Doesn’t it feel great when you get towards the end of a race and you can actually feel yourself picking up your pace?  Awesome, isn’t it?  This wasn’t always my experience; however, I’ve learned a few training techniques and advice from elite runners that have helped me run negative splits in my recent races.

I was the one who “freaked” out if I wasn’t near the front of the start line.  Don’t ask me why because I was not even close to the pace of those in front.  It was mostly mental for me.  I thought I needed to get out and get ahead of all these people.  Big MISTAKE!  I usually ended up running so fast in the beginning that half way through the race I could barely keep my legs going.  No joke.  When I ran the Marine Corp Marathon I finished the 2^nd half 24 minutes slower than the first.  While this is somewhat common in marathon races, it doesn’t need to happen and you can help avoid it.

Based on my experiences, here are my tips:

Tip #1:  Wear a pace band

A pace band will keep you on track for your goal finish.  And, it will keep you from going out to fast (like me!).  People tend to forget about all the miles ahead of them so they start the race faster than goal pace in order to get “ahead” of schedule in case they slow down later in the race.  This does not work!  When I finally decided to wear a pace band, I finally reached my marathon PR.  In fact, I felt as though I was running to slow in the beginning, but my pace band and watched showed me I was right on target.  I ended up running the 2^nd half only 2 minutes slower than the first, so I’m a huge believer in the pace band.

Tip #2: Refuel at regular intervals

The goal on marathon race day is to preserve glycogen (carbohydrates) and tap into the ever-so-abundant amount of fat stores within the body. Without an adequate amount of  carbohydrate, the body fails to burn fat and starts to deplete precious muscle glycogen stores until the fuel tank is empty, leading to that nasty “wall” and “bonking” that generally occurs between mile 18 and 20 in a marathon (and even sooner if pre-race fueling is inadequate). It’s essential to start refueling the body’s fuel tank after 60 minutes of running, even if you don’t feel like you need it yet.  Beyond 60 minutes of racing, I’ll take shots from my GU gel along with course-provided water every 15 minutes, which allows my fueling to occur at a steadier rate. It also helps prevent unwanted stomach issues that can arise when too many calories are ingested in a big dose.

Tip #3: Use hills to your advantage

I added this one because I just finished a half marathon yesterday that included tons of hills.  If you’re running a competitive race, surging at the bottom and/or top of a hill can be a smart tactic. Many runners chug up a hill and then slow down once they reach the top. So, go ahead and overtake them at the top, then use gravity on the downhill to your advantage. I usually take the downhill to my advantage and go fast.  I’m always amazed how many people I pass when I do this.  Its downhill, lets GO!

Tip #4: Run all the way through the finish line

I see so many people stop or walk with only a few steps to go and it amazes me, but maybe not everyone is as crazy as I am with my time.  Sometimes I think runners unconsciously slow down as they approach the time clock.  Either way it can add seconds to your time. Like the difference between a 3:29 and a 3:30 marathon, and for some of us, that’s a big deal!

Those are my four tips.  I’m curious, what is your best race day tip for finishing stronger?  Let us know and leave a comment below.  Thanks.  Be Well, Run Well.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 21st, 2010 at 11:01 pm and is filed under Faster Marathon Time, Marathon, Run Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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