Can any of you that have run Boston with a Garmin compare your average pace per mile to your normalized graded pace in WKO+? I just want to know what I’m getting myself into. Thanks.
I’ve run Boston 4 times. All were pre Garmin and WKO, so I can’t give you NGP data, but I can tell you what you’ll hear from pretty much anyone that’s done the race: It’s a thinking man’s race.
The first 16 miles are pretty much downhill. It is very, very easy to get sucked into thinking that you are stronger than you actually are and running too fast, blowing out your quads in the process.
16-22 is “heartbreak hill” which is really a series of pretty mild hills, but where they are in the race means that if you didn’t pace your first 16 properly reality is going to catch up with you hard and fast.
22-finish is pretty flat, with lots of crowd support.
Be patient for the first 16. Run your goal pace, maybe a few seconds faster to take advantage of the terrain, but not too much. Give up a few seconds/mile on the hills, then leave everything you got left on the last 4 mi. of the course. That’s it.
Like I said, I have tried 4 times and have never been able to get it right. I go 20+ seconds/mi too hard for 16, then crash at the top of the hills, then walk for the last 3-4. Every damn time.
Do you think downhill running is helpful? Are the downhills uncomfortably steep or is it just the sum total? It is unusual for most runners to even split a marathon, but even more rare at Boston. I’m going to reread your post on April 18. After 4 you know what you’re doing.
There area few calculators out there that take the terrain into account and that allow you to input a time and get some mile splits adjust for the course. For example:
http://www.marathonguide.com/…_2009/Calculator.cfm
and
http://www.mymarathonpace.com/Running_Calculators.html
I have a few other links around here somewhere. Personally I don’t put too much stock into these calculators. Just beware the first half of Boston as bpq says. That’s the best advice anyone can really give you.
Most of the downhills will do nothing but give you free time at the expense of having hamburger for quads late in the race There are two, however that will probably be uncomfortable as you run them. At 15.5 miles when you descend into Newton Lower Falls, you hit a long, steep downhill that will be mostly braking. And right after Heartbreak hill, just past the 21 mile mark you hit a downhill that under normal circumstances would probably be helpful but, because you are so tired and beat up, will really do a number on you.
The first half mile is also a steep downhill but everything is so jam packed that you are usually forced to go a bit slower than you want anyway.
The thing about the first 5 miles is that, although they are downhill, you don’t really realize it. That’s where you do most of the damage to your quads. You generally start to pay for that damage around 16 miles onward
Same site as JoeO, but slightly different area just in case you don’t click around - Greg Maclin’s spreadsheet/pace band calculators (including one for Boston, of course) are ridiculously detailed:
I agree with the other poster and would add the following:
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Running hills to train for Boston is fine, but that’s only part of the deal. Running downhill for 11 miles and then hittnog a few mile sof hills at mile 18 of a run after is almost impossible.
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Pace for the first 7 miles is -10 seconds off race pace.
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Miles 7-16 are rolling and pace here for me is +/- 5 seconds
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The hills at Boston (There are 3 officially, 4 if you count the overpass) are relatively mild and wouldn’t be a big deal if they leveled off at the top. Rather, at the top they go straight back down, which mashes your legs evern more. You’ll most likely go over Heartbreak Hill and say “Is that it?” Pace for miles 17-22 is about +/- 10-12 seconds to pace.
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Miles 22 to the finish are flat, but crowded. If you can pick it up here, do so, but that’s a tall order as your legs feel like hammered ass
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The 1/3 mile run down Boylston Street is surreal, loud, and utterly amazing. Soak it in.
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If it is your first time, have fun with it.
Bob
+1 on what everyone said so far. Also, for me, the last 4 miles were tougher than expected because last year once you crested the last hill we were running into a 15-20 mph head wind (from what I can remember) off the ocean, which was cold. After working hard to get up the hills, which weren’t too bad, I was sweating pretty good, and a cold blast of wind made it hard to get motivated and made everything tighten up alot.
I’ve run over 20 marathons, and based on my experience, I believe the course is about 1 minute slower per hour run. For example, if you run 3 hours, it has about a 3 minute handicap. This is about 7 seconds per mile slower than a flat marathon. I’ve used this assumption to assess my fitness and run even splits at Boston, which are below. My first 5k at Boston is typically about 2:30 slower than my 5k race shape. I was in 16:20 5k shape when I ran 18:54 for my first 5k, and about 17 flat shape when I started at 19:28. Just a gauge, but it helped keep me honest and not get sucked out way too fast.
At Boston or any marathon, as the saying goes, "if you don’t feel like you’re running too slow in the first 10k, you’re running too fast". Good luck, hope this helps…
**Avg. Weekly Milieage *(last 12 weeks - excludes 3 week taper)*** **57** **59** **10 mile tune-up race or time trial 4-6 weeks prior to marathon** **55:59** **58:26** 5k 18:54 19:28 10k 18:34 19:51 15k 18:34 19:39 20k 18:46 19:41 1st Half 1:18:54 1:22:52 25k 18:49 19:37 30k 18:57 19:41 35k 19:01 19:44 40k 18:54 19:26 Finish 8:00 8:36 2nd Half 1:19:35 1:22:51 1st vs. 2nd half +0:39 -0:01 **Final Time** **2:38:29** **2:45:43**
Thanks for the information. Greg Maclin knows his way around a spreadsheet. Smarty, I just so happen to have registered yesterday for a 10 miler, just over 4 weeks before Patriot’s Day, so that will tell me where I’m at. I’m so close to 3:00:00 but won’t get hung up on it. I really enjoy marathon training reguardless. The whole family is going, running the 5K, kids love Expos.
I recommend running 5 seconds SLOWER the first 10 miles then build up through the next 12. You can easily go 30 sec under pace the last 4 if you do this. It will work.