Worst Marathon Pacing Mistakes

These 6 mistakes will make your marathon take a turn for the worse. Let's find out the solutions!

[LayneBracy]

Thanks so much for the invaluable advice!

[moniquequinome]

Hi Jane, I'm from Germany (this explains my mistakes!) and I used your videos to train for my frist marathon (I'm 55). I did everything what you said, especially in pacing and fueling. It worked. All your words are really true!!!! I ran the marathon in Munich with a negative split and had a time of 4:06:51 (7th in my age group). Thank you so much!!!

[kingtrumpet]

This doesn't have much to do with your video, except that I find "great encouragement" somehow by watching your vids, and knowing that you are out, "practicing what you preach", and NO shortcuts. I was having a bad morning, not feeling so great, was just going "to chuck this day, and do NO exercise", watched your video, and although I didn't run, I did go outside and ride the bicycle for an hour. Have an awesomeness weekend Coach Jane, it's always a win for me watching your vids.

[kjoto]

My last race, I ran with a pacer and she finished quite a lot faster than what she was pacing. I found it really hard mentally to see her 400-500 meters ahead of me the whole race. I felt so slow and it contributed to a lot of negative self talk. I really like your idea of running with the one slower than target pacer. I will try that at my next race! Thanks for another great video.

[Something]

I have a marathon tomorrow and my training do not go well because of injuries. My knees are feeling much better but I'm not going to go crazy. I'm just going to go and have fun and enjoy the experience. I can't get my money back so maybe I can just try to finish it like a 🐢. It will be about maintaining a slower pace and feuling! Thank you for the pep talk Jane!

[akhappyhomemaker]

I watched this this morning before my 1/2 and reminded myself after that first mile to slow down! I had so much nervous energy I was running 45 seconds faster than my goal. I ended up crushing it and didn't hit a wall. Thank you for the videos! Such good advice.

[carsdtb]

Nice advice! I am 4 marathons in, this time last year I was yet to run my first!
I broke the 3hr mark last Sunday by going out at 2:56 pace, and there were 2 3hr pacers. I was ahead of both but by mile 14, the faster of the two and about 12 runners went past me and down the road. I knew that pacer was too fast and stayed back. Even for the lesser effort, I took 2 15 second walking breaks to recover my heart rate at mile 21-23. Then at mile 25, that 3hr pacer was on his own, slowing to correct his pace, and I breezed past him. Finished strong, but ran the second half 3 minutes slower than the first.
I'd say that to negative split, it's not just a race day strategy, but arguably a mentality that we should develop in training too through progression runs, practice races and the like. The mental side is part discipline, and difficult to train. Maybe not impossible :)

[akramerliv]

Thank you for your videos! Your advice has been so helpful 😊

[skirtonbear]

Thank you. Your advice has been greatly appreciated as I have been in training this year stepping up to a 10K, a half-marathon and coming marathon.
This is my only marathon, CIM, I’m 54, still a bit overweight, and working through arthritis. I have a required training race Sunday: Run the Parkway, 20 mi with a cutoff really close to my recent times.
After this I will return to the shorter races whether or nor I finish on time.

[markray]

Great video Jane and very important topic. Great to have plan ahead of time. Really like your comments on pace groups and how to pace first few miles 10-15 secs per mile slower than goal race pace. Listening to body and adapting can be tough if you have goal in mind but knowing that is the right plan going in sure makes it easier !!

[clagler]

I love your videos; the topics are always so thoroughly explained and this one is especially on point! I feel as though 80% of the recreational field of runners goes off the start line too fast at most races and it’s hard to hold back to your planned pace for a negative split.

[thomasconrod]

Perfect timing for this talk. I will use the very conservative start/negative split find-my- marathon pace band recommendedations for a goal time 10 min slower than the McMillan calculation. If this is too slow to start then wonderful, I'll have a good finish. I don't want a miserable finish in my first marathon.

Thank you so much for this no nonsense, practical information.

[tortoisewhisperer]

I used to race a 25k (15.5 mile) road run in late November for a January marathon to get an idea of what a realistic goal / pace would be. Basically I would take my 25k time, double it, then subtract about 20 minutes to get a realistic goal finish time for a full marathon. It worked out to within a minute for me three years in a row. e.g. 25k was 1:26-1:27 then marathon was 2:33 and change. Since 25k not frequently run maybe this could be scaled for a half marathon. I ran 1:12 for the half around the same time so I would guess maybe double the half time then add 8 or 9 minutes. Of course the 25k/half marathon race/trial and the marathon need to be run on similar (terrain wise) if not the same course.

[teresa]

The ideal weather conditions will be vary depending on the type of weather you are used to train in. I have been training in the winter time in the Midwest, 40 degrees as long as it is dry feels ideal and not uncomfortable at all.

[JasonLawsan]

One thing i liked that you talked about is when it comes to hill, which was related to RPE "Rate of Perceived Exertion", Which I added this part to my training to under my RPE, during running or cycling it helped because we can rely on Heart rate monitor always to gage effort. I can wait to the day I run my first Marathon or a Half Ironman. Thank you for your knowledge.

[seekingUltraNick]

Really great advice, as always, Jane! I’m aiming for a BQ in two weeks -yay, taper! But anyway, the advice of starting slightly behind your target pace group is EXACTLY my strategy. It’s a pretty ambitious time and it might be warmer on race day so we’ll see. Thanks again!

[er]

Jane I love all your videos. I am just now starting running again, yet I walked 8 miles a day. I am doing MAF training starting a couple of days ago and my mileage is very low right now 2 miles at a time. I don’t even get tired so next week I am going to up it to 3 a day then next week after that 4 then my goal is 5 after that week. My marathon is the Detroit Free Press Marathon on October 3rd and I am wondering once I get my base I figure by March need you or sooner as a trainer and coach. Thank you

[runningoneddie]

Wow, your thumbnail for your video looks a lot like my marathons, back when I did them. It was always a hard thing for me to get right. What is strange is that I often had fantastic workouts that I could hold my marathon pace for 18 - 20 miles but invariably on race day, at the half marathon point, it suddenly felt hard, despite a good taper and a strong lead up. Only a handful of marathons I did I would say went "great". It's definitely a hard race to master and the running gods really have to be in alignment. I also found the racing charts to be overly optimistic for me. I'd punch in recent half marathon / 5k times, and they were never right. I've had hit and miss relationships with pacers. You had some good suggestions on how to handle them. I use them for a guide and if they aren't doing what I am doing, I don't use them. Most go off way too fast. Their goal, also, is usually running even splits.

I'd love to see your advice on downhill racing. I am sure you have them where you are at (I did the Fort Collins marathon, I think you are in CO), but Utah is famous for massive downhill half and full marathons. What would your strategy be for a race that starts off with a massive downhill for the first 65 - 75% of the race distance and how do you prepare for the remaining distance when it is flat or rolling hills? That's a race strategy I haven't quite figured out yet, and I've been at this for over 20 years now.

[jocelynbao]

Thanks for the video, Jane, super helpful advice. I wonder if you are going to make a video about running marathons on period and what adjustments female runners need to make? I found very few videos on this topic but hope to prepare for this situation

[underwaterlevelz]

Man, I'll never forget showing up to my first half marathon looking for a 90 minute pacer and hearing that he backed out right before the race.