Boston Marathon goal and pacing question

It is very difficult for most runners to negative split in Boston due the rolling down hill start, the crowd and the excitement. That head wind, if it is there, and the location of the hills don't help either. It takes a lot of patience and control.

My first time in Boston I just went out with the leaders, lasted for ten miles and, then, after they left me, I just hung on the best I could. Those were fun days when it was easy to do that. Only the lead group recieved splits and there was no water.

John from Madison -

Great story, and I would be very satisfied running the race you ran in '98. Well done.

MarathonMind wrote:

RE: No hills. Treadmill set on an incline not a good enough substitute?

I have also heard of runners setting a treadmill on blocks to run DOWNHILL once a week so you train your quads to handle the downhills.

First... nice race at Melbourne! I'm in your age group and was a few minutes behind in 1:24 after racing a 1:22 the week before in Tallahassee. I have a perspective that can help you as I face the same situation as you... training in Florida before heading up to Boston. In 2006 at age 48 I raced shorter distances at about the same times you are racing this year. Here are some things I did that are food for thought...

I got fast at the mile and 5k and had good leg turnover as I ran 4:56 and 5:01 solo mile time trials and was in the high 16s for 5k. I also was in the mid-35s at the Winter Park 10k. I concentrated on doing two track sessions in nonracing weeks - favorites were 5 x mile at 10k pace with a 2 minute break for stamina, 8 x 400m with a one minute rest for mile/5k and 8 x 200m with a 200m jog for speed. To get my legs strong for the hills I did 8 x 30 second hill with a jog down recovery. I would typically do the mile repeats or some 800m repeats slightly under 5k pace on Tuesdays with the 200s or hills on Thursdays. I also did leg extensions, hamstring curls, adductors and abductors in the gym. For stamina/tempo I raced four half marathons between 1:18 high and 1:22 between December and March. It did help that it was my tenth Boston Marathon. It was a cool day and I ran 2:51:45 with even splits of 1:25:40 and 1:26:05. I would suggest that on a cool day go out around 1:26 or 1:27 and stay strong for the hills. Be careful to avoid beating up your quads on the downhill around mile 16. I also agree with the note about multiplying your half marathon time by two and adding ten minutes. Since the Melbourne Half Marathon course had those two strong hills over the casueways it is fair to use this method for Boston. I think aiming for a 2:50-55 time is a good plan for you. Good luck and feel free to e-mail me at the e-mail noted on my website

www.garycohenrunning.com

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Gary,

It was nice meeting you in Melbourne. Thank you for taking the time to give me the benefit of your Boston experience. You have some excellent suggestions and it is clear that you were very prepared for that solid race you ran there in 2006. You had more speed then than I do now as my 5K times in the last year are mostly just under 18 minutes, with a couple of them over 18. I think your suggestion for my half split is a good one, weather permitting.

Good luck with your training business. I may drop you a note as the race draws nearer.

This advice from Flagpole2 was prophetic. The epilogue is that I ran it in 3:01:29, with a 1:28:22 first half. Given my recent times at the shorter distances, and some of the predictions on this thread, I feel like I underachieved a bit. I welcome any (productive) comments or advice on lowering that time between now and Boston 2010. Thanks.

Your pacing was just a tad too aggressive, and maybe you used yourself up in those smoking "tune up" races. At 53 I couldn't touch those 10K/half marathon times. But was able to go sub3 off a 1:28:51 half. I avoid all races but the big one. Because: who really cares about anything else?!!!!

Good point - and good race, too. I am going to run Chicago in the fall, and nothing in between now and then.

me too! Signed up Thursday, it closed on Friday. Goal=2:54.

You got in right under the wire, just like beating that 3 hour mark in Boston - well done. What sort of weekly mileage do you plan to put in and what sort of speed/tempo work?

I have run 2:57, 2:56 and now 2:58 on 65 mpw, 800s and/or mile repeats on Wed, and 200s/400s on Fr @ varying intensities. No tempo runs. About 9 min pace on M and Th; sometimes even slower. Usually about 8 min pace on Tu. Trails on Sat. Long runs at 7:15-7:45 pace.

But I might ramp it up a bit this cycle and go for 2:50. What the heck?!

Good luck.