Posted: May 20, 2006

Athletics: Final Race Prep - Race Strategy

You should have this one already sewn up, but for those of you who do not here is my best recommendation. Research your times for the last MGP runs & races & get back onto to the McMillan site again if you need reassurance. Remember the Essay "How To Determine Pace." It can really help determine pace. Be sure to find what that time averages in minutes & seconds per mile. Make yourself a pace band.

You need to develop a race strategy that takes into consideration your marathon goal pace. I work with many beginner marathoners who begin the training season believing that they only want to cross the finish line & that time is unimportant. It may be true that at the end of the marathon they do not really care what their time may be but if they run the race (& the 30K & half marathon before the marathon) at a pace that is faster than they are able to maintain then their first marathon experience can be an unnecessarily painful one.

All runners need to have a marathon goal pace plan. The reason for this is that in the thrill of the moment, just after the race starts, as the adrenaline is pumping, you will, almost assuredly, begin running too fast. The marathon is a brutal race & one that rewards the patient & punishes the impulsive. To ensure you do not count yourself among the latter you need to set a marathon goal pace (MGP) goal.

This goal should have been practiced in training, as for many folks MGP feels counter-intuitive & sluggishly slow. The only way to feel comfortable at this pace is to practice it repeatedly. The 30K is the perfect opportunity to really test this pace under race-like circumstances. To fail to do this is to enter the Freescale Marathon ill-prepared for the experience.

There are different philosophies about whether it is better to run exactly MGP from start to finish or if one should “bank time” by running a little bit faster or to try to start slowly & negative split the marathon. Any advice given here is dependent upon where your MGP is in terms of your actual fitness, but by going through the exercise of setting up three goals you should be prepared for any scenario. It is my belief that the most effective method of running the marathon is to run as even splits as possible. I advise all my runners to run right on the numbers they have for their realistic goal. Any deviation will be paid for in a proportion of 1 to 4. For example, if a runner decides she feels great at 10 miles after running her MGP & begins to pick the pace up by 15 seconds per mile for 8 miles, I predict that she will slow around 8 minutes from mile 18-26. This may sound extreme, but I have seen it played out time & time again. Be patient & you will be rewarded with an even-paced race that will not be overly painful.

The advice that follows is general advice that may need tweaking based upon your training, your past marathoning experiences & your strengths & weakness.

Set 3 Goals: You will want to set three goals for your race: a dream goal, realistic goal & a minimum goal. The dream goal is a time that is within the realm of possibility but everything would need to come together perfectly for you to accomplish. Place a pace band for this time on the same wrist that you have your watch on. You can switch over to that pace band it if that scenario begins to become realistic in the race but you should not develop your game plan around this time. The realistic goal is the time you have been training at in your MGP runs. It is what you are have planned & prepared for this summer. Place a pace band with these times on the wrist opposite your watch. This is the time that your race strategy is based around & therefore it needs to be easy to refer to. The minimum goal is the time that you would be very disappointed if you did not accomplish. We make up a pace band for this time as well & it will not be consulted unless in the case of a horrible race or extreme race conditions.

Know Your Course & Crowds: You must know what to expect on the course to plan out your strategy. Each course has different elevations, different challenges & different surfaces. Our course we have trained for By knowing what to expect you can begin to devise the perfect plan to meet your goal. Recognize that most folks running their marathon are just putting one foot in front of the other. By having a sound race plan you will be ahead of them before the gun even goes off.

Start Slow, Finish Strong: You survived the hills, the heat,the courses & the distance & are therefore extremely well-prepared for your marathon. The only way that you will not accomplish your goal is if you do not set yourself up to succeed in the first 10 miles. It is absolutely essential that you not go out too fast in the first half of the race. Unless you have a very unusual course, I recommend that you plan on running the first 10 miles 5 seconds per mile slower than MGP. Believe me, this will be easy to say & hard to do. The excitement & crowds are very hard to resist, but you must if you want to be successful. If you are running a race where they have designated starting positions based upon goal pace, be sure to recognize that not everyone places themselves in the correct position. So don’t trust your fellow runner. Do not trust any designated pacers. I have seen these folks vary their pace up to 15-20 sec. per mile & that would be suicide if you are trying to meet your goals. Don’t trust your internal pace calculator. It will almost assuredly be off. Trust your watch & your pace band. They are not subjective.

After 10 miles you should lock into MGP, you should expect to be around a minute behind your projected time, but feeling awesome. DO NOT GO FASTER THAN MGP BETWEEN HERE & 18 MILES! Stay on pace & you will feel better & better each mile. This is where most goals are won or lost…being 5 seconds too fast is OK but 7-10 is not. Slow down & get back on pace. After mile 18 you should take a full mental & physical assessment. Ask yourself: Can I pick the pace up or am I just holding pace to the finish? If you feel like you can pick up the pace only increase the pace by 5 seconds per mile. Do not make too big a jump or you will pay for it. Be conservative. From this point on it is all about focus. At 22 miles you will probably not be able increase your speed. Just relax tour face, neck, shoulders & arms. Take a deep breath & steel your mind. As your body falters, it is essential to have your mental outlook positive & strong. Keep your form, remember all the hard work you have done & stay relaxed in your upper body as you find the finish line.

One final recommendation I can make is to carry a handkerchief or rag or even just use your race shirt to clean your face off as you run the last mile & into the finish area. Grab a cup of water, dip your shirt, etc. into the water & clean your face off. You will probably want the photo of yourself crossing the finish line; clean yourself up a bit before you cross. I guarantee you will appreciate the results.

From: Rogue Running.
The Rogue Mission
To create an authentic community of athletes discovering running as a path to physical, mental & spiritual potential.

Comment on this story.

Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest