Keep in mind that most pacers are volunteers. Some are really good at it and others are still figuring it out. I've heard many stories where pace groups go out too fast or too slow which can be a real challenge for someone trying to run their best race.
Thank you. That is great advice to consider.
I definitely agree with @GollyGadget’s advice. Smaller races may have less experienced pacers. I remember passing some pacers near the end of a race that were walking (for a while), because they didn’t want to come in way under their pace time and were openly talking about it. (They were probably 2:15 pacers and I finished in about 2:08 for that race, and we were probably within a mile or two of the finish.) So… if someone had used them as their pacers, they would have gone out way too fast and probably ruined their attempt at a best time goal. Pacers can be awesome and provide a great benefit (running with people, motivation, entertainment), but keep an eye on your pace occasionally to make sure they aren’t going faster (or slower) than what you need.
I've had good experiences with pacers. Talk to them before the race about their plan. Every pacer I've run with did even splits, not negative.
I agree with others on keeping Peloton. I used their outdoor marathon training program for MW and really enjoyed the programming. I miss having them in my ear during my training runs. I wish they had more race-specific content. I used some of the standard outdoor runs in place of the prescribed Hal Higdon runs on the advanced half marathon training program - I tried to match time of the workout. That was more fun than remembering my own workouts and watching the clock while on the road.
Your best bet is probably to walk up to the pacer on the morning of and talk to them directly. The race coordinator may not have any idea what the plan is unless they happen to be personally know that pacer.
I'm with you there. And as a single person, after 4 days of eating the same veggie/fruit (because you can't buy single portions)....it's a lot.
Not Athletic Greens specifically, but I just bought a different brand of green powder to start adding to a green shake in the mornings. I also find I don't have a lot of fruits/vegetables, so I started having it in a shake form. I can't really comment on it yet though, since I just got it.
Just had a look, that seems perfect, thank you!
Hey running people. I'm new to this forum, but always nice to find new people to talk running with
I'm a week on from my last marathon, which I ran the first 18 miles with a pacer. I had also read advice (as given here) about talking to the pacers before the marathon starts, to see how they are planning on approaching it. Unfortunately, there were far too many people for me to do that. So I just started running nearby, but not really part of the pacing group, keeping an eye on the speed on my watch. It looked great, I joined in with them, the encouragement was fantastic. So I hope you get lucky with a pacer like I did KPS775 and also managed to stick with them until the end - which I unfortunately did not.
I'm now planning my next marathon, which falls a week after my planned Disney World trip. I think this will fit in ok, if I do all my long runs beforehand, as most of my holiday will be tapering, so I won't get in too much trouble with my husband! I am looking at some nice running routes while I'm there and hopefully a parkrun or two. We're staying at three different hotels, plus I'm happy to drive a bit to find somewhere nice to run, so if anyone has any nice Orlando routes they'd like to share I would love to see them. It's not until September, but route planning is one of my favourite things about running.
