Forums >Racing>2013 New York City Marathon Thread
jfa
I have decided to not have a miserable NYC marathon experience
Smart move.
Downloaded reg form to my phone.
All there is to do now is fret over the weather.
ultramarathon/triathlete
this Sunday will be my first marathon. I'm hoping to break 3 hours. So far I've run all of my long runs at 6:48 pace including my 20 mile a week ago. Here's to hoping I feel good enough on race day to go for it. I live in Brooklyn and do a lot of training around prospect and over the wburg bridge. My one concern currently is that I put my est time as 3:20 when I signed up but my training went much faster. I forgot to update my time and am currently slotted in blue wave 1 corral 8. I know I can't move up corrals but am a little worried that I'm in a corral that is 45 sec off my goal pace. Any tips for handling this or should I come to terms now that sub 3 hours isn't likely? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
this Sunday will be my first marathon. I'm hoping to break 3 hours. So far I've run all of my long runs at 6:48 pace including my 20 mile a week ago. Here's to hoping I feel good enough on race day to go for it. I live in Brooklyn and do a lot of training around prospect and over the wburg bridge.
My one concern currently is that I put my est time as 3:20 when I signed up but my training went much faster. I forgot to update my time and am currently slotted in blue wave 1 corral 8. I know I can't move up corrals but am a little worried that I'm in a corral that is 45 sec off my goal pace. Any tips for handling this or should I come to terms now that sub 3 hours isn't likely?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I wouldn't worry about it. That still puts you upfront quite a ways and the reality is that most people start out too fast so you're not likely to be slowed by the masses. It'll probably be a good thing keeping you on pace for the bridge and you can open it up along 4th ave and cruise by people as you get to your goal pace. You'll be fine. I wonder how many times I've seen you in PPark. Probably a lot.
HTFU? Why not!
USATF Coach
Empire Tri Club CoachGatorade Endurance Team
54° high
38° low
Mostly SunnyCHANCE OF RAIN = 0%NW Wind at 17mphThat's a bit windy, but everything else looks perfect (keep in mind a high of 54 means it's gonna be coooollllld on SI in the morning as the sun comes up.
Thanks for the assurance Dave. Looking at the map, it seems that the colors stay separate (thought side by side) until 8 miles in. Is this correct? About how many miles in would you say it is before the pack opens up a bit and its not a waste of energy to start moving up through the ranks? Though I've had my fair share of dodging people training in NY, I'd prefer not to waste the energy during the race.
You've probably seen me a bit. if you run the park on Sunday morning/early afternoon. I tend to do my long runs there. I'll prob take it easy over the winter but hope to do more training there in the spring for some half marathons and 5-10K.
Here's some info I just received that you might find handy if you're planning to run with a pace group:
"Pace team leaders will run the marathon at an even pace. The leaders will reach the half-marathon mark within two minutes (plus or minus) of the goal pace for the projected finishing time, and will finish the marathon no more than two minutes faster than the goal time. Runners will be encouraged to spread out to avoid overcrowding. As long as they keep their leader's balloon in sight, they will remain on pace."
Ooops, double post. (please delete).
Interval Junkie --Nobby
Here's some info I just received that you might find handy if you're planning to run with a pace group: "Pace team leaders will run the marathon at an even pace. The leaders will reach the half-marathon mark within two minutes (plus or minus) of the goal pace for the projected finishing time, and will finish the marathon no more than two minutes faster than the goal time. Runners will be encouraged to spread out to avoid overcrowding. As long as they keep their leader's balloon in sight, they will remain on pace."
wow, 2minutes is a lot. I'd be pretty upset if I was shooting for some mark and the pacer had 2 minutes in the bank toward the finish line (I probably wouldn't be with him at that point).
Interesting they said "even pace" not "even effort".
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
Thanks for the assurance Dave. Looking at the map, it seems that the colors stay separate (thought side by side) until 8 miles in. Is this correct? About how many miles in would you say it is before the pack opens up a bit and its not a waste of energy to start moving up through the ranks? Though I've had my fair share of dodging people training in NY, I'd prefer not to waste the energy during the race. You've probably seen me a bit. if you run the park on Sunday morning/early afternoon. I tend to do my long runs there. I'll prob take it easy over the winter but hope to do more training there in the spring for some half marathons and 5-10K.
Colors do stay separate until merging at mile 8 but they are next to each other (different sides of 4th ave separated by a crossable median). This is due to the start of the race, where the paths off the bridge are a little different depending on your color. There is a point where green merges back to blue and orange (or something like that) but for a little bit at the start they're totally segregated. You might or might not notice it race day because it's very early on. For the bulk of the early miles you'll be either on the right or left side of 4th ave (a straight long road) depending on which color you are. You can see miles ahead and you'll be shocked at how many runners there are already ahead of you (and likely behind as well).
The mile markers and clocks for the first 8 miles are color coded so you know easily which mile is you, which time is you. You can see the other clocks and mile markers, they're not off a lot from one color to the others. Less than 1/4 mile if I recall.
If you have family or friends out cheering for you in those first miles, make sure you have them stationed on the correct side of the road according to your color. You CAN cross to the other side of the rode, but you'll want to cross back before hitting a different color's timing mats (there are a lot of timing mats. every 5k I think, then a few others (1/2 point, etc). My wife usually stands on the left side at a friend's place along the course, and in many years I've had to dart across and then back again. No biggie though.
The crowds are thick through the first half of the marathon but not elbow to elbow after you come off the Verrazano (though I've only ever started near the front in the first wave so your experience might vary). There is some congestion when everyone merges back at mile 8, but not crazy. There IS a section somewhere past maybe mile 9 in Brooklyn where the crowd is squeezed way into the road and parts of it are so pack with spectators you can hold a pinky out and catch a million high 5s without so much as moving an arm, but you won't be hindered in running by the other racers, if anything, just more amped up from the closeness of the crowd.
I was thinking that too but I think they figure the people running with the pacers can go by their effort and get a head or fall behind and catch up as needed. If we are running a steady pace, it should all even out. We're all supposed to be pacing a group slower than our own usual times so for us the pace we set should not be a stretch in effort really at any point (guess we'll see). I will be dead set on finishing at 4:30 on the dot (again, we'll see!).
The paces below are from Greg Maclin's spreadsheet for a 3:20 marathon with even effort pacing. For better of for worse, these paces are much more variable than what the pacers will be doing.
2013 goals: 800m: 2:20 | mile: 4:59 | 5k: 18:59 | 10k: 39:59 | HM: 1:32 | Marathon: 3:20
ME
Well, I went and got sick. Not gonna stress about it since that will make it worse. Haven't run since last week, but at least I'm only missing taper and (hopefully) all gone before Sunday.
See everyone there!
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Rest up Sean. You're not missing anything with taper time.
This has me worried:
Wind from the NW at 18-39 mph.
Yikes
Yeah, still a bit far out, but looks like it may be windy. Out of the northwest too (read: in your face from mile 2-20). Is what it is. Find some larger frame runners (eg me) and draft off them for a while. If they're cool and on pace, share the load, if not, love em and leave em.
Look at it this way...wind will be at your back from miles 21-25! And if it is bad, the upshot is that it'll take the pressure off any stretch time goals. And the temps look great.
Sean...soup and sleep will get you to the start from here.
Thanks short run today just so my body remembers that it knows how to run. Just a sore throat left.
If the wind forecast holds it won't be too much different from my tuneup race where the full 18miles was 20-25mph headwind. There were no buildings or other runners there to shield though. Winds will be manageable and the cityscape of NY tends to play with the winds enough that you never really know what direction their coming from.
Winds will be manageable and the cityscape of NY tends to play with the winds enough that you never really know what direction they're coming from.
I was going to say this too. And with the shifty winds, you get all kinds of "interesting" changes in smells too. ahhh NYC.