How I Prepared for the Berlin Marathon During the TCS New York City Marathon Training Season

When I set out to run the Berlin Marathon, I did not fully consider how the September 27 race date would affect my training or my morale. Most fall marathon programs in New York City are structured around the TCS New York City Marathon on November 1. I knew I would likely be training alongside runners preparing for New York, but I did not think about what it would feel like to constantly be ahead of the group in weekly mileage.

Training for a fall marathon in New York City comes with a built-in sense of community. As summer progresses, runners take over bridges, parks, and city streets. Run clubs offer weekly long runs, training programs build toward race day, and everyone seems to be working to achieve the same goal—to get to the start and finish lines.

Training with a group makes the miles feel lighter. There is conversation, encouragement, and the shared understanding that everyone is striving toward something meaningful. Because the Berlin Marathon is five weeks before the TCS New York City Marathon, my training didn’t always align. While local groups were running 12 or 14 miles for their long run, my training plan had me doing 16 or 18 miles.

I usually had two choices: Run additional miles before meeting with the group or add them after the group run ended. Adding miles afterward rarely works well for me. Once the group run ends, people begin stretching, taking photos, grabbing coffee and food with friends, or head home. Mentally, the run feels finished, even when my watch says otherwise. Finding the motivation to leave everyone and run more miles alone can be difficult.

Training for Berlin required me to become more flexible, disciplined, and honest about what I need. Here are a few lessons that have helped me stay on track:

1. Check the Weather
   I always check the forecast before committing to a group run. If rain or extreme heat is expected during a Saturday long run with the group, I may choose to complete my long run early Friday morning instead. Missing the group is disappointing, but the biggest goal is getting the miles in so I arrive at the start line healthy and prepared.
   
2. Complete the Extra Miles First
   If I need to run farther than the group, I complete the additional miles before we meet up. If my plan calls for 18 miles and the group is running 12, I start early and arrive with 6 miles already done. I know I am less likely to find motivation to add those miles after the group run is finished.
   
3. Hydrate and Prepare Your Fuel
   A successful long run begins before the first mile. One of my biggest mistakes is not hydrating enough throughout the week, especially before hot summer runs. I now try to stay consistent with hydration and prepare my fuel in advance. For more guidance, check out my interview here with nutritionist Farah Khan on helpful nutrition tips for runners.
   
4. Plan Ahead for Travel
   I look at my work calendar and training plan together to make adjustments before each trip to determine which workouts can be done while I'm traveling and which ones may need to move. Moving a workout does not wreck your training plan. Flexibility is part of staying consistent.
   
5. Remember Your “Why”
   Training for a marathon takes discipline, courage, and willpower. When running alone or completing more miles than those around me becomes discouraging, I return to the reason I chose to start running marathons to begin with. Remembering my “why" helps the obstacles feel more manageable.

The Bigger Lesson

Community is incredibly important during marathon training, but so is self-accountability. A group can encourage you, support you, and make the miles more enjoyable, but no one else can complete the training for you. I have been training alone for the majority of this season, primarily because of my work and travel schedule. Whenever I have the opportunity to run with a group, I take it. I have learned that being part of a running community doesn’t always mean following the exact same training plan, but it does mean being among like-minded people working to achieve similar goals.

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Victoria Fortune

Victoria Fortune has been a distance runner all her adult life. A longtime Brooklyn resident, she is a member of DeFine New York Run Club, a five-time marathon finisher, and host of Sunshine & Rain podcast.