Week 15, 2026: The highs and the lows

It has been a while since my last life update. It is funny reading my last weekly reflection from a month ago. So much has happened, and I was honestly just too lazy to update the blog.

I ran the Berlin Half Marathon 2026 in an amazing time of 1:37. Even after two weeks, I still cannot believe it. I was very stressed about holding a 4:35/km pace for 21 km, but I was able to do it, and it gave me a massive boost in confidence. I really needed that race to remind myself that I am capable and that one day I will achieve my goal of running a sub-3-hour marathon.

Since the last blog post, or actually since the 8th of March, I have been tracking my calories and trying to change my body composition and build more muscle. The progress has been really slow; however, it is visible. I am not going to lie, I was expecting faster results, but I get it. Losing weight and building muscle is not an easy process, and it will take time to reach the physique that I want.

On the work front, I crushed Q1. I was able to deliver a massive migration and save a lot of money. I am very proud of myself for pulling that off. I am writing a blog post right now about that work for our Eng subreddit, and I will share it here on my blog as well when it is out. It is scheduled for some time in June. I also got great feedback and a raise for 2025. I am glad they recognized the work I put in last year. I am on a mission right now in 2026 to hopefully reach Staff level and get promoted. I will do my best and keep working on my skills. I have never really cared about the money, to be honest. I know it sounds cliche, but I genuinely want it as recognition of my career progression.

I actually took some time off work to recharge. I spent it with my friend, and it was much-needed time off. I rented a car for us, and we drove around. I only came close to killing us on two occasions, which is not bad. Sadly, the vacation ends today, and I will be back at work tomorrow. I kind of miss work a tiny, tiny bit though, not gonna lie.

One of the things I improved dramatically in March was reading. I read 7 books in March, or rather listened to many of them, but still. I think reading has finally clicked, and I am very happy about that. I am still reading fantasy because I want the habit to be built first before switching to something more educational. I think I will be able to merge both eventually.

✨ Highlights

Best Moments in March

Running a half marathon in 1h 37min was probably the best moment for me this year so far. I cried a lot after finishing because I did not believe I was able to pull that off. Hopefully, more great running moments are coming in 2026.
Finishing the migration I had been working on for months. It took a lot of work and mental capacity, but I was able to deliver it, and I am very proud of myself.
Driving! I missed it so much. I am not sure I am as good at it as I used to be, but I am very happy I challenged my comfort zone and went for it. I drove on highways and outside Berlin. It made me want a car :)

Wins in March

Reading 7 books, or at least finishing 6 and getting halfway through the 7th. Thanks to Rachel Reid and her amazing Game Changer series, I binged books like there was no tomorrow in March. I hope I will be able to build on this and keep reading in 2026.
Taking some time off work. I really needed that break. I always try to take some time off to disconnect and avoid burning out. As much as I feel FOMO when I am away, I understand the need to touch grass and stay away for some time to sustain my performance for years.
Every day, 10k steps no matter what.
My body is changing and trending in the right direction. I lost about 2 kg, and I feel my body composition is changing. I am trying to lift 3 times per week and eat a lot of protein. It is not as easy as I expected, but I am powering through.

⚠️ Challenges in March

What felt heavy or draining?

Despite having a great month, I think I experienced some low points that I am not sure how to put into words. I feel like I get trapped in my head sometimes when it comes to “what is next?” I look at the last 6 years of my life in Berlin, and I am very, very proud of what I have achieved and experienced during this time, but I do not know why I am not fully satisfied. I cannot quite put my finger on it yet. I am always chasing the next thing, and for some reason right now there is no obvious “next” thing. Do I want to move somewhere else? Do I want to start a company? Do I want to drop everything and go backpacking across Europe? Or maybe my goal is to be wealthy and collect as much money as I can? Is love and a relationship something I am willing to explore again? I honestly do not know. These questions keep popping into my head and sometimes weigh heavily on me.

What didn’t go as planned?

Studying and learning on my own. I did a lot of it, but it is not where I wanted it to be. I have a goal in mind for the end of 2026, and it requires dedication and discipline to achieve. I still have time, but I should be more intentional about this in the upcoming months. My plan right now is to start with only 1.5 hours of studying every day, max.
I was hoping to pick up more chill, fun activities again, like gaming. I am enjoying reading and watching football matches, but I need to balance work and running with more fun activities to sustain both worlds.
Writing blog posts. I am not doing this as I planned back in February. I have not written any technical blog posts on this website so far, which clearly indicates that I am putting so much stress on myself to deliver a “perfect” tech blog. That acts as a barrier, in my opinion.

🧠 Lessons & Patterns

I love the sentence “Trust the process.” I always try to remind myself of this whenever I am doing something that takes time to show results, like building muscle and losing fat.
I am capable of doing great things. Sometimes I forget this.

🏃 Running & Training Summary

Since the half marathon, I have been trying to maintain my fitness until June. I am not planning to start any training block in April or May. I want to give my body some time to chill a bit. I am going to try to keep my weekly volume around 60 km.
I have the S 25 Berlin Half Marathon next weekend, but I am not planning on racing it. I will take it easy and enjoy the race.
I have so many running plans for 2026, and I am very excited about them. Maybe a sub-20-minute 5k or a sub-42-minute 10k. Perhaps a sub-3:20 marathon in Malaga or another half marathon PB in London? We will see, but I am very excited.

😄 Things I enjoyed in March

The Project Hail Mary movie and book were amazing. I truly enjoyed both, but the audiobook narrated by Ray Porter was especially great. 10/10 audiobook.
The Game Changer book series by Rachel Reid. I cried and laughed so much while reading it. The Long Game is a 6-star book for me. I have never felt this emotional reading books.
Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere was scary. It made me feel sick to my stomach. I am from Syria, and I know so many people who adopt the same line of thinking as these “incels,” so it made me really sad watching young kids and adults get exploited by these “influencers.” They just want to make money from them and put on this act without caring about how it impacts people and damages societies. I am still shaky just remembering it. I hope parents become more aware of these online communities and pay more attention to how their kids are spending time online. I want to do more here. I also want to work to stop these people from spreading hateful thoughts against women and marginalized groups just to make money.

🎯 Next Week Plan

Ease back into work and pick up momentum again.
Take it easy with running this week. I think I might have picked up a minor calf strain and need to be careful.
Take it easy on myself regarding “what is next” and try to figure it out slowly as I go.