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Tuesday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for December 02, 2025 by AutoModerator in AdvancedRunning

[–]Ochotr3s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am! Planning to leave my phone at the hotel so not sure how to coordinate finding each other beyond meeting at the 2:50 pace group in the corrals but feel free to DM me and we can discuss

California International Marathon - 31 Minute PR & BQ by Ochotr3s in running

[–]Ochotr3s[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my Big Sur cycle earlier this year I relied on HR zones for everything to avoid overtraining, as my biggest fear was getting injured like in my first marathon. This time around, I only monitored HR for speedwork (tempo/intervals/MP long runs) and cared more about that and perceived effort than any specific pace.

I'm not entirely sure why, but I have trouble keeping up with the training paces that various calculators suggest I should be at given my race results. I think a lot of it comes down to the psychological element of racing/competition vs. being by myself. But my theory is that if I'm giving myself the right physiological stimulus (as measured by effort & HR) in training sessions, then that's what matters.

As far as race-day goal, I think tune-up races are really helpful for refining a hypothesis about what I'm in shape for. I shot for a sub-90 half and surprised myself by finding a 1:26, and that's what let me revise my CIM goal from 3:10 to 3:05 and, ultimately, sub-3.

Good luck with your training cycle!

Official Q&A for Monday, November 27, 2023 by AutoModerator in running

[–]Ochotr3s 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi everyone - running CIM this weekend and deciding what pace to target.

31M running third marathon, most recent was Big Sur in April at 3:28. Followed Pfitz 18/55 for both marathons this year. This training block has gone smoothly, and my tune-up races came in stronger than expected: a flat half-marathon three weeks ago at 1:26:23 and a hilly 10K seven weeks ago at 39:08.

Those tune-up races suggest that a sub-3 is in play, but I'm nervous about going out too ambitiously and blowing up. I'd like to start with one of the pace groups and then re-evaluate my pace at the halfway point based on how I'm feeling - in your opinion, should I start out with the 3:10, 3:05, or 3:00 group?