1. Managing your expectations
Odds are very very very very very high; you are going to fail at holding race pace.
Lets start at the single most important aspect of your mental game. Start here to maximize your performance, lower your times and keep injuries at bay.
In some of the bigger city marathons, there may be upwards of 20 to 30 thousand runners. One runner each, male and female, will "win" it, the rest of us behind them. Lets just accept that we are not 118lbs, genetically superior, and deeply motivated to commit our lives exclusively to a running career.
Even if you are a pro, odds are you will not win, not execute the race you might desire.
Additionally, at a typical road marathon, you would need to finish in about the top 8 to 10 percent of your age division to achieve a Boston Qualifier. The BAA is even tightening the requirements starting in 2013! If you have read my previous blogs, you know I feel that the vast majority of runners are over trained on race day, and compound the error by then almost always running a positive split by going out way WAY to fast.
Yet despite all the advice, all the writing, all the examples runners receive on this subject, they over train and then go out too fast. Psychologist can probably explain it better, but basically runners live in denial about their pace times, and even defend their bad training and pace decisions AFTER the clock irrefutably confirms the exam score tells them they have failed.( it even happens to ME, and I know better!!) If only this, if only that, if only if only. If only!
Rules to manage your expectations:
1. You are not special in regards to pace time. The rules of physics and biology will not suspend for you on race day.
2. You can't overcome physical realities by being mentally "tough". Being mentally tough means at best you EXECUTE your pre determined proper race pace for 26.2 miles. THAT'S tough!!
3.Violate the speed limit, and you will crash! Speed workouts, 10k race times, and 1/2 marathon race times will almost always tell you exactly the pace you need to run at the start and the finish of a marathon. It works up and down the distance ladder. Run 800's to figure out pace for 5k's to figure out optimal 10k times, to figure out 1/2 marathon times. Unfortunately, many runners don't want to do these workouts. Without this history, you are sure to have training and pace difficulties. USE YOUR BRAIN, DO THESE WORKOUTS AND TIME THEM!!!
4. Nobody Cares! Really, they don't. Your family, your friends, co workers. They know you RUN marathons, but your speed means nothing to them. Maybe a TAD to fellow runners, but all this dream race pace stuff is all self generated. Drop the knapsack full of unrealistic expectations 3 weeks before the race date by reviewing your running data. I will talk further on general pace rules later.
From a mental point of view, don't let your ego trick you into a race you can't possibly execute.
5. Prove you can hold a slower pace Then go for it harder next time. Simple....see?
Odds are very very very very very high; you are going to fail at holding race pace.
Lets start at the single most important aspect of your mental game. Start here to maximize your performance, lower your times and keep injuries at bay.
In some of the bigger city marathons, there may be upwards of 20 to 30 thousand runners. One runner each, male and female, will "win" it, the rest of us behind them. Lets just accept that we are not 118lbs, genetically superior, and deeply motivated to commit our lives exclusively to a running career.
Even if you are a pro, odds are you will not win, not execute the race you might desire.
Additionally, at a typical road marathon, you would need to finish in about the top 8 to 10 percent of your age division to achieve a Boston Qualifier. The BAA is even tightening the requirements starting in 2013! If you have read my previous blogs, you know I feel that the vast majority of runners are over trained on race day, and compound the error by then almost always running a positive split by going out way WAY to fast.
Yet despite all the advice, all the writing, all the examples runners receive on this subject, they over train and then go out too fast. Psychologist can probably explain it better, but basically runners live in denial about their pace times, and even defend their bad training and pace decisions AFTER the clock irrefutably confirms the exam score tells them they have failed.( it even happens to ME, and I know better!!) If only this, if only that, if only if only. If only!
Rules to manage your expectations:
1. You are not special in regards to pace time. The rules of physics and biology will not suspend for you on race day.
2. You can't overcome physical realities by being mentally "tough". Being mentally tough means at best you EXECUTE your pre determined proper race pace for 26.2 miles. THAT'S tough!!
3.Violate the speed limit, and you will crash! Speed workouts, 10k race times, and 1/2 marathon race times will almost always tell you exactly the pace you need to run at the start and the finish of a marathon. It works up and down the distance ladder. Run 800's to figure out pace for 5k's to figure out optimal 10k times, to figure out 1/2 marathon times. Unfortunately, many runners don't want to do these workouts. Without this history, you are sure to have training and pace difficulties. USE YOUR BRAIN, DO THESE WORKOUTS AND TIME THEM!!!
4. Nobody Cares! Really, they don't. Your family, your friends, co workers. They know you RUN marathons, but your speed means nothing to them. Maybe a TAD to fellow runners, but all this dream race pace stuff is all self generated. Drop the knapsack full of unrealistic expectations 3 weeks before the race date by reviewing your running data. I will talk further on general pace rules later.
From a mental point of view, don't let your ego trick you into a race you can't possibly execute.
5. Prove you can hold a slower pace Then go for it harder next time. Simple....see?
Great Info Ed, Keep it coming. I need all the help i can get. I never will allow myself to be sidelined again.
ReplyDeletePaula
ALL my PRs are negative splits. I'm a believer. The times I've just gone for it all ended in a marathon slap-down. I like my heart rate monitor to keep me in check. My best races I start at 78% with a steady increase to 98-100% HR at the finish and run a 1-3 min neg split
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