April 2024: Berlin

My first half marathon wasn’t exactly planned. Sure, I trained here and there, but I didn’t follow a structured plan. I came from a gym/CrossFit background and thought I could muscle through it — and honestly, I kind of did. I finished with a decent time, considering it was my first long-distance race ever. But I also knew I could do better.

It wasn’t just the physical struggle — it was the pacing, the mental game, the recovery, and the complete lack of strategy. After Berlin, I promised myself I’d give it another shot. Properly.

May 2025: Prague

Fast forward one year later, and I crossed the finish line in Prague nearly 10 minutes faster than in Berlin. That wasn’t by accident.

Here’s what changed.

1. I Actually Trained (More or Less)

I didn’t follow a perfect plan — far from it. But I did start treating running like something I actually wanted to improve at, not just survive. Since December 2024, I’ve been loosely preparing for the Berlin Marathon in September 2025, and that preparation started to bleed into my day-to-day mindset.

I started getting in consistent weekly kilometers. Not super high, but enough to build a base. I learned what it means to run easy. I did some long runs on weekends, some tempo efforts midweek, and most importantly: I stuck to it.

Even when work was hectic, or I didn’t feel like it, I tried to show up more often than not.

2. I Learned to Pace (Instead of Chase)

In Berlin, I went out way too fast. Classic rookie mistake. I thought I could hold a faster pace than I trained for, and of course, by kilometer 12 it all caught up with me.

In Prague, I held back. It felt boring in the beginning, but for once I wasn’t in a death march by the final 5K. That alone saved me several minutes.

I also started paying more attention to heart rate zones and learned that just because a run feels slow doesn’t mean it’s pointless. In fact, most of my runs were in zone 2 — something I used to avoid, thinking it wasn’t “training.” Turns out, that’s where the real endurance gains happen.

3. I Used Data (and a Little Code)

I’ve been exporting data from my Suunto watch and slowly building tools to visualize and analyze my runs. Seeing my pace, heart rate, and recovery trends visually helped me understand how I was improving, even when I didn’t feel faster day to day.

As a data engineer, I can’t help myself — I’m working on automating weekly summaries and eventually building a system that combines my run data with CrossFit WOD board photos, OCR, and intensity tracking. It’s a work in progress, but even now, the data helped me learn when to push and when to back off.

4. I Let Go of Ego (At Least a Little)

Running isn’t about beating other people — it’s about consistency and humility. That took me a while to learn. I stopped comparing every Strava segment, stopped trying to make every run feel “hard,” and started thinking long-term.

And guess what? That mindset shift probably contributed more to the 10-minute PR than anything else.

The Road Ahead

The Prague Half was a huge confidence boost. For the first time, I felt like I was actually running, not just surviving the distance. It gave me real momentum heading into the final few months of training for the Berlin Marathon this September.

And that’s why I’m writing this blog. I want to document not just the races and the data, but the process. The little wins, the lessons, the mindset shifts.

If you’re a programmer trying to get into running, or a fitness person who thinks “long-distance” means 800 meters — I’ve been there. It’s possible to improve. Not overnight. But with time, a little tech, and a lot of humility, it works.

See you on the next update.