Not that Ndereba does the same training all the time. Indeed, her strengths include having the faith and discipline to take breaks after key marathons and accepting that she’s not going to be in peak form all the time. Ndereba runs shorter races frequently as tools toward her marathon goals, not ends in themselves, and she doesn’t worry when her times aren’t earth-shattering. For example, three weeks before the 2004 Olympics, she placed fifth at the Beach to Beacon 10K in 32:31. Rather than freaking she set her current world record of 2:15:25 at the 2003 London Marathon, her first half took 68:02, and then she ran the second half in 67:23.
out afterward because her average speed was not much faster than her marathon PR pace, Ndereba said afterward that she was finishing up her heaviest pre-Olympics training, and that she would feel fresh when it mattered. Her silver medal in Athens proved her right.
In races, Ndereba exhibits the same ability to stay calm in the early stages and dole out her physical and mental reserves when it matters. In the early stages of the 2008 Olympic Marathon, for example, she was always within sight of the large lead pack but never tightly within it. When the moves started, she had the strength to cover them easily and was rewarded with another silver medal. All marathoners can learn from Ndereba’s method of patience before pushing.
Incidentally, perhaps you’ll find it reassuring that even the best runners in the world pay for it when they start a marathon too quickly. At the Dubai Marathon in January 2008, Gebrselassie attempted to break his then 4-month-old world record. En route to a first half of 61:27, he tore through the first 10K in 28:39 – fast enough to win most open 10K road races. Even the great Gebrselassie succumbed to such brashness. Well, sort of. He slowed in the last few miles, and his second half of 63:26 was almost 2 minutes slower than his first half, resulting “only” in the third-best time ever, 2:04:53.
Altering Your Strategy Midrace
Although in most cases you should stay with your pacing plan, occasionally the weather or the tactics of other runners merit slightly altering your strategy. If you’re running into a headwind, there’s a substantial advantage to running in a group of runners and letting others block the wind. Though you may need to do your share in leading the group, you’ll still save considerable energy compared with running by yourself into the wind. On a windy day, therefore, you may need to run faster or slower than planned to stay with a group.
Even on a calm day, the best strategy may be to deviate slightly from your goal pace rather than running most of the way by yourself. In a big-city marathon such as Boston, New York, or Chicago, being stuck by yourself isn’t a problem. At almost any pace, you’ll be among a number of runners, and you can work with them to reach your goal time. In a smaller marathon, however, you have a reasonably high chance of running by yourself for many miles. In that situation, you must make a judgment call as to whether to go a few seconds per mile faster or slower than planned to stay with a group. Although drafting behind other runners will give you a small energy advantage, most of the benefit of staying with a group is psychological. You don’t have to set the pace, and you can relax and go along with the group.
What Shoes Should You Wear?
Marathoners vary widely in the types of shoes they prefer to race in. On the theory that even an extra ounce adds up over the course of 26.2 miles (42.2 km), some like to wear as light a shoe as possible. On the other hand, some runners figure that during such a long run, they’ll need as much cushioning and support as they can get.
Most competitive marathoners should choose their race-day shoes toward the light end of the spectrum. Most shoe companies make a lightweight trainer that works well in the marathon – these are minimalist enough so that you can feel light on your feet but are built up enough in the heel and midsole to provide some protection, especially as you fatigue late in the race.
Most elites, of course, race the marathon in flats. Bear in mind that these runners are usually whippet thin and have excellent biomechanics. Flats have less support and less heel lift than training shoes. The lack of support increases the risk of injury and can make muscles that have to work harder fatigue because of the decreased support. In addition, the lower heel lift puts more strain on Achilles tendons and calf muscles.
In the last few years, many companies have introduced a broader range of racing flats so that marathoners have more choices between the shoes they race 5Ks in and their training shoes, no matter how light the latter are. Usually weighing around 8 ounces (230 g), with a decent amount of cushioning and some heel support, these longer-distance flats are a good choice for marathoners attempting to race the marathon significantly faster than normal training pace. In his world record, for example, Gebrselassie wore the Adidas version of this type of flat. Paula Radcliffe wore Nike’s version of a marathon flat in her record. On the other hand, multiple London and New York City champion Martin Lel wears a flat that most average runners wouldn’t even dare to do a 5K in. As always, the key is to find what works best for you. Regardless of which shoes you choose for race day, be sure to try them out on tempo runs and at least one of your longer marathon-pace training runs (in addition to the short dress rehearsal run during taper week).
Following are some rough guidelines about the most likely candidates to wear flats in the marathon.
Top candidates for wearing flats in the marathon:
Most runners find it quite difficult mentally to run by themselves for long stretches of the marathon. So what’s the trade-off between having company and having to compromise your strategy? A rule of thumb is to deviate from your goal pace by no more than 8 to 10 seconds per mile (per 1.6 km) if you would otherwise be running by yourself during the first 20 miles (32 km) of the race. (Of course, you won’t know until afterward whether you would have had to run by yourself.) Running 8 to 10 seconds per mile faster than planned may not sound like much, but this difference in effort can put you over the edge after a couple of miles. The best way to judge whether to pick it up to latch onto a group is by how you feel at the time. If you feel as though you can handle it, then go for it. If your breathing is uncomfortable and you can sense that you’re working at a higher intensity than you can maintain until the finish, then relax and let the others go. You may find that the group will soon break up and that you’ll once again have others to run with.
During the final 6 miles and 385 yards (10 km), you can afford to be more independent. If no one else is running at the correct pace for you after you’ve passed the 20-mile (32 km) mark, you need to muster the courage to go it alone. Chances are that forging out will work well psychologically because if you have prepared well and run a fairly even pace, you’ll be passing other runners throughout the final miles. Nothing lifts the spirits quite like passing another runner late in the marathon.
If you’re racing a marathon in which your specific finishing place is an important consideration (e.g., the Olympic trials), then your pacing strategy will be somewhat determined by the actions of others in the race. If a group of 10 runners break away, then you had better go after them, even if it means running faster than planned. In general, though, it’s best to stick close to your race plan and your goal marathon pace.
The First Half
You’re finally at the starting line, warmed up, and ready for the task ahead. It’s all too easy to get carried away and run the first mile (1.6 km) too fast. A better approach is to run the first mile at, or a bit slower than, your goal pace. Because you won’t have done much of a warm-up before the start, your body won’t be prepared to go faster than race pace. Also, if you run too fast at the beginning of the race, your body will burn off extra glycogen and accumulate lactate that could negatively affect the rest of your race.