What to Know about Marathon Pace Before Your Race
April 10, 2024
After a while of not knowing at all what my 2015 race calendar would look like, I’ve finally filled out all my races for the year! I’m super excited about it, as I’m sure you can tell from all my posts on my decision to attempt a Boston Qualifying at my first marathon.
I’ve always been such a planner. In college and graduate school, I had my courses planned semesters in advance. I meal plan every single week, and I do well in race training because it lets me plan out my runs and workouts for months in advance. Especially when it comes to racing, I’d rather plan out everything way in advance rather than sign up at the last minute.
During our weekend visit to Seattle, we fell absolutely in love with the Pacific Northwest. Like, we need mountains and large bodies of water in our life all the time, not to mention the fresh air and temperate weather. Within five hours of arriving back to St. Louis, we booked a trip to Portland!
Well, we still have to book a flight and hotel…but I registered for the Portland Marathon in October!
Even though we will likely end up moving to Michigan and wait a few years before moving out to the Seattle area, we really want to go back! (Seriously, we love mountains. Why is the Midwest so flat and boring?) Our first year wedding anniversary is at the end of September, so we thought another trip out to the Pacific Northwest would be perfect to celebrate!
And because I have the best husband ever, Ryan encouraged me to sign up for the Portland Marathon instead of doing the less scenic Indianapolis Monumental Marathon! (Seriously, best husband ever.) The Portland Marathon is a great race for running a BQ, between a flatter course, mild weather, and that gorgeous, gorgeous scenery (Mt. Hood and the Columbia River!). Not to mention that Portland will have plenty of amazing food and beer to enjoy after the race!
The race usually fills up quick from what I’ve heard, so I registered right away even though it’s seven months away. This gives us plenty of time to find great prices on flights and hotels. (If anyone has a recommendation of a great place to stay in downtown Portland, please let me know—I’d greatly appreciate it!)
The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is likely going to be the same weekend as the Valparaiso Half Marathon, so originally I was not planning on running the Valpo Half this year. However, since the Portland Marathon is in early October, I will be able to run the Valpo Half if I want! If we live in Michigan, we’ll only be an 60-90 minutes away from Valpo, which makes it more than feasible to run the race.
The Valpo Half is definitely tempting because it’s such a small race. The registration fee is only about $35 or $40, and there are usually about 350-400 runners. Since it’s a smaller race, it’s really easy to place in my age group. The overall female winner ran a 1:35 last year and the winner of my age groups ran a 1:45 (I was second in my age group with 1:46), so my goal would be to win my age group at least.
April 12: St. Louis Go! Half Marathon
Goal time: 1:39-1:41
October 4: Portland Marathon
Goal time: 3:30-3:35
November 8: Valparaiso Half Marathon
Goal time: 1:37-1:39? (TBD)
I’m preferring quality over quantity this year in my racing and only running three races at most. I’m setting some big goals, so I really want to focus in on those races to achieve my goals and not leave my best in a shorter race. This is just what works best for me; every runner is different!
I’m not really into 5Ks and 10Ks at this point in time, so I’m not going to make myself run any this year even though earlier this year I resolved to try to run at least a shorter race to test my speed. Maybe if a shorter race nearby comes up and I’m between training I may run it, but that’s a big “if” because 9 times out of 10 I’m going to choose a long run over a shorter race. You know you’re a long distance runner when 5Ks sound too-fast and painful to you.
I’m so excited to run the Portland Marathon! I apologize in advance if I talk non-stop about it for the next 7 months. Seriously, though, how beautiful will that race be for a first marathon? I {heart} mountains.
Questions of the Day:
What races are you running in 2015?
Which city would you love to run a race in?
14 Responses
Love the race schedule. Oregon is the best!!! I got to run Hood to Coast back in 2012 and it is such a beautiful state. I want to go back and run there right now. I’m excited for your goals and can’t wait to see you crush them. We would be good training partners. xo
I’ve heard of Hood to Coast before and it’s on my bucket list, I just love the idea of running out there. Thank you so much for the support on my goals! We would be great training partners 🙂
I’m a big fan of quality over quantity when it comes to racing. I think it will pay off for you. And I hear great things about Portland!
Thank you, Amanda! Everyone hears such good things about Portland, I’m so excited to see it and run it!
So far I am only signed up for one race…the Rock N Roll half in DC. I would love to do a race on the west coast!
DC would be fun for a race, I bet you get a lot of sightseeing in there!
I hear you on quality over quantity. I love racing but it gets expensive – plus, I feel like to excel, you need to shore up that race schedule and focus on training over racing.
After my upcoming half on 3/28 (hoping to PR), I have a 10-miler in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend. I’m hoping to use that as motivation to keep up with long runs after my half as we get closer to my wedding on 5/1. Except for that, I currently do not have anything else on my race calendar until 2016 (race-cation for Miami Half in January with two friends). I’m looking forward to figuring out the rest of 2015 with Jes’ guidance after Livermore on 3/28.
I also plan to leave my race calendar more flexible so I can enjoy trail running and hiking once we move. It’s hard to a lot of either during a focused training cycle for road racing.
Portland sounds like such a great race, and it’ll be fun to explore the area too. I hear the food and coffee culture there is incredible. My blogger friend Kristina (blogaboutrunning.com) ran PDX as her first marathon last year.
Racing does get expensive, especially if you travel to the race. Your upcoming races sound exciting – good luck on your PR! I trained all the way up to my wedding also – it really helps beat stress as the big day approaches. I’ll have to check out blogaboutrunning.com and read more about the Portland marathon – thanks for the recommendation!
I’m torn between quantity over quality. I push myself the hardest during races, so I find the more races on my calendar, but the bigger gains I see. But… $$$. So quality races win out 🙂
I just went to Portland a few weeks ago for the first time. That is definitely going to be on BEAUTIFUL race!
I think my biggest bucket list race right now is New York!
I hear you on wanting to race more for more gains – I always feel like I get so much faster after a race! New York sounds like an amazing race, I love watching it on TV!
I’m over on the eat coast so I’m running some races here in VA and PA. Almost pulled the trigger on the NYC Marathon, but it’s too close to my FAVORITE race- the richmond half Marathon. Plus, i’ve never done a full!
The NYC Marathon would be an awesome first marathon! Virginia sounds so pretty for races – I can see why Richmond is your favorite!
Portland is THE BEST. I grew up there, now I live in Southern California. I like SoCal but NOTHING compares to the PNW. Seriously beautiful. I am running hood to coast for the first time this year and I can’t wait!!
The Nines is a great hotel to stay at! Highly recommend it. They have a great rooftop restaurant (Departure) and it’s right downtown close to lots of things and near the Max line so you can get around easily.
So exciting that you’re running Hood to Coast this year! Thank you so much for the hotel recommendation – I will definitely look into the Nine when my husband and I book our stay!