Forums >Racing>How do you find your race pace?
When you don't have really any recent races to base it on? And don't ever really run fast (besides some strides)?
I have a half marathon in 6 days and I guess I'm just going to have to play Russian roulette during the race...it's not a goal race, but I'd like to do as well as possible to get an idea of how to train for a fall marathon.
I go by effort.
Runners run
It's Tuesday every day
One idea is to run the first 1/4 to 1/3 of the race feeling *very* relaxed. Then, try to spend the entire rest of the race passing people. (And avoid the mistake I sometimes make of gunning it too hard when I move into the "pass people" phase. Then I end up tired too early.)
When I ran my first half marathon, I pretty much used my 10K race pace and slowed myself by about 1 minute per mile. If you have done some 10 to 15K training runs at race pace then you should use those times as a basis.
I can recommend a couple resources for reading:
Hal Higdon Training Programs and books: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/
Bob Glover books: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/700119.The_Runner_s_Handbook?from_search=true
He also has a "Competitive Runner's Handbook" when you want to advance yourself.
Books and training programs are a great way to start, but in the end, a training manual should be used only for reference. Every runner is different, and needs to adjust the training program to his/her own needs.
Another suggestion is to run "negative splits", where you start out slower and increase pace around the halfway mark. This gives you a stronger finish, which is always a great feeling!
Of course, factors like weather, and your physical condition on race day will affect your pace.
All of this said; don't worry about it too much. Just go with what feels right!
Ultrarunner
Yes. Negative splits. Pretty much what I posted, but you were more to the point. I do tend to ramble...
an amazing likeness
Are asking something like 'how do I know my race pace ahead of time' ? If so, the answer is -- you don't. Run the race at race effort. That will tell you your pace on that day, at that distance, under those conditions.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
I'm pretty much like you, not doing much in the way of focused training (although I'm trying to change that). I think experience doing races plays a big part and without that experience it really is a roll of the dice. For me, in the couple halfs I've done, I line up with a group that I think I'll be fine with for the first 10 miles or so. I'll knock 60-90 seconds off my long run pace as my guess for this. Then I'll plan to pull ahead of the group after 10 miles. The pace groups, assuming the pacers are decent, are a good way to be steady.
Are we there, yet?
From experience. I know what the pace that I can hold for the race distance feels like, so that's the effort I try to race at.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
In my first marathon I had no idea what to run. I made a guess but i decided to run by feel and i didn't wear my watch and i tried to avoid seeing the clocks along the route. I think this was successful for me, I ran about 30 minutes faster than I thought I might. I felt okay and ran at that pace. If I had my watch I would have slowed myself down quite a bit. Go by feel or as mikeymike said "go by effort".
SMART Approach
When in doubt, tame the nervous energy and start slower. Be conservative and ease in. Lesson learned, get a couple 5ks and/or 10ks in 1-3 months before the event. It is not fool proof but does give confidence of your potential. Obviously, other factor are involved too.
Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery
Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training
Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique
www.smartapproachtraining.com
I'm notoriously bad about starting too fast/slowing way down during half marathons. They are so tricky for me for some reason. I thought about leaving the watch at home, but I'm afraid I'll go out way too fast that way. It's also supposed to be pretty warm.
I did 4 miles at an 8 minute pace last Saturday during my 10 mile run and it felt okay, though I'm not confident I could hold that for 13 miles. I also did 11 very hilly miles at a 7:35 average pace a few weeks ago, but that was part of a relay and broken up into 3 segments with some rest between. Maybe I'll start at 8:30ish and go from there. I'm very confident I could finish at that pace. I definitely don't want to leave anything out there on the course. PR is 1:49, so I'd be happy with anything in that neighborhood. Thanks for the replies!
8:30 pace gives you a PR and is a good starting point for first 4 miles. Break race in segments. First 4 is a good starting point. Next 5-6 you are on a roll and if feeling good, pick it up. If you start too fast, you usually know by the start of mile 5 and need to slow. If you start right or a bit conservative, you can analyze the wearher conditions and how you feel. If you feel some strain, stick with your pace, if feeling phenomenal, give yourself a slight uptick in pace. Hold that through 10 miles. With 3 miles left, you can hold pace or if pacing correctly, you should have something left to finish strong. Those last couple miles are as much about mental strength as physical strength and fitness. Good luck.
Update- Race was this morning. I saw there was a 1:50 pacer and decided to go out with him for the first few miles so that I would start slowly, then re-evaluate. Well, he was running a 7:50 pace for the first few miles, and I didn't pay attention to my pace (oops- first time running with a pacer, now I know). He dropped off after three miles so then I was on my own. I was feeling great at that pace so I just went with it.
Miles 1-8 were very solid in the 8:00-8:10 mm range. Then I lost my shade, and my pace. It was brutally hot. By the time I finished it was nearly 80, humid, and full-on sun. The last 3 miles was a straightaway without a bit of shade, right into the sun. I slowed considerably to an 8:30 average pace for the rest of the race. However, nobody passed me (at all) and I continued to pass lots of people. (there were 539 half-marathoner finishers). So at least that tells me I was doing okay given the conditions. I was trying not to puke for the last several miles and was definitely dehydrated despite my best efforts.
I finished in 1:47:58, a two-minute PR. I'm very happy with this given my absolute lack of any quality miles, and only two runs of 12+ miles since October. I've mostly been working on building a base, trying to get to the point where I'm very comfortable in the 35 mpw range before beginning my marathon training plan this summer. Right now I'm around 30 mpw and ready to add to that.
Thanks for the tips. I'm running a 10k on Memorial Day, so hopefully with that and my half time from today I'll be able to get an idea of training paces for the summer/fall. I'm sure I'll be back for advice on that after my 10k.
Nice job on the race. Given the race was a hot one and you slowed at the end, training paces based on this race could be a hair slow.
Good job. Way to gut it out....that is "racing". Take the PR in adverse weather conditions. You are likely to slow in very warm conditions unless you start more conservative. Sounds like you did well compared to others. If getting passed the last few miles, that would be a sign of either a lack of fitness or a clear "too fast of pace" early in race. It is always hard to predict your fitness when in adverse conditions but you are clearly more fit than the last time you ran the half.