Set Attainable Goals

One school of thought recommends setting lofty goals in order to pressure yourself into high performance. Personally, I have had more success by taking the pressure off myself and setting goals that are readily attainable. When running a marathon or ultramarathon, I usually carry a split time sheet with five columns. The middle column displays split times for my probable pace for the event, using a conservative estimate—my slowest possible time. This allows me to run comfortably at goal pace and pace the race properly—not to go out over your head and die like 95 percent of all marathoners.

And the two columns to the right indicate faster possible paces (up to my maximum capability). On race day, I’ve consistently found that I run above my conservative estimate, which provides a real psychological lift. The result is that even on days when I can’t achieve my toughest goal, I can be satisfied with a fine performance.

Use the Proper Intervals

Marathon training requires running various distance intervals. The best formula is two moderate distance runs (miles 8 to 12), one goal marathon pace run (miles 8 to 10 at goal marathon pace), one tempo run (10 miles at 5K race pace or slower), and once a week, a long run at a comfortable pace (miles 15 to 20+ miles, depending on fitness level). These runs are what will condition your cardiovascular system for the 26 miles that lie ahead.

Use Proper Pacing

This is, to me, the most important secret to marathon running success. The first five miles of a marathon are the most crucial miles. Don’t run these miles too hard. If the marathon goes out too fast, the whole race can be a painful, grueling sufferfest of a workout. I have found it advantageous to run the first half of the marathon five to 20 seconds slower than my goal marathon pace. This allows the following latter half of the marathon to be faster, as the legs feel strong and not dead. This strategy is known as negative splitting.

Richard Benyo, at 56 years of age, has run more than 67 marathons. Besides being the editor of Marathon & Beyond, he is the author/editor of more than 15 books related to running. His marathon personal best is 2:42.