What Everybody Ought to Know About A Race Calculator

Leveraging the REALLY important information that you get from a race calculator is nothing to overlook. There are far too many runners who run with a “blind fold on” in terms of how they train and their methods of measuring the progress, if any.

photo credit: lunay

I talked to you about using a running log and why you are pretty much wasting your time and effort if you don’t keep track of your running. But running logs aren’t what we’re talking about today. I wanted to introduce you to a resource that will help you understand what pace you should be running at realistically.

“Slow Down There!”

Do you know the pace you have to run to be able to actually finish your marathon? If you don’t know the right pace to run on for your marathon, there’s a high chance that you will work yourself too hard too early. This will lead to a lot of negative effects on your run and I hate to say it but those runners won’t finish the race.

On race day, there are a lot factors that can influence you that can instantly change your attitude, your mindset and even your goals of the marathon! Something that you should have planned well in advance is your pace to run the marathon.

At the beginning of the marathon, everyone begins to run fast so they can “keep up” with the rest of the pack. This is a HUGE mistake! Go back and read that sentence again: at the beginning of the marathon, everyone begins to run fast so they can “keep up” with the rest of the pack. The same runners who have trained for a 9 minute pace are trying to keep up with elite marathoners that have trained rigorously over the years for a 6 minute pace.

How in the world is that 9 minute pace runner going to survive the whole marathon? Eventually, that runner will get exhausted much faster than he/she expected to and ultimately, disappoint themselves. My goal with this post is to eliminate that possibility by sharing the right tool to perform your best; a race calculator.

The “Go-To” Resource For Calculating Your Pace

The biggest determinant of your pace for the marathon will be your past runs. If you have already ran similar distances, such as the long 18 miler, you know the pace you were running for that specific run. Based on that data alone, you possess the ability to project your pace on marathon day.

There are a variety of tools that you can use to calculate your pace but I’m going to recommend the McMillan Running Calculator. This calculator is developed by Greg McMillan who holds a Masters degree in Physiology.

How the McMillan Running Calculator Works

You type in your best time for a distance, for this example we’ll use 10k. So you input your time of 62 minutes (1 hr|2 mins) and the calculator will show you that your pace for the 10k is 9:58 mins/mile. This means that with your current fitness level, you pace for the marathon is 11:07 mins/mile.

You can now see why knowing this key figure will help you save energy and help prevent from getting too excited ;)

Also, by having a specific number in mind, your goal is more concrete simply because a random number, like 10 mins, doesn’t as much meaning as 9:58. You can also take this information for training for your long runs.

During your long runs, your pace won’t be as fast as well as a 10k obviously because of the longer distance. But, instead of arbitrary setting a goal for your long run, you can estimate the range in which you need to run your long runs through the system McMillan has created.

Right below the main stats, there is a table called “Endurance Workouts”. Look at the “long runs” row and you’ll see that based on this fitness level of finishing a 10k in 62 minutes, the range for finishing a long run is 11:37-12:37 minutes.

The biggest issue with anything I recommend you to try is acting on it. Just because calculating this process is easy and takes very little effort, don’t just brush it off. Take your target pace and periodically compare it to your pace during your training.

If you get used to watching your pace before the marathon, checking it during the marathon will feel natural rather than like a distraction.

PS: What were your results with the McMillan Running Calculator? What’s the pace you need to run during your marathon? Do you think it’s doable?