RunningAHEAD - Topic: Age old Question...Time Goal for 1st Marathon?

BenBuck6

posted: 8/19/2008 at 10:50 AM

My first marathon is on Dec. 6th (St. Judes Marathon in Memphis), and I know that I am not suppose to worry about time and honestly if I come in above a target time I will not be upset...as long as I come in Big grin

. I ran 15.5 miles 2 weeks ago in 3 hrs and had alot left in the tank and didn't push myself hard at all. I then registered the next week for the marathon and on the entry form it asked for expected finish time. I put 4:30 hrs...is that reasonable?

2008 GOALS GET BELOW 175 (at 175 now) RUN 6:00 MILE (at 6:29) RUN BELOW 25:30 5K RUN BELOW 55:00 10K RUN A MARATHON (DEC. 6TH - MEMPHIS - ST JUDE)

BadDawg

posted: 8/19/2008 at 10:55 AM

Put whatever time you want on the form, and then forget about it. Seriously. You only get one first marathon, just run it to take in the overall experience and enjoy it. Time goal=finish.

E.J.
Greater Lowell Road Runners
Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.

Phidippides

posted: 8/19/2008 at 11:01 AM

Quote from BadDawg on 8/19/2008 at 10:55 AM:

Put whatever time you want on the form, and then forget about it. Seriously. You only get one first marathon, just run it to take in the overall experience and enjoy it. Time goal=finish.

Excellent answer......no time goal......just have a 'run the maratho and have fun and finish' goal....

Champions are made when no one is watching

Run To Win

#2867

posted: 8/19/2008 at 11:11 AM

I completely disagree with the no time goal philosophy. I think that it makes it easier to quit. Much better to have even a time range to run in and have something to shoot for and compare yourself against as you go along.

Run to Win
25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)

mikeymike

posted: 8/19/2008 at 11:15 AM

Quote from Run To Win on 8/19/2008 at 11:11 AM:

I completely disagree with the no time goal philosophy. I think that it makes it easier to quit. Much better to have even a time range to run in and have something to shoot for and compare yourself against as you go along.

Yeah you've said this before and I don't think I get the logic. How does having a fixed time goal help you not want to quit, especially if you find yourself deep into the race and reailize that your time goal has gone bye, bye? If your goal is to finish, you have something to fight for so long as you keep moving. Not many people quit marathons but I would bet that a good percentage of those who do, do so because they had some very specific goal time and once they realized it wasn't happening decided to live to fight another day--and that this phenomenon is much more common in the front of the pack than in the back.

Runners run

sparky_

posted: 8/19/2008 at 11:28 AM

I don't think there's anything wrong with have a REASONABLE time goal for a first marathon. Yes, wanting to finish is definately a given, but shooting for a time is great! What I always do, and I'm sure other people do as well, is have a conservative time goal (for me I always make a worst case scenario... not including any injuries, digestive problems, etc.), an ideal time goal, and the ultra-secretive uber-ambitious best case scenario (with all the benefits of lower altitude and mega "Race-day-magic" happening) time goal. So I guess I agree with Blaine. Have a reasonable time range you think you could achieve and try to do that... realizing that if you don't make it, it will be dissapointing but not the end of the world! You still have ample time to train so best of luck! With proper training I totally think you can pull off a 4:30 goal.

Ennay

A Saucy Wench

posted: 8/19/2008 at 11:31 AM
modified: 8/19/2008 at 11:32 AM

I think you should have a time....expectation. Not goal. Not in the sense of "I failed because I didnt meet my time goal" But the #1 mistake that marathon runners make is going out too fast. Most first (and 2nd and 3rd...) timers arent good at "comfortably hard" or whatever such nebulous measure of the right pace is for the first 17 miles. Its only at mile 22 that they realize...that wasnt it. I say have a reasonable time window, mostly to make sure you dont go out too fast. December is a long ways off, its not time to set that yet. Although 4:30 seems in the ball park Put whatever you want on the form. Big grin

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

JimHowe

posted: 8/19/2008 at 11:40 AM
modified: 8/19/2008 at 11:42 AM

Interesting that nobody has mentioned that you have averaged 2 miles per day for past 4 months...26 miles is a long ways.

Age 60 plus best times: 5k 19:00, 10k 38:35, 10m 1:05:30, HM 1:24:09, 30k 2:04:33

BenBuck6

posted: 8/19/2008 at 12:07 PM

I know my log looks that way, but for about a month I didn't log my times in here b/c it was so hot where I live and I was out of town so much that I didn't even keep up with it...I just ran. I would run for say 45 or 90 minutes and have no idea how far or fast I was going. Just recently it has dipped back into the lower 90's and I have been home enough to get back into a routine and back on familiar roads where I know for sure the distance covered that I feel comfortable posting definite distance and times. My log for last week is probaly a good example of what I been doing for the last 4-6 weeks.

2008 GOALS GET BELOW 175 (at 175 now) RUN 6:00 MILE (at 6:29) RUN BELOW 25:30 5K RUN BELOW 55:00 10K RUN A MARATHON (DEC. 6TH - MEMPHIS - ST JUDE)

MrFinn

Prince of Fatness

posted: 8/19/2008 at 12:29 PM

Quote from Ennay on 8/19/2008 at 11:31 AM:

But the #1 mistake that marathon runners make is going out too fast. Most first (and 2nd and 3rd...) timers arent good at "comfortably hard" or whatever such nebulous measure of the right pace is for the first 17 miles. Its only at mile 22 that they realize...that wasnt it.

I couldn't agree more with this. When I ran my first last year I had an idea of what time I wanted to run, and it was conservative. But the thing I focused on was pacing for the first 10 miles. Not necessarily a number, but I wanted to run so they felt real easy. Then evaluate after 10 miles, and keep reevaluating every few miles. This ended up working quite well for me, and I ended up coming in about the time I thought I would even though I really wasn't focusing on time. I'm thinking that for the average runner a conservative first marathon provides a good education for subsequent ones. I have yet to try again, but that's what I'm hoping.

Not at it at all.

C-R

posted: 8/19/2008 at 12:39 PM

Quote from Ennay on 8/19/2008 at 11:31 AM:

But the #1 mistake that marathon runners make is going out too fast. Most first (and 2nd and 3rd...) timers arent good at "comfortably hard" or whatever such nebulous measure of the right pace is for the first 17 miles. Its only at mile 22 that they realize...that wasnt it.

Been there done that got the t-shirt.

Quote from Ennay on 8/19/2008 at 11:31 AM:

I say have a reasonable time window, mostly to make sure you dont go out too fast. December is a long ways off, its not time to set that yet. Although 4:30 seems in the ball park

I like this idea. Aren't the expected finish times more there to help get you in the proper coral? We all know how well that works based on the number of walkers I pass during the start - sorry for the snark. I use multiple goals - finish, finish under and best time. Helps me keep in the game and was really needed last year at CMM. I also have to agree with Jim on the miles. I learned this lesson the hard way with a serious injury on light miles and then tried to race instead of run. Time on form is irrelevant unless you're an elite or really fast IMHO

"He conquers who endures" - Persius
"Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel

http://ncstake.blogspot.com/

Dakota RR

Right on Hereford...

posted: 8/19/2008 at 12:43 PM

I had a time goal for my first (and only) marathon and it definitely helped motivate me in the final miles. Then again, in retrospect my time goal was reasonable for me -- if it had been unreasonably optimistic, then my time goal may have had the reverse effect, psychologically. I was actually 1 mile from the finish line and all I had to do was maintain my pace...but I couldn't do it! Missed my goal by 29 seconds. Still happy with my experience, though.

Ileneforward

#artbydmcbride

posted: 8/19/2008 at 12:47 PM

If you've run a half marathon before, I would double that time and add 20 minutes for a nice conservative 1st marathon time goal.

Runners run

Runnergabe

Along for the Ride

posted: 8/19/2008 at 12:49 PM

Quote from Run To Win on 8/19/2008 at 11:11 AM:

I completely disagree with the no time goal philosophy. I think that it makes it easier to quit. Much better to have even a time range to run in and have something to shoot for and compare yourself against as you go along.

For my first I had a 3-tiered goal: 1. - best scenario time goal (didn't achieve) 2. - backup time goal (did achieve) 3. - just finish (did achieve) I think it depends on one's personality. I love having detailed goals. But I can certainly appreciate the thought of just setting the goal to finish. Ben - even if you think you will not be disappointed to not have met your first time goal; you will be. It was a goal after all. But if you are realistic and use a recent training run as a gauge and add some more time to account for the remaining 11.2 miles - why not?

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.

pRED

posted: 8/19/2008 at 5:30 PM
modified: 8/19/2008 at 5:31 PM

I'd just like to add this: I do not like the idea of just "finishing" as a goal. Wait until you know you're long since capable of covering the distance, and set an ambitious time goal based on results from shorter distances. And if you do not meet that goal time, it was either unrealistic, candice-happened or you just need to HTFU! I followed conventional advice (training, nutrition) for my first M and everything went well. I surpassed the goal I set. I'm aware that some say you can never know what may happen in the M, or you will never have it figured out. But my first M felt like jogging. I fully intend on the next one feeling like a dang race! My 2¢.

Ricky

—our ability to perform up to our physiological potential in a race is determined by whether or not we truly psychologically believe that what we are attempting is realistic. Anton Krupicka

Age old Question...Time Goal for 1st Marathon? (Read 648 times)