Running in a marathon pace group
sarahc001
Posts: 477 Member
Saturday will be my first marathon. I signed up for the 3:55 pace group. McMillanrunning calculated my pace at 3:50 based on my 1:49 half in January. I'm still a little concerned since the half was in Florida and therefore flat...However, this is possibly mitigated by the fact that I ran the 6.4 mi to the start of the half. Has anyone ever run with a pace group before? Any thoughts?
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It's a good way to get to the end of the race in the time you want, if the pacers are good. Some local races have had some bad pacers (MN) but hopefully the race you're doing has ones that have done it before... They can be fun because they kind of cheer you along and give you pointers along the way.0
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I like the energy of pace groups, it helps to pull you through bad patches. However, I prefer to run my own race using my own pace charts. Sometime their walk breaks don't coincide with mine or something like that. Have a back-up plan and know what needs to happen by when. If the pacing group works for you, great, if it doesn't you don't have any stress and can switch over to plan B.0
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Pace groups are great for keeping you from going out too fast. The good news is you can join & ditch them whenever you want. Also, not all pacers are created equally, the Clif Team is the best in the business. Some races use local running club volunteers, who may or may not do a great job. Also, they may run the water stops when you are used to walking (or vice versa).
FWIW: be really careful of the mcmillan calculator, especially on your first marathon. A good guideline, but you may not be able to hit your predicted time. I can't ever hit my times based on my shorter races (even after a full training cycle).
Good luck and have fun!0 -
I ran in a pace group for a metric marathon (i.e., 26K). As arc918 said, it was good to keep me from bursting out of the gates, but I ended up ditching them about 5 miles in since I just felt like I could run faster (and did... I ended up passing the pace group in front of me, too). For my marathon, I wanted to let my body (in coordination with my mind and Garmin!) dictate the pace, so elected not to, though I easily could've started with one and ditched if desired, too. If pacing is generally an issue for you or you don't have a Garmin or the like, it might be helpful!
Most importantly, good luck in your marathon & have a great time!!!!0 -
I used a pace group for most of my marathon in Louisiana. It made the first 17 miles go by quickly and on even pace. Then I had to wait in porta-potty line and was too tired to catch them.
I am thinking of running with the 2:00 pace group for the half on Saturday. They said they follow an even pacing strategy, but do need to account for the hills. I'm not going to pin the pace bib on my back, but will probably start in the same corral as the group and tag along. 2:03 is probably a more realistic goal but can't hurt to try...0 -
Thanks everyone!0
