Linden

When I awake it's dark. I can't hear anything at this moment but I suspect it's still raining outside. Cold, dense rain that patiently soakes into your body and wears you out as minutes is adding to hours. A quick breakfast, preparing my gear, dressing and I'm on my way towards the starting area. Drops of cold rain wets my skin as I run slowly towards the starting area-trying to warm up a body still stiff after a nights sleep and stribing to prevent it from getting colder due to the rain.
The starting area is packed. Tousands of people running around in plastic covers in a desperate effort to prevent the rain from doing harm as ment to. As I navigate through the crowd to localise my particular starting field I sense a growing excitement and I wonder how on earth all these people are going to get mowing in a way that allows all runners to have an honest possibility to perform at his/her best. Loud music alternates screaming from the loudspeakers situated on both sides of the starting area-which is huge. Tens of thousands of people lined up in a massive manifestation of hopes, dreams, fears and courrage.
Suddenly were on our way, or should be, the people in front of me are only moving sligthly, working their way towards the starting line. Right after starting I find myself navigating between slow-going runners, queing up in line whenever the course turns and experiencing irritation, disbelief and some rage on my on behalf as the race takes me through the first 5-10 km. It's impossible to establish a steady pace. I take advantage of every free pavement, street-stone and try to run continually on each of the sides of the road. Somehow I think that gives less hindrance. This isn't the way it was going to be. I was supposed to feel energetic and have a good run on a very levelled course. Funny as it may be I feel very energetic. I need on several occasions at this part of the race to tell me self to slow down. After working on my self for a while I establish a steady pace as planned and passes each 5 km within one minutes of my scheduled passing time. On 10 km I'm feeling a familiar pain in my butt. I thought I'd taken care of that last week, but it returns to accompany me in this race as well.

Rain, a wet road, thousand of spectators along the course and me-trying to live up to my own expectations.
A though call, but  in a way I manage to enter a sort of running zone, enabling myself to focus on my working tasks and slowly but decisive make my way through each km that's facing me and a steady, enduring pain.
Circus Berlin Marathon. A course crowded with spectators awaiting to se their particular woman or man or just every other runner taking part in fullfilling their own dream of some time, at some distant point of time, to run a marathon in person. The crowd cheering not the participants, but artists in a circus orchestrated by the arranger.

Rollerbladeskaters-approaching the finish

My pace is steady as ever as I pass the 24 km mark and sense an urge to visit the toilette in a serious manner. Knowing myself and my needs pretty well, I know that this has to be done as soon as possible. Shortly after I enter a trattoria, greats the owner and heads down in the cellar to the toilette to attend to my needs.
After just over 5 minutes I'm on my way again. Relieved-not to loose over 5 minutes, but to had it over with. I suspected that this was going to happen. That was a serious blow to my scheduled finish time, but I can consentrate on my other target, which is a new PB. It's very hard to regain pace after this incident, but I soon establish a steady pace and contiune toward the finish line.
A growing number of my fellow participants is starting to walk, stretch and show every sign of an accumulating load of strain-and giving in to the little voice in the head to back off. In moments like this it pays dividends to have a strategy for the race ready and implemented in advance-like I have. My thoughts know then is to endure the pain and keep a steady pace. In addition I can clearly see the need to supplement my energy-supplies. Taking walking breaks at a few supply stations to supply with energy drink, bananas and water, I loose some more minutes. With less than 10 km left I decide to make do with what I've stocked up with on my two stops and force myself towards the finish line. My focus now is how many km it is to the finish line and available minutes left in order to finish at a new PB. Relieved to pass Kurfurstendam I know it's just a bit over 7 km left. Potdsdamer Platz is another welcoming landmark and when I turn left to finally run on Unter den Linden towards Brandenburger Tor I try to squeese what's left of energy left in my body. My pace increase sligthly, the pain a lot. I'm not sure about my finish time before I run under the solid collumns of Brandeburger Tor. Able to se the finish line a couple of hundred metres further on I miraculosly manage to speed up slightly. Running now is very painful, but I don't seem to mind anymore. Crossing the finish line at new PB I'm done-real done-will triumphing over body. Apparently my condition is visble to others as well as a representative from the arranger approach me and wonders wether everything is in order. I confirm that it is, but he doesn't seem utterly convinced. After a few minutes catching my breath, I start to walk-or rather, try to walk. Funny, a few minutes ago I was running at fast pace and now I can barely walk. Butt and the back of my thighs are cooperating in an effort to make walking as difficult as possible. After a short while and some welcoming intake of energy, I'm done for now.
What I will remember most from this marathon-event was the pure joy exhibited by the childrens as they were about to finish their mini-marathon the day before the race, the determination of the wheel-chair competitors starting off a few minutes before the runners on race-day and the finish of the roller-blade competitors as they headed down Unter den Linden towards the finish line.

Technicals:

Finish time: 3h 44m 32s-New personal best!

Placement: 

-Overall: 858 av 7.430

-Class rank: 182 av 1.448
-Finishers overall: 34.027

Splits(average pace):

-5 km          : 25:06 (5:01)

-10 km        : 25:07 (5:01)

-15 km        : 24:44 (4:56)

-20 km        : 24:58 (4:59)

-21,0975     : 1h 46m 52s (5:04)-higher due to deviation in distance

-25 km        : 30:03 (6:00)-including a toilette visit of 5:17

-30 km        : 26:18 (5:15)

-35 km        : 27:23 (5:28)

-40 km        : 26:36 (5:19)

-42,195 km : 14:15 (5:01), I logged 42,84 km a deviation of 0,65 km. That's pretty much.

Total average pace: 5:19

Verticals: 146 m

Calories: 3.107

Equipment:

-Clothing: T-Shirt, short thights, bandana-all from GORE. Excellent functioning.

-Shoes: Saucony Knivara-wonderful shoes

-Drinking belt: Perfekta, 8 bottles-served me well, but I need to find other solutions on later races.

Evaluation:
Again to establish a strategy in advance worked wonders all the way through the race when it comes to consentrating on executing the working tasks necessary to keep a steady pace. I needed to supply with energy from supply stations along the course. The reason for that was partly that what I brought along wasn't sufficient and partly that I didn't ate enough in advance. I need to improve on both points. Secondly I need a new solution when it comes to energy-intake during the race. Using supply stations is out of the question for many reasons. To time consuming, uncertainty when it comes to what kind of energy is available.
Thirdly, I clearly need to work on the strength in my core. It's preventing sufficient executing of technique-especially in the last third of the race. That's something to work serious on my strength training during the winter that lies ahead of me. Fourth I sense the benefit from working on the mental part. It kept me in the race untill I was through with it. My aim though is to keep a steady pace throughout all the race. With a positive split of 11 minutes I have something to work on. Fifth, Berlin Marathon is a circus-it's not a race in which you run to head for a PB. If you wanna have fun, go ahead and race, but don't expect anything more than that. It's unlikely that I'll participate in it again.

The GARMIN-logfile can be found here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/50684468

The results from the race can be found here:
http://results.real-berlin-marathon.com/2010/


Pictures from the race can be found here:
http://www.real-berlin-marathon.com/events/berlin_marathon/2010/fotos.en.php

Media coverage:
http://www.kondis.no/risa-best-av-de-norske-i-berlin.4822847-127145.html

Berlin Marathon, 26th of Sep: New PB

A race with lots of people, rain, cold wind and tousands of spectators. New PB is 3h 44m 32s. Not an optimal race for me, but I'm satisfied with a new personal best. Greatings from Berlin, Jannicke

Berlin Marathon, 26th of Sep: Preparations

Thuringen Ultra 2010

Well, this is it. I have arrived at one of this years main targets. During the year I have had PB's at all new marathons I've participated in. A total of 6 marathons of which 4 is on the road and two on trails.
The first marathon was in Rome 21th of March with a finish time of 4h 18m 50s-an improvement from last years PB of 4h 31m 10s(Oslo Marathon).
Since then I've raced in Ålesund 8th of May( 3h 52m 9s), in Copenhagen 23th of May(3h 49m 14s) and in Stavanger 28th of Aug(3h 46m 21s). In addition two marathons on trails, but those are not comparable to street-races.
Being able to improve every time is good but very challenging when the next race is due-like now. Anyhow, I've made good preparations when it comes to training, tapering and other necessities.
Now it's time to establish a race-strategy. First of all I need to decide on the pace. Average pace in Stavanger was 5:22. Clearly my aim is to do better than that. I need to forget about time and consentrate on my tasks which is: keep a steady pace, supply with nutrition as planned and enter my zen-zone.
My target pace in this race is going to be 5 min/km. That will  result in a finish time of 3h 31m. With an extra effort the last 2km I'll reach the finish line within 3h 30m. Split times(5km) trhoughout the race will be 25m.
Strategy:
-Warm-up: I'm doing 10 min light run before start combined with 5 min stretching.
-Nutrition: I'm using a drinking belt with 8 bottles of energy-drink of 0,15 l each. I'm not stopping at any supply stations at all. No solid food before the race on race day.
-Shoes: Saucony Kinvara
-Clothing: Singlet, short thights-both from GORE
-Mental part: It's important to endure a lot of pain in order to obtain my targeted pace. In order to do that I'm consentrating on keeping the pace at all times, focusing on fullfilling the km I'm in, embracing and examing any pain that occurs and staying in my zen-zone at all times-one step at the time up till ten and again throughout all the race. In addition I'm visualising my performance in advance-running through every step of the course in advance in order to programme myself mentally to perform.

Finally, most important of all, have a good run.