Running Paris Marathon on April 5 and shooting to go under 3:10 (and maybe qualify to run Boston next year) basing goal time on a 1:27 half marathon done on similar terrain (flat) two weeks ago at full out pace (My quads are still recovering, actually).
My question is how to pace the early kilometers. I am thinking I shoot to go 1:32 for first 21K/13.1 miles, holding back early (4:50/4:40/4:30/4:20/4:20) pace for first 5K then try to hold a 4:20 through 21k/13.1 miles (1:32) then try to hold 4:30 pace through 32-34K / 20-21 miles, then do my best to hold on from there as close to 4:30 kilometer pace as possible. For the recent half I went out too fast (4:00 kilometers through first 5k) and paid dearly for it pain-wise over the last 8K.
I have done 5 IMs (best run was last one = 3:50) but have never run a stand alone marathon with the goal of running it as fast as I can so I basically don’t know what I am doing and any thoughts/insights would be much appreciated!
This site will give you a few options as far as run splits. Good luck! I hope you BQ!
Note: I am not sure if the Paris race will have Mile markers or KM markers or both. Worth checking so you dont trip up on race day.
is the science of sport article he is referring to.
Id be inclined to do a steady pace the whole way, keep in mind if you are using GPS you need to go a couple seconds faster since the actual distance you travel will be a bit more than 26.2
My observation is that most people are woefully undertrained to race a marathon and thus, they are overly optimistic about how fast they can run. If you ran a 1:27 for a half and run at least 50 miles per week then 3:10 is probably a reasonable goal. If you run in the 40-50 mpw range then it might be a tough go for you. If you run less than 40 per week you might want to start very conservatively. If you really want to qualify for Boston then I would just start out rolling 7 minute miles and hold on as long as you can. Very few people can really negative split a race so you should just assume you are going to have some slowdown over the last 8-10 miles and starting at 7 min miles give you a 7 minute cushion to 3:10. Of course, if that pace is really beyond you then you will be doing a lot of walking in the last few miles after you explode.
The problem with running a great marathon is that if your pace doesn’t get you to 26 miles then you really pay for it. Running 20 miles at 6:05 pace is not a good idea if you then run your last 10K at 7 min miles (my first marathon) and stagger to the finish.
My last marathon was my best ever pacing job, especially because I recognized that I wasn’t on a great day around mile 15. It was disappointing, but I managed my energy and made it to the line with the minimum of slowdown.
Have fun. I’ve been trying to get back to France for 14 years since my last trip, but it just never works out.
Chad
I ran this one last year, PRed there too (2h50mn++), so it’s not a slow course.
Even if you don’t like it, you WILL have to go slow at the start, because of the sheer number of runners and the chaotic chorals. Unless you get there very early, be prepared to start way back. You will be stuck in traffic, and it will start clearing up at the bottom of the avenue des champs elysees. Don’t worry, there is plenty of space to even split the course, that what I would aim for. Be ready for the rollers on the quais along the Seine, they come way past the half point (probably 18-20 miles in?) and if you are already fighting there you will hurt and possibly ruin your race. Once you are past those, forget any prudence and go for it if you can. SInce it is your first open, I would not get stubborn on splits and reevaluate your situation every 3-6 miles.
I thought I will point one thing out: last year there was no Gatorade or any kind of sport drink at the stations. Plenty of solid food (banana, packs of dry food…), bottle of water and cubes of sugar. I was pretty bummed and ended up mixing 2-3 sugar in a small bottle, it worked pretty well.
The only times I’ve ever run well in a marathon were when I did not care about the first couple of miles. Mostly it was because I thought I was in worse shape than I actually was. So for the first couple of miles, I concentrated on nothing but relaxing and running with as little effort as possible. Each time in those early miles, as people were flying by me, I thought that my mile splits would be horrendous. Instead none of them was ever more than 20 seconds per mile over my goal pace. By mile 3 or 4 I naturally was up to goal pace and completely relaxed, having lost maybe 30 - 35 seconds total off my goal time.
It paid off when I hit the wall 5 to 7 miles later than normal and thus saved many, many minutes off my normal approach.