Nov 4, 2024
Training Tips by Runzy Director of Coaching Joe McConkey
Racing the Marathon
This weekend we have the opportunity to watch elite athletes do something most amateur marathoners have never done - RACE the marathon. Not run to finish, finish without walking, or run for a certain time. They are instead racing against individuals they know very well and have likely raced against before. It is pure competition in the arena of extreme physical strain, i.e. 2+ hours of strenuous running.
Competing against others, as opposed to the clock or yourself, creates an environment that can help runners cross their preconceived notions of physical limits better than any workout, training plan, or fitness stimulus. When you are armed with strategic decisions (e.g. draft behind a pack, surge for 1k, hold back till 20 miles, press the pace for 5k) and these decisions are then made in realtime and in context of the perceived strengths or weaknesses of the runners around you, your ideas of what pace you think you can hold may quickly be forgotten, and quite possibly surpassed.
The nuanced strategies of elite marathon racing can be an exillerating process to watch, with the men's Olympic marathon this Sat perhaps providing such a spectacle. In 2016 and 2020, the pack simply had to wait until the 'alpha' Eliud Kipchoge decided he would make his move. At this point they challenged themselves to hold on, and of course they could not and Kipchoge went on to win gold. This Sat, Kipchoge is back, but his superiority has been challenged in the past few years so will we see now if someone or a small group try to break him early, throw in a 2:52 k at the 35k mark, or sit and kick in the hope their youthful legs can take over at the end? The details matter (e.g. exact pacing, pacing in context of the weather and course, surges and history of the runner in holding those paces, did all runners get their bottle at every hydration station, etc) so be ready to loath the commercial breaks!
Elite marathons can be fun to watch, but racing a marathon can also be fun to experience and can help 'distract' yourself from the rigors of the event. To truly race as an amateur, join a group or club that has runners at or just above your fitness level. Compete with them at practice and toe-the-line together for a friendly competitive marathon. Your full potential will likely never be realized without doing so.
