Pace is simply how fast am I running? A 10:00 pace is running a mile in ten minutes and you would cover 6 miles in a hour. If you walk 4 miles in an hour, your pace is 15:00. World class runners often run 5:00 pace - which would mean they would run a marathon (26.2 miles) in 2 hours 11 minutes and 6 seconds. The world record is 2:03:02 ~ a pace of 4:42! That is fast!!!
To run a marathon in four hours, the pace must be 9:09. Does that mean every step is at that exact pace? No. The pace will vary depending on the terrain (up hill, flat, down hill) but the overall pace must be 9:09.
Marathon race pace, or MP, is one of the things I'll be working on during shorter runs. Each day of my training schedule, along with my distance, I have a pace target. That is getting my legs use to running at that pace, turning over at a steady clip, not trying to beat the person next to me who may be an 8:00 pacer. It's also important to keep a steady pace over the long haul, not going out too quickly, then hitting a wall with 5 miles to go.
The first run of my training plan is 4 "easy" miles, 10:04 pace. That's not exactly an easy pace in my book, but it's a great target!
Today was my first "real" run of the 2012 season. I ran 7.23 miles with an overall pace of 10:55. Here is how my miles went:
Mile 1: 11:15
Mile 2: 11:14
Mile 3: 10:06
Mile 4: 10:44
Mile 5: 12:09
Mile 6: 10:42
Mile 7: 10:28
Oh Mile 5, how you hurt me! You, with your hill with a 6% grade. But you didn't defeat me! Mile 6 flew by and I finished mile 7 even stronger!
9:09 pace for a 4 hour marathon? Eek! I've got work to do!
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