Oh Hi! Remember me? I hope you do, because I’m back to blogging and it would be bad if noone was reading! I finished my semester a couple of weeks ago and I had been sorting everything to try and get back to normal after that.
Now, to more important things! I’m leaving to SF in 10 days and am running my First marathon in 15 days (do you think I’m exited about this?). It’s time I ask for advice to all the Pro’s out there (yup, that’s You):
I have mixed feeling about how to run the marathon. One part of me wants to race it, to go as fast as I can from start to finish and try to come out with an awesome PR. According to my 5k and 10k PR’s (23:09 and 47:15) I could finish under 3:50 and according to my half marathon PR (1:55:15) I could finish under 4:05. All this makes think I can finish my first marathon in less than 4 hours, I’m in great shape and am feeling stronger and lighter than ever.
On the other side, it’s my First marathon!! and decided to run it in San Francisco, the city where I was born and it’s the first time I’m going back in 27 years! So it’s a big thing for me, I want to enjoy the city, the view, the people… I want to remember every step and enjoy each mile, talk to people, take pictures and have fun the whole time. And usually if I’m going all out I tend to zone out, pump up the iPod and just concentrate on my body (and not dying out there).
There’s also the fact that I am traveling a huge distance, so there are a lot of variables that I won’t control. The weather is going to be different, food is going to be different, I still don’t know how I’ll get to the race, the route is going to be completely new to me and a lot of other things that could stop me from having a great/fast day.
What do you recommend? Should I follow my competitive side and go for a sub-4? or should I forget about the time, enjoy the ‘ride’ and leave the sub-4 for my next marathon? What would you do?
9 Comments
The brain says safety first – under 4 hours is very ambitious without having the experience for the whole distance … however, after 30 km you gonna see how you feel… and if there is still a chance to make it under 4 hours then try it (for 12km you have solid references) – if there might be no realistic chance anymore, then enjoy the rest of the race and just bring it home… – anyway, don’t listen to me
Welcome back! I only have two marathons under my belt, but for what it is worth, I’ll give my advice. DON’T GO ALL OUT. Start out conservatively. My Half Marathon PR is 1:52 and I had run three twenty milers and one twenty-two miler. I thought I was prepared for a 3:50-3:59 finish. I went out faster than my plan (8:45 per mile for the first few miles) and felt GREAT. A marathon is not about feeling great at the beginning. I started hurting around mile 14 and struggled for the next 8 miles. I was on pace for 3:55 at the halfway point and finished at 4:16.
Your goal for your first marathon should be to enjoy it and finish strong.
Also, SF is a hilly course. I think conserving your strength will be well worth it. I agree with the above comment that you should judge how you feel at 20 miles or so. Try to push it at the end, if you have anything left.
Have a wonderful time! I am excited to read all about your adventure.
I would highly suggest abandoning the idea of running your hardest from the start. You are going to need that energy later on. Trust me. 26.2 miles is a long distance to undertake for the first time and you should focus on the finish. It is a long road to haul and you don’t know what is coming ahead. Think about the finish and then worry about time for a later marathon.
Yay, welcome back!! I’m so excited that the race is getting so close now! On that note, I have to echo what has been said by the other commenters. You’re only going to have one first marathon, and while it WOULD be awesome to run a really fast time, I feel like it’s VERY risky to go into the race with an agressive time goal calculated using other race PRs (many of which I’m betting you didn’t earn on your first attempt at the distances). Running 26.2 miles is just extremely tough to comprehend until you’ve actually done it. So, if you go all out and try to push yourself, there is a decent chance you’ll end up crashing and burning–and not having much fun at all.
Not to mention, even if you don’t exactly crash and burn, I just feel like setting a time goal for your first marathon sets you up for disappointment–I know of very few people who have pulled off the times they thought they would in their first marathons. If you go into the race just aiming to finish, you will be happy and proud no matter what your time.
Everyone is right on about starting slowly, and taking the time to really enjoy the experience (chat with other runners, give high-fives, admire the scenery, thank volunteers, etc.!). If you get to mile-20 still feeling strong, you can push it from there! And hey, if it turns out you could have run it a little faster, you’ll have an almost guaranteed PR the next time around
Best of luck to you–I’m so excited to read about your experience! Try to make it one that you’ll always remember because it was so much fun. I know you’ll do great
I agree with everyone else, you should NOT go out there and run really hard at the beginning. With the taper,and the glycogen storing, you’ll be feeling awesome for those first 6 miles or so. I did, it felt like a walk in the park. It was the last 5, and especially the last 3 that were very tough to get through. If I hadn’t had my brother to push me for the last 2, I probably might have let myself walk much more than I did. Definitely try to enjoy yourself, and like Lisa said, San Fran is a hilly course, so you should conserve energy. The first marathon is all about finishing and feeling good.
Sorry for my delay in commenting, I didn’t have internet access last night in Cooperstown, NY. I still have to respond to everyone who left comments on my own blog yesterday!
Well, for your first marathon, I’d just start out easy, have fun and wait until mile 20 to race hard. If you’re in sub-4 shape you may very well run a sub-4 anyway (I did). OTOH, if you push too hard early on, you could hit the wall late in the race and have a really hard time just finishing. As others have said already, the first one is usually all about finishing.
Good luck whatever you decide!
Well, first, I will get a few things out of the way: 1) Welcome back! I’m glad you’re back to blogging!!; 2) Good luck for the marathon! I can’t believe it’s so soon
My advice isn’t going to be too different from anyone else’s here. Personally, I think that you could look at it this way: you only have one first marathon (well, some people have second “first” marathons for various reasons, but you know what I mean) and you want to try to enjoy this experience as much as possible, especially given how important this race is for you. This may mean that you finish and find yourself thinking you could have gone a bit faster, which is fine. There are SO many more marathons out there! You have the time to get to a sub-4:00 marathon, and you may even be able to do it for your second one. But for this first one, don’t push yourself so hard at the beginning that you’re dead by the time you get into the double-digit miles. Relish the experience now, concentrating on a PR or a time goal later
Most importantly, HAVE FUN and ENJOY YOURSELF! I can’t wait for the race report!
I have to agree with Irish coffee, you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment if you don’t finish sub 4. You’d be turning a victory (completing the 26.2 miles) into a failure. OTOH there’s no doubt in my mind that you absolutely CAN finish sub 4, but is it worth it? being your first, wouldn’t you prefer cruising to the finish line in 4:15 feeling as cool as a cucumber, having enjoyed every second, instead of finishing sub 4 all bruised and battered and barely conscious? Whatever you decide I wish the best of luck!!!
I’m agreeing with everyone else… for the first attempt you should enjoy the course and the experience. If you go out too fast at the start because you feel so great (and you should feel great if you’ve tapered and loaded properly), then chances of burning out at the end are higher.
I think checking in with yourself throughout the race would be a good plan… after 6 miles, 13.1 and then 20. If you’re still feeling fab at 20, then go ahead and try pushing.
You could try setting some performance and outcome goals. Outcome goals would be perhaps 3 different time goals (awesome race, good race, made-it-through race). But on the flip side, some performance goals would be to follow your fueling plan, finishing the race in good spirits, being proud of your achievement no matter what.
This advice comes from a gal who’s completed two marathons and DNF’d one!