What pace should I shoot for my Marathon?

[mrshandy]

I know, I know. For my first marathon I should just be shooting to finish. But I'm trying to think of my pace runs.

I ran 1:53:36 half marathon (8:40) back in March and since then I've been doing some speed work. That's been going well. I haven't done any races since then except for a 10-miler than I ran at DH's pace. My long runs have ranged from 6-8 miles.

Maybe I can shoot for 8:30 miles? It's the Marine Corps Marathon if that matters and I will be starting training in a few weeks.

Other races include a 24:16 5K in February and 53:16 10K in December 2011.

[grk2012]

My two best half times are 1:51 (April '12) and 1:53 (July '11). My PR marathon is 3:56 and my most recent was 4:11. I say go out comfortably for the first half--like 9s--and pick it up for the second half if you're feeling it. They really are a different beast entirely from any other race. See how your training progresses and what you're running longs at the month or two prior. A decent estimation for the finishing time of which you're capable is to add 1hr to your 20-mile time.

[al320]

we're about the same pace, almost. my fastest, and very recent, half was 1:48 something or other (8:17 pace). (my fastest 5k - i havent done that distance in a while, was 24:39, and my fastest 10k, from a few weeks ago, was 49:32 or something).

my first marathon i was able to maintain about 9:00 miles for the first 15 miles, i slowed down to about 9:15-25 for the next 7 miles, and then mh had to walk for a while, which killed the whole thing lol (i came in at 4:25).

so for my next marathon, which im running alone, im shooting for a conservative 4:10, and if i feel good, i might try to break 4. we shall see. really, it'll depend on how my long runs go during training.

[grk2012]

(P.S. we're loving the stroller, thanks! See you tomorrow.)

[mrshandy]

Jun 14, 2012 14:54:46 GMT -5 grk2012 said:

(P.S. we're loving the stroller, thanks! See you tomorrow.)

Great! Should we meet at the same time?

[gt7301b]

Have you looked at what McMillian says? I know it doesn't factor in your speedwork, but I find the calc to be right on.

You are doing MCM, right? Just hope it doesn't snow this year

[grk2012]

Jun 14, 2012 15:12:02 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Jun 14, 2012 14:54:46 GMT -5 grk2012 said:

(P.S. we're loving the stroller, thanks! See you tomorrow.)

Great! Should we meet at the same time?

I forget when it was... 8? Say the word and I'll meet whenever.

[clseale]

Even with speed work, there is no way I'd pace your marathon lower than your half. Especially for your first. I'd look at McMillian and use that as a starting point for your goal for your training. If training goes really well, you can always readjust. Similar to that, if race day is going well, you can always readjust. Your first full is so much more than just a battle of the miles. I would start with your half pace as a starting point to calculate predicted marathon pace, continue the speedwork, and reassess as you go along.

[gumi]

Jun 14, 2012 14:47:46 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

I know, I know. For my first marathon I should just be shooting to finish. But I'm trying to think of my pace runs.

I ran 1:53:36 half marathon (8:40) back in March and since then I've been doing some speed work. That's been going well. I haven't done any races since then except for a 10-miler than I ran at DH's pace. My long runs have ranged from 6-8 miles.

Maybe I can shoot for 8:30 miles? It's the Marine Corps Marathon if that matters and I will be starting training in a few weeks.

Other races include a 24:16 5K in February and 53:16 10K in December 2011.

I put 1:50 as your half time (3.5 minutes is a pretty good improvement) and McMillian says you will run a 3:51 marathon (8:52 pace). He also thinks you would run about a 23:48 5K (7:40 pace)...does that sound like what you would aim for?

8:30 is really fast compared to 8:52. I would do the first half in 8:52 and then if you feel good, you can pick it up a little each mile or so.

[joenali]

Train to meet your goal pace. You can't reach your goal if you train slow. KWIM??

[clseale]

Jun 14, 2012 16:08:23 GMT -5 gumi said:

Jun 14, 2012 14:47:46 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

I know, I know. For my first marathon I should just be shooting to finish. But I'm trying to think of my pace runs.

I ran 1:53:36 half marathon (8:40) back in March and since then I've been doing some speed work. That's been going well. I haven't done any races since then except for a 10-miler than I ran at DH's pace. My long runs have ranged from 6-8 miles.

Maybe I can shoot for 8:30 miles? It's the Marine Corps Marathon if that matters and I will be starting training in a few weeks.

Other races include a 24:16 5K in February and 53:16 10K in December 2011.

I put 1:50 as your half time (3.5 minutes is a pretty good improvement) and McMillian says you will run a 3:51 marathon (8:52 pace). He also thinks you would run about a 23:48 5K (7:40 pace)...does that sound like what you would aim for?

8:30 is really fast compared to 8:52. I would do the first half in 8:52 and then if you feel good, you can pick it up a little each mile or so.

This sounds like a strong, yet possibly attainable goal. I get what Joenali is saying, but you need to figure out what a realistic goal pace is. Gumi broke it down nicely & like she said, if you're still feeling really strong in the 2nd half, pick up the pace.

[psyri]

A general rule of thumb is half marathon time X2 plus 30 minutes. That was within 5 minutes of my first marathon time (5 minutes over BTW). The MacMillian calculator is helpful, too.

Marathons are completely different beasts than half marathons. Better to play it conservative for a first marathon than push it in my book. But you will have a better idea of pacing by the time you reach taper. Use your long run paces to get a sense of how fast you could run in a marathon.

[mrshandy]

Thanks so much for the advice. This is very helpful!

8:30 is a little too ambitious. I realize that now.

[Wines Not Whines]

Jun 14, 2012 21:26:42 GMT -5 psyri said:

A general rule of thumb is half marathon time X2 plus 30 minutes. That was within 5 minutes of my first marathon time (5 minutes over BTW). The MacMillian calculator is helpful, too.

This was true for me, too. I think my marathon pace was about 1 min/mile slower than my half marathon pace.

Are you planning to run another half as part of your marathon training? That might give you a good idea of where you stand now, if you think you've gotten faster than your previous half.

[mrshandy]

Jun 15, 2012 9:42:11 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Jun 14, 2012 21:26:42 GMT -5 psyri said:

A general rule of thumb is half marathon time X2 plus 30 minutes. That was within 5 minutes of my first marathon time (5 minutes over BTW). The MacMillian calculator is helpful, too.

This was true for me, too. I think my marathon pace was about 1 min/mile slower than my half marathon pace.

Are you planning to run another half as part of your marathon training? That might give you a good idea of where you stand now, if you think you've gotten faster than your previous half.

Yeah I'm running a half in VA Beach over Labor Day. I'm hoping to improve on my time. I felt like I could have done better than my time. Plus there won't be any hills! The heat is the variable though. It could go either way, but the race starts at 7AM so that's good.

[ebeth]

I agree that 2 x HM + 30 is a good estimator for the first, which would put you at just about 4 hours. which is like 9:07 pace or something.

I also agree that you should train for your A goal BUT your A goal has got to be realistic and I don't think 8:30 is realistic right now for you. and you kinda need to race more to figure out what is realistic. If you run another half this summer in like 1:43 then maybe you can take 8:30 under advisement.