I need advice on how to pace my marathon.?

My last one was completed in 4 hr 58 minutes. This time i am aiming for 4 hr 45 minutes. That means 6m 45 secs per km. Is it best to try and maintain that steady pace for the whole way or should i pace myself quicker at the start and slow it down?I need advice on how to pace my marathon.?
I always thought it was a good idea for runners to try to keep a reserve for the end. I'd think if you tried to maintain a good pace throughout and then speeded up in the last few miles you'd do better.I need advice on how to pace my marathon.?
The longer the race, the shorter the warmup. And for a marathon, that's little more than some stretching and loosening up. So I'm always in favor or starting off at a slower pace, making sure all the stuff works properly and there are no phantom problems that pop up. After 4-6 miles, I'd speed up a little to try to get onto your splits.





Frankly, my time was about the same as yours, but, unfortunately, I developed a pain in my calf at about 2 miles and finally started walking and running alternately at about 12 miles.





Good Luck
Hi





I recommend you do the first half in about 10-15 min faster then the last half..





Find a pace band on the web and run with that





http://www.marathonguide.com/fitnesscalc鈥?/a>
You have to be very mentally tough and experienced to pull off negative splits. But one important variable that you need to consider is the course. In my experience, some courses are best approached by trying to run the early miles a little above goal pace, just because the course is easier at that point. Others have some tough miles with lots of hills early, and you would be wise to take those miles easy.





Take Boston for example. The first 15 miles are flat or gradual downhill, but there are some tough hills around 20 miles. You would want to be a little above goal pace through the down hill parts, while saving a good reserve of energy for the tough hills. The St. George Marathon on the other hand has some hills early, and then long downhill stretches in the last 10 miles, and it's almost hard to not run negative splits unless you blow up.





The weather conditions are also a huge variable. If it's hot, or the wind is against for long stretches, it's best to not worry about time goals. Just focus on keeping the effort nice and steady and try to survive.





So, I would recommend suiting your pacing strategy to the course, and trying to keep the effort constant throughout. Just avoid the biggest pit fall, going out to fast in the first few miles, no matter the course.





One final thought, I always tried to set several goals in a marathon, the first one is always to finish. Then set a couple time goals and a couple mental goals. Any marathon I finished and still felt strong and in control was a big sucess to me.
Well, my best time was a bit over 3 hours (03:04:05 - which is a time you couldnt get if you tried - 3,4,5!).





Apart froma little showing off, the 1st 2 km were at 6\min km pace (which if I had continued would be a 4:10 marathon). Going slow at the beginning is the way to go I think. The first 2 were very slow, however after that I was slightly out of breath and running easily - so I just upped the pace to what I could manage at the time and continued at that.





If you set off from the line too fast you will manage a few KM then start to slow while you recover and then you pick the pace up again to the pace you can run at. These extra 4 mins in a marathon are relativly nothing so no harm going slow at the start, dont get out of breath and keep a steady pace.








There are many peolpe who say a negative split is good - start slow, and fast 2nd half.... if you can manage it.





I would say either a steady pace or slow then speed up if you can.








I got a Garmin GPS for christmas and it sounds very good but I havent used it enough to get used to it. 拢170 is a lot though. It beeps when you go outside your pace by too much so you can try to alter your speed - like I saifd though, I need to get used to it a bit.
the best tip I can give (as a previous marathon runner) is to start out quite slowly, by the half way point you'll know how much you have left in the tank and you can choose to keep the pace or pick it up.





That way at the very least you should finish without killing yourself (metaphorically and literally).





Sometimes you can just have a 'bad day' where you cannot find a reasonable pace or the stamana to keep one up, thats why I find the above method is generally the best choice for amatuer runners.
For marathons and long run events I recommend pacing yourself evenly throughout the race. If you try to go out to fast early you will only use up your energy stores earlier and faster. Since you already know that the last 10K are the hardest of the Marathon you will want to make sure the first 32 go as smooth as you can.





If you are worried about pacing you could buy a Garmin Device to help, the forunner 205 is nice if you don鈥檛 want the heart monitor that comes with the 305. Of course if you are using a Nano you could get the Nike Chip that helps.





My aim this year is to turn my 4:49 Marathon into an under 4:30. Keep in mind that no matter what as long as you finish you are a winner. Also you can get a pacing band, at http://www.marathonguide.com/fitnesscalc鈥?/a> this can help make sure you keep your splits fairly even.





Harry Jacobs


http://thediabeticrunner.blogspot.com
If you can mentally, the second half should be faster than the first.