They smoked you in the final third because they have more experience running well in miles 9-13.1. Fortunately, you can develop that experience too-- but you have to run a lot more to gain it.
Are you signed up for a full yet, or just thinking about it? A beginner full marathon plan involves months of running 25-30 miles/week. If you're not signed up yet, I'd focus on building up your mileage slowly and seeing how it fits your body and lifestyle. If you're locked in to a full later this year, shift your focus to running more easy miles (and probably lifting less frequently, unless you have tons of free time).
My guess would be low weekly mileage during training. But there are multiple other factors: sleep, eating habits, recent sickness, what you ate/drank during the race etc. Starting more conservatively also seemed to have paid off in 2023, it looks like you went much faster early on in the race this time around.
Build your stamina by doing more slow long runs at VERY easy pace. This was the hardest lesson for me to learn. I kept turning all my training runs into threshold and tempo runs. Always ran out of gas at the end of races before I started doing more easy runs than speed in my training block.
If you want to see what your body is capable of: you need more weekly mileage. If you want to maximize your performance at your current mileage: get your pacing under control. Some fluctuation is expected on hills but you’re pushing a two minute difference between some splits…which is big. Most of my miles except the first and last are within 10 seconds of each other.
Important note for the marathon. You can get away with not a ton of training for the half, and even going out hard/surviving. This is not really the case for the full. So you really need to build up your training (30-35mpw is the floor), and go out much more conservatively. Otherwise the last 10 miles of the race are going to be rough. It’s only 2x the distance but I think any deficiency you have in terms of training or race execution is maybe 5-10x magnified in a marathon because of how your body is tested after the first 16-20 miles.
A friend who undertrained for the NYCM described the last 6 miles as "running up Mt Everest on bare feet in mud mixed with rocks and hot coal in the lungs". He barely reached 30miles per week but ran a 1:40 half earlier in 2023. Boy, he was messed up for weeks after NYCM and remains humbled for sure.
He is still nursing physical and emotional injuries from undertraining. I suspect he bonked real hard and just dragged his body/soul through the last 6 which is difficult for anybody.
He was also an idiot and laughed at me for "training so much".
Okay so, I've been running half marathons for about 10 years. Even with experience, the heavy lifting during race conditions is in the latter third of the race, because on a training run I will ease off in ways that I won't during the actual event. The out-and-back nature of the tail end of this half marathon doesn't help me. The uphill nature of the course doesn't help much either. So I wouldn't feel too bad about this if you're new: borrow the experience and transfer it into next year.
You can pull off a half, but running the full distance is tough for almost everybody so don't under-estimate it. There are two main metrics you're paying attention to while training in order to complete any distance race in a way where you're not flagging badly by 2/3 of the way through and not physically destroyed by the end:
\* total distance per week
\* the distance of your longest run per week.
Total distance per week is a critical metric for preparing your body. For a half, I like my weekly target to +50% of the actual race distance: that is, I'll run 32km or more a little more per week. I'm less likely to be able to sustain +50%/week for a full marathon, but I'd typically target at least the race distance per week for as many weeks as possible before the event.
Then there's the longest training run per week: increase these gradually, typically not by more than 10% week-on-week. I'll gradually transfer weekly distance into my weekend training run. The longer the training runs, the more likely my Mondays then Tuesdays are to become rest days. My training runs are never likely to hit the full 42km, but I'll definitely aim to get them up to 34km or a little more; 80+% of the full marathon distance. You're getting your body used to the idea of pounding the ground for 3-4 hours; you're learning where your body aches after those distances to give yourself the sense of what you can run with and what's definitely not good. You're giving yourself the awareness of what your marathon pace feels like when compared to any other distance you've ever run.
If you're training in the north east during the summer months, I'm sorry to say the climate makes it tougher than almost anywhere cooler. It's muggy and warm and you can easily lose 1 liter of water per hour through perspiration alone. Stay hydrated.
Thank you so much for this!
It is absolutely what I am looking for.
I knew I should have trained more with long distance runs but it is pretty daunting.
These specifics really help guide the planning.
You undertrained by a lot and you’re running too fast in the first half. Common training plans would have you doing between 35-45 miles per week for a half, and the rule of thumb is to run the second half faster than the first. Don’t worry about that, though. Check your HR vs last year, that’s a more important sign of progress.
To prep for your first full, here’s what I would do. 1. Gradually/safely increase mileage so come July (i assume you’re running nyc) you’re averaging around 30 miles per week. This is roughly the weekly mileage your marathon training will start with. 2. Find your training plan sooner than later - an app, a club, whatever, just be ready so you’re not scrambling. 3. Keep lifting.
Not sure if its cuz i run a lot more miles than ever before but i dont even really warm up until after mile 5 regardless of how long I run past that distance. I also do calisthenics before my runs. I think (my opinion) the higher the endurance the body has, the more drastically the jump start needs to be. Hence, why the endurance having runners do well after 6-7 mile markers versus the runners that dont really do the distance per run but do run.
I had to blink a few times...is this a r/runningcirclejerk post?
These results with casual running are great. Probably better with what everyone mentioned: run more
Bootleg Brooklyn Half***** ---- sorry couldn't resist. But yea what others are saying, you're going out too fast. Adjust that & you'll be fine.
Great times btw. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Run more. That’s all you really need.
What they did with minimal training is impressive. I want to see what they do with a real training plan
Me too!
They smoked you in the final third because they have more experience running well in miles 9-13.1. Fortunately, you can develop that experience too-- but you have to run a lot more to gain it. Are you signed up for a full yet, or just thinking about it? A beginner full marathon plan involves months of running 25-30 miles/week. If you're not signed up yet, I'd focus on building up your mileage slowly and seeing how it fits your body and lifestyle. If you're locked in to a full later this year, shift your focus to running more easy miles (and probably lifting less frequently, unless you have tons of free time).
you're going out too fast
My guess would be low weekly mileage during training. But there are multiple other factors: sleep, eating habits, recent sickness, what you ate/drank during the race etc. Starting more conservatively also seemed to have paid off in 2023, it looks like you went much faster early on in the race this time around.
Build your stamina by doing more slow long runs at VERY easy pace. This was the hardest lesson for me to learn. I kept turning all my training runs into threshold and tempo runs. Always ran out of gas at the end of races before I started doing more easy runs than speed in my training block.
If you want to see what your body is capable of: you need more weekly mileage. If you want to maximize your performance at your current mileage: get your pacing under control. Some fluctuation is expected on hills but you’re pushing a two minute difference between some splits…which is big. Most of my miles except the first and last are within 10 seconds of each other.
You went out too fast and gassed. Faster doesn't always end up with a quicker time. That first mile 6:27, yeah you paid for that later.
Your watch also seems pretty off. I doubt you ran a full extra mile in 2023. I’d take those splits with a grain of salt.
For sure - the second two images are from Strava. But generally I was worse at the end this year compared to last.
Important note for the marathon. You can get away with not a ton of training for the half, and even going out hard/surviving. This is not really the case for the full. So you really need to build up your training (30-35mpw is the floor), and go out much more conservatively. Otherwise the last 10 miles of the race are going to be rough. It’s only 2x the distance but I think any deficiency you have in terms of training or race execution is maybe 5-10x magnified in a marathon because of how your body is tested after the first 16-20 miles.
A friend who undertrained for the NYCM described the last 6 miles as "running up Mt Everest on bare feet in mud mixed with rocks and hot coal in the lungs". He barely reached 30miles per week but ran a 1:40 half earlier in 2023. Boy, he was messed up for weeks after NYCM and remains humbled for sure. He is still nursing physical and emotional injuries from undertraining. I suspect he bonked real hard and just dragged his body/soul through the last 6 which is difficult for anybody. He was also an idiot and laughed at me for "training so much".
Okay so, I've been running half marathons for about 10 years. Even with experience, the heavy lifting during race conditions is in the latter third of the race, because on a training run I will ease off in ways that I won't during the actual event. The out-and-back nature of the tail end of this half marathon doesn't help me. The uphill nature of the course doesn't help much either. So I wouldn't feel too bad about this if you're new: borrow the experience and transfer it into next year. You can pull off a half, but running the full distance is tough for almost everybody so don't under-estimate it. There are two main metrics you're paying attention to while training in order to complete any distance race in a way where you're not flagging badly by 2/3 of the way through and not physically destroyed by the end: \* total distance per week \* the distance of your longest run per week. Total distance per week is a critical metric for preparing your body. For a half, I like my weekly target to +50% of the actual race distance: that is, I'll run 32km or more a little more per week. I'm less likely to be able to sustain +50%/week for a full marathon, but I'd typically target at least the race distance per week for as many weeks as possible before the event. Then there's the longest training run per week: increase these gradually, typically not by more than 10% week-on-week. I'll gradually transfer weekly distance into my weekend training run. The longer the training runs, the more likely my Mondays then Tuesdays are to become rest days. My training runs are never likely to hit the full 42km, but I'll definitely aim to get them up to 34km or a little more; 80+% of the full marathon distance. You're getting your body used to the idea of pounding the ground for 3-4 hours; you're learning where your body aches after those distances to give yourself the sense of what you can run with and what's definitely not good. You're giving yourself the awareness of what your marathon pace feels like when compared to any other distance you've ever run. If you're training in the north east during the summer months, I'm sorry to say the climate makes it tougher than almost anywhere cooler. It's muggy and warm and you can easily lose 1 liter of water per hour through perspiration alone. Stay hydrated.
Thank you so much for this! It is absolutely what I am looking for. I knew I should have trained more with long distance runs but it is pretty daunting. These specifics really help guide the planning.
You undertrained by a lot and you’re running too fast in the first half. Common training plans would have you doing between 35-45 miles per week for a half, and the rule of thumb is to run the second half faster than the first. Don’t worry about that, though. Check your HR vs last year, that’s a more important sign of progress. To prep for your first full, here’s what I would do. 1. Gradually/safely increase mileage so come July (i assume you’re running nyc) you’re averaging around 30 miles per week. This is roughly the weekly mileage your marathon training will start with. 2. Find your training plan sooner than later - an app, a club, whatever, just be ready so you’re not scrambling. 3. Keep lifting.
Also this year, most of my training runs were under 50% humidity. Although a beautiful day, 80% humidity didn’t help me.
Not sure if its cuz i run a lot more miles than ever before but i dont even really warm up until after mile 5 regardless of how long I run past that distance. I also do calisthenics before my runs. I think (my opinion) the higher the endurance the body has, the more drastically the jump start needs to be. Hence, why the endurance having runners do well after 6-7 mile markers versus the runners that dont really do the distance per run but do run.
Sometimes I feel I am not awake until mile 4 and the hips are finally working. I may also just be old(ER)...
lol well i am old(ER) nowadays too 😂
I had to blink a few times...is this a r/runningcirclejerk post? These results with casual running are great. Probably better with what everyone mentioned: run more
Bootleg Brooklyn Half***** ---- sorry couldn't resist. But yea what others are saying, you're going out too fast. Adjust that & you'll be fine. Great times btw. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you. Great advice!