First time Boston Runner wanting to set a PR and I have a habit of going out too fast. Are there pace groups at the Boston Marathon?
No. There are not.
You are in a corral w/ others that have your same qualifying time. Everyone starts too fast. Don’t look to others in your corral to pace you either.
Please look at the profile. The first 4 miles are down hill and if you try to go slow, people will fly by you. It’s a hard marathon to start slow at, so practice if that’s what you want to do. Most first timers cook their legs in the first half and die a horrible death the second half.
But it is a fun marathon, and the crowds are amazing. You’ll want to be running going down Com Ave,
Good luck.
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If you like to go out fast then Boston is where you want to be as the first 10K are down hill and after sitting on your butt in the “athletes village” for hours on end and then giving away any clothes that you wore out there, you will burn out quick enough. There are no pace groups and just remember that you will be climbing from mile 17 to 20 and then you get the honor of huffing and puffing your way up Heart Break Hill. At least then you get to coast down hill to the finish in what will likely be unseasonable hot weather with no shade in sight. If you want a PR do some little no name event in some place where its cool, dry and flat. This year will be my 5th Boston. Tim
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Marathon training is too lonely and taxing on my body. It took me two marathons to qualify and Boston will be my last. All racing hence will be half-marathon and shorter. I’d love to go out with a PR! Appreciate the advice!
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Don’t even think about your time until you’ve kissed the girls in Wellesley.
Take your goal finish time pace and run no more than 5 seconds per mile faster during the first 16 miles. From there, do whatever you have to to get home.
You could make one of those pace bands (http://www.findmymarathon.com/pacebandresult.php?race=Boston%20Marathon) and try to stick to those paces if you don’t trust your own pacing. Boston starts downhill, so I think you would WANT to go out faster than your goal pace.
My experience was a little different than other posters. My first mile was my second slowest (Heartbreak Hill mile was slowest), I was having a terrible time trying to get around people. It wasn’t until about 3 miles in that I was able to settle into a comfortable pace. So while you are in a corral with people near the same qualifying time as you, if you want to PR, you may have some people dodging to do. I averaged about 10 seconds faster than my final pace in the first 13 miles. The next 3 were all around final average pace. The next 5, which includes the Newton Hills, were about 15 seconds over with mile 21 being 35 over…I did take things easy on the hills. Then the last 5 were back to my final average.
No. There are not.
You are in a corral w/ others that have your same qualifying time. Everyone starts too fast. Don’t look to others in your corral to pace you either.
Please look at the profile. The first 4 miles are down hill and if you try to go slow, people will fly by you. It’s a hard marathon to start slow at, so practice if that’s what you want to do. Most first timers cook their legs in the first half and die a horrible death the second half.
But it is a fun marathon, and the crowds are amazing. You’ll want to be running going down Com Ave,
Good luck.
This. Unless you are in the back near/with the charity runners, EVERYONE in your corral had a QT within a minute or two of yours. Just move along the flow of those around you. It is unlike ANY other marathon in the world that way.
If you run on the outer edge you can literally give high fives to kids for the most of the 26 miles. Boston is so unique and so much fun. Since it is your last, put your ego aside and enjoy what you earned.
Marathon training is too lonely and taxing on my body. It took me two marathons to qualify and Boston will be my last. All racing hence will be half-marathon and shorter. I’d love to go out with a PR! Appreciate the advice!
If a ton of people are not almost constantly flying by you in the first 10k, you are going out too fast and you will pay the price in Newton.
Boston is the greatest Marathon. My advice:
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Enjoy every second starting with the bus ride out to the start. Enjoy sitting around drinking coffee, gatorade and bagels. Talk with everyone around you. Sit and lay around with warmer clothes than you think you need. Walk ez to the start about 20 minutes early.
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Let EVERYONE go by you in the first 10k. Everyone. They are going too fast, except maybe 1% of the people. Run the 2nd 10k as easy as you’ve ever run a long run. It will be faster than you think but keep the effort ez.
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When you hit Newton go even easier than the previous 16 miles HOWEVER, by the time you hit Boston College, you can knock off 1 minute per mile over your goal pace and pass everyone in sight. The crowds get sick at this point and if you feel good you will soak up that energy. If you’ve over paced, you will want to hit drunk people in the face.
If you keep your perceived exertion in check for 21.5 miles, you will PR. The adrenaline alone will make your super easy paces early be fast enough to be in the ballpark in final few miles.
Good luck and ENJOY!!1
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Boston is the greatest Marathon.
2. Let EVERYONE go by you in the first 10k. Everyone.
If you keep your perceived exertion in check for 21.5 miles, you will PR.
Good luck and ENJOY!!
I must have paced it ok last year then. Everyone was passing me the first 10K. Then I was passing people like crazy the last 10K.
It’s interesting the number of people who “blow up”. I was literally dodging people who were walking around 21M mark.
Boston is the greatest Marathon. My advice:
-
Enjoy every second starting with the bus ride out to the start. Enjoy sitting around drinking coffee, gatorade and bagels. Talk with everyone around you. Sit and lay around with warmer clothes than you think you need. Walk ez to the start about 20 minutes early.
-
Let EVERYONE go by you in the first 10k. Everyone. They are going too fast, except maybe 1% of the people. Run the 2nd 10k as easy as you’ve ever run a long run. It will be faster than you think but keep the effort ez.
-
When you hit Newton go even easier than the previous 16 miles HOWEVER, by the time you hit Boston College, you can knock off 1 minute per mile over your goal pace and pass everyone in sight. The crowds get sick at this point and if you feel good you will soak up that energy. If you’ve over paced, you will want to hit drunk people in the face.
If you keep your perceived exertion in check for 21.5 miles, you will PR. The adrenaline alone will make your super easy paces early be fast enough to be in the ballpark in final few miles.
Good luck and ENJOY!!1
I am wave 1 corral 5…
I assume I must get on the bus at 5am, which is an hour ride. then 4 hours of nothingness, correct? Hard for me to adjust to a late marathon
In my PR attempt at Boston, I wasn’t prepared for the downhill pounding on the quads in the first 9ish miles. I went out easy and was right on the money for pace with people going easier than probably normal since it was 2012(super hot). There weren’t a lot of people flying by but it was definitely the most crowded at my goal pace in any event which was cool in a way. I agree when you experience the Wellesley girls, it’s a good time for a check on how your feeling and your pace.
I think getting some “goal pace” on some decent downhill would be very beneficial for doing well at Boston, IMHO.