Very useful info !!! I just ran a marathon were I hit the wall @ mile 22 where I was on track to finish with a time of 2:39 and ended up finishing with a time 2:54 ! !!! Felt horrible during the last 4 mile as I saw people past me where I was on track to be within in the prize money ($250 - 6th place) but ended up finishing 15th 😐😐😐
I'm doing my first marathon this weekend and I am trying to convince myself not to go for sub 4hrs. My best run so far is a sub 3hr 30k (thats my 3rd 30k). That wasnt too bad so i just feel hey 12km more may be ok. But what you said just hit me like a brick. Half way is not 21km, its 20 miles. I needed that. Thanks a lot.
Hey Sage, thanks for all the advice - I've been following you for about a year now and love the channel! I have a TH-cam question: do you get more money if we watch an ad all the way through (rather than skipping it) before your videos? I'll happily let them burble away first if so!
iam going to run my third marathon in about 3 weeks, and i will take your pacing advice in consideration. Last year i started way to fast and although i improved my previous marathon time i almost bonk.
After I ran my first marathon only 2 weeks ago, I experience some of the facts you mention about hitting the wall but was able to manage it decently and finish under my target time. Lesson learnt though for next time: don´t start too strong and don´t forget to keep drinking (I did but seemed not enough), as I have been running more half marathon distances race. Very useful the video and will try to keep in mind your advices when I face my next marathon race.
Great training talk video! Finally heard really valuable reasons why NOT to negative split ..if I really want run to my potential. Probably much more risky way to pace marathon but..really it is rare to find a lot of marathon winners who negative split . That negative split strategy costed me PB (barely under 3 h)about 2 weeks ago in marathon when realtively low but long uphills (2km on 34-35 km of the race) killed my pace by 10-15 s for the remaining 7 km..I was trying to keep up that quicker speed after planned speed up after 28th km. Also in my opinion it is really hard and illogical to have the best splits in the last 10 km of the marathon when glicogen reserves are empty. I liked what I heard and fully agree, thanks Sage.
Yeaaaah I just ran a 1:51 half and I really don't think I'm gonna nail a sub 4 marathon at first attempt. Especially in the Greek one, which is slightly uphill from mile 15 to 22. I think a 4:10-4:30 finish is much more realistic.
That's EXACTLY what happened to me, I felt awesome until I hit the 22 mile mark- then I totally blew up and had to walk/limp/shuffle to the finish I wish I wouldve known this was the number 1 mistake
Thanks Sage for answering my question. Now going to watch what you have to say about 1/2 marathon pacing. I have been looking at race predictor charts quite some times and I never found them that usefull haha. Anyway wanted to say thanks, will use all this in Rotterdam 2016.
Trying to crack 3 hours. I plan on going out at 6:40 pace and hoping to hold until mile 20. Bank some time and try to salvage under 3. Ive only been running a year so I know I will slow.
Thanks for the great advice, Sage. Your videos are super helpful. I am running my first half in one month and my first full in April 2016. I'm certain I'll re-watch this video when it gets closer to full marathon time :)
Great video, Sage. Thanks for doing it. I'll be running my first marathon in NYC next Sunday, and this is helpful advice. I've been running for a couple of years and have a half marathon PR of 1:28. Since this is my first marathon and I don't know how my body will react after 20+ miles, I'm setting a goal of 3:10. With your advice, I'm going to focus on fueling and try to run even splits (1:35/1:35). If I feel good at 22 miles, I'll push. Thanks again for the advice!
+Ryan Smith Great to hear! NYC is not an easy course...don't let the crowds cheering make you go too fast in the first half or you'll pay for it later. Stay warm, and be prepared for that big bridge at mile 15 (and 1)!
+mart mans Hey! It didn't go well, to be honest. Came in at 3:20. Split right around 1:33 for the half, then died a painful death after mile 18. Lots of theories -- went out slightly too fast, didn't fuel properly, ran a random 6:45 split for mile 16 -- but you live and learn. Thanks for asking!
In this crappy denver metro weather... how do you train.? Do you gym it up or still run outside. If you go outside? How do you prepare for the weather, what do you wear?
This Spring is my first full marathon. I get really over excited and want to go full out after tapering. With all the excitement of race day, how do you contain yourself and not go out to fast?
Hi Sage, really enjoy your videos, find them very motivational and appreciate that you don't just cater to the elite runners out there. I was wondering what your thoughts on treadmill training were? I have asthma and while it's not awful, I do struggle in the cold. That plus my poor eyesight means I like to do a lot of my training on the gym. Any thoughts or tips? I am around 1.45 half marathon pace and have a marathon in April which I'm struggling to up my distance for. Thanks and keep up the great work!
+James Higgitt I think the treadmill is great. Soft surface and nice for building mileage up on. Eventually you'll want to mix it up and run outside on the track/roads too. Treadmill workouts can be very good for hitting pace in workouts. Put it on 1% incline though to simulate outdoor conditions/effort (treadmill is easier due to lack of wind restistence and the belt moving backwards requires very slightly less push-off effort with your feet). So it's good variety and for sure great to workout on, but just not totally 100% of the time. Good luck!
concur i ran phily last year as my first marathon, last 10k was hell really not enjoyable whatsoever . the first 20 miles was a blast though . i think a 20 mile race would be ideal for most.
Hey Sage, love all your videos, I've been hooked to running for over a year now, did many shorter distance races, and will be competing in my first full marathon in two weeks. Last week, I did a 32km run in 2:45, do you think I have a fair shot to crack 4 hours in the full marathon? I felt good after the 32km, wasn't fully exhausted and could have probably gone on for a few more KMs (but the blister at the bottom of my foot did hurt quite a bit). Currently Strava is placing my best estimated half marathon time at 2:15 which is odd, since I can consistently do 46min 10k's and more or less keep that pace for a half marathon. Thanks in advance man! Keep up the great work!
Hi Sage, thanks, great video! You mention you write timesplits on your arm so you can monitor it to see if your pace is fine. What about monitoring your heart rate and base your pace based on this? Say do the first half at < 160 b/m and the second half < 168 b/m based on your fitness of course. Would this be a good strategy? On good days I see my hear rate sometimes 5 beats / minute lower than others and you don't want to hit the wall of course.
Sage - how many times do you drink water and at which intervals, is it every 1k or 5k? Heard an interview with Wilson Kipsang and he said he drinks every 5k. Also do you carry with you gels? When do you consume them and at what intervals? Thanks Alfa
What do you think about using the last marathon results to set the next goal like this: In April I finished in 3:40. I tried to keep up with a 3:30 pacer (5 min/km pace). After 28k I decided that was too fast and I lost 10 minutes in the second half. That means: I wasn't able to finish in 3:30, so my goal must be slower. But even this "less than perfect" race was 3:40, so my goal should be faster than that. So aim for 3:35?
Hi Sage - great video. Question: You say that the wall hits a 20 miles; would this be 2 hours for us normal type of runners? For those of us that run over 3:00 hours (I run in 3:28) I would have thought that we would have hit the wall earlier (assuming we were running hard).
+TheMoonSeesMe in terms of glycogen depletion, no. While I've hit the wall as early as 16-18 miles (running way too fast...and only about 90min into the race), it is a factor of distance covered and not time so much. A work equation. So you might be out in the elements longer and deal with dehydration faster, but the glycogen stores simply last for about 20-miles regardless of the time needed to cover that distance.
Hey sage! A little off topic but I was wondering if taking a pre workout before the gym (C4) would affect my running negatively. I usually run around 5 miles at cross country practice after school then head to the gym, would I be fine or would there eventually be a decrease in my performance? Thanks!
+J Külm 200km is a lot of mileage if you've only been running 1.5 years. Check out some of my other training videos. It really depends on your future goals and what you are training for (and other workouts). Good luck!
Sage, I've watched your other videos on LT/Tempo runs. I'm still a little confused about definitions of Tempo & Lactate Threshold. So, Tempo is any run with some of the following: negative splits, running faster pace, running hills at best short distance pace; I can't think of any others. And then Lactate Threshold is just hardest versions of all of the latter Tempo examples, with VO2 Max thrown in. Is this the correct interpretation?
+Eric Dykes I use the terms "Tempo Run" and "Lactate Threshold" to mean the same thing....usually something like a 20-min Tempo/LT run. It is usually about 10km race pace, plus 10-15sec/mile or about what you could hold All-out for 60min in a race. Sometimes I have athletes do 2-mile repeats at this intensity with a short rest. Check out our pace intensity spectrum at: SageRunning.com
So how does hitting the wall work in an ultra then, when you have to go sometimes double the marathon? If you the wall 32K you still have 18K to for just a 50K.
+nexeon the slower paces and lower intensities in ultras lend to more "glycogen sparing" due to a higher percentage of fat burning. You can go very long at an easy pace (60-70% of max HR.) on your fat stores alone...even if you are very skinny and eat a low fat diet. So there's that, but people in ultras also tend to eat a lot more (i.e. solid food in 100-mile races), tons of gel and drink at aid stations (compared to a marathon). You can bonk and scrap the wall at mile 20 if you don't eat and start too fast though...esp with big uphills in the mountains. Spend some time in the food tent and you can bounce back and still finish though! Ideally you never hit the wall because you keep yourself fueled.
Used a Sage Running plan for my first marathon in November 2018. Goal was sub 4. Plan really prepared me for my first 26.2. Ran 4:42 with a slight 1:53>>1:49 negative split. Didn't know what to expect so I left a lot out there for sure. Looking forward to my next one as I hope to go 3:30 or below. Respect the distance!!!!!! What is your opinion on progression runs as they tend to mimic a negative split effort? I hear some pros but plenty of cons out there...
Hey Sage, I'm 17 years old and have been competing in half marathons and 30k races for the past six months. I am about to transition into marathons and then into my first ultra in February. I average around an hour and 28 minutes for a half marathon and have never competed in a marathon. This Saturday I will be competing in my first marathon and will be weighing myself every 10 miles. I was wondering at what point I should be concerned with weight loss during the race. I currently weigh 134 lbs.
+byBC You're not going on a diet... you're running for a few hours. Hydrate and intake the proper nutrition. You're over thinking it.... If you can run a 1:28 half you'll be fine. Its your first marathon, this will be a learning experience.
mwdt17 I was just wondering because I was watching a few Ultra-Marathon documentaries and they would be weighing the runners at every station, and warn them if they were losing too much in water weight. Just wondering what that point is in terms of % of body weight. That's all
+mwdt17 I drink nearly 175 ounces of water a day and am very well fueled food wise, but I can't seem to stomach much on race day. So the closer I can get to that minimum amount of calories/water the better
+byBC you'll crush it dude! my first marathon went a little south because i pushed a little to hard. Stick to what you know and what youve been training at. You'll rock it, try not to over think it.
I would just like to thank you as I have ran a 3:34 marathon and it is mostly due to your advise....cheers
Which videos helped you the most?
Very useful info !!! I just ran a marathon were I hit the wall @ mile 22 where I was on track to finish with a time of 2:39 and ended up finishing with a time 2:54 ! !!! Felt horrible during the last 4 mile as I saw people past me where I was on track to be within in the prize money ($250 - 6th place) but ended up finishing 15th 😐😐😐
Thanks Sage. You and Sandi always seem to be there with help for my next step in running!
Thx sage i finished my first marathon with the help of youre videos appriciate it
I'm doing my first marathon this weekend and I am trying to convince myself not to go for sub 4hrs. My best run so far is a sub 3hr 30k (thats my 3rd 30k). That wasnt too bad so i just feel hey 12km more may be ok. But what you said just hit me like a brick. Half way is not 21km, its 20 miles. I needed that. Thanks a lot.
wow.....didn't realize such a high finish in this year's Boston. Thanks for providing the videos/tips/coaching.
yep I learned this lesson the hard way lol hit the wall and cramped at 20 miles, hobbled to the finish
Hey Sage, thanks for all the advice - I've been following you for about a year now and love the channel! I have a TH-cam question: do you get more money if we watch an ad all the way through (rather than skipping it) before your videos? I'll happily let them burble away first if so!
He earn as much as you see the Ads.
iam going to run my third marathon in about 3 weeks, and i will take your pacing advice in consideration. Last year i started way to fast and although i improved my previous marathon time i almost bonk.
After I ran my first marathon only 2 weeks ago, I experience some of the facts you mention about hitting the wall but was able to manage it decently and finish under my target time. Lesson learnt though for next time: don´t start too strong and don´t forget to keep drinking (I did but seemed not enough), as I have been running more half marathon distances race.
Very useful the video and will try to keep in mind your advices when I face my next marathon race.
Great training talk video! Finally heard really valuable reasons why NOT to negative split ..if I really want run to my potential. Probably much more risky way to pace marathon but..really it is rare to find a lot of marathon winners who negative split . That negative split strategy costed me PB (barely under 3 h)about 2 weeks ago in marathon when realtively low but long uphills (2km on 34-35 km of the race) killed my pace by 10-15 s for the remaining 7 km..I was trying to keep up that quicker speed after planned speed up after 28th km. Also in my opinion it is really hard and illogical to have the best splits in the last 10 km of the marathon when glicogen reserves are empty. I liked what I heard and fully agree, thanks Sage.
Yeaaaah I just ran a 1:51 half and I really don't think I'm gonna nail a sub 4 marathon at first attempt. Especially in the Greek one, which is slightly uphill from mile 15 to 22. I think a 4:10-4:30 finish is much more realistic.
Thanks Sage, great video as always!
Thanks. Halfway is 20 miles. Will take that tip!
Awesome info thank you for all you do. I enjoy watching you videos.
That's EXACTLY what happened to me, I felt awesome until I hit the 22 mile mark- then I totally blew up and had to walk/limp/shuffle to the finish
I wish I wouldve known this was the number 1 mistake
Thanks Sage for answering my question. Now going to watch what you have to say about 1/2 marathon pacing. I have been looking at race predictor charts quite some times and I never found them that usefull haha. Anyway wanted to say thanks, will use all this in Rotterdam 2016.
Trying to crack 3 hours. I plan on going out at 6:40 pace and hoping to hold until mile 20. Bank some time and try to salvage under 3. Ive only been running a year so I know I will slow.
Thanks for the great advice, Sage. Your videos are super helpful. I am running my first half in one month and my first full in April 2016. I'm certain I'll re-watch this video when it gets closer to full marathon time :)
+Cristina Basile Good luck!
Why thank you!
+Cristina Basile great to hear! and good luck as well!
Great video, Sage. Thanks for doing it. I'll be running my first marathon in NYC next Sunday, and this is helpful advice. I've been running for a couple of years and have a half marathon PR of 1:28. Since this is my first marathon and I don't know how my body will react after 20+ miles, I'm setting a goal of 3:10. With your advice, I'm going to focus on fueling and try to run even splits (1:35/1:35). If I feel good at 22 miles, I'll push. Thanks again for the advice!
+Ryan Smith Great to hear! NYC is not an easy course...don't let the crowds cheering make you go too fast in the first half or you'll pay for it later. Stay warm, and be prepared for that big bridge at mile 15 (and 1)!
+Ryan Smith How did it go ? Did you hit your goal ?
+mart mans Hey! It didn't go well, to be honest. Came in at 3:20. Split right around 1:33 for the half, then died a painful death after mile 18. Lots of theories -- went out slightly too fast, didn't fuel properly, ran a random 6:45 split for mile 16 -- but you live and learn. Thanks for asking!
+Ryan Smith same thing happend to me on my first one a couple of months ago missed my goal by 20 min. Still a great time tho 3:20.
+Ryan Smith Sounds like it was a great race for a first marathon. That's a win I would take any day.
Thank you coach Sage!
That's great, thank you for those advices!
In this crappy denver metro weather... how do you train.? Do you gym it up or still run outside. If you go outside? How do you prepare for the weather, what do you wear?
Fantastic tips. Thanks
This Spring is my first full marathon. I get really over excited and want to go full out after tapering. With all the excitement of race day, how do you contain yourself and not go out to fast?
thanks sage great advice
Thanks for the advice, Sage! I'll be carrying this to the starting line of Philly with me.
Hi Sage, really enjoy your videos, find them very motivational and appreciate that you don't just cater to the elite runners out there. I was wondering what your thoughts on treadmill training were? I have asthma and while it's not awful, I do struggle in the cold. That plus my poor eyesight means I like to do a lot of my training on the gym. Any thoughts or tips? I am around 1.45 half marathon pace and have a marathon in April which I'm struggling to up my distance for. Thanks and keep up the great work!
+James Higgitt I think the treadmill is great. Soft surface and nice for building mileage up on. Eventually you'll want to mix it up and run outside on the track/roads too. Treadmill workouts can be very good for hitting pace in workouts. Put it on 1% incline though to simulate outdoor conditions/effort (treadmill is easier due to lack of wind restistence and the belt moving backwards requires very slightly less push-off effort with your feet). So it's good variety and for sure great to workout on, but just not totally 100% of the time. Good luck!
concur i ran phily last year as my first marathon, last 10k was hell really not enjoyable whatsoever . the first 20 miles was a blast though . i think a 20 mile race would be ideal for most.
thanks, succinct and informative.
This is great advice
so its like a bit faster than easy pace? ok i get it. thanks for the tip
I've hit the wall in both of the marathons I ran but one was just a bit better in the last 6 miles
Hey Sage, any advice on maintaining fitness between training cycles?
Hey Sage, love all your videos, I've been hooked to running for over a year now, did many shorter distance races, and will be competing in my first full marathon in two weeks. Last week, I did a 32km run in 2:45, do you think I have a fair shot to crack 4 hours in the full marathon? I felt good after the 32km, wasn't fully exhausted and could have probably gone on for a few more KMs (but the blister at the bottom of my foot did hurt quite a bit). Currently Strava is placing my best estimated half marathon time at 2:15 which is odd, since I can consistently do 46min 10k's and more or less keep that pace for a half marathon. Thanks in advance man! Keep up the great work!
thanks Sage, great video. could you please do one on ultra pacing as well? especially ultras with fixed amount of time, like 6, 12 and 24 hours?
Hi Sage, thanks, great video! You mention you write timesplits on your arm so you can monitor it to see if your pace is fine. What about monitoring your heart rate and base your pace based on this? Say do the first half at < 160 b/m and the second half < 168 b/m based on your fitness of course. Would this be a good strategy? On good days I see my hear rate sometimes 5 beats / minute lower than others and you don't want to hit the wall of course.
Sage - how many times do you drink water and at which intervals, is it every 1k or 5k? Heard an interview with Wilson Kipsang and he said he drinks every 5k.
Also do you carry with you gels? When do you consume them and at what intervals?
Thanks
Alfa
Great info. thanks a lot.
What do you think about using the last marathon results to set the next goal like this: In April I finished in 3:40. I tried to keep up with a 3:30 pacer (5 min/km pace). After 28k I decided that was too fast and I lost 10 minutes in the second half. That means: I wasn't able to finish in 3:30, so my goal must be slower. But even this "less than perfect" race was 3:40, so my goal should be faster than that. So aim for 3:35?
Christian how did your next marathon go?
Hi Sage - great video.
Question: You say that the wall hits a 20 miles; would this be 2 hours for us normal type of runners? For those of us that run over 3:00 hours (I run in 3:28) I would have thought that we would have hit the wall earlier (assuming we were running hard).
+TheMoonSeesMe in terms of glycogen depletion, no. While I've hit the wall as early as 16-18 miles (running way too fast...and only about 90min into the race), it is a factor of distance covered and not time so much. A work equation. So you might be out in the elements longer and deal with dehydration faster, but the glycogen stores simply last for about 20-miles regardless of the time needed to cover that distance.
+Vo2maxProductions Thanks - that was hugely enlightening!
Hey sage! A little off topic but I was wondering if taking a pre workout before the gym (C4) would affect my running negatively. I usually run around 5 miles at cross country practice after school then head to the gym, would I be fine or would there eventually be a decrease in my performance? Thanks!
Hi Sage! My halfmarathon time is 1:21:47. I have ran only for 1 and a half year. I run about 200km a week. Can you give some advice?
+J Külm 200km is a lot of mileage if you've only been running 1.5 years. Check out some of my other training videos. It really depends on your future goals and what you are training for (and other workouts). Good luck!
Sage, I've watched your other videos on LT/Tempo runs. I'm still a little confused about definitions of Tempo & Lactate Threshold. So, Tempo is any run with some of the following: negative splits, running faster pace, running hills at best short distance pace; I can't think of any others. And then Lactate Threshold is just hardest versions of all of the latter Tempo examples, with VO2 Max thrown in. Is this the correct interpretation?
+Eric Dykes I use the terms "Tempo Run" and "Lactate Threshold" to mean the same thing....usually something like a 20-min Tempo/LT run. It is usually about 10km race pace, plus 10-15sec/mile or about what you could hold All-out for 60min in a race. Sometimes I have athletes do 2-mile repeats at this intensity with a short rest. Check out our pace intensity spectrum at: SageRunning.com
+Vo2maxProductions I think I got it, thanks!
How in the hell would I train for Speedgoat?
New intro I like it
So how does hitting the wall work in an ultra then, when you have to go sometimes double the marathon? If you the wall 32K you still have 18K to for just a 50K.
+nexeon the slower paces and lower intensities in ultras lend to more "glycogen sparing" due to a higher percentage of fat burning. You can go very long at an easy pace (60-70% of max HR.) on your fat stores alone...even if you are very skinny and eat a low fat diet. So there's that, but people in ultras also tend to eat a lot more (i.e. solid food in 100-mile races), tons of gel and drink at aid stations (compared to a marathon). You can bonk and scrap the wall at mile 20 if you don't eat and start too fast though...esp with big uphills in the mountains. Spend some time in the food tent and you can bounce back and still finish though! Ideally you never hit the wall because you keep yourself fueled.
Used a Sage Running plan for my first marathon in November 2018. Goal was sub 4. Plan really prepared me for my first 26.2. Ran 4:42 with a slight 1:53>>1:49 negative split. Didn't know what to expect so I left a lot out there for sure. Looking forward to my next one as I hope to go 3:30 or below. Respect the distance!!!!!!
What is your opinion on progression runs as they tend to mimic a negative split effort? I hear some pros but plenty of cons out there...
Hey Sage, I'm 17 years old and have been competing in half marathons and 30k races for the past six months. I am about to transition into marathons and then into my first ultra in February. I average around an hour and 28 minutes for a half marathon and have never competed in a marathon. This Saturday I will be competing in my first marathon and will be weighing myself every 10 miles. I was wondering at what point I should be concerned with weight loss during the race. I currently weigh 134 lbs.
+byBC You're not going on a diet... you're running for a few hours. Hydrate and intake the proper nutrition. You're over thinking it.... If you can run a 1:28 half you'll be fine. Its your first marathon, this will be a learning experience.
mwdt17 I was just wondering because I was watching a few Ultra-Marathon documentaries and they would be weighing the runners at every station, and warn them if they were losing too much in water weight. Just wondering what that point is in terms of % of body weight. That's all
+mwdt17 I drink nearly 175 ounces of water a day and am very well fueled food wise, but I can't seem to stomach much on race day. So the closer I can get to that minimum amount of calories/water the better
+byBC you'll crush it dude! my first marathon went a little south because i pushed a little to hard. Stick to what you know and what youve been training at. You'll rock it, try not to over think it.
mwdt17 Thanks man, I'll be sure to let you know how it goes
Here again
Thanks :)
The worms go in
I feel like you're so tense. I'd recommend doing yoga.
David Goggins does not acknowledge glycogen therefore he Is immune to glycogen depletion