Had I known I am 2 miles off my highest mileage year ever, I would've run more.  I cannot wait until tomorrow!

I don't see anything wrong with those splits cjones.

I know, I guess I shouldn't compare to DaveP and onemile whose recent race splits don't vary by more than 5 sec/mile it seems.  Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled with my race today.

I try not to look at my watch until each mile marker.  Sometimes I'm able to adjust if needed, sometimes I can't.

For the folks who are so consistent in their splits:  do you constantly look at your watch, or have an app that is constantly updating you as to your pace?  My paces are all over the place, usually because of terrain or because I start out feeling good and then slow down, or I start out stiff and speed up as I warm up.  I usually start out faster than I want.  I've tried using the virtual pacer on my watch and it helps a little to slow me down, but I am never consistent.  I can sometimes end up averaging my goal pace, without ever actually doing that pace.  So how do you do it?

I think it just comes naturally.  I don't run hilly races so there isn't much variance in terrain. I mostly run races by effort actually, even at the marathon distance but do keep an eye on my pace to keep it controlled in the beginning for a marathon (for a half I completely trust the effort and if I am faster than planned I go with it). And then in the later miles, I try my best not to let my pace slip (checking my garmin some but really just running as hard as I can maintain for what is remaining).  I do warm ups before my races so that my first mile is not slower.  With the exception of a marathon where I can hit pace without a warm up.  So I guess the answer is... race experience?

 

Not quite.

There was 27 seconds difference in my fastest mile (7:16) and slowest mile (7:43) at my marathon.  And for my half marathon, 13 seconds (6:54 / 7:07).

 

Your splits actually look really good minus the first 2 miles. Did you do a warm up? Or maybe you just under estimated your fitness?

1 mile warm up which was too short and yes I probably underestimated my fitness.  I was a little gunshy after my half in October when my first two miles were similar to today, but got progressively slower after that.

For the folks who are so consistent in their splits:  do you constantly look at your watch, or have an app that is constantly updating you as to your pace?  My paces are all over the place, usually because of terrain or because I start out feeling good and then slow down, or I start out stiff and speed up as I warm up.  I usually start out faster than I want.  I've tried using the virtual pacer on my watch and it helps a little to slow me down, but I am never consistent.  I can sometimes end up averaging my goal pace, without ever actually doing that pace.  So how do you do it?

When I stopped giving a crap about splits, racing got a whole lot more fun. Don’t get me wrong, I care very much about training, and I measure workouts, and probably obsess about numbers as much as anyone. But I don’t like race day to turn into some weird split hitting task. I just want to run. So in the 50 or so races since Oct 2012, the only ones I could even tell you what my splits were are Boston (because they post them with your results), and track miles (because the clock is pretty much in your face for those). One of my favorite parts of a race is the little surprise I get when the finish clock is finally in view, and I learn (timewise) how my race was.

 

When I stopped giving a crap about splits, racing got a whole lot more fun. Don’t get me wrong, I care very much about training, and I measure workouts, and probably obsess about numbers as much as anyone. But I don’t like race day to turn into some weird split hitting task. I just want to run. So in the 50 or so races since Oct 2012, the only ones I could even tell you what my splits were are Boston (because they post them with your results), and track miles (because the clock is pretty much in your face for those). One of my favorite parts of a race is the little surprise I get when the finish clock is finally in view, and I learn (timewise) how my race was.

I still get this (and not always a good surprise), because despite being glued to my watch for much of a race, I never look at it in the last mile. Because I figure at that point I am giving everything I have left and there's nothing else I can do about it.

 Interesting. I don't see myself doing that in the near future, but it is interesting.

I've worked at it extensively, and suck at extensively it. lol

It's actually quite liberating during easy runs and track sessions. I have yet to find that zone during events however, so it remains a work in progress.