Beginners and Beyond

1

Not in love with new McMillan pace calculator (Read 277 times)

sheepla


     I use the McMillan pace calculator all the time to keep me honest about my training times.  With the new look, I had to search to find my training times and I don't understand the current race/goal race time thing at all.  I thought the whole point of the calculator was to tell you your training times based upon your current race times.  So is it now giving my training times based upon my actual race time or my goal race time?

     

    I do like clicking speed-oriented versus endurance-oriented tabs.


    delicate flower

      Based on my last 5K, it is telling me I should be running a 3:30 marathon.  BRING IT. 

      <3


      Jess runs for bacon

        I didn't have any issues, it's still printing like it did before.

        happylily


          Yes, they changed the layout and it's a little confusing. I also don't get giving the paces for goal finish time. I think it has no purpose other than to indicate what pace we need if we want to finish in XX time. The training paces are still based on currant finish times from what I can see.

          PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                  Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

          18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010


          Dad on the run.

            Yes, they changed the layout and it's a little confusing. I also don't get giving the paces for goal finish time. I think it has no purpose other than to indicate what pace we need if we want to finish in XX time. The training paces are still based on currant finish times from what I can see.

             

            The goal time is used in calculating your recommend workout and race pace workouts if you subscribe to the pro version.

            Chasing the sub 20 5K.

            happylily


              The goal time is used in calculating your recommend workout and race pace workouts if you subscribe to the pro version.

               

              Ah! I see. But I don't get it... If let's say I have a crazy goal time that does not make sense for my abilities, like a 3:15 marathon, it will give me training paces for a 3:15, but that does not mean that it's right for me to use those paces... I thought training was a gradual thing, based on where we are in reality, not where we hope to go. Do I make sense?

              PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                      Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

              18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

              Docket_Rocket


                Ah! I see. But I don't get it... If let's say I have a crazy goal time that does not make sense for my abilities, like a 3:15 marathon, it will give me training paces for a 3:15, but that does not mean that it's right for me to use those paces... I thought training was a gradual thing, based on where we are in reality, not where we hope to go. Do I make sense?

                 

                That's the thing.  YOU make sense.  The last two iterations of McMillan's do not.

                Damaris

                 

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                wcrunner2


                Are we there, yet?

                  Ah! I see. But I don't get it... If let's say I have a crazy goal time that does not make sense for my abilities, like a 3:15 marathon, it will give me training paces for a 3:15, but that does not mean that it's right for me to use those paces... I thought training was a gradual thing, based on where we are in reality, not where we hope to go. Do I make sense?

                   

                  You make sense but who's to say that a goal is crazy. When I first started running it would have been crazy to have a 4:00 mile as a goal, but what about 6:00 or 5:00? What about sub-5:00 in two months starting from scratch? Imagine what the general reaction would be here if someone in his first post said that was his goal. It wasn't crazy for me.

                   

                  Another consideration is setting a goal and working towards it is a perfectly valid way to approach training. Beginners do it with distance all the time, e.g. training for thier first HM or marathon. Why not with time goals as well like a BQ or a sub-4:00 marathon or a sub-30:00 5K? Don't we set our training paces progressively faster moving towards the training paces for our goals time assuming our fitness is improving. The bigger issue is rate of improvement and trying to fit training programs into 16 weeks or less. 

                   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.

                   

                   

                       


                  Dad on the run.

                    Ah! I see. But I don't get it... If let's say I have a crazy goal time that does not make sense for my abilities, like a 3:15 marathon, it will give me training paces for a 3:15, but that does not mean that it's right for me to use those paces... I thought training was a gradual thing, based on where we are in reality, not where we hope to go. Do I make sense?

                     

                    It builds you up. It gave me recommended workouts for 8 weeks before race and race pace workouts 20 weeks before race.

                    Chasing the sub 20 5K.

                    happylily


                      You make sense but who's to say that a goal is crazy. When I first started running it would have been crazy to have a 4:00 mile as a goal, but what about 6:00 or 5:00? What about sub-5:00 in two months starting from scratch? Imagine what the general reaction would be here if someone in his first post said that was his goal. It wasn't crazy for me.

                       

                      Another consideration is setting a goal and working towards it is a perfectly valid way to approach training. Beginners do it with distance all the time, e.g. training for thier first HM or marathon. Why not with time goals as well like a BQ or a sub-4:00 marathon or a sub-30:00 5K? Don't we set our training paces progressively faster moving towards the training paces for our goals time assuming our fitness is improving. The bigger issue is rate of improvement and trying to fit training programs into 16 weeks or less. 

                       

                      I understand the gist of what you are saying, George, but I don't get what it means in reality for me, in my training. At the moment, I train with paces based on my 45:00 10k time. It indicates a 3:31 marathon. My PR is 3:32. But my goal time in the next 6 months is sub-3:30. Should I train with paces based on a 3:29 marathon instead?

                      PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                              Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

                      18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

                      happylily


                        It builds you up. It gave me recommended workouts for 8 weeks before race and race pace workouts 20 weeks before race.

                         

                        Interesting. That is why the subscription... Thanks!

                        PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                                Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

                        18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

                        wcrunner2


                        Are we there, yet?

                          I understand the gist of what you are saying, George, but I don't get what it means in reality for me, in my training. At the moment, I train with paces based on my 45:00 10k time. It indicates a 3:31 marathon. My PR is 3:32. But my goal time in the next 6 months is sub-3:30. Should I train with paces based on a 3:29 marathon instead?

                           

                          Look at the training paces for each and the amount of overlap in the ranges. The course, race day conditions, and how you run your race will have a bigger impact than your training paces. This is a situation where training by effort, except with intervals, is the better choice. It would be a very different situation if you were trying to improve your 10K by 2 minutes. In that case there's much less overlap in training paces and the difference is significant.

                           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.

                           

                           

                               

                          happylily


                            Look at the training paces for each and the amount of overlap in the ranges. The course, race day conditions, and how you run your race will have a bigger impact than your training paces. This is a situation where training by effort, except with intervals, is the better choice. It would be a very different situation if you were trying to improve your 10K by 2 minutes. In that case there's much less overlap in training paces and the difference is significant.

                             

                            It makes much sense. Training by effort is something that I have been doing more in this training cycle (which just started again). And I know that race day conditions and actual race course will have more impact than exact training paces. Thanks, George!

                            PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                                    Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

                            18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

                            Venomized


                            Drink up moho's!!

                              You have to remember that it will spit out recommended paces based on your race results . . . BUT . . . those times don't really apply to all of us.  Theoretically you can hit those times based on similar training but most of us don't have similar training.

                               

                              Use the McMillan paces as an initial starting point to determine your paces.  Adjust up or down as needed.