How to pace Boston

the first 5ish are downhill, so you can go out conservative and still hit your splits, which is about right

I have run it 6x. I can tell you, that if you are fit, you are fit. However, Boston beats up the quads like no other race. By 8 miles if your quads are not prpared, they will get tight. And, if you have tight quads at 8 miles? You are screwed.

your logic sounds good. run easy like the second post said for the first 5 or 7 miles and you will still coast through your target splits. Boston makes it easy to run with someone else your goal pace, but stay with your plan. Many get caught up in the music, thousands of spectators, and just the Boston atmosphere.

Stay on your goal pace, even a little slower for the first 15 miles. You want to be comfortable before the hills.

Accomplish that, and you will pass many people fron BC to the finish. Bank on it. And look for that Citgo sign after 20, it will bring you home.

Go Sox!

First 5 or 6 you will dragged out at quicker pace than you think because everyone around you will be going your speed, which you won't be used to and it is downhill. Just stay really relaxed and don't worry if people are pulling ahead of you.

At 10 you should still feel really good.

Get past Wellesely without picking it too much.

You will all of sudden be close to half way. If you run it right, you should feel like you have barely been running. If you already feel your quads (like many first timers), you have to be really careful the second half at two key places.

Watch out for the long downhill around 15. That is a quad killer. Many people run the first 12 at a certian pace and then realize they are slowing up the next few miles and try make up some time on that long downhill and ruin their quads.

Get up the series of hills. They might slow you down a little but they aren't that bad.

The real problem for many first time Boston runners is they push it too fast on the long downhill after Heartbreak. They figure they are done with the hills and it is a breeze to the finish. Big mistake when they find their quads are all of sudden shot at 22 from pushing too hard on that downhill. Wait to 22 before you make the push to the finish. Don't go at the top of Heartbreak.

First of all, Big papi sucks balls.

As for advice, I'd say go out conservatively YES definitely...It's like Daniels says going out 10secs too slow isnt bad but too fast and you're screwed. I've seen a 2:43 guy trying to think he was going to run 2:30 at boston, so he went out going through 10K in like 35minutes and 1:16 or something for the half and then after that he stopped for about 7minutes at the hills,ended up trotting home in like 3:15

Big Papi wrote:

...

Stay on your goal pace, even a little slower for the first 15 miles. You want to be comfortable before the hills.

Accomplish that, and you will pass many people fron BC to the finish. Bank on it. And look for that Citgo sign after 20, it will bring you home.

Go Sox!

Agree 100%. I ran Boston only once but this is the strategy I used and ran a very good race. Through the hills I was still strong and passing people like crazy which just makes you feel good. I finished feeling good about my effort and knew I could not have run the race any faster.

fOR dEpOsiT wrote:

The real problem for many first time Boston runners is they push it too fast on the long downhill after Heartbreak. They figure they are done with the hills and it is a breeze to the finish. Big mistake when they find their quads are all of sudden shot at 22 from pushing too hard on that downhill. Wait to 22 before you make the push to the finish. Don't go at the top of Heartbreak.

I wish someone had told me this before I ran Boston the first time because it is DEAD ON. I got to the top of Heartbreak still feeling pretty decent, saw the big downhill and thought, "f*ck it, it's a breeze from here, let's go!"

By the time I hit level ground my quads were trashed, and I still had to get through four slow, painful, goal-destroying miles to the finish. Sucked.

learn to search the web wrote:

http://www.teamoregon.com/publication/online/baasplit.html

Thanks everyone for the great thoughts and experience!

No thanks to some knob who posted a link with no evidence base or explanation whatsoever.

Here is the thing, I am looking at results from last year and I see that only 3 out of the top 100 male runners actually negative-splitted. Is that because if you negative split on that course you left something out there? Or do 95%+ of the runners just don't pace Boston right, even as experienced/fast as the top 100 runners are?

Here's mine.

For: Usain Bolt age 23, estimated VO2max 44.32.

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Boston Marathon Race Splits

Two sets of splits are listed below, those based on your goal, and those based on the computers prediction using your submitted race times. The predicted splits assume you have trained adequately to meet the endurance demands of the race. The splits take into account the terrain and altitude of this course.

GOAL PREDICTED

MILES TIME SPLIT TIME SPLIT

1.0 0:04:03 4:03 0:08:48 8:48

2.0 0:08:12 4:08 0:17:48 8:59

3.0 0:12:19 4:07 0:26:44 8:56

4.0 0:16:23 4:04 0:35:34 8:50

5.0 0:20:39 4:16 0:44:51 9:16

6.0 0:24:50 4:10 0:53:55 9:04

7.0 0:29:00 4:10 1:02:59 9:03

8.0 0:33:17 4:16 1:12:15 9:16

9.0 0:37:27 4:09 1:21:17 9:02

10.0 0:41:42 4:15 1:30:32 9:14

11.0 0:45:58 4:15 1:39:47 9:14

12.0 0:50:08 4:10 1:48:51 9:04

13.0 0:54:19 4:10 1:57:56 9:04

14.0 0:58:31 4:11 2:07:01 9:05

15.0 1:02:48 4:16 2:16:19 9:17

16.0 1:06:51 4:02 2:25:07 8:47

17.0 1:11:11 4:20 2:34:32 9:25

18.0 1:15:29 4:18 2:43:53 9:20

19.0 1:19:41 4:11 2:52:58 9:05

20.0 1:23:58 4:16 3:02:16 9:17

21.0 1:28:24 4:26 3:11:55 9:38

22.0 1:32:30 4:05 3:20:48 8:52

23.0 1:36:38 4:07 3:29:46 8:58

24.0 1:40:47 4:09 3:38:47 9:00

25.0 1:44:55 4:08 3:47:45 8:58

26.0 1:49:08 4:12 3:56:54 9:08

26.2 1:49:59 0:51 3:58:46 1:52

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