advice on pace for my first marathon

booboo31

hi all,im running my first marathon in dublin in two weeks time.im in superb condition and as it is my first ive set what i feel is a decent time of 4hrs to finish the marathon.ive been training very hard since march,running on average 50-60 miles per week which would include 10,13,16,18 and five 20 mile plus runs since ive started.im now gone down to 10 kms winding down to the big day doing it every second day..ive achieved a half marathon in training in 1hr 40 mins and a twenty miler in 2hr 48 mins.my plan is to run at least five marathons next year but as this one is my first and i have no experience of the last 6 miles im wondering is my stategy of staying behind the 4hr pacemaker the best one...ps after my longest run i feel i could do it again the fiollowing day..100 percent injury free ,carrying no weight and generally feel i cant get any fitter...opinions and advise would be greatly appreciated...thank you for listening...:):)

Krusty_Clown

In theory, you should be targeting a time well below 4 hours, but it really depends on your training. If you have run your 20 mile runs in 2:48 (8:24/mile), you should probably run your race a little closer to that pace. Would you consider targeting 3:45 and following the pacers? You would still have a nice little cushion from your training pace, so it should be well manageable. With 5 x 20 milers under the belt, your endurance should be pretty good. It does sound a little like your training plan might be something you came up with yourself? If you find a well-structured plan, you should see pretty respectable improvements.

By the way, nothing wrong with doing a 13-15 mile long run this weekend. Taper is a gradual process, where total mileage decreases, while quality of your running should continue. If you have shortened your long run to 10k too, then you will likely be going a little too easy on the long run mileage.

booboo31

thanx krusty for your reply.you are right in my training methods,im a total newcomer to this type of running and had no strategy in training,im running since march and only last week i decided to put a plan together for the marathon.the 2 hrs 48 mins 20 miler was ran yesterday morning so the 10 km tapering off is starting tomorrow.i found that run yesterday tough in stages but i assume it wouldnt be human not to feel a 20 mile run at some stageive taken those steps based on time tables i read leading up to the marathons.would you agree considering its my first marathon to sit tight behind the 4 hr pacesetters until after the twenty miles and then assess things...also i would like you to tell me about the last 6 miles as i hevent any experience of that.two times have ran 22 miles but it was earlier in my training regime,i suffered but i feel fitter now....thanx for valuable advice,very much respected and appreciated...

Gavlor

By the sound of it you are using this marathon as a bit of a tester for your 5 planned for next year. With that in mind I would recommend going with the 4hr pacers and soak up the experience. It will also give you great confidence for next year if you finish the 26.2 comfortably. The only tip I'll give about the last 6 miles is that if you think you are going to hit the wall, then you will, guaranteed. Stay positive over the next two weeks and convince yourself that you will finish comfortably and you'll have no problems

booboo31

thanx gavlor.you see i gives everything in training especially the last 3 or 4 miles therefore especially after the long runs[20 miles] i say to myself there is no way i could carry on for another 6 but i obviously have my mindset guaged on the 20 miles so im not to concerned about that.i do know that i have more than enough training done and im in top shape but my lack of experience and sticking to my game plan concerns me a bit.im not stupid enough though to jump the gun early,i know if i stay behind the pacers till late in the race i can push on towards the end.i must stay patient during the early stages.this is the key i feel...

Krusty_Clown

Hi Booboo, were I in your shoes, I would stay behind the 3:45 pacers, or you risk selling yourself short. But it's your first marathon, and it's important to get it right and have a great experience, so if you have doubts, then stick with the four hour pacers. The pace of your long run yesterday was 8:24/mile. The pacers for sub-4 will be running at: 9:10/mile. That's quite a discrepancy. Your long run pace is not supposed to be faster than your actual goal pace, so this suggests that your marathon goal is slow for your current level of fitness.

If you pace the first 20 miles correctly, then you should still feel good at the 20 mile point. Yes, the remaining miles will feel harder than the first 20 miles, but the race environment, atmosphere, other runners, pacers and sense of achievement will help carry you over the remaining distance.

Taper is an important part of your race preparation. I'd take a look at a plan like this, and borrow the structure for your remaining two weeks. A 20 mile run two weeks out from your goal race is quite long, for someone heading into their first marathon.

booboo31

can u give my a time table yourself krusty for the next two weeks..?..im a bit confused on what to do at this stage...thanx

Krusty_Clown

booboo31 wrote: »

can u give my a time table yourself krusty for the next two weeks..?..im a bit confused on what to do at this stage...thanx

This one should suit you. Click *HERE*.

booboo31

thanx krusty,i saw that on your earlier post actually..god that is very comfortable for the last two weeks,i wudnt even be breaking sweat during that but i suppose its all about reserving energy and staying fresh at this stage....wud 10kms every second day this week coming with a rest day in between be to much for this week...?

Krusty_Clown

booboo31 wrote: »

thanx krusty,i saw that on your earlier post actually..god that is very comfortable for the last two weeks,i wudnt even be breaking sweat during that but i suppose its all about reserving energy and staying fresh at this stage....wud 10kms every second day this week coming with a rest day in between be to much for this week...?

Yeah, based on your weekly mileage, it should be fine. Run one of your 10ks fast, and the other slow. Reduce the mileage a little for the final week.

booboo31

thanx man...much appreciated:)

Muppet Man

Hi Booboo - good luck in your first marathon friend, sounds like youre in fantastic condition - there's no better feeling, right?. No matter how strong you feel on the day, my only advice for you would be to not go out too quick due to nerves or following other runners who are either as nervous, or genuinely faster runners. Running steady even splits is the key.

Remember, its your first marathon - so you are guaranteed a personal best and when you cross the finish line you need to be of the attitude "when is the next one..." and not "never again....". You'll get that "Never again...." feeling if your pace is too fast and you die at 23 miles with a run/walk for last 3 miles.

So basically run comfortable splits, enjoy the day and come home with a PB thinking "When is the next one....". My advice would be to go with the 4:00 pacers. If youre feeling superman strong at 22 or 23 miles, maybe up your pace a little...

See ya at the start line.
Muppet Man.

booboo31

thanx muppet man..im taking all advice on board and everyone insists the suffering in marathons is caused by the early stages.i feel if i stay behind the pacemakers i cant go wrong.this is the plan and i hope im intelligent enough to stick to it...my next marathon is the clonakilty waterfront on december the 8th which is fairly hilly so i want a good cv from this one...thanx man

Muppet Man

clonakilty waterfront...

- did it last year... real tough... the hill at 18 miles is depressing Its not a PB course to be honest. But good luck with it

booboo31

ive heard about it muppet man...im not even bringing a watch to that one...finishing it is the name of the game there and use the experience for connemara in april....what time would you put down as a comfortable enough target in that one if your running dublin in approx 4 hrs...?

Muppet Man

There is a separate thread on the connemara marathon where that was mentioned actually. It will differ for everyone, but I'd say 10 to 15 minutes on top of the dublin time... unless you absolutely love hills.... I ended up walking at Connemara twice, but I probably wasnt ready enough, so dont let that put yoy off. In fact, what isnt mentioned about Connemara is that some of the downhills are quite steep and hard to run down without slowing down/losing pace/putting the brakes on.

booboo31

im going to train reasably handy in the six weeks after dublin and just complete the clonakilty one.i will run that marathon at a comfortable pace.i have no training done on hills to be honest but its like anything really.respect the mileage with the training done and you should be ok.i dont fear it,i look forward to the challenge.i think i need to put it to the back of my mind though and concentrate on the big one first,my first one in dublin in two weeks time...how about u muppet man..?..what kind of training and times are u achieving...?

Muppet Man

Well, I ran Longford marathon 2 months back in 3:52 (no pacers), and Athlone 3/4 marathon two weeks back in 2:46 (and felt very comfortable at the end), so I'll be running with 3:45 pacers in Dub.

I too feel strong at the moment, and my training pace would hint at a quicker pace than 3:45 for the marathon, but I'm not buying into the "I'm invincible right now" feeling as I've had too many blow outs at 21 miles due to awful pacing (none) .

Cheers
Muppet Man.