"Open" Marathon - Your Approach To Hills?

Triathlon Forum
1

What is your approach to moderate / significant hills (both in elevation and length) in an open marathon if you are trying to maintain a set pace?

Do you:

  1. Speed up while traversing the hill and slow down to recover once you reach the top
  2. Exert the required extra effort to maintain the same speed you are running the rest of the course at
  3. Slow down on hill to save energy and once you reach the top, speed up to make up for the time you lost during the climb
2

I slow down and try to maintain the same effort. What do you mean by having the word open in quotation marks?

3

I try for constant perceived exertion. Sometimes this means strategic uphill walking. I’m also not very fast. :wink:

4

I’m still a novice at this, but I’ve ran a few hilly multisport races and train in the hills daily as a result of geography. My only marathon is a 3:10.

My strategy has been to go by RPE up, get back to pace over, and aggressively coast down. Aggressively coasting means to enter the descent approaching goal pace and allow gravity to quicken the pace to just before where my form fails (slight forward lean, forefoot strike.)

It feels like you are free wheeling down the hill. If it’s too steep, form falls apart and I slow down a bit to avoid trauma. Until that point, I just mind my pace and avoid a deliberate toe off or acceleration.

If you aren’t recovered before you climb again, you screwed up somewhere.

Good luck, hope that helps!

5

I slow down and try to maintain the same effort. What do you mean by having the word open in quotation marks?

Open marathon is a stand-alone marathon.

6

Oh yeah duh. I sometimes forget that I am on a triathlon site

7

What is your approach to moderate / significant hills (both in elevation and length) in an open marathon if you are trying to maintain a set pace?

Do you:

  1. Speed up while traversing the hill and slow down to recover once you reach the top
  2. Exert the required extra effort to maintain the same speed you are running the rest of the course at
  3. Slow down on hill to save energy and once you reach the top, speed up to make up for the time you lost during the climb
8

This is still a good question.
Thrill seekers would view open marathons were the roads are open to traffic, not closed hence the extra challenge of not getting hit by a car, truck, bus.
Unless, each hit is “worth” X mins deducted from your final time. Obviously there would be different time award based on the size, speed, etc. of the vehicle. Of course you need to cross the finish line unassisted in order to have the finisher tshirt medal, cap, photo, etc…

Fred.

9

Don’t try and maintain the pace going up the hills. As was said before though try and maintain the effort.
I look at the course profile ahead of time and figure out those places where I can pick it up a bit safely and where I need to slow it down. If you have the course well thought out you won’t panic going up the hills and seeing your pace slowing down.

What is your approach to moderate / significant hills (both in elevation and length) in an open marathon if you are trying to maintain a set pace?

Do you:

  1. Speed up while traversing the hill and slow down to recover once you reach the top
  2. Exert the required extra effort to maintain the same speed you are running the rest of the course at
  3. Slow down on hill to save energy and once you reach the top, speed up to make up for the time you lost during the climb
10

What is your approach to moderate / significant hills (both in elevation and length) in an open marathon if you are trying to maintain a set pace?

Do you:

  1. Speed up while traversing the hill and slow down to recover once you reach the top
  2. Exert the required extra effort to maintain the same speed you are running the rest of the course at
  3. Slow down on hill to save energy and once you reach the top, speed up to make up for the time you lost during the climb
11

Maintain the same effort, which means you will slow down going up hills and pick it up going down hills.