The Secret Marathon – Part I
Why I ran a marathon and never told anyone about it
Often teased, never delivered. Today, the time has finally come for me to tell you what this mysterious bonus marathon I ran this spring is all about. Are you excited?
To put everything in context: at the end of 2022 I decided to return to road marathon training after a long absence. What was my purpose?
The short-term goal was to reconnect with road running
The medium-term goal was to snatch a new PB (at the time it was 3:03:23)
The long-term goal was – as it had been for many years – to run a marathon in under 3 hours
Much more important than these concrete goals, however, was my desire to be in order again. Marathon training is my safe zone, my home port, my refuge. I know what to do and where it will take me. Marathon training is visible, tangible, and experiential (read it again, it’s not “experimental”).
I secretly hoped that this new phase in my running life would fill some of the emptiness (and fullness) that Western States had left me with. In some ways, it even worked.
Here is a short summary of all the marathons I ran in this training block.
The Not-Marathon
The first training block of winter 2022 / spring 2023 went remarkably well. Despite the long break, my body adapted surprisingly quick to the flat, fast road training. It was almost as if my system memorized everything it learned in my marathon years 2015–2019, before I exclusively committed to my first 100k Ultramarathon in 2021, the CCC as part of the UTMB, and then the Western States 100 aka "100 Miles – One Day" in 2022. I was very happy about that. I like the subjective feeling of "running fast" and my medium and long-term goals for the marathon seemed well within reach.
Unfortunately, things turned out entirely different, and I injured myself just a few days before the planned 2023 spring marathon in Kandel. The disappointment was huge, but the realization that I managed to get fit for the road in such a short time remained a glimmer of hope on the horizon.
First Marathon: Valencia
After a rocky summer in 2023 and an endlessly long comeback from injury, I set my sights on a second attempt at the Valencia Marathon in December 2023. The preparation went well, even though it was compressed into just under 10 weeks due to the long injury comeback.
I was quite happy with my finishing time of 3:07:37. It was the third-fastest marathon I've ever run. However, my hunger to get more out of the 42.2 kilometers was far from satisfied.
Second Marathon: Rodgau
So, with just two weeks of recovery, I went right back to preparing for the next marathon in the spring of 2024: Hanover. After only four weeks of training, not even halfway through, the unbelievable happened on a field in Rodgau. The ultramarathon, originally planned as a longer training run, became the setting for achieving my biggest and most long-term running goal: a marathon under 3 hours.
I've written a lot about this quirky, mysterious race, so I'll just say one sentence here: Rodgau changed a lot of things in my running life, but one thing it did not change was my hunger and love for road marathons.
Third Marathon: Hannover
It was no surprise that I stuck to my previous plan and after two weeks of recovery I continued to train for the originally planned Hannover Marathon. However, there were still many weeks to go, and I was literally running out of breath during the preparation. I was desperate for a change, for something new. In short: the mountains. Nevertheless, I gritted my teeth and clenched my buttocks and pushed through the preparation until race day.
But instead of being the crowning finale of my 1.5 years of unconditional dedication to road racing, the Hannover Marathon left me with countless question marks. It wasn't even my finishing time of 03:03:50 that puzzled me, but rather the course of the race, with my heart rate rising far too early and my pace slowing down throughout the race. It was very annoying that I didn't get any answers to my many questions. Neither the analysis of the race data nor the analysis of the training data gave me any insight as to why there was such a big gap between my training level and my race result at the Hannover Marathon.
The whole issue just wouldn't let go of me, that's why ...
... I just ran another marathon the following week.
(Secret) Fourth Marathon: Leipzig
Yes, that's right, the Leipzig Marathon took place exactly one week later, and I was at the starting line on a secret research mission.
I already knew that the mere result of another marathon in such a short period of time would not be outstanding, but I had a long list of things that I could only test under real competition conditions. I hoped they would answer my many questions about the Hannover Marathon and marathoning in general.
Here is what I wanted to find out:
Hydration
In the run-up to the Hannover Marathon, I had clearly not drunk enough. I wanted to test whether a carefully planned pre-hydration could delay or prevent a possible meltdown during the race.
Course
Hanover was one big lap, while Rogdau and Leipzig were several laps. I wanted to find out if this was a psychological advantage or disadvantage for me.
Pacer
So far, I have run almost all serious marathons free, by my own feel. In Leipzig, I wanted to see what it felt like to run with a pacer pack and run the exact pace and finish time they set.
Pacing
Joining the pacer pack in Leipzig would also automatically mean that I wouldn't start the marathon too fast and would be more conservative overall. At the same time, not as conservative as in Valencia, where I simply gave away valuable minutes out of false caution.
Carbs
Before Hanover, I had been eating poor quality carbohydrates and probably a few too many. In Leipzig, I wanted to see if a more conscious carb loading could make a difference.
Posture
In Hanover, I slumped more and more during the race. So much so that I ended up with massive shoulder pain. In Leipzig, I wanted to test running with loose shoulders and a lot of arm swing, especially when the going got tough.
Cadence
Maintaining a high cadence when fatigue sets in was also something I had never tried in a marathon before.
Visibility
Even though I was 87% sure that the number of people following my marathons had no influence on the result, I wanted to test in Leipzig what it does to me when really, I mean really, no one knows that I am running a marathon. Not before, not during and not after.
That's why I have kept this marathon a secret until now.
Of course, I could have revealed it earlier, but I didn't. On the one hand, because I just didn't feel like writing about marathons anymore and wanted to dive into my mountain season. On the other hand, I wanted to let the impressions of the Leipzig Marathon sink in before analyzing them.
Well, now it's out and you all know.
By the way, many of the things I wanted to test in Leipzig came from you. In countless comments and messages you shared your ideas with me about what might have been wrong with the Hannover Marathon. Thank you all 🖤
What was the result of my crazy marathon experiment? You'll find out next Friday in “The Secret Marathon – Part II”. Sorry, not sorry for the massive cliffhanger.
Everything Not Running
Although I am still an absolute beginner when it comes to cycling, I want to avoid as many (all?) beginner's mistakes as possible. My latest findings: A well-fitted bike will save you a lot of trouble.
I would even go so far as to say that riding a road bike is no fun at all if the bike is not 100% adjusted to you. That's why Jabarut (that's my new road bike) and I recently had a bike fitting. I was surprised that it turned out to be more of a "human fitting" than a "bike fitting", though.
First, Jabarut and I were scanned and measured. Everything was recorded and analyzed, even the distance between my two sitting bones. We then used video analysis to determine my perfect sitting position on Jabarut. We adjusted the saddle, saddle angle, handlebars, and click pedals until everything was just right. As a bonus, I was also told how to position myself on a road bike so that I wouldn't get tired and sore in my shoulders.
Since that bike fitting, my rides and workouts with Jabarut have been a whole new experience. Everything feels smooth and cohesive, and even after hours in the saddle I have virtually no discomfort. The remainder is a matter of getting used to it.
Unfortunately, Jabarut had to stay at home for my Bikewritecation and I took off on my gravel bike. My gravel is a little too big for me, which I noticed during my 10 days of riding. I was constantly sliding around on the saddle, changing my grip on the handlebars, changing my foot position on the pedals, and yet at the end of each day I felt like I was being put through a meat grinder.
I'm back home now, and I'm really looking forward to my first ride with Jabarut, which will happen …today!
Totally get this. After a couple of failed BQ attempts quite publicly documented on social media etc, in 2016 I went to Edinburgh Marathon which I hadn’t shared with anyone other than close friends of family that I’d be doing. There was no pressure even if that was imagined pressure it still has the same effect. I got my BQ.