Schedule
- Goal Race: 3:30-4:00 Berlin
- Plan: Pfitz 18/63 by thebottlefarm (Unofficial)
| Date | Day | Workout | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-01 | Monday | Rest or cross-training | Yoga and mobility drills Core drills |
| 2025-09-02 | Tuesday | VO₂max 12.9 km w/ 5 x 600 m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between | 13.12 km @ 6:29/km |
| 2025-09-03 | Wednesday | General aerobic 12.9 km | 13.01 km @ 6:27/km |
| 2025-09-04 | Thursday | Recovery 6.4 km | 11.13 km @ 7:03/km Strength workouts |
| 2025-09-05 | Friday | Recovery + speed 6.4 km w/ 6 x 100 m strides | 11.11 km @ 7:04/km Yoga and mobility drills |
| 2025-09-06 | Saturday | 8K-10K tune-up race (total 9-11 mi/14-18 km) | - Actual: 10.0 km @ 4:11/km (41:50.3) - Total: 20.01 km @ 5:49/km |
| 2025-09-07 | Sunday | Long run 27.4 km | 27.36 km @ 5:47/km |
- Total:
- Expected: 78.86 km
- Actual: 95.74 km
Thoughts
Yesterday I decided to bump up my target marathon pace from 5:20/km to 5:10/km this week moving forward. This Sunday’s long run will determine if I am capable of keeping it together with the new nutrition intake of gels every four kilometers. People say it should be every 20 minutes but I’m not that fast yet. My main focus in the output is if my stomach can still get used to it and my overall heart rate with the elevated pace targets. I hope it works out!
Monday
It’s been a week and my right hamstring is still tight from the half-marathon race. I have been generous with the foam rolling on that area and no changes. I hope it gradually goes away completely in the next three weeks. I doesn’t affect my running because I can tune out the discomfort but I’m still cautious of its unpredictability. Nevertheless I only mentioned it because I can’t extend my right leg completely flat on the ground yet due to the pain.
I did my usual Vlad Ixel-guided yoga and mobility drills which were both welcomed after yesterday’s long run. My ankles, post tibial tendon and shins are doing fine. I finished everything with the “Basic Core Strength Session” from the Advanced Marathoning book with more repetitions or longer time spent to keep them exciting.
Tuesday
I have done a ton of intervals in this plan that I don’t have anxiety anymore the day before. Five repeats of 600 meters is short yes but I still had a target pace to finish so there’s still a need to focus.
The first few meters of running with my newly-cleaned Asics Magic Speed 3 were painful on my ankles and post tibial tendon! I don’t know why but I tried changing my foot strikes to every point of my left foot (except the heel) to relieve the pain. Eventually the pain went away and unfortunately I can’t remember what exactly I did to make that happen. All I know is that I endured the first 500 or so meters then I was back to my natural running style. On the other hand, my right hamstring still has that tightness after a week! It’s not bothering me when running but I wish it wasn’t there like before. I’m just going to keep doing foam roller massages on it and hopefully it helps.
Today’s workout’s results were worse than the previous one a month ago because I completely needed more warm-up and obviously held back in the first lap. I can confirm that the right hamstring had no intervention with my results because I felt nothing on this part as I exerted more effort.
The difference between today and the last time is that I held back and didn’t give it my all in the first two laps. Of course I did my usual no-looking-at-the-watch until really necessary and just relied on what I felt was within the target pace of 3:58/km but it wasn’t enough. Fortunately in the last three I was able to harness it again and reignited my discipline.
Good news is that the entire thing were in negative splits! By the third lap I realised that my calves were hurting with all the effort so I changed to engaging my core so that my thighs will do the rest of the work. It was so fun to be able to feel my thighs carrying my entire speed because I was able to increase my cadence, to breathe more so I can recover quickly as I went and to give it my all in the last 200 meters of each lap.
After several weeks of missed interval work I needed that wake-up call because only in the third lap I remembered that better techniques that I learned in order to succeed in the past:
- to speed up quickly and gradually in the beginning but to make sure my core is engaged and my thighs will absorb all the surprise stimuli instead of my feet, shins and calves.
- to go faster in the downhill part instead of slowing do to have a quick recovery; the end is near so my change the momentum there?
- to go faster after the downhill part into the uphill in order to access that part within me to give it my all because the end is just 100 meters away!
| Lap | Distance | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 600 m | 2:31.4 | 4:12/km |
| 2 | 600 m | 2:25.9 | 4:03/km |
| 3 | 600 m | 2:22.6 | 3:58/km |
| 4 | 600 m | 2:20.8 | 3:55/km |
| 5 | 600 m | 2:19.5 | 3:53/km |
Overall I am still proud of the results with only one full day’s rest after Sunday’s long run! I was already decided that I will just skip it again for a recovery run but I felt great when I woke up. I hope to do better next time and right now I will definitely take into mind all the things I learned and remembered into Saturday’s solo 10 km tune-up race in the same concrete track. My calves are still the most sore after the workout but I have three easy days to look forward to.
Wednesday
Finally after so many weeks I got to wear my pair of Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL! I was skeptical at first if they will be flat during the warm-up phase but they were still light and bouncy as I remember. This was because of the second run where they disappointed me in the first few kilometers until I picked up the cadence to around 180 spm.
Since today is only a short general aerobic workout I didn’t bother using my metronome app to guide the cadence. It was influenced by the gentle and comfortable start so I wanted to just run by feeling today within the Zone 2 targets.
I was already cruising in the main block by engaging my core and using my thighs to do all the work. I maintained it throughout the run although there was a moment at around eight or nine kilometers in where my left ankle or PTT hurt again same as during Sunday’s long run. It was sudden but went away quickly. I can only remember that it was either while I was running through unstable cobblestone paths or after that. Regardless it was not nice and I changed my foot to land on the balls of my pink toes to relive the uncomfortable part. Though not as stable, it was an effective change until the pain subsided and I was able to my normal form.
I finished the entire thing slow and steady but had to eat all two packs of my gummy worms along the way because I got hungry! I didn’t know the two cheese sandwiches and banana was not enough last night. I should have eaten more before going out same as during quality days.
Thursday
The run was a non-event though I made a mistake of wearing my favourite Rockay half-tights’ garter line to my belly button which made me feel down for the entirety of the run! I didn’t feel any stomachache or anything similar but a combination of my body not wanting to run. When I adjusted my tights, I felt relief and the weird sensation went away.
Afterwards I did three Vlad Ixel workouts again. These were supposed to be for Tuesday, the same day as the intervals, but I was too tired after my work activity in-between.
- STRENGTH FOR ULTRA TRAIL RUNNERS - Home Workout - 15min FOLLOW ALONG
- MARATHON STRENGTH TRAINING WORKOUT/ FOLLOW ALONG - 3/4
- Glute Workout For Runners - Resistance Band - 5min Home Workout
As always the three workouts were fun and today I got resistance band workouts which are my favourite. I will take the rest of my day easy and drink lots of liquid in preparation for the last crazy double quality weekend of the plan!
Friday
The recovery run was fine and my right hamstring doesn’t feel tight while running. Although during my yoga and mobility drills, when I had to do lunges and straighten my right leg, I still can’t extend it fully because of the tightness. I know it will take more time to fully relax and I’m thankful it is not triggered during my runs.
Saturday
Before the run
One of the most important lessons I learned in the past few weeks is to eat more pre-run on quality days so that it can support the warm-up and eventually to not feel hungry after the entire workout. I had a big Maurten oatmeal bar that I got from the half-marathon race weeks ago, a banana and our trusted loperamide tablet. I originally wanted to have a proper bowl oatmeal but it will take more time to boil water compared to just eating the giant oatmeal bar I have.
I didn’t have any pain on any of my lower body parts and that was a good sign. It’s been a while since I had such start of the day together with a positive mood I know I don’t have to worry too much.
I wore my Puma Deviate NITRO Elite 3’s with heel blister pads today. I don’t think I will ever use the MS3s for a tune-up race but for intervals and tempos yes because I have no serious time records to beat there.
During the run
I still had some reservations because of my performance during the intervals last Tuesday. I had that slight doubt that I lost some fitness and is now slower due to the first laps of that workout. It didn’t affect me too much emotionally but it planted the idea that I can’t beat last month’s 41:46.3 record for my 10 km in the entire run that I have accepted that I will only do my 2nd best today. I wish I believed in myself more and didn’t slack off.
- 1.6 km warm-up @ Zone 1
- 3.22 km @ Zone 2
- 10.0 km @ 3:59-4:14/km
- 3.22 km cool down @ Zone 2
Same as before I had a 5 km warm-up from Zone 1 to 2. Strangely today I didn’t have any desire to cut it off and to immediately proceed to the tune-up race and maybe that’s because of my already influenced motivation.
Today I carried over my new nutrition plan of taking four to five big sips of my homemade gel every four kilometers. It was a bit awkward at first because the four big gulps interfered with my breathing as I maintain my pace but it was doable! I will not go faster than my marathon pace during the race so it will be much relaxed on actual use.
I made sure the first two kilometers were controlled and slow but the second to be faster. I was able to do it but given the times I achieved, I have fully accepted that I won’t best my last and should just continue maintaining whatever I am able to do for the rest.
Looking back, my workout targets still had the same range of 3:58 to 4:14/km as the last TTR (which were my 5 km and previous 10 km paces) and I should have adjusted the slower limit to 4:11/km to reflect my improvement. It would’ve given me more (healthy) pressure to take the TTR more seriously. Unfortunately I was lazy to change it the week before.
For the third to eight laps, thanks to my learnings from Tuesday with respect to the 800 meter track I ran in, I was able to take advantage of some simple distractions that I used to motivate me.
- Same as before I mainly relied on the watch’s beeps if I was going too slow or within the target but I allowed myself to look at my current pace every 800 meter lap and to check my kilometer time every notification.
- As for the track itself, I gradually took advantage of the downhill to maintain my pace and to go faster with increased cadence as I went up to the uphill. I used the momentum from the downhill to not go slower as I went uphill.
- After the uphill and going into the flat half I always reminded myself to just keep the pace and breathe to not go slower.
- In the flats I let myself choose from only to options: maintain the current pace or go faster.
These were really helpful in keeping me distracted from the amount of laps left I had to do and the pace I needed to maintain.
From the third to eighth kilometers I was able to go into that “comfortably-hard” zone I have learned to endure and somewhat enjoy. The numerous tempo runs in the first half of the Pfitz plan really helped me train my body and overall pain endurance that led into this priceless information.
All throughout the run I was so conscious in engaging my core to enable my thighs to carry the hard work. This was a product of weeks of practicing this mindfully and some core workouts. My calves were accumulating discomfort too but I was able to keep it at bay with the former. Around the sixth or seventh kilometer I also noticed my right hamstring’s tightness but it never resulted into pain. I just felt it but I kept going because there was nothing else. Fortunately I observed that it started to lessen it’s noticeability this week (until this particular moment) and hopefully gone by race week.
As I approached the last two kilometers I allowed myself to try going all-out because I was confident that I still have a lot in the bank. It was during this moment that I realised that I could’ve been faster overall in the middle block because yes it was hard but I was super controlled and knew that I was holding back.
| Lap | Distance | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.00 km | 4:14.3 | 4:14/km |
| 2 | 1.00 km | 4:12.6 | 4:13/km |
| 3 | 1.00 km | 4:15.2 | 4:15/km |
| 4 | 1.00 km | 4:11.2 | 4:11/km |
| 5 | 1.00 km | 4:12.4 | 4:12/km |
| 6 | 1.00 km | 4:14.6 | 4:15/km |
| 7 | 1.00 km | 4:11.3 | 4:11/km |
| 8 | 1.00 km | 4:10.5 | 4:11/km |
| 9 | 1.00 km | 4:08.0 | 4:08/km |
| 10 | 1.00 km | 4:00.2 | 4:00/km |
| Total | 10.0 km | 41:50.3 | 4:11/km |
Regardless I achieved them at 4:08 and 4:00 which I am proud of and is eye-opening after doubting myself in the beginning. I finished with 41:50.3 (from Garmin) and that’s 3.7 seconds short from my previous record of 41:46.6 four weeks ago. Of course there’s a tiny sting of disappointment because I could have beaten my previous record easily but now I am more appreciative of the results because it means that I never lost fitness, that I never got slower since the last month and that I am more than capable of doing it again (within the capabilities of my body while in training).
After the run
The last kilometer was a great push and I had to lie down the first patch of grass I saw when the 10 km notification beeped. Actually it wasn’t necessary at all because I remember feeling I could have continued with the cool down easily. Nonetheless I let myself do that as a small prize for finishing the entire TTR!
| Date | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| 250801 | 42:17.8 | 4:14/km |
| 250809 | 41:46.6 | 4:11/km |
| 250906 | 41:50.3 | 4:11/km |
It’s really amazing to see my progress from the first two TTR and I know I am capable of doing more just by trusting myself more and digging deeper into a more uncomfortable mode. The latter will be the hardest but I know it will unlock the next personal best. I have no plans when will it be because the marathon is still the first priority. Definitely next year but that’s the exact schedule is still undecided.
I treated my legs to a longer foam roller massage session afterwards. I hope these are enough together with lots of afternoon naps for tomorrow’s run! I’m excited to run with my AP3s again for the long run!
Sunday
Before the run
I had two oatmeal bars without a banana because I forgot to put them out of the fridge last night. I don’t want to eat a cold banana before the run because it might upset my stomach. Fortunately the Maurten bar was around 1.5 times larger than my regular one so I believe that’s enough. I also took a loperamide again for security.
Yesterday I cooked another batch of gels with electrolytes from the drugstore. I brought two 250 ml flasks and two small gummy bear packs.
For the shoes, of course, I used my loved pink Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 and wore a heel blister patch again on my right foot. Apparently I bruised that part yesterday with the DNE3s and just realised when it stung while showering last night.
Lastly I sprayed a ton of SPF50 sunblock all over my exposed face, shoulders, arms and legs; petroleum jelly on my chest where the HRM strap will stay and on my armpits in case of friction with my shirt again.
During the run
Today is the second-to-the-last long run beyond 16 km in the plan before the race. I updated both of them to reflect my new marathon pace of 5:10/km and hopefully I am able to do it after being encouraged by my previous runs:
- 1.61 km warm-up @ Zone 1
- 6.44 km @ 5:57-6:12/km (20% less than my target MP)
- 19.31 km @ 5:41-5:57/km (10% less than my target MP)
The start was okay. I didn’t struggle with the thick midsole in the first few meters compared to the last time. My feet fitted in comfortably and I did my warm-up. I’m now wondering if this will be an on-an-off thing where I will struggle after every long run. Hopefully not because consistency is important to me.
The first two blocks was weird because of an overwhelming feeling of heaviness in my entire body. I can’t pinpoint specifically if it was due to my fatigue from yesterday’s TTR, an impending stomachache or I wasn’t just in the right mood this morning. It was a bit discouraging because it bothered me and it occupied my thoughts with trying to find the root cause though I carried on as always. I still had targets so the slight bump in the paces from the WU at an arbitrary Zone 1 to the low 6:15/km of the second block but today I didn’t have trouble easing in thanks to the cadence of 182 spm I followed.
One of the best parts today was the uphill in the last 700 meters of the second block because I felt so effortless climbing it with fast feet turnover. Yes I was still within 5:57-6:12/km which is relatively slow but I was so confident that I had to hold back to not go faster before approaching the flats to not regret going faster again.
For the nutrition, I kept the same four to five big gulps every four kilometers for practice. Although I did a mistake of putting too much pectin and estimating the thickness of the batch of gels I cooked yesterday because I can’t hardly squeeze anything from my flasks! It was so thick that I resorted to just opening the cap and pushing the gel to consume easier. The taste was good but it was so thick that I felt the heaviness in my stomach and that was a new experience today. Eventually I got used to it but the discomfort in the first time was not a good thing because I thought I needed to go to the toilet. Though I reached the main block and loops, I finally let myself use the nearest toilet and I was correct that I just needed to do my business. The run felt lighter and better after that.
The main block wasn’t a perfect run because I had a few bumps here and there. At around the 19th or 20th kilometer mark, my left leg showed signs of tiredness but I carried on. It felt heavy from the hips (not because of the flask like in the first long runs I did; I think it is stronger now) down to the feet that I had to slow down a bit.
The cadence practice today was inconsistent especially in the latter half because I decided to stay at 188 spm for eight kilometers. I decided that 192 spm would be too much today and the former would be a good place to stay longer for practice. Looking back I made the right decision because I never anticipated that tiredness that will come in the last eight laps.
| Distance from start | Distance left | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| 0 km | 27.36 km | 180 spm |
| 1.61 km | 25.75 km | 182 spm |
| 8.05 km | 19.31 km | 184 spm |
| 11.36 | 16.00 km | 186 spm |
| 15.36 | 12.00 km | 188 spm |
| 23.36 km | 4.00 km | 190 spm |
All my previous long runs have been controlled and followed the paces to a degree but today I wanted to finish fast, with fast pertaining to my goal marathon pace of 5:10/km. I let myself go in the last three kilometers after checking my lower body that I can do it. To be honest it wasn’t a good experience compared to what I expected because:
- My left ankle and posterior tibial tendon acted up as I went faster but I made sure to keep it at bay by carefully easing into my thighs to do all the work. I also tried to change the points where my left foot hit around the forefoot and mid-foot area for any signs of relief.
- My right hamstring slowly tightened and though didn’t directly interfere with my form, was still annoying. After two weeks I expect it to be gone with all the foam roller massages I’ve been doing but something today triggered it again which I suspect could be from the fatigue.
- I can’t keep up with the 190 spm target anymore together with the pace so I prioritised the latter since it was the end. It was interesting looking at my results because I resorted to an average of 176 spm in these last three laps. This was a major eye-opener today because in all of my previous long runs with cadence practice, I was able to keep it consistent up to 188 spm but I guess today is not my day and/or it was body telling me that this is too much and we have to keep it in check.
- The AP3s, at one whole centimeter larger than my feet size, started loosening a bit as I went faster around the forefoot area. I think I need to tighten that part a bit next long run because it felt a bit unstable. Though I was able to lock my feet in by sliding my feet further in front and the heel wasn’t a problem because I don’t use it.
On the bright side, not everything was a disaster because of the following:
- I never faltered in my motivation to finish the two and a half loops in the same route. I only had my metronome app tick tocking, the nature around me and my thoughts that kept me entertained. This is what I was proud of from last week’s performance.
- I am more conscious in engaging my core to distribute the load from my calves and ankles up to my thighs. I still need more practice to fully maintain for a full kilometer and beyond.
- My breathing all throughout the run including the last fast three laps were steady and I didn’t go overboard. I kept my promise to do overdo it because I want to see myself in the starting line in two weeks.
After the run
The fatigue from yesterday really hit me today but I am pleased to have achieved what I did today without cutting it off both physically and mentally. I have accepted early in my training plan that there will be days where something might bother you but to remember to not think of it too much and just use it as a learning experience to be a better and versatile runner.
I slept a lot in the afternoon after my run and my left ankle is still sore from that fast finish. I decided to not do any strength exercises tonight because a lot of them will target the legs. I don’t want to aggravate it further with the amount of single-leg workouts in the program. I hope that by tomorrow and on Tuesday morning it will back good as new! I’m a bit sad, yes, because I was looking forward to Vlad Ixel’s workouts today but I have to make sacrifices.
Overall
My total distance this week is around 17 km more than the prescribed due to the slower runs. For the last two weeks of this plan, I will strictly follow the decreased distances leading up to the race to respect the taper period. The main thing to do right now is to listen to my body, to not go over the training plan schedules so I do not repeat the mistakes I did last year.
I will see myself ready and excited in the starting line of Berlin Marathon!