Super B****
HEY!! I just got an email from NYRR... my finish time yesterday was 1:39:07.03. In my book, that's 1:39:07, not 1:39:08. THIEVERY.
Also, limping is not a very efficient way to get around.
chasing the impossible
because i never shut up ... i blog
Some internet grumblings going on regarding the pacers for my marathon.... 3:00 pacer ran 2:57. 3:10 pacer ran 3:02 (glad I didn't attempt to hang with him) 3:20 pacer ran the first 10K at 3:09 pace. 3:40 pacer ran 3:49 (I suppose bad days happen) Pace team fail.
Some internet grumblings going on regarding the pacers for my marathon....
3:00 pacer ran 2:57.
3:10 pacer ran 3:02 (glad I didn't attempt to hang with him)
3:20 pacer ran the first 10K at 3:09 pace.
3:40 pacer ran 3:49 (I suppose bad days happen)
Pace team fail.
Ouch. I was following the 3:15 pacer, and although it wasn't perfect, he had me cross the half in 1:37:06 (he was ahead, he probably crossed sub 1:36:50 or something) and he crossed the finish line in 3:15:06. He's a 2:40 guy, and it was his first attempt at pacing.
He talked to me after the race: he finished alone. At some point (around mile 20) some guys took off, I did the same, and after that most dropped. Near the end there were two people with him and he told them when it was time to drop him and take off.
I am glad he stayed on pace though as he was very helpful to me although I did not run in his "pack" for so long. At the beginning of the race, he was faster but it was nice to keep the 3:15 guy in sight. And at the end of the race, I was slowing down and hearing his voice chearing his thinned out pack was pushing me a lot because he was getting closer and I didn't want to look like the idiot who dropped him only to fail later on.
I don't know if his job is to keep on pace even if he's alone, but it should be. It is a nice moving target that can help you understant where you are during the race.
Serious question: are they generally instructed to continue running their pace even if they've lost all of their people?
I've generally noticed most pacers will stay on their pace even if they lose their people. And you can certainly say good pacing is an art and a science. I don't get it either that a marathon pacer can get so far ahead of pace which just blows up most of the people there. That's wrong.
Just 5 this morning. I'm hoping it will only be about 85 to 90 by tomorrow. Have a good day everyone!
marathon pr - 3:16
You Rang?
Training for the LA marathon starts today with a three mile run.
Rick
PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)
I agree, which is why I asked. I used the 1:40 guy for this yesterday.
Everyone has bad pacer stories, but I gotta believe most of them do a good job.
At my 2nd marathon, I was with the 4:00 pacer, and we hit 13.1 at 2:00:00. She told us she would target to finish 30 sec ahead of 4:00; I checked her time afterwards, and even though I think she finished alone, her time was 3:59:30. It was something like her 70th marathon.
Dave
Former Bad Ass
My coach paces like that too. Spot on and 20-30 seconds faster than what he is pacing. Except yesterday, even he could not overcome the weather so he had to step down and run/walk to the finish. I suspect all of his people had fallen off pace because he would never had abandoned them.
Damaris
So the nice thing about HMs is that I barely feel like I ran yesterday
I may have spoken a bit too soon. I have kind of a sore butt on the right side. And I have been in ESU mode all morning.
LOL.
I've never paced a marathon so I cannot speak on it, but I finished the half marathon I paced alone and it was because most of the people who lined up with me were in no shape to run that time.
The same thing happened at both of the 10k's I've paced. Some of them people were delusional to think that by just running with a pacer, they would somehow magically run that time.
Went to the park to shoot some hoops with the kids, and played some soccer with them too. That reminded me why I run: I suck at other sports, lol.
I've generally noticed most pacers will stay on their pace even if they lose their people.
I'm not sure if it's what happened at Phil's event, but my last runner dropped at a hill around mile 9 of the half I paced. At that point there was an urge to speed up to get the stupid thing over with, but I resisted and held pace. Mostly because I was committed to it, but in part because there may have been people tracking me, trying to hang on.
And it's October FFS, why is it still burning up out there?
It must suck to be a pacer, as from what I heard, most of them finish alone. But they are useful.
I've never paced a marathon so I cannot speak on it, but I finished the half marathon I paced alone and it was because most of the people who lined up with me were in no shape to run that time. The same thing happened at both of the 10k's I've paced. Some of them people were delusional to think that by just running with a pacer, they would somehow magically run that time.
Really pacers should always finish alone. What are the chances you have the fitness to run *exactly* 3:10 or whatever the pace group time is. At some point you should push ahead or fall behind.
Good point.
For those who made it to the end with me of those 10k's, I slowed down after crossing the 6 mile marker and allowed them to get into sprint mode.
I have zero desire to pace a marathon at any pace by the way. Less than zero actually.
I think I could responsibly pace I half, at least I could if I could ever get back to feeling 100% again, but I can't even fathom pacing a marathon.
I'm thinking pacers were more valuable back before everyone and their brother had a garmin.
Life is good.