Be a Better Runner: Building The Race Plan
What I've learned about building a race plan and how not to bonk on race day
I’ve learned the hard way how no plan can come back to bite runners in the behind on race day. My first marathon was going just wonderfully through 20 miles. I felt great, was running faster than anticipated, and was in good spirits. Then, all of a sudden, my legs decided they no longer wanted to move, no matter what type of pep talk I gave them. The energy quickly drained from my body, and all of a sudden I felt empty. On top of it all, the elevation of the course changed rapidly from a mostly flat and downhill route to a steep uphill. With no other choice, I had to walk. I ended up doing this for 3 miles until my body recovered from downing as much Gatorade and water as I could get my hands on.
I was bonking on the course, the dreaded feeling where your battery is empty, and even though your brain is sending signals to your legs it’s time to move, they go on strike like a 20th-century union getting a raw deal. Looking back it was obvious why. I ran too fast at the beginning of the race, and I didn’t spend enough time focusing on necessities like water and replacing the calories I lost.
As my third marathon approaches, it reminds me how important planning ahead is. I’m familiarizing myself with the course, planning all of the travel and lodging logistics, and developing my race day strategy to cross the finish line in my goal time. There could be a whole other post on pre-race day planning, but here I’m going to focus on two major components of a race plan that I think we get wrong when running our first race: pacing and fuel.
Pacing
There is a special energy to race day. Large crowds, loud music, and thousands of runners coming together after months of training are a recipe for an adrenaline rush. If you have tapered correctly, your legs will be fresh and ready to run fast. The first few miles will be a breeze, and as your confidence grows you may even feel like pushing the pace a bit. But a half or full marathon isn’t your local turkey trot. Maintaining an aggressive pace for 26.2 miles is tough, and it’s unlikely that it will be sustainable.
Many runners try one of two pacing strategies on race day. They either fly out of the gates quickly and pray they don’t crash and burn, or they come out slow and hope to get faster as the race goes on. This is called a positive (slower over time) or negative split (faster over time) strategy. While this works sometimes for elite marathoners, like the guy who Boston this year, I’ve learned the best way to race a half or full marathon is at a consistent pace throughout. It’s allowed me to conserve energy for when the going gets tough, and if there is anything left over at the end, allows for a strong kick for the finish line.
The results are evident. Below are graphs of my pace per mile during my first and second marathons.
I did little planning on pacing before my first marathon. On race day, I got in a group of runners and a pacer but felt like they were too slow for me. I said screw it and charged ahead. They caught and passed me around mile 16, with their consistent pacing winning the day. When all was said and done, my average pace per mile was 9:12 but at various points of the race I was as fast as 7:39 per mile and as slow as 16 minutes per mile when things went haywire at mile 20. More on this later.
My second attempt had a consistent pacing strategy and my average pace per mile barely fluctuated the entire race, staying within a 20-second range per mile. The dip at mile 5 was when I stopped for a bathroom break.
What changed for me between races 1 and 2 was that I sat down and figured out what pace I needed to maintain to hit my goal. There are plenty of online calculators out there to do this, like this one that I use consistently to plan my pacing strategy. Allow yourself a few miles to build up to the goal pace, and then focus on what you need to do each mile.
I also broke the race into chunks, using a spit strategy, and focused on hitting times for major benchmarks in the race, typically the 5k, 10k, half, 30k, and full distances. I used this in my second marathon and was able to use those as opportunities to check in with myself and focus on one part of the race at a time.
If you’re out there and feel confident in your ability to tabs on your pace throughout the race, great. But if you’re the type of runner who is reading this and doesn’t want to think too hard on race day, do some research on your selected race’s website ahead of time to see if they will have pacers on the course. If so, jump in with them at the starting line, and let them guide you to the finish you desire. They will probably keep you entertained as well. But don’t charge ahead too soon, or else they will leave you in the rearview on the way to the finish line.
Fueling
If you imagine a runner’s body as a car, then hydration and nutrition levels are the gas that gets runners from the start to the finish. We fill up the tank in the days leading up to the race, in hopes of keeping our energy on full. As we run, that energy is burned and our tank depletes. If we run out of gas, we putz along on the road until we can refuel.
Remember graph 1? Mile 20 is where this happened to me. It’s called many things: bonking, hitting the wall, the 7th circle of hell. Whatever your name for it, it’s because you’ve run out of fuel, and your gas tank is empty.
During my first marathon, I fueled when I felt like I needed to, taking in fluids when I was thirsty and using my first gel after more than an hour of running. Bad idea. When the hard part of the race came I wasn’t prepared. And my pre-race carb loading was hardly a master class in how to adequately get my body ready. I never wanted to feel that again, and was determined to change my fortunes the second time around. I focused on what I ate ahead of time, took gels at predetermined intervals, and hydrated early and often. The result? I felt pretty good for running 26.2.
Fueling is highly specific to the runner, and I think you have to learn the hard way what a proper fueling strategy looks like. For me, a good fueling strategy starts before the race begins. I want to be well hydrated and full of energy-giving carbohydrates as I get to the starting line, and now I know I’ve done a good job if I feel a little doughy on race morning. Being lean and mean isn’t always the best approach.
On the course, I alternate between Gatorade and water to hydrate, taking in fluids every 20 minutes (2 water to 1 Gatorade). That way I get some electrolytes and replace some of the calories I’ve lost. I use gels every 40 minutes, to add more calories, and take one way before I need it.
Our glycogen stores can typically get us through 2 hours of racing, but our energy may deplete a little faster or slower depending on our pacing. If you plan on being on the course for longer than 2 hours (which every marathoner does), it’s important to get ahead of things and top off the tank with your own mixture of gels, electrolyte drinks, and water before it gets too low, since or body takes time to convert gels and any fluids into usable energy. A gel every 35 to 40 minutes (as long as your stomach can take it) and fluids every 15-20 minutes will go a long way in preventing the gas tank from hitting empty.
Putting Things Together
I’m two weeks out from my next marathon, and my race planning is in full swing. I’m looking at the course, understanding what elevation changes are present, and how it fits into my pacing strategy. I’m trying to identify the faster and slower parts of the course, and where there may be some variations in my speed.
For fuel, I am looking at where water stations are located, and how much I need to carry on race day. I don’t like wearing a pack, but do keep a small flask of water on me, along with gels in a running belt.
Once I understand these items I map out my goal race splits, and where each of these components fits in. What mile marker will I grab fluids? When will I take gels? Afterward, I sketch out my strategy. The result looks like this:
When race day arrives, I know my plan and try to follow it as closely as I can. I’ve found it’s given me peace of mind to run my race and understand what I need to finish strong. And above all, not hit the wall.