On Creating a Marathon Race Strategy
A step by step guide to creating a marathon race plan.
I. Preparatory Work:
- Review Your Why
- Review Your Goal
- Review Your Training
- Review Your Course
- Review Your Heart
II.Align Your Fitness/Circumstances with Your Objective
- How Likely Are You To Achieve Your Goal
- 90-100% Likely: Negative Split
- 80-90% Likely: Slight Negative Split
- Less Than 80%: Even Split
- How To Assess Your Fitness
- Long Runs - How many 20+? Quality Long Runs? Closes?
- Tempo/Threshold Work - Helpful but less indicative; if you are good at them, it is very helpful, if not then reassess ability to reach goal.
- 10K & Faster - These are supports to the marathon training, not indicative of marathon specific fitness
- Personal Strengths/Weaknesses
- Experience
- Type of Runner: Steady-Eddie or Speedster?
- Mental Space
- Gamer? Or Choker? Or somewhere in between?
- Confidence
- Nervousness
- Course Concerns
- Course Challenges: Do Your Homework
- Look At Map/Elevation Profile
- Check the Elevation Scale! Very important.
- Measuring in feet or meters?
- Tens of or hundreds of?
- Read Race Reports/Reviews
- Interview Friends/Training Partners
- Look For All Intel Possible
- Look At Map/Elevation Profile
- Uphills/Downhills
- Special Considerations
- Rhythm & Flow vs Specific Paces
- If Training Has Not Factored in The Specifics of Your Challenging Course?
- Reconsider Racing for Time
- Be Very Conservative (Aggressive Negative Split)
- Don’t Make This Mistake Twice
- Course Challenges: Do Your Homework
- Weather IS. But it WILL affect performance.
- Heat & Humidity
- Ignore At Your Own Peril
- it Harder On Heart/Bloodflow
- Should/When/How You Adjust?
- Make A Plan 1 Week Out
- Adjust 2 Days Out
- Lock In 12 Hours Prior
- Adjust in Race
- Heat & Humidity
III. Make The Plan
- Decide & Execute
- Big Picture: Tell The Story/Your Why
- Two Basic Approaches:
- Beautiful Race
- Goal Time
- Two Basic Approaches:
- Details: Mile By Mile Or Gates?
- TURN OFF PACE CALIBRATOR!!!
- Mile By Mile
- Closer Detail, More Stress
- Overwhelming
- Less Flexibility/More Control
- Gates
- Requires Rhythm & Flow
- Listening To Body
- Mentally Less Work & Less Stress
- Factor Course, NOT Weather
- Do the Details Corroborate the Big Picture?
- Always Be Closing
- Big Picture: Tell The Story/Your Why
IV. Check Your Work
- Does This Align with Your Training & Your Philosophy?
- Your Coach’s Philosophy?
- Do You BELIEVE In It?
- Can You DO IT?
