After clocking up some good training mileage over the last eight weeks I felt it was time to up the pace again this week during my long run of twenty miles today. I don't want to turn into some sort of long distance plodding machine, once I find I can knock out 2o mile training runs with relative ease I then opt to push the pace slightly which in turn ensures I finish the session with the right amount of difficulty.
At the moment I'm looking for a race I can enter but at the same time I'm just as happy at the moment to continue with my training, in racing terms the secret to going faster is to race less but with so many good races to do out there I usual find myself sacrificing some speed for the enjoyment of doing lots of races.
I did come up with a new idea to achieve a faster marathon time and that was to use a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch to help me keep to the exact pace I set myself. With one week to go and feeling as good as ever before this years Edinburgh Marathon I suddenly came to the conclusion what the hell does 5 min 32 pace feel like. Even going faster than your target pace even by a few seconds can be seriously detrimental which is exactly what I did at this years Edinburgh marathon. So the watch could be the answer if I could manage to stick to the pace and not chase after people, surely as I get older I will get wiser, errrm I seem to of been saying this for some years now. Maybe next year is the one.
3 comments:
It's not as easy as people think to hold back. Some excellent runners have come a cropper by setting off too fast, especially in the marathon. It's usually a case of discipline versus competitive instinct and when you see runners you want to beat, instinct wins and you try and catch or stick with them. Using the Garmin(with pace set function)to keep pace would be difficult also, especially on an undulating course, where your pace may fluctuate quite a bit over the length of the run anyway. It may distract you from the fact you are racing against other runners and not time. Setting the 'virtual partner' function on your Garmin to a slightly slower time than you intend to do may work. This would probably allow for changes in pace that would be inevitable. You would need serious discipline to ignore runners who pass you. If your new to Garmin GPS you may be surprised how much your pace does fluctuate in races and training. I would be lost without mine and wouldn't be able to accurately predict pace without it.
Hope this helps.
In the past I have tried using even effort which seemed like a good idea if the course is hilly or if its windy but whats easy in the first few miles is absolutely impossible for the last 5 miles. I think I would try for keeping to the overall average speed and slow down or speed up in parts where need be. My biggest aim would be getting to 21 miles in my predicted time then giving it everything from there. Easy said than done, even more so like you say ignoring your rivals as they disappear up the road....I know this time I have got to stick to the watch and I'm positive that will be the case.
You're spot on. Even effort is not the same as even pace and you would need to adjust your pace at times to the terrain and conditions on the day. Using the Garmin to 'slow' you down during the early stages sounds like good tactics. Then surging past your rivals in the last miles should be a winning formula.
Best of luck.
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