First two marathons - Pocono Mountain, PA May 2007, then WDW Marathon 2008.

[jasper]

Hello all - I've been training since Halloween for my first marathon, Pocono Mountain, PA, on May 6, 2007, and I'm eagerly anticipating and have entered the WDW 2008 full. Did anyone here run last year's inaugural Pocono Mountain marathon? How was your experience? The reviews on marathonguide.com are very positive.

On another matter, I'm not certain what my goal should be for my first marathon. It's easy to say that my goal should be to finish, but I'm always challenging myself. I clocked a 1:53 half-marathon with my Garmin Forerunner 205 on a recent training run. I'm hoping to trim down from 140 lbs to the low 130s by race day in May. That said, I've been having trouble pushing the pace lately and have settled in to a roughly 8:30 pace for mid-range 5 to 7 mile runs, and closer to 7:30 for a 3 miler. I haven't pushed to run faster, and I'm not sure that I should.

I believe my realistic goal should be to finish my first marathon in May and break 4 hours. Then maybe strive for a new PR at WDW next January. I'd love to hear your opinions, and of course your report on Pocono if you ran it last year.

Thanks!

 

[thndrmatt]

Just throwing this out there...

I too had run sub 2 for a half (1:57ish) prior to my first marathon. I too had a break 4 hours goal initially. After getting up into the 16-20 mile range on my long runs, I realized rather than 9mpm, 10mpm would probably be more realistic and adjusted my goal to 4:22. On race day I came through the half almost right on pace at 2:12ish or so. I then cramped up like crazy and struggled to just finish in 5:30ish.

Point being, just completing your first marathon should be your real goal, that's an accomplishment in itself. After your first one you can try to beat your previous times if you need that competitive aspect. Trying to run a certain pace over the full marathon the first time you cover the distance will potentially bring more pain than anything else.

 

[skfulkers]

Matt, I agree with you totally. I, too, have roughly a 1:57 half marathon time, and I had lofty goals of possibly running WDW this year sub 4:00. Then I realized with Goofy, I should probably do a reality check and changed my goal to 4:30 for the full. I trained for this pace all year. Then....we all get to WDW and see that it's 180 degrees and 200% humidity! Time to re-examine that goal.

Jasper, like Matt said and I reiterate, just make your goal to complete the distance, at least for the first one. It's amazing what a difference that extra 13.1 miles makes, mentally and physically. Also, weather conditions and your body conditions on race day can totally change your strategy and make you rethink your goals. That is something you really can't physically control, so being mentally prepared for it is the best option.
I remember something Coach Jenny Hadfield said at this year's marathon expo when everyone realized how hot it was going to be for the weekend. "You can't control the weather, you can't control how you wake up feeling on race morning. The one thing you can control is your pace. Keep that in mind and adjust it accordingly."
I took her advice to heart and felt good through most all of this year's marathon. If I had pushed the pace in those conditions, that wouldn't have been the case.

Just my two cents. By the way, great job on your pace! You are really lightning fast!

Steve

 

[jasper]

Thanks for your comments. You're right, I have not had a 16 or 20 mile run yet which might open my eyes more to the marathon distance. I guess I was thinking that if I could run a half in 1:53, lose another 5 to 7 pounds, and train for another 15 weeks, all those things would help me run longer, and faster. I will be happy to just finish, and I'd like to finish with a smile on my face!