I was asked to be the 7:15 guy for a half marathon…should be interesting. I think I am going to have a little meeting before letting them know I will do my best to keep it at that but dont look for exactness. Last thing I need is some type A nutjob in my ear saying things like “we were off by three seconds on that last mile”.
Unfortunately, you’re the 7:15 pacesetter, not the the 1:34:59 finisher.
A friend is a 3:10 full pacesetter and the past few years they’ve given him a Garmin to ward off the “Type A nutjobs” who live and die on their Boston slot via the pacesetter. So…at the start he says his pace will be even and he’s not to give official advice but always happy to chat and give tips. (His PR was 2:25 but that was 10 years ago)
Have fun…just set the ground rules at the start.
I’ve paced a few marathons and it’s really fun - I think it adds a little something extra to the event when you know you’re out there with a job to do, and not just racing for yourself. Never had anyone bust my chops for being +/- a couple seconds/mile - I hope everybody in your pace group realizes that you’re a human after all, and not a metronome. Have fun, and best of luck!
Mike
You know, I have always been amazed at this whole thing. You train for so long and hard, and you evidently have a goal that you desire so much as to need a specific pace. Why don’t people just set their own pace? Is it so hard to say, “I am running 8 min miles, that means at mile one, my watch should say 8min, mile two 16 mile three 24. . .” Why do they need to put the responsibility on someone with a balloon or flag?
That being said, I was running a mary a few years ago in CdA. I passed the pacesetter and his group for 3:20 I think at about mile 22. I noticed he was about 4 minutes too slow! and I could actuall look back and see the next pace setter. I thought about telling the group so that they had time to make any changes. I decided to mind my own business and didn’t want to make the pacesetter look bad. But really, I bet some of those people were pissed to find they were too slow at the finish. I bet they would blame the pacesetter, but really I think its their race. There is only one person that is ultimatly responsible for your pace and that is you.
But then again, it down right unAmerican to accept responsiblity for your own actions,
t
But then again, it down right unAmerican to accept responsiblity for your own actions,
t
You can’t really be serious with this comment, can you?
As for pace-setting, yes it’s possible that the pacers have a bad day and can’t get the job done. I’ve also seen pacers go out way too fast - that’s why I encourage everybody to mind their own splits and not just blindly follow the pacer. Most pacers are experienced runners who are running well within their abilities at their goal pace. If you’re chasing a goal, it’s nice to be able to rely on someone who knows the ropes. Not everyone has a great sense of pace, especially in longer races - and when it gets tough late in the marathon, it’s a good motivator to have people to keep you on track.
Since you seem to be quite knowledgeable about running, I’m surprised that you overlooked the fact that many of the big international marathons provide rabbits (e.g., pacesetters) for the leaders.
My SO and I have run the GEICO Pace Groups for the Baltimore Marathon for six years. Last year Bart Yasso of Runners World scoured the country looking at pace groups and called ours the best in the country because over the last six years 64 of 68 groups have hit our guaranteed +/- 1 minute of pace goal. Our motto is “Pari Passu,” which means “At an even pace.” I all of this to illustrate that I have some experience in this matter.
That said, I can tell you that if you are a pacer it is your #1 job to make sure you hold a steady pace for the entire race. Yes, the start will be slower for congestion and all, but you can’t go out and start running 7:00’s and 6:55’s when you feel like it and say “well, tough cookies I tried.” You are a resource to the runners and have to be selfless in this activity. There can be no ego involved. People train for weeks and months for a race and whether you think it is no big deal, it probably is to someone in your group.
In running other races I have seen a 3:40 pace group over 8 minutes ahead at the half-way point with the group blow to bits. I have also seen a 3:20 group 4 minutes behind after six miles and then struggle to catch up. A pacer is the pacesetter who drills the time as closely as possible.
If you don’t think you can run the race at 7:15 consistently (+ or - a few seconds here and there) then you should drop out. And, if you cannot handle people telling you that you are off or blowing the group up or too slow, or whatever, then you should drop out because that too will happen.
Sorry to get preachy, but Pace Groups are a big deal to me.
Bob
Pacesetting is a blast.
The real danger is that you’ll almost certainly go out too fast (not too slow). I am very good at gauging my running pace and I can still fall into the “too-fast” trap at races.
100% of the people running with you are grateful; a handful will be worried if they think you/they are falling behind pace. Some will have Garmins and every Garmin will read differently! Ha. I just reassure people with a simple, “We may have some miles that are slightly slow or slightly fast but I will get you to the finish in our goal time.”
Remember that some people will be hanging on to your group for dear life. A little cheering and emotional encouragement (especially as you pass mile markers) can go a long way.
I was as pace setter for a marathon in 2006. I used two watches. One regular stop watch and a Garmin 201. I used the Garmin Virtual Partner to keep me close to the pace and the watch as a back up. Worked well. Pace was 1 second faster than goal pace.
I have my Garmin ready to go…thanks for your responses
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I ran several miles w/the 3:10 group last weekend. They’d banked around 15 seconds early, and then were pretty much right at the 7:15/mile pace each mile.
I was curious, though, about this at the time - we went up a gradual but long hill, holding that pace, for miles 4-7 (it wasn’t uphill each step, but that’s the part that had a rise). I didn’t mind, as I live in a hilly neighborhood so I climb pretty well. When we started going down, though, they just stayed at 7:15. It was easier for me to just let gravity send me down the hill faster than that.
I was figuring they’d work out some way to wind up at 3:10, losing some time on the uphills, getting some back on the downhills, but apparently not.
-charles
What half are you going to pace?
Andrew,
Doing the Great Bay 1/2…you running it?
As far as setting the pace, there is no way I am going to slow down when going downhill. Its a hilly course but what we lose going up we will gain going down. Thats how you good runners run, correct? If they dont like it they can do what they want right LOL
My wife may run it this year. I ran it last year with some Achilles issues and paid the price on the hills. The only race before Alcatraz I’m planning is the Redhook 5K, a quick race then beer always sounds good to me. I’m not a speedster like you what wouldn’t mind seeing a 6:50-45 5k pace at the beginning of the season.