My wife is thinking about running Berlin having just missed BQ at Paris a couple weeks ago. I also am thinking about joining her in racing Berlin… take advantage of living in close by in London right? My questions are…
How much ‘faster’ (if at all) is Berlin than Boston?
Can I get to a 2:40 @ Berlin?
History: I clocked a 2:48 at Boston last week with my only other marathon being Marine Corps @ 2:54 (wife and I started literally behind every runner and had to work my way through entire crowd so Boston is prob a better ‘baseline’.) Open Half marathons 1:17-1:19 but never really trained specifically for them, Range of 1:24-1:31 for a half when in a 70.3.
Boston felt good and I feel like I definitely had enough in the ‘fitness’ tank for 2:45 but the slightly warmer temps and it just being my first Boston and nearly first marathon I played it pretty safe and didn’t over do the hills (both in terms of up & down).
I will most likely not train specifically for the Berlin and continue to focus on 70.3 training throughout the summer, the race would be more of a ‘fun run’. So surely I’ll have the fitness, but it will be TBD if I’ve got the legs to get me through the race. But knowing its flat and ‘fast’ I thought it could be a good place to give the time a shot.
I looked around briefly here and online but didn’t find much specific in terms of comparisons but feel free to correct/show me if this topic has been covered. Thanks!!!
Correct, and I have no preconceived notion that its ‘in the bag’. Stripping around :18/mile off my time is a big ask. Basically looking to run my open half pr x2… and I recall how that felt… So the 2:40 time is a goal, if i rocked up and (re)ran a 2:48 or a 2:54 I’d be happy, but I set strong goals, its how I work.
I’m more looking for first hand experience (or legitimate study/conversation) on the comparison of times between the two races and courses. I can manage my training and personal aspects of getting my body to a point where I feel I can make it happen. The unknown is how the course impacts the times. I’ll i’ve ever heard is that Berlin is fast… but what the hell does that mean to the ‘average’ runner… not someone looking to break a record. I’m sure people have run both and I’m looking for some opinion from that angle.
I’ve run Boston 10 times now. My fastest ever there is 2:43 and only a couple of times did I even break manage 2:50.
I ran Berlin just one time and clocked 2:37. It felt like my one of my easiest marathons ever. The only one in which I never hit the wall. Also my only negative split ever in a marathon.
Now in full honesty, the 2 times I was in my best ever marathon shape at Boston were also 87° days so I was robbed of some opportunities, no doubt. But I have a similar comparison with Chicago vs Boston. Every single one of my 4 Chicago finishes is faster than my fastest Boston.
Boston is a tough course in what is usually tough weather. Berlin is much much faster. If you were aiming at 2:45 then don’t think Berlin is going to buy you another 5 minutes. You’ll need some serious fitness improvement. But it’s do-able. Get your mileage up there. Like over 70, for many weeks. Get some goal MP runs in around 6:00-6:05 pace.
If you don’t train specifically for it you are putting yourself in a hole. But holding slighly-higher-than-normal running mileage during your 70.3 training and then giving yourself 6-8 weeks of solid, Berlin-specific training would be enough, I think
Thanks for the notes on the courses/times, Very helpful. Certainly some thought needs to be taken with the running volume, my lead up to Boston never saw maybe one week over 60 and most in the high 30’s/low 40’s. Some more running is certainly required its just a matter of which goal will govern through the summer.