Why we run them and some advice to make the most of it!
Hundreds of thousands of people choose to put themselves to the test every year by running a marathon; all 26 miles and 385 yards of it (or 42,195m for all you metric folk). Anyone who has experienced running a marathon can probably remember their first one. In most cases, my own included, the last hour or so of running in that race was likely the most painful athletic experience they had suffered through to that point.
Quite simply, people should not run 26.2 miles as fast as they can simply for the satisfaction of having done so. Yet the marathon market continues to explode and not only do we punish ourselves, we pay for the luxury of doing so. Consequently, the market price of a marathon can tell us the approximate utility, or "satisfaction" of running a marathon, which would be around $80-$100 for most, and up to $150 for some of the bigger marathons. Taking away the perceived value of the "free" t-shirt and other swag, we are left with the market value for 26.2 miles of consecutive running so that we can say we did it. Why is it, then, that the market value for such an activity is upwards of $70, $80, or even $100 dollars?
In three words: satisfaction, socialization, and culmination.
Satisfaction from running a marathon can come in many forms. Some may attain a sense of accomplishment after being able to cross off an item of their bucket list while others may have run a huge PR, while another just completed his or her 100th marathon. Despite the differences, running a marathon is no small feat, and certainly deserves the satisfaction and sense of achievement that comes with it.
Another reason to run a marathon is to socialize. Whether you are running with a friend, a group of training partners, or by yourself, marathons are social events for everyone. This year alone I have shared pacing and breaking the wind with a guy in Charleston, chatted with several runners about our planned paces at the start in Myrtle Beach, and shared in the miserable heat of Boston with thousands, and talked to many of them along the way. Not only do marathoners socialize with one another, there are also spectators along the course cheering on the runners. In Boston I quickly lost count of the number of high-fives I got from spectators; if I had to guess I would say it was somewhere in the 200-400 range.
Finally, running a marathon is a reward for all that you have done in order to get to the start line. Even the most infrequent runners understand that running a marathon requires a much greater focus on training than a 5k does. All of this training pays off on race day and helps make everything worth it.
Marathon Training & Pacing
I have run three marathons now, not too many in the grand scheme of things, but I've experienced three entirely different races and my times have reflected that. Here's a brief summary of each of my three 26.2 mile journeys (click on the race names for my full race reports):
Marathon #1 - KeyBank Vermont City Marathon - Burlington, VT - May 30, 2010
Time - 3:18:57
Conditions - mid-60s, 50% humidity, overcast
Splits - 39:28 (10k), 1:28:50 (half), 2:22:58 (20 miles), 3:18:57 (finish)
Training - 5 weeks after USAT Collegiate Nationals, very little structured running, 15 mile long day on 2 runs
Time - 2:51:03
Conditions - 52 at start rising to 63 by the finish, 80% humidity, clear, sunny
Splits - 40:28 (10k), 1:24:48 (half), 2:08:07 (20 miles), 2:51:03 (finish)
Training - Very good, 12 weeks with a few intermittent injuries that kept me from running for a couple of days but was well prepared.
Time - 3:17:09
Conditions - 80 at start rising to 88, 50% humidity but falling, hot sunshine
Splits - 40:40 (10k), 1:29:13 (half), 2:24:30 (20 miles), 3:17:09 (finish)
Training - I was in great shape a month before the race having run 3 of my 4 half-marathon tune-up races under 1:20:07, got injured and didn't run the 2 weeks before the marathon, heat was the biggest factor though.
As you can clearly see, I seriously lacked marathon experience in my first race, and my opening 10k still stands after 3 marathons as the fastest by a full minute. I felt really good in Miami through 10k and actually followed that opening 40:28 with 10k splits of 39:47 and 39:18. In Boston I was certainly in shape to start out that fast again, if not under 40 for the opening split, but the heat was physically draining right from the start and elevated my heart rate by a full 10-12 bpm!
Overall, from these three examples I have learned a lot about the marathon, and others planning on making their own 26.2 mile jaunt should take note.
Training Advice
Marathon training is no small task. As I mentioned above, the 26.2 miles that your training is based around is a reward for your hard work. Hard work doesn't have to mean hundreds of miles a week but you should certainly try to get to the point where you are running at least 5 days a week at the minimum. By the time you are 6 months away from your race, you should be thinking about building a base of easy miles before adding longer runs and more intense runs. There are many 16-, 18-, and 24-week training programs available online for athletes of all levels, or you can consider finding a personal coach who can keep you accountable and impart upon you his or her wisdom during your training.
My general coaching ideology is to develop a strong aerobic base and address any mechanical issues early in the training before progressing towards more and more race-specific workouts. For a marathon training program this means steadily building up to about 60-70% of your maximum weekly mileage in the first several weeks of base running before adding in a couple of fartlek runs with some fast surges for a few more weeks. After that, I suggest beginning to add intervals once or twice a week and beginning to build your long run mileage on whichever day you prefer (I usually suggest Saturday). These interval workouts then progress slowly to longer intervals as the training becomes more and more specific to marathon running. Eventually, in the last few weeks, these workouts become repetitions of 2-3 miles a couple of times during the workout on short rest. These will be run at just 10-20 seconds faster than your goal marathon pace. With the long runs, I plan on peaking at about 20-21 miles about 3 weeks before the marathon. I have found that so long as you get to run around 18-20 miles a couple of times, there is little benefit to running significantly longer in training as some programs suggest.
Ultimately, training is about consistency and staying injury-free. So long as you get in the long runs and make it to the start line, you'll have a race you will certainly be satisfied with 26.2 miles later!
Pacing Advice
Once it gets to race day, all the work is done. It's just like all of those exams in high school and college when you studied, studied, studied, and studied some more and then it came down to performing your best on the day of the test. You've done the training, so the worst thing you can do now is throw it all away in the first 30 minutes of the race by starting out too fast.
In my first marathon, I started out at a comfortable pace and then got swept into the lead women's pack. It wasn't significantly faster per mile than I wanted to be, but in a marathon too fast is too fast. After going through 6 miles in 38:08 I faded to a 1:28:50 half split, and followed it up with my (still) slowest 13.1 ever of 1:51:07. In Miami I was slower after 10k, but went through halfway 4:02 ahead and kept going to PR by a full 27:54.
People often say that a marathon is a 10k with a 20 mile warm up, and I certainly believe that, but even more so, the first 6 or 7 miles should feel like they are too slow. To put it in perspective, if you happen to actually go too slow by 10 seconds per mile for the first 12 miles, you'll lose 2 minutes. If you go too fast by 10 seconds per mile for the first 12, you may gain 2 minutes over that time, but you'll lose all of that and more back in the second half. You may think that running a 10k 3-4 minutes slower than your open 10k time is easy at the start, it's not so easy after 20 miles!
In the end, it's all about having fun, so be consistent in your training, take it easy over the first several miles, and enjoy passing everyone in the second half!
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