Comments on: Pace groups

By: lindsay

lindsay — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:01:49 +0000

i would definitely go for it! i have a tendency to aim higher than i can usually reach, but it sounds like you have the speed and fitness to make a 3:20. i’m sure the group would help distract you early on from thinking about the race too much and pull you along later when you start to doubt yourself.

By: Andrea Hill

Andrea Hill — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:10:57 +0000

I agree completely! My own guide is the 8 mile marker: at 8 miles, I should barely be aware that I’m running, I should be mentally and physically fresh.

By: mburns1214

mburns1214 — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:53:28 +0000

I enjoy running with a pace group during a marathon. I ran with a 3:10 pace group for the first 12 miles at ’08 Flying Pig and another 3:10 pace group for the first 5 miles at ’08 Columbus. My finishing times were just a few minutes ahead of the pace groups, but I think the pace group helps remove the mental aspect of worrying about pace during those early miles. It’s during those miles that you don’t want to expend mental energy which you really need during the late miles. They typically have a large number of runners in the group, so they often help block any head wind. In my limited experience, I find the first 5-7 miles are about finding the pace (mentally challenging), the next 12-14 miles are just repetitive motion and the last miles are about hanging onto the pace (mentally and physically challenging). So, anything saved from the first 5-7 miles helps make the last miles a little easier.