2025 Berlin Marathon: Week 15 of 18

2025 08 31 • running • sports • 2025-berlin-marathon

Schedule

Goal Race: 3:30-4:00 Berlin
Plan: Pfitz 18/63 by thebottlefarm (Unofficial)

Date	Day	Workout	Results
2025-08-25	Monday	Rest or cross-training	Yoga and mobility drills Core drills
2025-08-26	Tuesday	Original: Recovery + speed 11.3 km w/ 6 x 100 m strides Substitute: Recovery 9.7 km	11.17 km @ 7:19/km
2025-08-27	Wednesday	Original: VO₂max 16.1 km w/ 4 x 1,200 m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between Substitute: Recovery 9.7 km	12.03 km @ 7:02/km
2025-08-28	Thursday	Medium-long run 17.7 km	AM: 18.20 km @ 5:59/km PM: Strength workouts
2025-08-29	Friday	General aerobic + speed 12.9 km w/ 8 x 100m strides	14.03 km @ 6:23/km Yoga and mobility drills
2025-08-30	Saturday	Recovery 6.4 km	10.04 km @ 6:54/km
2025-08-31	Sunday	Long run 32.2 km	AM: 32.20 km @ 5:59/km PM: Leg drills

Total:
- Expected: 96.56 km
- Actual: 97.67 km

Thoughts

Monday

I was a bit scared of how terrible I will feel this Monday morning after yesterday’s race but in reality it was much better. I slept for eight hours and woke up not sick after all the feverish and headache manifestations yesterday afternoon. I also didn’t have trouble getting up from bed which is always a good sign.

Both my shoulders hurt the most out of all my body parts. My two hips come second followed by the less sore calves and ankles. It’s mostly the upper body that still has some fatigue. I hope that these will continue to recovery for the rest of the day and not go berserk tomorrow morning because I usually feel my DOMS on the second morning after hard workouts and races.

Regardless I did my yoga and mobility drills. Since everything was already sore, I didn’t have trouble with the stretches especially during the yoga part where I had to do lunges for around five minutes each leg. My right thigh is still tight and has some pain but it only limited my flexibility today which I didn’t push.

For the core, I did one round of the “Basic Core Strength Session” as always from the Advanced Marathoning book. I didn’t have any motivation to do the advanced one because it is more difficult. Maybe next week.

Tuesday

I already accepted last Saturday that I have to skip the run today because my DOMS usually manifest two days after an extremely hard workout such as races. Fortunately I felt less fatigued and sore when I woke up especially the ankles who are my constant worries. Both my calves and my right inner thigh are the only parts that still have slight pain and tightness but not too much that I can’t run.

I was supposed to do strides today but I skipped them and just completed the suggested distance. My Asics Superblast 2s were reliable in protecting my feet during the first half while I struggled to lift each leg without any discomfort. I eventually warmed up enough on the second half with more freedom in the swing of my legs and forefoot flexibility but the pain on my calves and thighs was still there though doable.

I believe I will skip tomorrow’s intervals and just do another recovery run. I don’t need much of it anymore and will focus more on completing my long runs diligently to practice my pacing for the full marathon.

Wednesday

My hamstrings and calves were less sore when I woke up but the rest of my body felt less energetic that usual. I followed my plan to not do the intervals today because I am still wary of my fatigue especially for my ankles which are not hurting but I suspect they would be stressed to the point of missing some days.

It did take more time for me to warm-up while running this morning. The first six or seven kilometers were fine but slow and sluggish but at around the eight kilometer my body felt looser and back to its energetic self. It was still slow overall but I only cared for staying within Zone 1 which was comfortable to let me go beyond ten kilometers without any unnecessary discomfort.

Thursday

I finally got my pink Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 yesterday so it was a perfect time to test them on a long run workout. I loved the bounciness on the midsole and the shape of the rocker to the forefoot when I tried my friend’s pair last Saturday so I know I will enjoy these a lot.

Before the run

I only had an oatmeal bar and a small cup (yes a cup) of my leftover homemade gel. I had around 100 ml of the gel left when I cooked last week so I put them in two silicone muffin cups to not waste them. Unfortunately I forgot to take a loperamide before going out so I had another run disturbed by my stomachache.

During the run

The AP3s were super bouncy and light which is what an ideal pair of running shoes is for me. The warm-up was started with 180 spm but not followed too much because despite the fun ride I was still getting used to the profile. My route has a lot of cobblestone-paved roads so those were the main challenge today. I had to engage my core a lot to let my thighs do the work instead of my calves and ankles while trying to stay stable on uneven stones.

It wasn’t hard to speed up as I increased my cadence from 184 to 188 spm. I actually had to slow down quite a bit but let go in the last parts since my heart rate was still in the low Zone 3. I divided the entire run into four four-kilometer blocks with each target’s cadence gradually increase by two.

It was enjoyable and the shoes were extremely supportive and soft. I kind of prefer them over the SB2 and DNE3 for long runs now because it feels like a combination of the best of those two: the softness of the FFBlast foam together with the lightness and stability of the PWRPlate and Puma Grip. I need more of these shoes I think!

After the run

My legs felt fresh especially my hamstrings, calves and ankles that have been complaining a lot from fatigue after Sunday’s race. On the other hand my arms and shoulders were tired and that means I need to do more upper body work. I have to follow some Vlad Ixel videos over the program in the Advanced Marathoning book for more targeted muscles and intensity to combat these.

Overall I loved the shoes and I will use them for this Sunday’s long run. I will go faster for some time there and I will be able to utilise a bit of their power then. I’m excited!

Evening workout

I went back to my trusted Vlad Ixel training videos as planned earlier because his workouts emphasized on lower body stability and strength. They were the ones I religiously followed during the winter training until I moved on to Jeff Browning’s Tough 21 during spring’s 5K plan.

I randomly picked the first three links from my links and they were a fun variety of resistance bands, optional weights and single-leg workouts.

I wasn’t too tired afterwards but some of them were challenging such as the single leg toe touch, single leg chair stand-ups and weighted Russian twists. They were all fun collectively and I enjoyed the variety of movements I had to do that definitely targeted many parts of my lower body.

Lastly I added five sets of weighted bicep curls with the last one up to failure. I hope to do this more often per week so I don’t have tired arms in the first 16 km of my long runs.

Friday

Morning Run

Days before I as expecting the workout for Friday to be a recovery run so I wore my SB2s. I wish I checked before so could have prepared with my Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL given that it rained the night before. Regardless the SB2s were able to handle a bit of wet road and light trails.

The main block was 9.7 km at Zone 2 which I was a block I haven’t done in a long time in this plan. I thought I will have a problem staying within the range but I just had to increase my cadence. Eventually I got the hang of it and had to slow down a bit to keep my HR from going over the lower Zone 3 mark.

Unfortunately I had a stomachache throughout the run. It was awful because there were two groups of toilets in the park I always frequent to but they’re never open before 7:00. I already accepted that I will have to cut the run at ten kilometers and to walk home slowly. But for some reason I saw the further of the two and saw green lights which meant they weren’t unoccupied and probably open for anyone to use! I immediately went into one and thankfully it was genuinely unoccupied and ready for anyone to use. I decided to complete the rest of the workout including the strides after this.

I was supposed to do ten strides but only did five because I was going to go over 15 km if I went another path home. I know my body should be prepared for it but I was extra careful again for Sunday’s long run which is the last 32 km before the race. I didn’t feel any discomfort from my shoes or any body part by this time and just wanted to keep my fatigue at the minimum.

Morning workout

I did yoga and mobility workouts after the run. My right hamstring was still tight and a bit sore from last weekend’s race when I did some lunges but wasn’t too painful to affect my performance. Overall the two sessions were easier because they were done after a run.

Saturday

It was an uneventful recovery run. My heart rate went over to Zone 2 starting at the fourth kilometer but I just kept my super relaxed intensity. I’m more excited for tomorrow’s long run with the AP3s and I know I will have a great time with them.

Sunday

I was waiting for this day the most this week because I get to do a much-needed practice run with my new marathon shoes, the AP3s, after last Thursday’s wonderful experience.

Before the run

I have been reading the day before a lot about nutrition and found one case that aligned with my experiences so far in the training - hungry during the runs even if I just chugged my gels and hungrier after the run. I decided to eat more before the run and I had security with the loperamide and the convenient toilets around the route I chose for today.

Aside from the usual oatmeal bar, a banana and loperamide tablet, I added two slices of raisin bread for extra carbohydrates and weight to my pre-workout meal. I didn’t add any spread to the bread such as cheese or chocolate to not overwhelm my stomach too much. Originally I planned to wake up at least an hour before the leaving for an actual bowl of oatmeal with apple or banana slices for a fool-proof meal but I got too lazy. The one I did today was convenient and fast because everything was consumed 15 minutes before my target time to leave - 6:00.

Afterwards I applied my favourite sports sunblock all over my head, neck, shoulders, chest and arms for better coverage and petroleum jelly on the chest where my HRM strap will stay and a lot more on the armpits. The latter was due to the bruising I got from last Sunday’s race. As for my feet I put on slip blister pads on the heels in case they rub on the shoes. I didn’t experience such last Thursday but I didn’t want to risk it today.

For the nutrition I bought two flasks with the second one only 1/4 full from Thursday’s, one Powerbar Powergel Hydro from a friend and two gummy bear packs. The plan today is to be more aggressive with the homemade gels after last week’s race - take five generous sips for every four kilometers. This will lessen the need to constantly grab them compared to before, to check if my stomach can handle a larger amount of gel and to observe if it will still translate to an actual energy support after taking.

Lastly I did two toilet breaks to make sure I have nothing else on my stomach before leaving! Never ever doubt that second signal or else based from my previous experiences.

During the run

Today’s workout is still based on my target marathon pace of 5:20/km:

1.61 km warm-up @ Zone 1
7.64 km @ 6:08-6:24/km (20% less than my target MP)
22.93 km @ 5:52-6:08/km (10% less than my target MP)

When I wore the AP3s for the second time I actually got surprised by the thick mid-foot foam and rods combination that it was uncomfortable at first because I feel like they’re forcing my feet to arch. I noticed the thickness during my first run last Thursday but it was not this intense. It could be that my feet have been used to the SB2’s less chunky mid-foot from that past two days.

The first kilometer was awkward because I was trying to get used to the mid-foot and it hurt at first. I was slowly running (it was a warm-up) and trying both forefoot and mid-foot strikes to figure out which will hurt less on the balls of my feet. I didn’t experience this during the first time as well which is strange. Fortunately I pushed my feet further into the toe box (which was spacious) and that weird feeling of digging too much on my mid-foot went away throughout the rest of the run.

I think that as long as my natural cadence is within the 170 spm range, I will keep doing my cadence practice with a metronome every long run. The difference of how much tired and slow I was in my previous runs compared to when I switched to 180 spm and above was consistent. It feels like I unlocked a secret ability that I never knew I had. I know that a lot of people recommend to not focus that much on cadence but I believe that the amount of improvement I observed with my practice is not something to ignore.

Since my warm-up was rocky, I chose to extend the introductory 180 spm to the first half of the second block. I had to figure out how to work with the AP3s again over focusing on the cadence unfortunately. Eventually as I’ve mentioned earlier I got the hang of it and moved on to 182 spm for the rest of the block.

There was nothing notable after the warm-up aside from the first time I did four to five sips of my gel at around the fifth kilometer. The amount of gel was felt in my stomach and it kind of triggered the need to the toilet but it was too early in the run so I endured it. Eventually it went away and I continued with this trend by the following four-kilometer sections to be more exact.

As I approached the longest part of the run I divided it into three seven-kilometer block in terms of cadence. It started with 184 spm that ends with 188 spm but I made a note to try dipping into 190 spm on the last 3.5 km if my body can still handle it.

Between the crucial 16 to 21 km there were no problems both physically and mentally. I was surprised because this time I didn’t change my route of three eight-kilometer loops and I never got demotivated mentally or had the desire to be free from the metronome app I was listening to. I guess I was in pure zen mode or maybe just super focused with the run and all I wanted was to nail it given the target paces and cadences.

By 24 or 26 km, it was now beyond that distance I used the AP3s for the first time. I started feeling my legs’ tiredness and heaviness but it didn’t affect my state of running - I was still cruising at around 5:55/km at 188 spm. Nothing was hurting but this never happened before with my DNE3s with the same parameters. My only suspicion that makes sense is that my legs had some residual fatigue from last Sunday’s race and the overall load this week. Note that I only gave myself Monday as a no-running day and some recovery runs so it could be that those weren’t enough to prevent my legs’ fatigue this morning.

At around 28 to 30 km, my ankles, specifically the post tibial tendon (PTT) and my shins gradually transitioned from discomfort to slightly painful. It was alarming because even after a year I am still cautious with damaging my PTT again so I tried to change the position of where I step: both my natural forefoot and stepping flat mid-foot on the thick part aggravated my feet but when I slightly forced to overpronate the pain slowly went away to nothing. It was weird because that’s what I believe caused my PTTD last time but today it gave me relief. I just made a note to still check my feet after concluding the run if it will suddenly become painful again. After five hours it is just normally sore from tiredness so I hope it’s just from the overall fatigue.

Distance from start	Distance left	Cadence
0 km	32.19 km	180 spm
5.43 km	26.76 km	182 spm
9.25 km	22.93 km	184 spm
18.19	14.00 km	186 spm
25.19	7.00 km	188 spm
28.69 km	3.50 km	190 spm

Looking back at my last 32.2 km run I was faster there because I believe that I didn’t follow the upper limit of the main block. Today I chose to be obedient because it is only a few weeks before the marathon and I don’t have any room for injuries caused by not following my plans. Today’s 5:59/km to last time’s 5:52/km is a big difference but I know I am capable of repeating this again on race day.

Finally as I approached the last seven kilometers, though actually tired and not up to doing ten kilometers more if it was the full marathon, I still had more to bump my cadence to 190 spm so I did it. It wasn’t a big difference actually compared to the transition from 186 to 188 spm. By this time I was already at around 5:45/km, almost ten seconds beyond the upper limit of my target range but I continued because I was comfortably cruising.

I kind of regret not doing the last few kilometers at my target marathon pace or even faster. It would have been a good chance to assess my body’s capability if it can still go faster after a long distance of running.

After the run

Regardless I am still proud of my performance today because aside from proving the reliability of the AP3s, my mental motivation was intact throughout the run and I didn’t have to distract myself with anything aside from the monotone tick-tocks of my metronome app and my own thoughts. I never got bored of the same loop thrice. I am still surprised how I pulled it off because before I would immediately plan detours or reversing the loops in order to give me new stimuli but today none was needed.

It was tough but I felt the improvement of my endurance compared to the past long runs. I hope to carry over all I’ve learned today in terms of body prepation, nutrition, focus and resilience on race day. I also hope to perform and experience this again next year and hopefully much faster and more efficient. I know I will!

Evening workout

I continued with the Vlad Ixel exercises again for tonight because they’re easy to follow and convenient with regards to what I need for now. I did the following in order of two 15-minute and one five-minute workouts:

I always liked doing the single-leg skips and chair steps because I feel the benefits gradually. I wish that I didn’t stop after recovering from my injury last winter because it would have made the middle weeks of this training plan bearable with faster adaptation and recovery. Nevertheless the three were fun and challenging enough to end this productive week.

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