Q&A

Mary asked the following question:

Hi Paul,

I wanted to ask you a question but forgot to Wednesday night.  I'm running the BAA half marathon this Sunday. Baystate marathon is the following Sunday. My question is; At what pace should I run the half without affecting my marathon?  I was thinking of running it at marathon pace.  But should I run it slower as a training run?

Thanks for your help,
Mary

Here's my answer:

Hi Mary,
 
Yeah...that's pretty close to your goal race so you want to be careful.
 
I'd suggest doing a progression run.  Start  out easy like a regular training run...very relaxed.  Let the pace come down  naturally and then run the last 5-8 miles at your goal marathon pace...assuming  you feel good.  If you don't feel so hot, just run easy.
 
Try not to get to caught up in the excitement  of the event because you'll want to save your precious adrenaline for the week  after.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Good luck,
Paul