Number 15: The 2018 BMW Berlin Marathon Entry

Fifth World Major done! Time to recover. This one wasn’t pretty but I managed to complete the 2018 BMW Berlin Marathon in my second fastest time of 3:12:43. It was my 4^thachieved Boston Qualifying time but not enough to run neither 2019 nor 2020. So if I ever want to run Boston again, and avenge the horrible travesty that the weather brought in 2018, my next attempt will be in Tokyo. 

A happy man at the finish line.

Yes, I got into Tokyo. I used my usual method of signing on to a tour package and it is so worth it. There is not an ounce of disappointment in my accommodations during my stay in Berlin. All you can eat breakfast every day, spacious room with all the right amenities, and pasta dinner the night before the marathon. Add the fact that I was able to spread the cost of this trip since December; my wallet did not go into shock. The marathon itself, that’s a different story. They totally need to improve their operations. 

Expo Madness: Berlin Tempelhof Airport

Expo at an old German airport hanger

Totally exhausted from jet lag, getting to the expo was difficult. I wasn’t about to even try to navigate public transportation after getting lost in the train system the night before. Some CPTC-NB teammates let us know via Facebook forum when they would pick up their bib and packets so I tried to coordinate. But waking up was so difficult. Not only did I have to deal with the 6-hour time difference, but the day before I had travelled 18 hours, that included a 4 hour layover in Moscow to give my jet lag an extra layer of fatigue. 

I still had taper miles from Henwood’s training plan that I had to do. But because of my piroformis issues, I switched to every other day in the last week leading up to the marathon. This totally gave some extra recovery during taper, which proved to help during the marathon. Navigational route entered via Google Maps and I proceeded to run the first 22 minutes of the 45-minute easy run assigned to me for that particular day. The remaining minutes were completed on my way back to my hotel after walking and standing about 2 hours at the expo.

The expo itself, although they did a good job controlling the inflow and outflow of runners entering the hall, the vendors were not placed in a way that made it easy to find what you were looking for. For example, I searched for the vendor that would offer plaques or shadowboxes for race day photos, similar to MarathonFotos. In my 14 previous marathons, with the exception of my first in New Jersey, I always bought a plaque to commemorate the accomplishment. There were no plaque makers available, as I searched through the maze of three sections within the airport hanger. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t find beer glasses nor chalices, familiar running accessories at the Adidas store, and the line for the free posters were a 45 minute wait. I did finally find chalices at the Erdinger Alkoholfrei vendor outside. But the logistics of the place was not well organized and there wasn’t even a map to find what I wanted. Luckily I found one vendor that had the nutrition that worked with my training, Gu and Clif gels. I just wish they had a map so I can find everything easier.

Chasing Six Stars: Names of finishers who completed World Marathon Majors

Marathon morning:

Fast forward to marathon morning as I toed the starting line. I had not run since the expo and I was feeling good and strong. I did walk around the start area the day before with CPTC-NB teammate, Ron Romano, to make sure we understood the where everything was so that our path to the starting line from the hotel was a smooth one. Like where is baggage check? How far from Brandenburg Gate was the Finish line? Where was the Start line? What areas were closed off and about how much walking would we be doing from the hotel? Any questions we managed to answer the day before as we continued to fight jet lag by staying up and on our feet from mid morning to early afternoon.

After checking our bags and relieving ourselves in different bushes (We lost Ron at the point because he was complaining he had to go number 2), we went off into our respective corrals. My hip felt fine, my taper strategy proved to work, as I didn’t feel even a tinkle in the affected area.  Don’t speak too soon David; you still have 26.2 miles ahead of you. Or 42 point whatever kilometers, to make dependency on my Garmin 735XT GPS watch that much more important. 

Jim Gregory, Ron Romano and I getting ready.

Corral D and there wasn’t a familiar face in sight. It was all the more reason to focus on the task at hand. Was this going to be another Chicago? I heard about the flatness of this Berlin course. It was flat indeed. Any inclines were completely unnoticed. The course consisted of several long straightaways that enabled the runner to focus on the distant vanishing point similar to the drawing method that uses point perspective. 

Overconfident in my training – therefore fast start

Adrenaline rushes through me as I start the race a little fast. Those Henwood bridal mile repeats had me feeling confident about my fitness. At each beep, I look at my watch and read sub 7 splits the first 8 miles with a few sub 6:50s in there. Thoughts of a sub 3 marathon were not in the plan but I wasn’t going to rule it out at that point. This course was just lovely. If ever there was a place to do it, Berlin was the course. But I knew all my long runs and interval times, during Henwood’s training, didn’t indicate that I could confidently pursue of sub 3. But after mile 8, it sure did feel like I had a chance. 

My first and only bathroom stop came right before the 15K electronic split reader. 30 seconds off of my time to relieve myself. It was worth it as I noticed the last mile was just above 7. If I have to go, I just run slower and it messes with my mental stamina. After that stop I was never able to hit sub 7 again. 

That’s fine with me, I haven’t felt this good in a marathon since… well I felt better than Chicago... at that point. So my physical fitness was there. I was still carrying a little extra at 173 lbs, when comparing my 2016 Chicago Marathon weight at 165 lbs. That extra was muscle… muscle that would prove to need more hydration later in the race. The heat was kicking in by the half-way point. And I knew I had to scale it back. 

Henwood advised me the night before the race to run 7:00 to 7:05. By mile 14 I knew I was ahead of that pace so I let myself slip to 7:15 – 7:20 range for a couple of miles to save a little bit of energy. And we will see how what I can muster after mile 20. There wasn’t going to be any holding back after mile 20, I wanted to run a consistent… or consistent as possible… race and I had the training to do it. And even if it climbed above 70… which it did… those hot and humid long runs along the Charles River, around the lower shoreline of Manhattan, and in the suburbs of Nassau County, were adequate for my body to be ready to handle the heat. 

No excuses: it is what it is

It’s so easy for me to turn this post into a barrage of excuses. Why I didn’t hit sub 3 or even the more realistic goal that I was sure I would hit of sub 3:10! But I should have been better prepared. This one was completely on me. Yes the water stops were horrible. They didn’t have any Gatorade. I trained exclusively with Gatorade. I have grown accustomed to having water stops on both sides of the road so I wouldn’t need to slow down to much when I do my perfected “Grab and Go”. I was in a foreign country, with foreign ways to take in electrolytes (they even had hot tea which I spit out and almost threw the plastic cup right back into the volunteers face). 

What the hell is this shit? Purple beet juice? Hot tea? I’ll stick with the water, thank you very much. And why are the runners coming to a complete stop to take in fluids in front of the water table in the path of oncoming runners. Oh this is terrible. I certainly lost some time at these stops. Which were pretty much every 5k through the course. Why didn’t I just listen to Henwood and take in electrolytes and fluids every 45 minutes as we discussed the night before? Or better yet, why didn’t I actually read the marathon material weeks before the race, where I would have known about setting up your own fluids at every water station as Jim Gregory pointed out to us in his preparation. I was so used to my “Grab and Go” technique that I perfected from 14 previous marathons. It became second nature. That again, was all on me. 

So yes, I can point to a number of factors that didn’t make this marathon as smooth as I wanted. And of course, the piroformis and hip region was throbbing by the time I kicked into high gear in the last 3 kilometers. I knew a sub 3:10 marathon had slipped away as I mustered up a 6:30 sprint in the distance between the Brandenburg Gate and the finish line (It’s not 400 meters as people have been saying… closer or just under 800). I had spent the entire 2018 allowing Henwood to break down everything I learned before only to rebuild myself with a stronger foundation. I am happy with the direction I am headed. And I can confidently conclude from these last two marathon-training cycles which emphasized strength building and endurance consistency… I can confidently conclude that no matter what you face on marathon day, it can always be dealt with correct anticipation and preparation. Fifteen marathons in and I should certainly know better by now.  

Plastic cups madness at water stops creating dangerous

Some Europe Photos

Brandenberg Gate at night

Berlin - Post marathon meet up with fellow Hultian, Volkon and friends.

Hanging out with Francine in Frankfurt

Meeting up with fellow Hultian, Anthony Santino, in Brussels. 

Chocolates are a big deal in Belgium.

The original (with several repairs and recoveries) Manneken Pis from the 15th Century

Brussels - Tourist David at the Atomium 

Beautiful Stockholm, Sweden

Navigating Olde Town, Gamla Stan 

Uppsala, Sweden - Great times with Maria in her hometown

Stockholm headed to the airport. The end of a great 11 days of travel. 

Berlin Here I Come: Pre-Marathon Blog

September 12, 2018 - 3:00 P.M. Eastern Time - Pre-Security Check

And so it begins, the final days of my 15th Marathon training cycle. It feels surreal that I’m traveling to Germany to take on the BMW Berlin Marathon, one of the fastest courses on the planet. And here I am waiting to check in to my flight, jotting down notes for my next blog update. A blog I wish I updated sooner since surviving the Boston Marathon monsoon. Nonetheless, better later than never as I reflect. 

I’ve said this over and over again, the Boston Marathon sucked. It wasn’t enough to make me quit running though. My early motivations to run was ignited by watching my college friend Aliann Pompey run the 400 in the Beijing Olympics on TV (I’ve said this story plenty of times as well). I was a runner in middle school and I wanted to get back to doing things that brought me joy. Engineering had consumed my life for over a decade at that point. Sitting behind the computer all day running calcs, then going home and watching TV. Calcs, TV, sleep, repeat. Sprinkle in bad food, and going out on weekends with your boys, and you had a recipe for a life of pour health filled with anxiety and depression. But when you see someone you know running and see how far they’ve come, it’s inspiring enough for you to make a change. And here I am 10 years later, I’m chasing my 5th Marathon out of the 6 (Already got into Tokyo for March 2019) and getting ready to run my 15th marathon. Ten years from now... or maybe even sooner, someone who read this blog or has been following my social media will trek half way across the world from their home chasing their goal. And on that note, I head to ticketing to check in for my flight to Moscow, a layover before reaching my final destination..... 

September 12, 2018 - 4:40 P.M. - Post Security Check

So I sit here at Gate 8 waiting for my flight after going through security. Last year, when flying out to run London, I missed my flight and nearly missed making it to the expo to pick up my bib, after purchasing the next flight out last minute. So I wait here allowing myself to feel what I’m writing. Get in the zone, while typing and reminiscing on this training cycle: the pounding to my hips (and finally realizing it was piriformis syndrome) being what I’ll remember most. 

A brutally hot summer that didn’t relent. Heat wave after heat wave, followed by thunderstorms and torrential down pours to break the resulting humidity. And I was out there through most of it. I stayed off the treadmill as much as possible contrasting my Boston Marathon Training. But the mileage was still up there, hitting close to 70 miles in a week twice... while consistently alternating my Sunday Long Runs: 18, 20, 18, 20 .... eventually came 22. Thank God for taper! My piriformis took a beating in that peak long run along the Charles. 

Ah yes, the mighty Charles River. I trained heavily along the river as a business student when training for my first marathon. My very first Charles River training run of this Berlin Marathon cycle, before even starting, I run into this year’s Womens Boston Marathon Champion, Desiree Linden. Despite the rough conditions of the 2018 Boston Marathon (“rough conditions” is certainly an understatement), there’s always a better day. And every day I run, whether its good or bad, I run for more than just athletic accomplishment. But for the comradery, the community, the health benefits, and the positive feelings. (As if I needed to say that.. but just in case you didn't know)

September 12, 2018 - 5:35 P.M. - Waiting to Board

Still waiting but we are almost boarding. Where was I? Oh yes, I run more than for just athletic accomplishment. Thoughts of Marathon retirement crossed my mind during the brutal Boston Monsoon, but when you reach the finish. Those thoughts go away... as quick as the weather changes to sunny in Boston the next day. Why resist retirement? Because I started this Marathon runner’s life for a change. And slowly but surely, that change is happening. Is there a final destination? Probably not, but I love where I’m headed. Great new runner friends I meet every year, whether it’s at a New York Road Runners event or a race far from home. Health benefits that has me going to the doctor much less than when I was in my 20s. Old friends that see the change and continue to show their genuine love and support. And those bad friends, that disappeared, because they can never understand. 

Updating my blog as I sit here at JFK ready to board my flight. 

I sit here at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Terminal 1, ready to board my flight to Moscow, and transfer for my flight to Berlin. I sit here grateful, and ready to run whatever race I am meant to run. Taking 14 marathons and a structured, well disciplined training plan by Dr. Henwood. I call him the Doctor because I observed him with other runners and he always seem to have to right prescription for your Marathon running needs. Berlin - Here I come!! 

Some Summer Training Photos

Post Boston Marathon Celebration with long time friends @topace88 and his wife @bleulilie - April 2018

Breaking 19 in my NYRR Speed Series Debut and first time wearing spikes while running with CPTC-NB teammate @mrjoeyoga - July 2018

Clash of the Titans - Waiting with longtime NBR and CPTC-NB teammate and friend, @irondoc949, for the Swim start of my first Olympic Triathlon at the 2XU New York City Tri

My only time on the bike during this training cycle - 25 painful miles during the 2XU New York City Tri.

Meeting Roger Robinson, author of When Running Made History, with CPTC-NB teammate @ronrunsnyc at the  Chicago Rock n Roll half Marathon

Strength training twice a week thanks to my coach, Dr. Henwood, with his structured, disciplined, and intense training plans. 

Saturday morning speed sessions with Dr. Henwood, @jdfnyc, @stoli_runs, and the rest of the #henwoodhounds

Not as many ocean water swim sessions at Brighton Beach as I would have liked. 

September 13, 2018 - 1:52 P.M. - Moscow Time - 

Nine hours in the air, and getting lost in the Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) in Moscow, Russia. I can conclude this post by saying that this training cycle was truly one to remember. I did just what I said I would do after finishing the TCS New York City Marathon: Listen to my body more, my coach, and kept consistent with my training - which explains the several DNS's.

- No Aquabike at Quassi Rev 3 in Connecticut as planned.
- No Popular Brooklyn Half to sneak in some more recovery.
- No Cross country races in the late summer since it was too close to Berlin
- No planned relay with friends at the Brooklyn Mile since it didn't match with my marathon training.
- No New York Grand Fondo 100 Mile Ride due to lack of bike training.

I just focus on doing my best in Berlin this Sunday and no matter what happens, I am lucky to be able to make it this far.