Road Racing Strategy For Older Runners
Hi - This is Jeff! On June 22nd, I ran the 40th Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN, and used a racing strategy that may work for you.
This was an important race because my training cycle leading up to it was strong. It turns out there were no pacers for my goal time.
Self-pacing isn't easy, but it seemed to be my only option. A riskier strategy was starting with a slower pace group and making up the difference later in the race.
Even pacing works for most people, but not me, and I doubt I'm alone. Older runners need upwards of four to five miles to warm up. Despite our best efforts to increase or maintain it, our vascularity declines with age.
As our tissues warm up, we come to life. I started with the slower pace group and waited it out, trusting that my training would help make up the difference in the final miles.
Despite rain showing up around mile 17, everything worked as planned. I'm embarrassed it took years to find the right strategy, but I finally earned a guaranteed ticket to the next Boston Marathon.
Mantras like Trust your training and Nothing new on race day are more than slogans. Use them to trust yourself, because you are running and the one who has to answer the question, "How did it go?"
