Figuring out Marathon Pace from a Treadmill

ayeboy

Hi,


I'm looking advice on marathon pacing. I'm training for the Donegal Marathon in August. However, I live in Dubai so all my training is on a treadmill. Its impossible to train outdoors in this heat (+40 degrees). Ive searched other threads and seen arguments for and mostly against training on a treadmill but I’ve no other choice.


Its my first marathon. Previous running experience has been the northwest 10k race, 3 times. On those occasions I just ran flat out..no watch involved.


So now I have completed 6 and half weeks of the Runners World 1st time marathon training guide. I only started training on week 5 so missed the first month. But so far so good...its going great. For my longest runs ive done 10/18/20/16/18 miles with another 20/18/20 to come in the next 3 weekends.


Ive been doing them at roughly 9.2 minutes per mile at 1.5 gradient and sporadically increasing gradient to say 2 or 3 for 300-400 metres (approx every 3 or so kilomteres).


Had one day where i felt wrecked after run but most have been good and last weekends 18 miler went really good.


So my issue is really how to know how to pace for the real thing. I am worried that it will be much harder on the road than the treadmill. Probably a vague question but has anyone advice on how I should go about picking a pace time?



Thanks

Krusty_Clown

Firstly, fair play to you. That is some dedication. All of the treadmill discussions are based on the premise that 'one' has a choice between road and treadmill, and in your case, you clearly do not have that choice. Out of curiosity, is the treadmill located in a well air-conditioned/cool area? Just thinking that you may find that any difficulties associated with running on the road instead of the treadmill may be offset by the cooler temperatures and cooling from the breeze/wind resistance.

Some things you should be aware of:
1) The treadmill provides a soft/yielding surface - so unless you can get some road-work done before the race, you may find that there is significantly more wear and tear on the day of the race (think: joints/muscles/knees).
2) While you have the gradient set to 1.5, this is just supposed to equalize the added difficulty of road running. What it wont prepare you for is the undulating elevation profile (and hills) of Donegal. If you wont get a chance to vary the terrain, you would be wise to include some random hills in the treadmill's programming, if it supports that facility.
3) It will be very difficult to correctly extrapolate a suitable marathon pace, as there as so many variables beyond just the speed of the treadmill.

Assuming that 9.2 minutes per mile represents an 'easy long run pace' and that you aren't completely wiped out afterwards, it's safe to assume that your race pace is going to be this pace or faster. Given that it is your first marathon, and you have all of these additional variables, a conservative approach is probably warranted. Would you consider starting the race at 9.2 minutes per mile, and re-adjusting the pace as the race progresses, based on how you are feeling, or do you feel that a 4 hour marathon would be under-selling yourself? What were your 10k times?

ayeboy

Hi Krusty,

Thanks for the feedback. The treadmill is in a slightly air conditioned room but still warmer than it would be at home. Whenever I'd run outdoors at home...i'd hardly sweat at all (my face just turns bright red) but on the treadmill I really sweat.

I'm also using the mid-week runs as hill practice --- loads of increases in gradient. That's another thing I was wondering about...will running downhill cause problems also?

I've read places as well saying don't worry about times and to just enjoy the 1st marathon. However I think I would be disappointed if I did a + 4 hour marathon as after my long runs I feel i'd have more in the tank. My 10k times were between 42-44 mins.

So yeah, thanks for reply...I just wasnt sure if treadmill running could compare accurately with the road but I guess I'll just go for the sub 4 hour pace then and see how it goes.

Gringo78

Do you have access to a Heart Rate monitor? If so you can do a 'calibration' run. Do a run on the treadmill where you build up to marathon pace for 10min, hold it steady then for 30min and then cool down. Another day then get out on the road, in as cool conditions as you can (prob best you can do is darkness even though it'll be still hot, the absence of the direct sun is a big difference). Follow the same heart rate profile as on the treadmill and see how the pace compares.

Krusty_Clown

Practising the down-hills is just as important as the uphills as you need to get your quads used to the impact of the downhills. It's challenging to do on a treadmill, though, particularly if it doesn't offer negative inclines. Not sure if this option is available for you?

Could you get out for some runs in the middle of the night?

ayeboy

Loving the idea of the board under the treadmill. Simple but great. Ill see if I can get away with that.

I know it would be much easier running in the dark but, for example, the lowest temperature forecast for tonight (4am) is 35 degrees. So I dont know how the calibration run would work out.

Also, the terrain here is just flat....no hills at all so I wouldn't be getting any benefit there either.

I get back just 2 days before the race so its looking like the treadmill will have to do.

Cheers for the pointers!

Rubashov

Hi Ayeboy

When I first started running (I was training for a Half marathon) I did 99% of my runs on a treadmill. I found that when I got to do the actual Half, running on the road was pretty much exactly the same. It didn't feel any more difficult or easier. The only thing I would say was that my legs did take slightly longer to recover after running on the road but the run itself was fine.

ayeboy

That's good to hear Rubashov. Not too much bothered about the pain afterwards, just getting the timing right. Saying that, I have a wedding the next day so probably wont be ripping the dance floor.