Boston Marathon Race Strategy

best strategy: run the first 10K at easy pace, progressively get faster so you know that you can hold your goal pace in the last 10K. THe Boston course is the biggest sucker course there is. It begs you to go out too fast. Don't do this. I did this last year and blew up.

gfjfgjhertr wrote:

best strategy: run the first 10K at easy pace, progressively get faster so you know that you can hold your goal pace in the last 10K. THe Boston course is the biggest sucker course there is. It begs you to go out too fast. Don't do this. I did this last year and blew up.

++1

Exactly what I did and I passed so many people in the latter stages of the race, especially the hills, I couldn't believe it. I don't like hills in marathons but I cruised through the Boston hills with no problem.

It all depends on if you are better running uphill than downhill. Some have different preferences.

No matter, Boston is run best if you go out easy and save any real effort for the last 10 miles.

Bump.

I'm wondering the same...

Wanting to average 6:00 and wondering if I should go out at 5:55 or right on at 6:00.

I've run all my PRs by negative splitting, but the Boston course doesn't seem like a very good course to negative split!

What do you guys think? Has anyone felt like they left too much time on the course the first several miles that are downhill? Or is it better to hold back on the downhill?

Definitely appreciate the first couple responses, but would like to hear more..

I live just a few miles from the course, train on it all the time, and actually have a PR from Boston. Go out too fast on those early downhills and the last 10k will get ugly. To my mind, if you run the second half just 90 seconds slower than the first half you'll have a successful race.

Need to run Boston like Joan Benoit, balls to the wall right from the gun!!!!!

depends are your start position , can be slow and crowded first mile or so if your way back , be prepared , don't get over anxious and try to make up time.

As others have stated here do not pound yourself out on the downhills , Heartbreak will be the least of your problems.

depends are your start position , can be slow and crowded first mile or so if your way back , be prepared , don't get over anxious and try to make up time.

As others have stated here do not pound yourself out on the downhills , Heartbreak will be the least of your problems.

depends are your start position , can be slow and crowded first mile or so if your way back , be prepared , don't get over anxious and try to make up time.

As others have stated here do not pound yourself out on the downhills , Heartbreak will be the least of your problems.

here is the key - run your controlled marathon pace effort - go by effort, don't worry too much about the mile by mile splits (unless you find yourself going too fast) your mile splits will vary a bit, with the rolling nature of the course

by the bottom of the long hill right at the 16 mile mark, you will find yourself ahead of goal pace time (2 hours, in your case) by some measure, may be 30 seconds, may be 2 minutes.

you will/should then give back some time on 4 of the next 5 miles. mile 19 is net downhill so should be back at goal pace effort/time. don't hammer the hills, maintain a controlled sustainable effort.

you might not know what kind of day you've having until you hit the hills, or even more likely, until you're coming down from mile 21, the 'cemetery' hill. you'll know what you have left in your legs then

it's a lot of fun to be strong those last 5 and pass folks by the hundreds (if not thousands) who trashed themselves by running too hard too long...

what wave/corral are you in? don't be worried if it's a bit crowded and slow the first 5k. there will be plenty of room to run after that - even with the huge field this year

Euclid wrote:

Bump.

I'm wondering the same...

Wanting to average 6:00 and wondering if I should go out at 5:55 or right on at 6:00.

I've run all my PRs by negative splitting, but the Boston course doesn't seem like a very good course to negative split!

What do you guys think? Has anyone felt like they left too much time on the course the first several miles that are downhill? Or is it better to hold back on the downhill?

Definitely appreciate the first couple responses, but would like to hear more..

much like a dying man saying "I wish I would have spent more time at the office," I've never heard of anyone saying they left too much time out on the course by going out too slow.

hgsfgj wrote:

I've never heard of anyone saying they left too much time out on the course by going out too slow.

i have, several times

i agree with Pete Pfitzinger; for most of us, the best marathon will result from a small positive split

try to go too slow and you might find yourself 'braking' on the down hills

there is a difference between a controlled effort and going too slow

Born2Run wrote:

I'm running Boston next week for the first time. If my goal pace is 7:30 is the best strategy to run the first 17 at 7:30, get to the top of heartbreak hill at about 7:35 average and try to get it back in the last five miles?

Follow me. I've run Boston five times. I'm aiming for 3:15 (7:26/mile avg.). I'll be in wave 2, corral 1.