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by Coach Patrick McCrann

The marathon is a long day. Some people refer to it as a “long catered run” while others are ready to set a new personal best. An effective pacing plan will get you to the latter part of the marathon to test yourself whereas a poor plan will only leave you with a lot of questions (and plenty of time to think about them).

Marathon starts are generally pretty crowded. Start heading down to the starting line about 30 minutes before race time. It’s at this time – once you have dropped your clothes bag off to race organizers or your support crew – to go pee for the last time and do a little warm up. Depending on your goals, your warm up will vary in length and intensity:

Regardless of your warm up effort, be sure to stretch once you hit the starting line.  Even just bouncing up on your tiptoes will keep you loose and a bit warm.

Once the gun goes off, work quickly to get into a good rhythm. Do not be one of those crazy people weaving in and out of the crowd trying desperately to get on pace. That’s a great way to twist an ankle and waste a great deal of precious energy you’ll need at the end of your day. If you aren’t relaxed and smooth, then you are going too hard!

I generally counsel athletes to figure on starting 30 seconds slower than the average pace they’d need to finish “on time”, and then taking 10 seconds off – per mile – until they are just below that mark. So for someone looking to run a 3:30 (approximately 8 minute per mile pace), I advise the following:

Mile Six to Mile Twenty – Steady Pacing

This portion of the marathon constitutes the bulk of your day. It is the longest leg and the most invigorating/challenging. Focus in on your race, ride your pace and ignore the other athletes riding around you. Your goal is to maintain a pace just under the average split of your time goal. Veer from this conservative race plan and you can essentially kiss your race plan goodbye! Most folks feel pretty good at the halfway point only to have their hopes dashed by mile twenty.

Things should be much calmer at the six-mile point.  You have found your “pack” for the day and you will stick with most of these runners.  Keep the nutrition plan on target (yes, this is most important) – especially through the aid stations – as you prepare for the final six-mile push.

Mile Twenty to Finish - Bringing It Home

Make no mistake about it – you are working here. Even though the majority of your work is behind you, you still have to face the true challenge.  Your pace is moderate-hard (you might not be going any faster, just working harder to maintain the same pace) and you should be making a move on most of the field if you have paced yourself accordingly. 

You are entering The Zone here. People you might have waved to before only get a ‘thumbs up’ or a nod, if that.  Your body is on autopilot and you are on a mission to get to the finish line. Continue your nutrition. Focus on maintaining good form and your pace.  You are moving aid station to aid station, preparing for that final run down the finishing chute!

Pace yourself well and you will be able to race your day. No Pace = No Race. Remember how you have trained for the last few months, for that is how you will race (no new tricks on race day!).  And most important of all: Remember to be thankful that you can do this race in the first place!

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