Half-Marathon Pacing / Strategy
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watermstry
Posts: 41 Member
I'm running my second half-marathon in two weeks and am looking for help on pacing. I ran cross-country throughout middle and high school, and am still new to longer distances - I really don't know how to approach a half-marathon properly.
For my first half in November, my overall time was 2:20:14, with 1:02:55 at the 10K mark. I walked a lot for the last couple of my miles of that race - I really wasn't ready. Clearly, I took off too fast, though I thought I was taking it easy.
Despite nagging knee pain, I think I am a little more prepared this time. I did a 5K a few days ago, and my time was 27:45, on tired legs. Based on this, I'm aiming for 2:10 or less. This is reasonable, yes?
If I'm aiming for a pace of 10:00/mile, should I try to hit that for my first mile, or start out even slower? Then what? Is it really important to have negative splits, or should I try to be consistent throughout the race? (I will be using the Runtastic app, and I have it set to announce my pace every half mile.)
If it helps, on my longest training run (11 miles), miles 1-6 were all around 10:35. 7 and 8 were about 12 minutes (walked some), and 9-11 were around 10:35 again.
For my first half in November, my overall time was 2:20:14, with 1:02:55 at the 10K mark. I walked a lot for the last couple of my miles of that race - I really wasn't ready. Clearly, I took off too fast, though I thought I was taking it easy.
Despite nagging knee pain, I think I am a little more prepared this time. I did a 5K a few days ago, and my time was 27:45, on tired legs. Based on this, I'm aiming for 2:10 or less. This is reasonable, yes?
If I'm aiming for a pace of 10:00/mile, should I try to hit that for my first mile, or start out even slower? Then what? Is it really important to have negative splits, or should I try to be consistent throughout the race? (I will be using the Runtastic app, and I have it set to announce my pace every half mile.)
If it helps, on my longest training run (11 miles), miles 1-6 were all around 10:35. 7 and 8 were about 12 minutes (walked some), and 9-11 were around 10:35 again.
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Replies
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Starting off too fast sets a cascade of fail that will haunt you the rest of the race (the wall). I'm trying to slow myself down to pace for a full to avoid this. I prefer the negative split run, and it usually kicks in around mile 7-8 for me, and I'll go from a 9-10m/m to a 7-8m/m and it feels perfect, and averages out the run nicely. Plus, it's nice to pass some surprised people in the last few miles!0
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Negative splits will only ever work if you know your pacing well. You cant run a negative without a clear goal time in mind, otherwise its just a strategy of "I hope i have some gas left"
In terms of pacing, check out the McMillan calculator http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/
As a general rule, your race pace should be about a 30 seconds to 1:30 off your training pace
Based on your training times a 10 minute 9:45 per mile split doesnt seem a bad idea, i'd start running 10 - 15s and see where you wind up. You're always better off going slower on the first couple of miles and then speeding up then the other way around.
Good luck0 -
We seem to have a similar pace. I ran my second half in April, and they had pacers. I stuck with the 2:10 pacer until around mile 9 and then sped up and ended up finishing in 2:08:26. It felt great to be able to pick up pace and be passing lots of runners at the end. My paces are all over the place, because it was a hilly course (1000 ft of climb), but I definitely averaged around 9:55, and then the last 3-4 miles was around 9:00 pace. Whatever you do, you should definitely feel like you are holding back at the beginning. Don't give in to the urge to run too fast - it will be strong!!
I'd say shoot for 9:55 -10:00 pace for the first half at least, and then if you feel good, start speeding up.0 -
Thank you everyone for the great advice. I'll let you know how I do.0
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Just wanted to say that I ran my half last night. My time was 2:12, which is 13 min faster than my first one. I think I held back too much in the first portion. I wanted to step it up, but I was really afraid of crashing and burning again. I actually didn't walk at all, which is almost unbelievable to me. My splits were 10:05, 10:10, 9:59, 10:04, 10:32, 10:08, 10:11, 10:26, 10:29, 10:11, 10:10, 10:14, 9:34. I think that last mile shows that I left too much on the course. On the other hand, it was really fun to pass and not be passed the whole race, and I think that boosted my mood and energy level. Having my phone to help me pace was a huge help, as was having a water belt. I think next time I am going to aim for constant pace, but leave enough juice to try to go negative the last 2 or 3 miles. For now, I need to rest and try to get over my knee pain...0
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That's wonderful! Congrats on your race!0
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Just wanted to say that I ran my half last night. My time was 2:12, which is 13 min faster than my first one. I think I held back too much in the first portion. I wanted to step it up, but I was really afraid of crashing and burning again. I actually didn't walk at all, which is almost unbelievable to me. My splits were 10:05, 10:10, 9:59, 10:04, 10:32, 10:08, 10:11, 10:26, 10:29, 10:11, 10:10, 10:14, 9:34. I think that last mile shows that I left too much on the course. On the other hand, it was really fun to pass and not be passed the whole race, and I think that boosted my mood and energy level. Having my phone to help me pace was a huge help, as was having a water belt. I think next time I am going to aim for constant pace, but leave enough juice to try to go negative the last 2 or 3 miles. For now, I need to rest and try to get over my knee pain...
You ran really even splits for the entire race. Very well done. Yeah, the 9:34 shows you had a little gas in the tank, but it's better to finish strong than to have to slow over the last few miles.0 -
Wow, that's really good on the splits! Nice job!!0
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Will this race have pace bunnies?
If yes, latch on to the one closes to your goal time - they're usually bang on with the pacing and many will aim for a negative split (talk to him or her before the race).0 -
Will this race have pace bunnies?
If yes, latch on to the one closes to your goal time - they're usually bang on with the pacing and many will aim for a negative split (talk to him or her before the race).
Pssst. OP already ran it. Wake up! :laugh:0
