With the marathon training season in full swing, and the Boston Marathon right around the corner, marathon race day energy is in the air.
We’ve all had good races and bad races, but sometimes it’s hard to cut through the noise to find out exactly what set you up for that one-of-a-kind race. There are just so many variables:
- Was it the temperature?
- Your special breakfast?
- Praying to the marathon gods?
- None of the Above?
After coaching hundreds of runners to the the marathon finish line, I have figured out that the most important thing you can do on marathon race day is START SLOW!
That’s right…of all the race files and post-race interviews I have done, it’s clear that the vast majority of folks who underperformed relative to their fitness simply ran too fast at the start. There are lots of simple reasons why this can happen:
- Excitement of the crowds
- Extra energy from the taper period
- Nervous that you’ll get caught “behind”
Regardless of the reason, any single one of us can blow weeks and months of quality training by trying to run beyond our fitness levels.
Announcing the Marathon Pace Generator
To help put a stop to this phenomenon, I am releasing a Marathon Pace Generator — in miles and kilometers — to help you safely plan out your next race. It’s a free download that you can access by signing up here. I’ll be following up with everyone who registers with an explanatory video as well as other learning resources to make sure that you are 100% ready to have your best possible marathon on race day.
I hope you’ll sign up to download it, as it’s a great resource…and please pass it on to your friends!
Thanks!
~ Coach Patrick
