First Marathon - What pace to run

Greds

Doing first marathon in 3 weeks in Cork. Completed the long run 20 miles at the weekend in 3 hours, 20 mins, 10 minutes per mile. Most runs to date during the training schedule were at c. 9.5 minute miles with shorter runs at under 9 minute miles.
Going to follow a pacer, any suggestions on what time I should be aiming for?

Thanks,

ger664

What is your most recent 10K race result ?

How many runs over 18 miles have you done ?

Greds

Haven't done any 10k races recently, completed half marathon 6 months ago at 1hr 50

Only 2 runs over 18 miles completed

ger664

4:10 or 4:15 is a resonable time if you where probably trained. 2 runs greater then 18 miles is really not sufficient to be even contemplating a time. Finishing should be your goal. Go with the 4:30 pacers and see what kinda shape you are in at halfway 20 Miles.

Cona

Greds, your times above sound very similar to myself this time last year. I ran a half marathon in 1.44 around April last year before the marathon and had a couple of long runs also (not many though). Done my final longest run of 20 miles in 3.20 (10 min miles).

I set out on the day looking to break 4 hrs (9 min miles) and faded VERY badly at mile 21...As a result I didnt really get much enjoyment out of my first marathon..the last 5 miles were just torture and all a blur at this stage. Simply put, I did not train properly for the marathon, not enough long runs, no long runs with marathon paced miles etc and my body reacted with cramp and spasms as a result which made running pretty tough...

I would say, go for 4.30 and enjoy every mile of the marathon. If you feel better after 20 miles, then push on. It will feel great passing loads of runners who are struggling while your accelerating and you have have an all round good experience. You can then train to go faster in Dublin etc

Just my experience, of course everyone is different

TFBubendorfer

Greds wrote: »

Haven't done any 10k races recently, completed half marathon 6 months ago at 1hr 50

Only 2 runs over 18 miles completed

If you had done proper marathon training then a sub-4 marathon would have been a very realistic target for a 1:50 half runner.

But with only half-baked training under the belt it's what ger said I'm afraid.

Try to enjoy your first marathon instead of pushing yourself too hard. Instead learn the inevitable lessons and put them to good use for future races.

rom

4:20-4:30 will be probably be your finish time. Ran 1:51 for half and did 4:27 in DCM. Did two 18M runs in the build up. Enjoy the race and go out at 4:30 pace and run the last 6 miles as fast as you can. Pass people all the way after the lough.

sulli

Greds,

I did my first marathon last year aswell (Edinburgh), but did not train well at all. A mixture of GAA, too much boozing and being lazy. If i am to do another one i know what training needs to be done.

That being said i was realistic about my times!!! I did a half previous to it and did that in 1.44 and did two long runs before marathon... finally completed the marathon in 4.16. Didnt really falter till about mile 25...last 1.2miles were tough! My advice is stick to a pace you are comfortable at, don't take off at a serious pace at the start as it is easy to get caught up in the buzz and tear off the line! once you stay at a comfortable pace you will be fine! I really enjoyed my first and im sure you will too...when you cross over the finish line it will be all worth it!!!

amcgee

Hi

Your first marathon is always a road into the unknown, you may train for it, but until you actually do one , it will be a hard call. finding your correct pace is a hard one, and unless you have done a few half marathons plus , you will find it difficult to judge, even judging by a half marathon of 1:50, wouldn't necessarily mean you should be aiming for a sub 4 hour. it would depend on your training and so on. I would go with your lsr time and take it from their. I ran the cork marathon last year and went with the 3:30 pacers and hit the wall at mile 16. the last 10 miles were torture, i got to the finish and i resembled a actor from the walking dead. i did the first half in 1:43 and the second in 2h07, so it was an eye opener. I did the training and was confident, i ran a 92m half marathon a few weeks before and thought i could handle the 3:30 pacers. I was not used to running at an even pace for such a long race.
I ran the limerick marathon 2 weeks ago and started off by myself and stuck with myself until mile 9, when i joined the 3:30 pacers, stuck with them until 21 and then went ahead and finished in 3:26. so i learnt a lot from my first one.
So as a few people say, start off Slow, and take it from their, if your not used to running with pacers, stick with yourself and besides there will be plenty of other running it. The one factor that you cant prepare for is the weather and cork was too hot for me last year, which is the main reason why i am not doing it this year.
Good luck with it, remember be conservative for your first one, enjoy it and put a marker down for the next one.

zuhuraswa

My friend trained from scratch for a half marathon in 6 months. he managed to walk/run it for 4:32

Barty

Agree with the posts above, as it's your first marathon go out to finish it rather than targeting a time. That said I would suggest going with one of the pacing groups.

Having done Cork twice I would note the following three items:
The relay entrants - while the relay is a great part of the CCM it can make it difficult to keep your pace - if someone sprints past you don't forget they may be part of the relay. Also as you pass the relay points take in the atmosphere - the people waiting give great support.
The weather - the two years I did it it was a scorcher - got the better of me on both occasions - make sure to take on plenty of liquids.
The Carrigrohane Straight - it can be a lonely place if you're struggling at this point hence for this reason I agree with the posts above that you should go out easy and see where you are after your 20 mile warm up and maybe push on for the last 10km.

Enjoy your first marathon - hope everything on the day goes to plan.