As I crossed the start line of the Oxford half marathon earlier this month and hit the “go” button on my Timex GPS, the words “Searching for satellites” stared back at me from the grey readout on my wrist. As the official 1:30 pacemaker for the race, accurate timekeeping was essential – so the stopped stopwatch presented a real and urgent problem for me. I knew that lots of runners were relying on me to take some of the pressure off their own race, and there I was having a kit malfunction.
Pacemakers are experienced runners tasked to complete the course in a given time. Usually between 1:30 and 2:30 for a half marathon and 2:45 and five hours for the marathon. They carry a flag of some description, and are generally capable of running a lot faster than the pace they are assigned to.
An increasing number of race organisers are enlisting the services of pacemakers, as they compete to make their event more attractive to runners. And the more races that introduce pace teams, the more runners come to expect them. Like the chocolate on the pillow of your hotel room, it’s a nice touch the first time, but then you’re a bit disappointed if it’s not there.
As the organiser of the pace team for the Mizuno Reading half marathon since 2002, I have seen the role that my team of rhythmical runners play evolve a great deal. Holding a metronomic pace and evening out the classic early adrenaline-fuelled enthusiasm for a fast start is just one part of the job. It’s during the last few miles of a race where the pacemaker stops being an efficient flag-carrying machine and becomes a personal motivator. Chivvying along the runners with shouts of encouragement and regular progress updates can make the difference between a disastrous disappointment and a spectacular success.
On the finish line, the stumbling, zombified mass of elated runners thrusting hands out for shaking or offering full body sweaty bear hugs are evidence of how important a role these pacers play.
The key to perfect pacing
So what’s the secret to perfect pacing? Do you go off fast at the start and “bank” some time? Or do you run more conservatively hoping to pick up the pace in the second half? Is running even splits throughout the race a sensible strategy and how do you factor in changes in gradient?
Even if you are unable to jump in with an official pacer, you can of course still use the omnipresent mile or km markers to measure your progress. Use your GPS watch by all means (if it works) but remember to run the race, not the distance.
Looking at race data from various half and full marathons, it’s clear that for the majority of runners, the first half tends to be faster than the second. This “positive split” is often a result of getting swept along by the early-miles-easiness, before paying the price later on in the race. It can be a useful strategy to put in a few slightly faster miles in the first half, but more often than not you’ll lose more than you gain when you enter the final stretch.
Starting off slowly and building up so your second half is quicker than the first is known as a negative split. You spend the latter miles feeling smug about your superior tactics, as you overtake all those runners grimacing at the side of the road.
The danger is that you give yourself too much work to do with your slower-than-average early miles and although you might finish strongly, you will probably have left some precious seconds or minutes out there on the road. The third option is to run as evenly as possible – and this is where the pacemakers come in. Holding an even mile pace means you’ll have to work harder in the second half than you were in the first, so in essence it’s similar to the negative split. You still get to finish strong but you’ll be eking out every last ounce of potential on the day.
Don’t rely on technology
I stared blankly at the flashing notification on my watch for 115 seconds in that race last weekend, finally giving up on the satellites and restarting the watch before adding on my estimated delay. It made for an interesting race of calculations but I crossed the line in 1:29:53.
So if you’re planning your 2014 race calendar, join me and my pacing team at the Mizuno Reading half marathon on Sunday 2 March. It’s one of the fastest half marathons around and we’re hoping to help even more runners achieve those all important PBs – you’ll be in good hands.
George Anderson is a running coach, author, presenter and program creator at intelligentrunning.com. Sign up now to the 2014 Mizuno Reading Half Marathon. Info: readinghalfmarathon.com
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