Pacing in a marathon is like a finely tuned dance. Too fast, and you might find yourself running out of steam before the finish line. Too slow, and you might miss out on reaching your full potential. To master your marathon pacing strategy, you'll need to find the balance, the sweet spot, where you can maintain a consistent pace and finish strong. Let's explore tips to ensure a successful race day.

Start Slow to Finish Strong:

One of the most common pacing mistakes in marathon running is starting too fast. The excitement of the race and the adrenaline rush can tempt you to sprint out of the gate, but this can lead to early fatigue and negatively impact your overall performance. To avoid this, consciously start the race slightly slower than your goal pace. This conservative approach ensures you conserve precious glycogen stores for later in the race.  We like to think of mile 1 as a warmup mile where you can utilize a bit of fat for fuel, allow your body to warmup and turn the race fro 26.2 to 25.2 miles right off the bat.  We recommend the first mile be 30-45 seconds slower than goal pace to accomplish the above objectives.

Embrace Negative Splits:

While many marathoners aim for even splits (maintaining the same pace throughout the race), some runners aim for negative splits. Negative splits involve running the second half of the marathon faster than the first. This approach allows you to finish strong and provides a mental boost when you pass other runners in the late miles. There have been strong results from Marathon runners who complete negative splits inclusive Kelvin Kiptum’s recent World Record at Chicago where he ran 1 minute faster for the 2^nd half of the race.

Adapt When Needed:

Flexibility is a valuable within a marathon. Unexpected obstacles, like weather conditions or muscle cramps, may require adjustments to your plan. Be prepared to adapt without panicking. Sometimes, slowing down briefly can help you recover and continue at your goal pace. Many athletes have receive a great lift when they actually stop and walk briefly (preferably through an aid station) as the quick break allows muscles a brief recovery.

Trust Your Training:

Your marathon training program was designed to prepare your body for the race. Trust in the process and the hard work you've put in during your training runs. The pace you've practiced is the pace you're ready for. By following your training plan and being consistent in your workouts, you've build the endurance necessary for a successful marathon.

Keep in mind that every marathon is a unique, so remain adaptable and embrace the journey that this specific race offers. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned runner, pacing is a skill that can always be perfected!

Unveiling the Secrets of a Massive Personal Best Achievement at the 2023 Chicago Marathon

Major Milestone:

1hour and 35 minute improvement from 2021 Chicago Marathon (7:11) to 2023 Chicago Marathon (5:36).

What is the secret to your success?

Sticking to the plan as much as possible and granting myself forgiveness when circumstances won't allow me to follow the plan. Be that weeble that wobbles but doesn't fall down or give up. I fell a lot but I kept getting up, dusting myself off and making an effort to change my mindset.

What is the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals and how do you get over it?

Replaying the negative chatter in my mind when I don't think I did something good enough or missing the plan workout. This only compounds the issue and can break my spirit. I find a positive scripture, mantra, or inspirational song that I play over and over in my mind to over talk, drive out and over take every negative thought until my spirit being becomes focused and unstoppable on reaching that goal.

What is the most rewarding part of training?

Building self confidence and allowing it to spill into other parts of your life. When you push yourself to achieve in what appears to be at times the impossible (lack of time, getting past an injury or illness) during the training there is nothing that anyone can throw your way that you will not feel can be handled or conquered.

What advice would you give to other members of the Runcoach community?

Getting in the miles is important but don't skimp on the cross training. I found it important to get in my strength training, cross training, yoga which helped build up the muscles needed in my entire body to support the change that was needed to improve my time. Believe your Coach when they tell you to trust your training and don't ignore the taper without consulting with your coach. We think getting in all the miles is important but proper rest each night to give the muscles time to repair and for the mind to rest and relax is just as important. It is finding that balance in mind, body and spirit that will keep you focused on not allowing anything to take you off course from achieving your goals.

Anything else you would like to share?

The Coaches are top notch in the field. They have been there, done that and know how to make the minor adjustments in your plan to bring out the very best in you. I absolutely love the way they approach it from a partnership perspective. Easy to talk to, bounce off ideas and always willing to make adjustments that make the best sense to achieve your goals. I took advantage of every tip of the day each coach shared and incorporated it in my run for that day. I found myself pulling from those tips of knowledge miles 19 -26 when I had to dig deep to keep up the momentum in the race.

What feedback would you offer on the Runcoach experience?

The experience with Runcoach has exceeded my expectations. When I physically could not train my coach challenged me to strengthen my mind. See the race from start to finish. I smiled on race day when I got to those places my mind saw before the race and pulled from the daily tips when the course changed from the last time I did that race. So glad I signed up for the year plan. Worth every penny.

One of the most important, but often overlooked, components of training for a goal race is the taper.  The hard work has been accomplished and all that remains is to rest and sharpen up. Confidently easing off the gas pedal and arriving prepared, yet rested at the starting line is a crucial component to racing success.  Here are a few things to consider when race day is in sight, but still a couple weeks away.

You don’t have to push hard all the way up to race day in order to preserve your hard-earned fitness.

Just as it is important to heed the scheduled call for recovery days in your regular training, the last 2-3 weeks of a half or full marathon training cycle is a singular opportunity to allow your body to be as rested as possible before going to the well on the big day.   While there have likely been times where you have had to push yourself to finish the last few miles of a long run or get out of bed when a hard session is on the schedule, enjoy the reduction of miles over these last couple weeks. Remind yourself that you have the physical ability to go farther and the mental confidence from those workouts that will carry you through on race day.

The last few weeks are a great opportunity to focus on healthy living as you prep for your race.

If it is difficult to keep your sleep habits as intended for months at a time. This is an opportunity to get maximum impact from a few weeks of slightly increased sleep.  Likewise, you can make a difference with a few weeks of healthier eating habits.

Many of us have too many obligations and commitments to live a daily life with the healthy habits we’d hope for, but ideally we can all get on board for a few weeks for the final push to race day.  Maximize the rest you are getting from shorter workouts with an extra half hour of sleep per night and increased hydration with healthy food choices.  This allows arrival on race day without the need to cram hydration and nutrition concerns into a short 1-2 day period.

Keep your body in the training rhythm to which you are accustomed.

Tapering doesn’t mean change everything. What it does allow you to do is keep your body and mind focused while requiring less strain and allowing for more recovery.  Your training schedule will follow a similar pattern with slightly easier tasks.   Continue to take your workouts as seriously and resist the urge to over schedule your life now that you may have a bit more time to play with than in the last few months.  For example, continue to allow time for the stretching you were so diligent about when the workouts were really tough, instead of dashing off to another engagement now that the workout wasn’t as taxing.

As your body will require less fueling to accomplish these workouts, the temptation may be to continue eating as though your long runs are still at maximum length.  Consider your current fuel needs and adjust accordingly to allow yourself to maintain the spring in your step you are trying to gain by backing off the volume.

Use the taper to make final race day plans

The taper is a great time to break in the fresh pair of shoes you plan to use on race day.  This will allow you to make sure you are past any risk of blisters or other problems, but won’t put that much wear on the shoes before you need them to really go to work.  Similarly, consider your race day attire, pre-race food consumption, and mid race fueling.  While your workouts are a bit easier, you can experiment a bit more to ensure every aspect of race weekend is practiced and proven.

Don’t worry if you feel “flat” during your taper

Feeling a bit sluggish even while you are doing easier workouts can be a function of many things, but is quite common with recreational or pro runners alike.  If you continue the good habits already implemented, you can expect to feel the results of that work ~ 25% into race day (be careful not to take off and drop the pace drastically when this rush hits). Yes, your body is used to a different level of activity and that may leave you feeling a bit off.  This is why it is important to maintain a similar training rhythm so you maintain familiarity and consistency. Once the gun goes off, your months of training won’t betray you! 

Updated by Cally Macumber

 

A Marathoner's Journey with Relentless Dedication and Inner Strength

Major milestone: New York City Marathon

What is the secret to your success?

Relentless dedication, patience, and planning.

What is the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals and how do you get over it?

Having enough time to train during the week due to long days at work. I overcame the frustration with meditations and simple short exercises like a 20min indoor ride or 10 min full body stretching.

What is the most rewarding part of training?

Discovering the inner strengths and potential. Learning to accept the setbacks. Overcoming self doubts when things seem too hard.

What advice would you give to other members of the Runcoach community?

Follow the plans on the calendar. Schedule your long runs and prepare well the night before. Trust the process and don’t give up even when you feel that you have not achieved all the goals in a week. You will come back stronger.

Anything else you would like to share?

Having a clear goal with recommendations for the training every week allowed me to get focused and achieve so much more than I thought. It’s very helpful to read daily tips from the coaches because some days, there was a line I needed to hear from someone else.