The Tax Return
No Hunger For The Marathon
An overdue A-race
Last weekend in Innsbruck was very nice, but it was also a weekend of inner conflict. You could have set the clock for when my longing for the mountains would awaken again.
Actually, I could be happy about it, the timing is almost perfect. The snow is gone, the weather is fantastic for long days on the trails, Sierre-Zinal is confirmed as my main race for this summer, and a brand-new trail shoe, still in its original box, is ready to be tested. If it weren't for this one little thing... The Hannover Marathon this Sunday.
Every training cycle has an end. A so-called A-race. “A” stands for "important", "high priority" and "main focus". Basically, the whole marathon preparation leads up to this one day. That's the idea. That's the way it should be. But that's not how I feel.
The tax return
At the moment, the Hannover Marathon seems like an annoying to-do that you have to check off before you can finally do what you really want to do. Annoying, but huge at the same time. Like a tax return (The German word is “Steuererklärung” and it is a big pain in the #a).
Okay, that was mean, I take it back. But the comparison is kind of true. It's about getting a proper end result. One in which you shouldn't be sloppy because otherwise you'll get a distorted picture of the work you've done. At the end of the day, I want everything to be clean in the books before I open the next chapter. That's what the Levelhead in me wants.
Reasons not to be hungry
There are many reasons why I can't sense a real hunger for Hannover. It's definitely because of Rodgau, my premature marathon PB in January in Rodgau. The carrot I had been chasing for years, a marathon under 3 hours, was gone in one fell swoop.
The marathon was suddenly no longer a potentially (running) life-changing dream, but just what it always was: a damn hard, damn long run.
The marathon is just a damn hard, damn long run
Another reason why the Hannover Marathon feels more like a chore right now is actually a nice one: I love marathon training. The process. The daily work, the structure and the support it gives me. There are the countless micro-successes when my form takes off. I've enjoyed dozens of successful sessions, fast intervals, power-packed long runs, and even a half-marathon PB in a test race (keyword: "C race"). That's more than enough for me. I basically got everything I hoped for from this training block.
The third reason why I have mixed feelings about Hannover is that the tarmac measure is just full. Except for an injury comeback last year, where I was only allowed to run uphill for three months, I've been training on the road for almost a year and a half. It's been a lot of fun and "sticking with it" has definitely paid off for me, but the last few runs have made me realize that I want something different now.
To an end
I just reread the previous lines and can confirm that this sounds much more negative than it is meant to be.
It is a great privilege to have survived such a long and intensive road training without any injuries and in good health. So on Sunday, I will stand confident and focused at the starting line of the Hannover Marathon and do what I (almost) always do when I have a race number on my t-shirt.
I will run as fast and as smart as I can that day.
And who knows, maybe the hunger I don't have yet will catch up with me. If not, I'll still be grateful. And whether it will be a good or bad race depends on so many other factors anyway.
With that in mind, let's toe the line on Sunday & run proud.
Everything not running – Well, maybe a bit of running
I recently wrote down my marathon story. From my first finish, through several failed attempts to run the marathon in under three hours, to the magical moment in Rodgau when I unexpectedly made it.
In that article, I also listed the people who have had a strong influence on me in relation to the marathon. One of them is Martin Grüning.
Martin was my running coach between 2019 and 2021, for which I am eternally grateful. I did two marathon training cycles with him, one preparation for a 10K and one for a half-marathon. Even though we didn't achieve my big goal of running a marathon in under 3 hours together, at no other time in my running career have I learned and internalized so much about road running.
"Internalized" is very apt. After all, most of the truths about running are not complicated, and yet we find them so hard to accept. Martin's pragmatic approach, but especially his incredible wealth of experience, made it easy for me to face the truth about running.
A few examples of what I learned from Martin? Sure.
Running goals are individual decisions that should be made consciously. It's only a good running goal if you really want it.
Runners (i.e. people) are not robots. No matter how good a plan you have or how professional you train, in the end there is no guarantee that every race will be a success.
There is, however, one guarantee of success, and luckily it's pretty simple: stick with it.
It makes sense to have a plan. Preferably a long-term one.
Heart rate and pace can help guide your training, but it's worth learning to run by feel. Over time, you will develop a good sense of your own body and be able to intuitively distinguish between slow, moderate, and fast endurance runs and the corresponding training zones.
Trail and road training don't interfere with each other if you do it right.
Something didn't work out? Really? Too bad. Lick your wounds and move on!
Why am I writing this ode to Martin? Well, he has published a new book in which he shares his running knowledge and experience with the world. Reading “So Schaffen Sie Jedes Laufziel” ("How to Achieve Any Running Goal") made me wish I'd had a book like this when I started running. It would have saved me a lot of setbacks and disappointments.
On the other hand, I wouldn't have wanted to miss the times of failure and ignorance (yes, I really was ignorant about running at times). As well as the opportunity to experience Martin's support as a running coach first hand.
Thank you, Martin! For the time we spent training together and for this book.
Regarding your marathon hunger, I have the saying: If you don't feel like it, it will be great!
It's funny, I feel like I'm your brother in spirit right now. I've worked for a Sub-3 for many years and finally cracked it at a training race in the middle of my plan this March. I've done a massive half marathon PB (1:22:01) a week ago and in two weeks my main race (Hamburg) will take place. But already I'm thinking about the big trail goal for me this year: Zugspitz Ultratrail.
I have found a great solution to this sort of "A-race fatigue" we're both experiencing: I've made it my goal to be the Sub-3 pacer for a friend of mine instead of focussing on improving my own Sub-3 PB by a couple minutes. That’s more worthwhile and it provides me with more meaning to be serving someone else during that race.
Whatever you will do in Hanover, fingers crossed you'll have a great day and end up enjoying it a lot. All the best!