Marathon Pace

Quoted message said:

I have a target time for my second marathon at NYC, for 3:20. I have
done one marathon before, in Chicago, at a 3:30 time. In my first
marathon I started off very fast (for me), and finished very slow. I
was wondering if most participants have a similar experience, and what
kind of downward curve in pace is typical for most runners?

The plan for NYC is for the first six miles at a 7:25 pace, the next
six at 7:30s, then 7:45s for the rest of the race. I'm alloting two 30
seconds and two 15 second stops for water. Does this sound realistic?

Thanks.

It's not uncommon for runners to slow down during the last miles of a
marathon from fatigue, however that should not be your goal. Most
runners do their fastest marathons by running even splits throughout the
whole race. If you start too fast, you'll almost guarantee that you
will be dragging the last few miles.

I would advise against running the first 6 miles at the fastest pace.
You'll do much better running at a steady pace for as long as you can
maintain it. If your goal is a 3:20 marathon, I would recommend running
the first 20 miles at a slightly faster pace, say around 3:17 to 3:18
pace. That will give you a 2-3 minute cushion going into the last 6
miles. Then just try to hold pace for as long as you can during the
last miles of the race.

Good luck!

Quoted message said:

I have a target time for my second marathon at NYC, for 3:20. I have
done one marathon before, in Chicago, at a 3:30 time. In my first
marathon I started off very fast (for me), and finished very slow. I
was wondering if most participants have a similar experience, and what
kind of downward curve in pace is typical for most runners?

I had that experience of really d r a g g i n g the last five or so
miles of my one and only marathon (3:31, Charlotte). At the time, I
thought (based on previous experience) that drinking anything but water
would give me an upset stomach. I found out different later--I
experience a definite boost when I drink gatorade (etc.) during my one
hour runs now. Psychological or real? I dunno, but wish I could give
the marathon another try. (I don't have the time for the amount of
training it would take now.)

At any rate, you might ask yourself whether your slowing down was due to
running out of sugar reserves...

Mike McSwell

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Maxwell said:

I had that experience of really d r a g g i n g the last five or so
miles of my one and only marathon (3:31, Charlotte). At the time, I
thought (based on previous experience) that drinking anything but water
would give me an upset stomach. I found out different later--I
experience a definite boost when I drink gatorade (etc.) during my one
hour runs now. Psychological or real? I dunno, but wish I could give
the marathon another try. (I don't have the time for the amount of
training it would take now.)

At any rate, you might ask yourself whether your slowing down was due to
running out of sugar reserves...

I swear by gels. I can take in a lot of calories during a long race,
between gels and sports drink.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a target time for my second marathon at NYC, for 3:20. I have
done one marathon before, in Chicago, at a 3:30 time. In my first
marathon I started off very fast (for me), and finished very slow. I
was wondering if most participants have a similar experience, and what
kind of downward curve in pace is typical for most runners?

The plan for NYC is for the first six miles at a 7:25 pace, the next
six at 7:30s, then 7:45s for the rest of the race. I'm alloting two 30
seconds and two 15 second stops for water. Does this sound realistic?

Thanks.

Whilst it's true that most runners experience some type of downward curve as
you describe,
that doesn't mean that you should aim to run it that way.
Of course, you can never know exactly what pace you should be running.
There are several factors that you should consider.
(1) If you've run a recent 10K or 1/2 Marathon, *and* you've completed a
decent marathon
training program, then you can plug your race time into 1 of the formulas
(eg McMillan) and get a good idea.
(2) Weather. You should add a few minutes on a warm day. Wind - Headwinds
and tailwinds.
(3) The race course. Uphills, downhills. How flat is the course?

My best feeling in a marathon was when I ran a "negative split". I always
*plan* on running negaative splits,
although it doesn't always work out. :-)

If I were in your position and felt I had a realistic shot at 3:20 given
all the conditions I listed above,
I would go for:
7:50 1st 2 miles
7:45 3-6
7:40 7-12
7:35 13-18
7:30 19-end

Even if you ignore this advice and go for the "Time in the bank" method,
I would strongly advise against going out fast, and at least run the 1st 2-3
miles
at a slower pace.

Good luck!

Anthony.