The 2011 Kansas Half Marathon

The 2011 Kansas Marathon will feature pace teams. We are happy to provide the Runner’s Edge Pace Team for the Half Marathon. Some of the top athletes in the area have been carefully chosen to set a reasonable pace based on our course terrain to help you achieve your goal. Look for the pacers on race day in orange shirts.

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This prediction chart was calculated by Gerry Purdy in his book, Computerized Running Training Programs. The numbers have been rounded to make it easier to remember the corresponding times for your target race.

For the average runner under average conditions, a 22 minute 5K would give them the necessary speed to do a 3:40 marathon. Conversely, a 4 hour marathoner should be able to run a sub 1:53 half marathon. Of course, there will be a variety of outcomes on either side of this performance curve depending on the race course, weather, training specific to the distance, mental preparation, and pacing strategies, etc. Each person will tend to have a niche distance that they will do better at. However, the chart is accurate for most people.

First time marathoners should wisely choose the next pace group or two back for their given time in the shorter races since the number one goal should be to finish with time as a secondary goal. It’s better to start conservatively, with the option to pick up the speed further into the race, rather than to start aggressively and be forced to slow down later on. For all others, a time achieved on a gently rolling tune up race course will prove to be more accurate as will a race closer to the marathon (no closer than 2 weeks for a 5K, 3 weeks for a 10K, and 4 weeks for a half marathon).

If you cannot make it to a race, substitute one of your workouts for a time trial on a track or measured trail on relatively flat terrain. Warm up for 20 minutes, then run as smart and hard as you can for 3 miles (inside of lane 1 for 12 laps on a track – 4 laps to a mile) followed by a 5-10 minute cool down jog. You can take your pace and look at what this pace for a 5K equates to for your target race.

In helping you choose a more appropriate pace team given your ability, it will prove to be a win-win situation as more people will actually get to run and work together from start to finish with the guidance of our pacers. Good luck in choosing wisely!

The Runner’s Edge pacing strategy is one that both honors the needs of the body and respects the challenging terrain of the race course. The strategy is based upon scientific reasoning and the personal experiences of the pacers themselves. Read on to find out how this pacing strategy can work for you, how to choose the appropriate pace group on race day, and to find out a little bit more about the pacers.

The Runner’s Edge pace team knows that the body needs to warm up properly in order to perform optimally. Based on this knowledge, the first two miles of whichever race you are running (marathon or half marathon) will be run at a slightly slower pace than your goal pace. This allows for a proper warm-up as well as energy conservation for later on in the race when you are faced with some very challenging hills. It is important to be the most conservative with pace during the first mile, so that the last mile can be run aggressively, and so that you have enough energy left from the beginning and middle of the race to do so. Because the first miles will be run more conservatively, that allows you to be able to make up for lost time in the middle section of the race, before the hills toward the end of the course. By running faster than goal pace in the middle section, it will be possible to slow down on the hills and still be on track to hit the goal finish time.

Pacing Strategy: “Hold back, settle into a strong rhythm, and hang in there.”
Hold back – The first mile will be run about 30 seconds per mile slower than the average pace of the goal time to properly warm up. The second mile will be run at an effort that is 10-15 seconds per mile slower than the average pace of the goal time, to continue the transition from warm up to settling in. Finally, the 3rd mile will be run at the average pace effort of the goal time to complete the transition.

Settle into a strong, but doable rhythm – From there, the pacers will lead the runners with a pace that is 5-10 seconds faster per mile than the average goal time pace to make up for the slower warm-up pace that was run during the first miles – the terrain will cause the actual pace to vary for each mile.

Hang in there – During the middle section of the race, the pacers will be giving lots of encouragement, but runners should remember that they should be able to run 10-15 seconds slower than what they’ve been averaging and still finish in their goal time. The pacers will set the actual pace so that even if participants lose contact, there may be 1 or 2 runners that pick it up in the final mile to finish with their group. If they do, they’ll want to know they ran at least 1 second faster than their goal time (i.e. a 1:59:59 for the 2:00 group).

*But, finish strong if you feel good! Through experience, the pace team has found that many of the runners in the pace teams feel good and pick it up to leave the pacers behind, especially when the pacers start to slow back down to stick to their set finish time. This is a best case scenario – that the runners will have run a smart race for the first 2/3 of the course so that they can pick it up at the end and finish as fast as possible!

*Run/Walk method – In 2001, 20 Runner’s Edge participants used the run a mile, walk a minute strategy both at the Hospital Hill Half Marathon and 2 weeks later at the Grandma’s Marathon. It was used for the first 10 miles of the half marathon and for the first 18-20 miles of the marathon. The results were astounding as a few people ran PR’s in the half marathon while nearly 1/3 of the group ran personal bests despite very warm, humid sunny conditions at the Grandma’s Marathon. The longer the time goal, the more important this strategy becomes towards conserving energy for the final 1/3 of the race. At a minimum, runners might briskly walk for 30 seconds through the aid stations to make sure that they are getting adequate fluid intake at each station. This will require runners to compensate by going 5-10 seconds per mile faster when running. When walking, runners should be sure to make it a brisk pace so they don’t lose too much time – it will give the running muscles a break along with providing a mental break. Since the primary goal is to prepare for the last part of the marathon, runners can stop taking the walk breaks (including through the aid stations) any time past mile 18. The marathon pacers will let the pace team know if they plan to do so. If a runner who is running the marathon or half marathon chooses to use this strategy on race day, it is strongly suggested that he/she practice this strategy on long runs during training.

Aid Station Strategy: “Don’t rush, drink enough” The Runners Edge pace team will briskly walk through the first 20 miles of aid stations to ensure that the runners get enough fluid to prevent an empty ‘gas tank’.

Comments – As you can see, the pace depends on the terrain, factoring in the warm up at the beginning, settling into a strong rhythm in the middle, and hanging in there at the end. In using this strategy, a higher percentage of race participants will be able to stay with our pacers into the latter stages of the half marathon.

Half-Marathon Pacing