Schedule
- Goal Race: 3:30-4:00 Berlin
- Plan: Pfitz 18/63 by thebottlefarm (Unofficial)
| Date | Day | Workout | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-28 | Monday | Rest or cross-training | Yoga and mobility drills Core workouts |
| 2025-07-29 | Tuesday | Recovery + speed 12.9 km w/ 6 x 100m strides | 14.14 km @ 6:57/km Yoga and mobility drills |
| 2025-07-30 | Wednesday | Medium-long run 20.9 km | AM: 21.11 km @ 6:03/km |
| 2025-07-31 | Thursday | Recovery 8.0 km | 10.03 km @ 7:00/km Yoga and mobility drills Core workouts |
| 2025-08-01 | Friday | Lactate threshold 19.3 km w/ 11.3 km @ 15K to half marathon race pace | AM: - Actual: 11.27 km @ 4:14/km - Total: 20.02 @ 5:13/km PM: Core and strength workouts |
| 2025-08-02 | Saturday | Recovery 8.0 km | 7.04 km @ 8:27/km |
| 2025-08-03 | Sunday | Long run 32.2 km | AM: 32.21 km @ 5:52/km PM: Core and strength workouts |
- Total:
- Expected: 101.39 km
- Actual: 104.55 km
Thoughts
This week is the peak of the entire training plan. There are three quality workouts with the last two with only one recovery day in between. I am terrified right now as I’m typing this thinking about them but I know that I will bring my best each day of this week!
Monday
After yesterday’s core and strength workouts, I had some slight upper body pain but not that uncomfortable to dwell on. I also realised that I have little to no lower leg pain aside from the left ankle from pushing too much during the lunges but overall I can see the effect of my body’s adaptation to the demanding long runs from before.
I did the standard yoga and mobility drills after waking up and it is always a struggle compared to doing them right after a run. I did one set of the core workouts again but increased some of them with five or ten more repetitions just to make them less easier.
Tuesday
I woke up with a slight pain on my upper body that I associate with strength training but I didn’t do any of such since Sunday. I got annoyed a bit thinking this was another manifestation of getting older but I remembered that I carried around 10 kg of groceries the day before!
Anyways I decided to do some extra running form assistance in my warm-ups based from this video from The Running Channel that a dear friend recommended. It was hard to keep track on how to do everything because right now all of them look similar to each other. I plan to practice them tonight casually to help recall and distinguish each one.
The run went fine though my Saucony Triumph 22s could be better at this point in terms of cushioning. I have come to a point where most of the shoes I have tried that were cushioned but considered “heavy” were not heavy to me anymore and this pair is one of them. I remember that I switched its insoles to my old Asics Novablast 3s because of discomfort and recommendation from reddit but I will try the first again on Thursday’s recovery run to check if after 140 km, the main foam will be broken-in enough that the original insole will not cause the previous problems I had with the left toe box.
During the strides section, I really felt slow and not warmed-up enough I believe to go fast and nimble. It was prominent in all six laps but I didn’t mind it at all because it was a recovery day and the goal was just to stimulate my body. After ten weeks of this training plan, I learned to be more forgiving of my body and its complicated machinery and I definitely feel the improvements during the quality days where it matters most.
After that I did the usual yoga and mobility workout but I felt really less loose and flexible today compared to other days. It could just be a different day overall for me but nothing to worry about.
Wednesday
The medium-long runs of Pfitzinger and Douglas plans is my favourite part of the week. I can definitely say that it has increased my confidence to run beyond 16 km and its timing in the middle of the week adds another layer of self-confidence before the workday starts (at least for me as a morning person).
Before the run
Since it is beyond 16 km, I ate an oatmeal bar and banana and finished with a loperamide tablet to keep the stomachache away. I just wanted to run the entire thing without stopping.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do the entire new warm-up sets from The Running Channel because I was eager to go outside and run immediately. Next time!
During the run
I can confidently claim that it was one of the better long runs in a while because of many reasons.
Here is the workout structure with respect to my target marathon pace of 5:20/km:
- 1.6 km warm-up @ Zone 1
- 4.83 km @ 6:08-6:24/km
- 14.48 km @ 5:52-6:08/km
I immediately started the second block with a cadence target of 180 spm using my metronome app. I wanted to listen to a podcast but after several minutes, the podcast interfered with my focus to get into the rhythm. Maybe in the future I can do both or even without the help of the metronome app! Regardless I didn’t have any problems with this aggressive jump from my current “natural” cadence of 170 spm.
The third block was the most exciting because I divided it into three sub-blocks of around 4-5 km with increased cadence each. I started with 182 spm and ended with the last at 186 spm. Compared to my previous runs, the latter was more relaxed today and I didn’t have that sensation of the faster leg turnover making me feel that I was doing Zone 4 or harder effort. My heart rate increased a bit but it was all still within Zone 3 and I didn’t feel any significant changes that made me feel like I was doing more effort than what was asked.
I used my trusted SB2s today and checked if they will cause any discomfort by 16 km into the run and fortunately there were none. What was only prominent was my usual complaint that the forefoot and mid-foot could be more cushioned because it was getting a bit flat starting that mark up to the end. There was still a feeling of foam and no-ground contact (which I prefer) but I will be more satisfied if there was a bit more to catch my feet after each step. It is now at 400 km after this activity and I hope it can last for another 400 km or better.
After the run
I rounded up the entire run into 21 km and my legs especially the ankles still felt like they can go on for another 5 km of the same effort. I love when I end up with such results because it matches to the expectations mentioned in the book after long runs to “still have gas left” to prepare us physically for the actual marathon.
Another thing was that the SB2s felt really loose all over while I walked and I should tighten them a bit for the next run. This might be a problem next run because they will probably be clunky if unchanged.
Thursday
This was a regular recovery day, nothing special aside from my Triumph 22s that felt better on the toe box with respect to my left pinky toe.
I already put on the original insoles but when I put them on before leaving I had to bring back the thin old NB3 insoles. They’ve been unused for the last 100 kilometers and they made the shoes feel really tight and I didn’t have any confidence with them. I’d rather keep what’s working than jeopardize tomorrow’s run.
After that I did Vlad Ixel’s yoga and mobility workouts followed by one set of core workouts from the book.
I am scared and excited for tomorrow’s “exam” but I know that I can do it successfully because I have done it before without any problems!
Friday
Before the run
I had the same pre-workout food for quality days: an oatmeal bar and banana followed by a loperamide tablet. All of these were consumed at least 15 minutes before I leave so I usually do all of these immediately after waking up and making my bed.
The Puma Deviate NITRO Elite 3s have been my choice for fast days over the Asics Magic Speed 3 because they’re softer, lighter and more explosive. I put a thick patch on my left heel again because it was rubbing the previous times as precaution.
During the run
The following is my programmed workout, the same pattern as all the previous tempo workouts:
- 1.6 km warm-up @ Zone 1
- 2.41 km @ Zone 2
- 11.27 km @ 4:16-4:22/km
- 4.73 cool down @ Zone 2
The warm-up was funny because my heart rate was already beyond my Zone 1 when I started but I kept at it up to the second block. I was considering skipping the half of the second because the excitement and wanting to get over the tempo block was creeping in but I’m glad that I didn’t listen to the voices and finished it.
I had my 250 ml soft flask filled with my homemade gel and I decided to take two giant sips each three loops or roughly 2.4 km. To also keep the mind focused and rewarded, I allowed myself to look into my watch for the current pace at two instances: each 800 m loop (there was a marker on the ground written by someone in orange paint which wasn’t there before but nevertheless helpful) and each 1 km beep.
After so many tempo runs in this plan, I developed a silly superstition: the second lap will dictate the rest of the run so it should always be faster than the first or else. Unfortunately when I saw the giant 4:20/km at the 2 km mark, I was really affected but for today, it didn’t matter because I was able to forget about it and continue with the intensity I needed to maintain.
I had four guides during the run: first was to practice engaging my core to put all the load on my thighs and buttocks, second was the watch alert if I was running slower compared to the lower range of my target (4:22/km), third was making sure I took advantage of the slight uphill and downhill parts to carefully adjust my efforts and finally the aforementioned nutrition each three loops. In combination with the upbeat playlist I was listening to, I forgot all my worries and was left to focus on finishing each loop and lap.
The first 7 km was great, especially when I kept seeing the paces go below my upper limit of 4:16/km. I didn’t consciously try to go slower within the proper range because I was afraid it will interfere with the momentum and rhythm I was already running in. I believe that I should practice this next time but today it didn’t matter. I was focused on making sure I reach the end of each loop: do quick resting deep breaths on the 100 m downhill and prepare to climb the 100 m uphill where the marker is in.
I also realised that today I wasn’t struggling despite the targets and that the recommended “15K to half marathon race pace” added more confidence to my capabilities. I know that I can go faster, but I learned to respect that range and in turn, I was running within the upper/better limits of that range with moderate difficulty. I checked myself halfway if I was breathing hard, if I was having a hard time to keep up the consistency and if my legs were getting tired; and fortunately there were no such sensations. I was doing what was needed from me and I was doing well at my current capabilities. This is also not including the mental games that was happening on my head but as I’ve mentioned, the four guides kept me busy and I didn’t think of anything else aside from counting when I can take a sip again and if I am still running within the target range.
By the second half, I already let go of trying to stay within the paces and just made sure I was still doing the intensity I started without breaking down at any point even in the uphill part. I accidentally fooled myself by promising that I only had to do 12 loops and not 14 so by the time I reached the ninth loop, I had to keep the lingering “five more loops” thoughts out of my head to not distract me.
I also considered doing the last five loops or 4 km a total all-out effort but I decided not to just because I didn’t want to. But I promised to do it in the last lap as a treat which I did. It was the first time in weeks that I was breathing hard, my legs started to hurt and I was doing everything both physically and mentally to keep the pace I chose to up to the end.
| Lap | Distance | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.0 km | 4:18 |
| 2 | 1.0 km | 4:20 |
| 3 | 1.0 km | 4:17 |
| 4 | 1.0 km | 4:17 |
| 5 | 1.0 km | 4:12 |
| 6 | 1.0 km | 4:14 |
| 7 | 1.0 km | 4:15 |
| 8 | 1.0 km | 4:15 |
| 9 | 1.0 km | 4:15 |
| 10 | 1.0 km | 4:11 |
| 11 | 1.0 km | 4:07 |
| 12 | 0.27 km | 3:58 |
| Total | 11.27 km | 4:14/km |
I am truly proud of my new 10 km personal best of 42:17.8 @ 4:14/km today! I know that I was supposed to achieve it three weeks ago and sadly I strictly followed the 6 miles or 9.6 km plan and I wish I thought of rounding it up because 400 m would have been negligible versus the overall effort. Nevertheless, I am more confident now in this distance and my next challenge is to apply the same intensity to my planned half-marathon race in three weeks!
Actually by the 10th kilometer, before I decided to go all-out, I did another check if I still had gas to continue for another ten and I believe that I was only confident up to 15 or 16 km due to the dwindling motivation and that my entire body was ready to finish the entire thing. We will never know because maybe the energy of the crowd, the non-loop race path and my improved physical condition will all do some magic on the race.
After the run
I did the quite long-ish cool down of almost 5 km and I gave up trying to run slower and bring down my heart rate to lower Zone 3 because I can’t with the DNE3s’ lightness!
Overall my legs and ankles didn’t have the immediate pains compared to my first five tries of this tempo run with less distance! I wasn’t limping while doing the cool down or while walking after compared before. I am pleased to have come this far in terms of my physical and mental adaptation to this crazy plan and I am looking forward to what surprises are in store in this second half of Pfitz 18/63.
Evening workout
My legs and ankle were less painful throughout the day compared to the other days of long runs which was a welcomed change. This meant that I won’t have much trouble executing the lunges during the strength set.
I did two sets of core and one set of strength with some drills’ repetitions bumped to 20 from the recommended 10 or 15 for added difficulty.
The push-ups surprised me because I was able to keep my form throughout the movement though I was still too weak to let my chest touch the ground and come back up. The rest of the session went well and I only did one set of the strengths because I just didn’t want to do a second one.
Saturday
Finally after three years of living in Berlin, I joined a local parkrun that I should’ve went to before!
Today’s Hasenheide Parkrun # 315 was simple and straightforward. All the volunteers wore highly-visible neon vests and the pre-race explanations were done in both German and English. As stated, the gun started at 9:00 near the gathering area with all the participant’s luggage and some toilets.
I stayed at the back because it is my recovery day and my plan was to familiarise myself with the route. There were helpful signs in neon colours as well together with a volunteer so it wasn’t complicated.
I enjoyed all the uphill sections but the giant downhill at the north-west portion really frightened me even though I was going slow. My heart rate was unfortunately within Zone 2 and not my usual Zone 1 but I made sure to not go above that because of tomorrow’s tough run.
Overall it was fun and organised neatly. The only things that would prevent me from visiting is if I have plans in early Saturday morning and my fear of that downhill. I am not kidding about the latter part.
Sunday
Before the run
I ate an oatmeal bar and a banana when I woke up and took a loperamide tablet after. I washed down all of them with water and made sure it was at least 15 minutes before I left the house.
I have a new spray-on “sport” Nivea SPF 50 sunblock and applied it again today because it smelled great and added a bit of shine to my skin which was cool! Since my other sunblock is still 1/4 full, I will only reserve this for quality days until the other is used up.
I brought two 250 ml flasks of my homemade gel and one mixed with maple syrup and water to try. I also took two small packs of gummy bears for variety.
After that I did some dynamic warm-ups like A-skips and lunges aside from my usual set because I know I will need everything to nail today’s workout. I wish I did more.
During the run
I have the same workout structure as the previous 32.2 km long runs but with adjusted paces based from my latest target marathon pace of 5:20/km.
- 1.6 km warm-up @ Zone 1
- 7.64 km @ 6:08-6:24/km (20% less than my target MP)
- 22.9 km @ 5:52-6:08/km (10% less than my target MP)
The blocks one and two were uneventful. Since I did great last Wednesday’s medium-long run, I immediately started my metronome app to 180 spm and the transition of my legs was near effortless while keeping the target. I also took two sips of my homemade gel every after two to three kilometers unless I felt like I needed to.
As I approached the third block, I decided to divide it into three parts of roughly seven kilometers each where I can adjust the cadence up to 188 spm. I made a mental note if I can do a fast last few laps by increasing it further to 190 spm around the last 3.5 km.
When the third block started, I was already running at around an average of 5:50/km which was beyond the upper limit of my target range. Unfortunately I was in the zone and enjoying the cruising sensation so I decided to use the paces as suggestions and to focus on the rhythm provided by the metronome. I regretted this decision later.
At around the 12 km mark, me left hip was hurting and I already know that it was caused by the weight of my flask so I took it away and held it for the rest of the run. I switched it from my left and right hands to balance the weight. Fortunately my right hip with a full flask didn’t have any pain even though I can feel the weight there.
| Distance from start | Cadence |
|---|---|
| 1.6 km | 180 spm |
| 5.1 km | 182 spm |
| 9.2 km (~22 km left) | 184 spm |
| 18 km (~14 km left) | 186 spm |
| 25 km (~7 km left) | 188 spm |
A group of people were with me around the 17-18 km portion and it was the first time that I had a hard time focusing on my cadence because one of them was talking loudly. I can hear my metronome but the person talking was just so loud that their voice filled my head. Good thing that I already have a 4 km loop planned to go to and they didn’t follow me there and I was able to return to the 184 spm I needed to.
I started struggling between the 18 to 27 kilometer marks because of many things: one is that my left hip started to have a sensation of discomfort and I know that it was not caused by the weight of my flask anymore. I need to continue and be diligent with the strength training in order to support the large load that I put into it during my long runs beyond half-marathon distance. Second was that my mental focus was challenged because of the hip pain it made all the other discomfort I felt on my feet to be maximised and in turn, a voice in my head kept saying that I need to pause (not stop!) for a bit. Luckily I didn’t listen and the prize of a complete record without any pauses for this part of the run was more important to me so I continued. Lastly, it was super windy on the second half of this 4 km loop and this affected the effort that I needed to do on top of the first two reasons. Nevertheless I used this as a way to distract me from all the other discomfort I was feeling.
During that part, I was already up to 5:40/km and that wasn’t good. I wouldn’t have struggled if I just stayed within the target paces but I was stubborn to not change from what I started and to keep the cadence rhythm going. I was also a bit amused and excited because I was doing a faster pace and thought that I got stronger so I should accept it and maintain until the end which I did.
The last seven kilometers was brutal because I had to use up all my physical and mental strength. It started to feel like the longest seven kilometers of my life. My feet, especially both ankles were sore, my left hip had an inconsistent discomfort that came and went, my shoulders were sore and the rest of my brain wanted me to pause (again, not stop!) and lay on the grass found all around me. Again, I am thankful for the constant voice in my head reminding me that this is all part of the training and I should embrace it fully. This kept me going for the latter half of the entire run. I had my pride preventing me from cutting the run short too.
All throughout the run I tried to engage my core again and I am not satisfied with my application because it came and went. I will engage it voluntarily for a few kilometers and then after a while, I will realise that I’m not doing it anymore. It’s not that frustrating at all but I am disappointed because I genuinely believe that I will get tired less if I pulled it off better. All the pressure on my feet will be distributed to my thighs and legs and I will still have more gas for the last part of the run. Unfortunately it wasn’t the case this time.
I calmed down a bit at around 28 km because I let my cadence match the target pace range. It was surprising because the feeling of relief and easiness took over my body and I realised how dumb my earlier decision was. I felt light, all the discomfort on my legs and feet were somewhat minimised and I was sure that I can keep it up until the end. It was really one of those things that I love from long runs - I learn more from doing random things and hopefully I will apply them next time diligently.
For the last two kilometers, I found myself in the windy part of the route again but it didn’t bother me that much because I was near the end. I stopped the metronome and played the music that I have been wanting to ever since I started the run. I let the new sensation give new life to my tired legs and feet despite the opposing forces of the winds and I managed to do the last kilometer near my target marathon pace.
I looked at my watch and apparently I set a new 30 km record of 2:59:24 or 5:59/km! I remember that I checked if my body can still do another ten kilometers to complete a full marathon and unfortunately I was spent. My morale wasn’t low though because I had to celebrate for finishing such as challenging workout! I just have to figure out how to pull it all off with 5:20/km on race day. May all eighteen weeks of training guide me.
After the run
Despite wanting to lay on the grass multiple times during the last two hours, I didn’t and chose to sit on a nearby concrete bench to finally rest my body.
I want to highlight that I was tired but the pain and discomfort on my lower extremities were more prominent. I believe that I am less tired after the run compared to the first few long runs beyond 16 km I did in the earlier weeks of the plan but I attribute them to wearing the wrong shoes (Puma Deviate NITRO 3) with less cushioning compared to my Superblast 2s.
Right now my ankles are still sore so I have to spend the day to relax and hopefully recover fully for next Tuesday. They’re all covered with this Thai eucalyptus rub that has been helpful to lessen the soreness and add more warmth to make them feel extra relaxed while I rest.
Evening workout
After this morning’s long run, my body was still tired even after four hours that I considered not pushing through with the core and strength workouts. I was able to sleep for an hour of two after that and surprisingly my legs feel better; not nearly fresh but well-rested enough that I know that I can do the additional workouts.
I did two sets of each same as last Sunday but added more repetitions by bumping the easier ones like calf raises, bench dips and squats. I also did the planks for a full minute instead of the recommended four repetitions of 5-15 seconds each because it wasn’t challenging enough. I only hated the lunges the most because it was so clunky and I had to do a lot of movement to finish a repetition.
I will continue doing everything with my body weight for the next two weeks and after that I will incorporate my dumbbell and weights on everything especially the hip bridges, squats and lunges for more benefits.
Overall
This was the week with the highest amount of distance recommended in all eighteen weeks and I am pleased and satisfied with my performances during its three quality workouts. This is my first time doing such a mileage-heavy and effort-heavy week in my life and I am glad that I got through it without missing any days and without injuries. I learned a lot about myself and the way I run and it got me thinking that I doing it all over again (just the plan) is a definite possibility in the future.
Starting next week, there will be four quality sessions per week and I hope that my body will be able to handle all of the challenges. My excitement and motivation to do them is still here kicking despite the volume of running and I can’t wait to do the intervals in two days!