Marathon race day pacing and altitude

October 14, 2006 7:39 AM

How much will my pace pick up on marathon day?

I'm running the Chicago marathon next weekend. I ran my longest run (18 miles) at a pretty steady pace of 12 min /mile. I'm pretty sure I could have maintained it for another 8.2 miles. I'm also training and living at some serious altitude - 7300 feet / 2200 metres. I sometimes run in the hills above the city at about 3000m and there's a noticeable drop-off in my performance - it's got to work the other way round, right?

I want to join a pace team (or pick a sensible pace) to make my life easier but don't know which one. Can anyone tell me about how I can expect my performance to be affected by race day adrenaline and being at sea level?

posted by TrashyRambo to sports, hobbies, & recreation (7 comments total)

Is this your first Marathon? Is your goal a particular finish time or just to finish?

The sea-level issue will improve your performance some, but that trick is best used by professional marathon runners looking for a little extra edge to give them a time one or two minutes (or seconds) faster than their competition.

Adrenaline will also improve your capabilities to an extent - but by mile 20 you're going to find that adrenaline doesn't last forever.

The most important issue is that neither altitude or adrenaline is going to compensate for the fact that your body is used to running at a 12 min/mile pace. To change that pace introduces a high likelyhood of injury - which will obviosuly ruin your performance!

Take a deep breath, reign in the horses, and stick with the pace your're accustomed to training at.
posted by matty at 7:58 AM on October 14, 2006

Sorry - first marathon. Goal is to finish and I've not picked a time due to the whole altitude thing. Though I do want to pick a pace to make the race easier mentally - which I guess is equivalent to picking a time.
posted by TrashyRambo at 8:09 AM on October 14, 2006

If your goal is just to finish, I would stick with your 12 minute/mile pace. 26.2 miles is very different than 18 miles, even if you feel like you could have made it on your training run. I would aim just to finish this marathon - finishing is quite an accomplishment in itself - and then if you want to shoot for a faster pace next time, you will have a decent idea how much faster you can go.

Then again, if you want to chance not finishing and push yourself to go a little faster this time, you might be able to do it. You didn't mention how fast you are running your shorter training runs. If you are running 8 or 9 minute miles on your (non-long run) training runs, then sure, you can probably count on running 10.5 or 11 minute miles in the marathon.

Personally, though, I'd stick with 12 minute miles and focus on finishing.
posted by btkuhn at 8:20 AM on October 14, 2006

congratulations for undertaking this journey! marathons are fun - but the real jewel is in the training that you have already accomplished.

marathon day is VERY exciting. and here's my first bit of advice - racers tend to go out MUCH too fast in the first few miles. Start slow. Perhaps even 12.30 minute miles. Be disciplined about your pace. It's a long road ahead, be prudent in the first few miles despite being oh so tempted to go out there fast.

When the herd thins out somewhat (2 miles or so) then drop into your favourite pace, 12 minute miles. You may have been passed by some people initially, but if you are prudent during your race, and you hydrate correctly and reload your carbohydrates, you will see that you are now picking off people as you enter the 20-mile stage.

And your prudence in the initial miles will pay off - you will start passing people, and this will be a big psychological boost for the final few miles.

Good luck at the marathon - get lots of sleep in the week before the race. You might not sleep well the /night/ before but your investment in good training the months before and good sleep and food the week before, and good hydration on the day of the race will pay off on race day.
posted by seawallrunner at 8:28 AM on October 14, 2006

As you run the marathon, there'll typically be a number of people acting as both formal and informal pacers. If you have a rough goal in mind, you can always fall in behind one of those guys once you find someone who is moving along at a comfortable pace. Don't take them too literally in terms of timing, though -- I've seen them go both faster and slower than what they advertise.

For whatever it's worth, I've become increasingly convinced that basic race strategy can make a huge difference on a race as long as the marathon. The time you save by pushing yourself really hard at the beginning can easily be destroyed by a few really slow miles at the end. Consistency and patience are indeed virtues, when it comes to marathoning.

If you take it easy on yourself, that last 10k will be a pleasure as you coast by all the fools who went out too fast.

Anyway, above all, have fun!
posted by ph00dz at 12:38 PM on October 14, 2006

seawallrunner speaks the truth.
posted by OmieWise at 2:23 PM on October 14, 2006

I should post for the benefit of future searchers that I completely ignored the (sensible and good) advice in this post. I signed up for the 4:30 pace team (10'18" mile pace) and came in at 4:35 (10'30" mile pace). Don't know if it was the altitude or the adrenaline.
posted by TrashyRambo at 3:22 PM on October 24, 2006