Training Tips Thursday - Marathon Pacing

In a marathon race, it's suicide to start out at a pace that is way too fast!  It's a sure way to crash later, before reaching that tough 26.2 mile distance.

Every runner who runs a marathon wants to run the best race possible.  Running too fast may cause a lot of trouble making the distance.  However, running slower than necessary leaves time on the course that could have been used for a quicker finish.  A first-time marathoner often has no idea how to target a marathon race pace.  When running subsequent marathons, the runner's goal is normally to run the distance quicker than a previous race.  Either way, the runner may be trying to set a target without knowing what he ore she is really capable of.  I've found some good tools like the McMillan Running Calculator .  This tool lets the runner enter a "best time" at one distance to get an estimate of pacing at another distance.  Of course, this assumes that the runner is adequately trained to the rigors of the other distance.  A 5K race time would be a meaningless marathon predictor if the runner had never run more than 10 miles.

I recently came across an article on the Running Tips for All website that gives another method to determine possible marathon pacing, using times from interval runs of 10 800 meter repeats.  Pretty interesting.  Excerpts from the article follow:

The 10 x 800 Marathon Workout
If you think you can run a 3:30 marathon, then try running 10 repeats of 800 meters on the track. Each 800 should be 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Recover for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. And repeat. If you are shooting for a 4 hour marathon, then your 800 repeats should be 4:00 minutes (with 4 minutes recovery). It’s that simple! Yes, it also works for a 2:09 marathon, as well as a 5:30 marathon.

Determining Your Workout Pace
If you are not sure what pace you can hold, then start with your best guess and give it a try.
If you can’t do all ten at pace, your intervals need to be slower. Do all ten and still have plenty of energy? Cut the intervals down. You may have to change the workout several times over a two or three week period until you arrive at a workout pace that you can hold consistently. You should try to do your last 10 x 800 workout about two weeks prior to your marathon, but by then you should have a good idea what pace you should be running.

Race Review - 19th Annual Turkey Trot 10K in Tyrell Park - Beaumont, TX - Thanksgiving Morning

This was an enjoyable event.  The race was well-organized and well-managed.  Race day lines were reduced because many runners used the option to pick up packets at designated locations in the two days prior to the race.  I like that they gave a tech shirt instead of a cotton T-shirt.  Race morning chip pick-up was quick and efficient. 

The 5K and 10K runners ran mostly the same route, but from different starting points, which reduced congestion.  The only improvement I could ask for would be additional mile markers.  I think I saw markers at mile 1, mile 3, and mile 6.  To get a better feel for pace, I'd like to see them at each mile. 

I halfway expected some turkey suits, but didn't see many outlandish costumes at this event.  However, this runner wore yellow boxer shorts with red chili peppers!

(Click photos to enlarge.)





This runner must have started a good running program and lost a lot of weight in the past year. 

Written on his shirt: "These are the pants I wore LAST Thanksgiving."  He was quite trim, but was wearing very large pants.

Conditions were very good, sunny and about 40°.  I probably started out a little fast, but settled down after a couple of miles.  I tried to set pace behind a couple of runners that passed me, but couldn't quite keep up.





At about 4 1/2 miles, a runner passed me that was going just slightly faster, and I was able to match his pace the rest of the way.  We traded positions 3 or 4 times coming up toward mile 6.

Thanks, anonymous runner, for helping me set a good pace!
Before turning this corner into the last quarter-mile, I had enough energy left to leave my pacer behind and sprint hard the rest of the way to the finish. 

My goals were:
To try to run <56 minutes, or 9 minute pace, to enjoy the race, and have a great time.

Why 56 minutes? I plugged my 5K PR time into the McMillan Running Calculator, and it gave me an equivalent 10K time of just under 56 minutes; I felt that was a reasonable guideline for what I should be capable of.

My actual time was 54:28.6; 8:47 pace.  And, I did enjoy the race, and had a great time!

Weekly Training - October 5-11: 16.4 Mile Run Saturday, A New Distance Milestone!

Sunday - Nice Recovery Run, 3.5 miles, 40:14, at 11.50 pace, right in the middle of my recovery range per the McMillan Running Calculator.  I was a little tentative because of pain in the left knee that was more than I'm used to.  My knees don't usually hurt, but I've been getting a little knee pain following my weekly Long Run since I've been stretching the distance.  However, it usually goes away in a day or two, so I haven't been overly concerned.  Today, it got  a little better after a couple of miles, and was much less by evening.

Saturday - A new distance milestone: 16.4 miles!  Less than 10 miles from the goal!  I guess that's an extra benefit to training for a first marathon: as training progresses, there are constant rewards from reaching a series of intermediate goals.  Saturday was a great day for a long run, 59° at 7 AM.  I took the same route through the park; just added one more 2.2 mile lap.  My goals were modest: to complete the distance, and to try to sustain a 11:00 pace or better.  On previous new distances, my first attempt has been SLOW.  The pace turned out OK, had a few ebbs and flows, but kept finding second and third winds.  I didn't really struggle much until about the last half-mile, and finished up at 2:57:07, a 10.80 pace.  I'll take it.  The next one will be better.

Monday through Friday:  Nature played a cruel trick; after a few days of mostly cooler morning temps following the official onset of Fall, night-time lows and humidity crept back up to July-August levels this week.  It has no businees being 81° at 5:30 AM in October!  Started out oppressive Monday; trending up to miserable by Thursday.  My pace suffered.  But enough whining.  A cool front is coming Friday!

Friday - No running - rest for Saturday's Long Run.
Thursday - Easy run, 3.1 miles. 34:04, 10.99 pace, 81°, 98% humidity.
Wednesday - Tempo run, 3.1 miles, 29:37, 9.55 pace, 79°, 95% humidity.
Tuesday - Easy run, 3.1 miles. 32:56, 10.62 pace, 80°, 96% humidity.
Monday - Tempo run, 3.1 miles, 29:42, 9.58 pace, 76°, 94% humidity.