Toronto Marathon - Strategy and Splits

[Killerz]

I'm planning on running Toronto Goodlife in 2 weeks, and getting down as close to the 3 hour mark as possible, subject to recovering from this nasty flu I have at the moment, and the usual caveats such as good conditions etc.

Leaving all that aside, for those that have run this course, what have you found is the best strategy for splits between first/ second half? I am very familiar with the course - I ran this as a 3:40 pacer last year - banked over 1 minute in the first half (ie 1:49) and ran the second half maybe 1:49:40 or so. I also train on many different parts of it. However, I havent raced it at full marathon-goal effort as such.

If going for 3 hour marathon, my gut feeling is to take advantage of the net downhill/ shelter in the first half of the course, and try and build up a 1-1:30 minute buffer by halfway? If its a particularly windy day (depending on what direction), I think the splits between first and second half could be 2-3 mins +, therefore I'd have to take account of this in the first half, and build up even more space.

Any thoughts?

[fingerboy]

Should be an interesting discussion if we get more replies. I'm in it for 3:08-3:15 myself (3:10 ideal)

http://www.torontomarathon.com/launch_p ... rathon.pdf

Looking at the map view and elevation, I'm prob going to go 6:55/mi for the start, 6:00 for the downhill, slow down to 8:30 for the uphill (will prob only loose less than a min), and then work into a 6:45-6:55 pace for as long as I can go after.

After (1) Loblaws, its pretty flat until Lawrence, with only a slight hill there until (2) Glengrove, downhill again til the lake with a few hills (3) just before St.Clair after the Kay Gardener overpass, then (4) at Summerhill/LCBO, (5) Bloor, and then (6) at the finish. I will probably aim for even splits between 6:55-7:15 depending on how I want to conserve myself so I can keep that from Bloor to the finish hill.

My other idea is to keep it more steady around 7:10-15 (downhill adjusted) for most of the first half to conserve myself, and then after Rosedalevalley to pick it up.

So yeah I don't know for sure either - will prob go after strategy #1 than the even splits.

[purdy65]

Fingerboy.

The full marathon turns off Yonge st at Champlain, then goes down Spadina/davenport where it meets up with Rosedale Valley, and if I recall correctly that Spadina/Davenport section is quite a bit downhill. Look at the elevation drop between 10K and 20K. I think you just gotta take advantage of that somehow!

Thanks for posting this. I've seen it, but it helps show the dilemma.

Lisa

[Killerz]

I kind of figured out the answer to my own original post on this in the meantime - looking at the results of the top 30 or so finishers last year, the first and second half splits (the last two sets of figures on each line) typically differ by at least 4 minutes... in many cases a lot more. That tells its own story really. The same is true for 2009 finishers, and the pattern pretty much continues throughout. I think my strategy will be to aim for 1:28 ish first half (faster if I feel I have it in me) and see where we go from there! At least that way I'll get a Half-marathon PB!

1 BRANDON LAAN LONDON CAN 0 2:23:38.1 2:23:38.1 3:25 M25-29 1/153 1/1341 1:09:07 1:14:32
2 BRENDAN KENNY DUNDAS CAN 2425 2:26:19.0 2:26:19.0 3:29 M24& 1/83 2/1341 1:11:16 1:15:04
3 JANIS ARSENIKOVS VECUMNIEKI LAT 1466 2:33:49.5 2:33:49.5 3:39 M25-29 2/153 3/1341 1:13:02 1:20:48
4 MICHEL LAVOIE LAVAL CAN 0 2:34:58.3 2:34:58.3 3:41 M45-49 1/228 4/1341 1:15:31 1:19:28
5 TERRY GEHL ST. CHARLES CAN 11 2:36:05.3 2:36:05.3 3:42 M40-44 1/231 5/1341 1:15:31 1:20:35
6 NIKOLAY RYABKOV TORONTO CAN 1532 2:37:35.0 2:37:35.0 3:45 M30-34 1/163 6/1341 1:15:31 1:22:05
7 TROY COX HUNTZVILLE CAN 0 2:39:04.4 2:39:04.4 3:47 M40-44 2/231 7/1341 1:16:28 1:22:37
8 BRIAN TORRANCE EDMONTON CAN 1655 2:40:47.0 2:40:47.0 3:49 M30-34 2/163 8/1341 1:16:43 1:24:04
9 DAVID RUGGLES KINGSTON CAN 2565 2:40:56.6 2:40:56.6 3:49 M45-49 2/228 9/1341 1:17:57 1:23:01
10 LOUIS - PHILIPPE GARNIER MONTREAL CAN 2139 2:42:01.4 2:42:00.5 3:51 M45-49 3/228 10/1341 1:15:33 1:26:30
11 KYLE AITKEN MISSISSAUGA CAN 734 2:42:53.9 2:42:52.4 3:52 M35-39 1/207 11/1341 1:17:58 1:24:57
12 RAFAEL CUETO SANTO DOMINGO DOM 973 2:43:15.4 2:43:13.2 3:53 M45-49 4/228 12/1341 1:18:14 1:25:03
13 JIM PARK BUFFALO USA 1275 2:45:23.0 2:45:23.0 3:56 M40-44 3/231 13/1341 1:16:51 1:28:33
14 PHILLIP DOUCETTE CALGARY CAN 680 2:48:19.8 2:48:19.8 4:00 M30-34 3/163 14/1341 1:21:15 1:27:05
15 LAURENT JUGANT MONTREAL CAN 1895 2:49:27.1 2:49:25.8 4:01 M40-44 4/231 15/1341 1:20:02 1:29:26
16 TROY ROWE MARKHAM CAN 343 2:50:17.0 2:50:13.9 4:03 M30-34 4/163 16/1341 1:22:50 1:27:28
17 MARK MCCOSHAM CHARLOTTETOWN CAN 2432 2:51:02.3 2:51:02.3 4:04 M45-49 5/228 17/1341 1:22:56 1:28:08
18 KEVIN CURNOCK TORONTO CAN 1634 2:51:31.3 2:51:31.3 4:04 M35-39 2/207 18/1341 1:25:16 1:26:16
19 KEITH MARCHANT HAMILTON CAN 1465 2:52:18.4 2:52:09.1 4:05 M24& 2/83 19/1341 1:23:02 1:29:17
20 STEPHEN ANDERSON OTTAWA CAN 964 2:52:42.5 2:52:40.7 4:06 M35-39 3/207 20/1341 1:24:34 1:28:10
21 NATHALIE GOYER ST.BRUNO CAN 12 2:52:50.5 2:52:50.5 4:06 W40-44 1/115 1/652 1:24:25 1:28:26
22 ROBERT JULIAN BURLINGTON CAN 1969 2:53:21.9 2:53:19.5 4:07 M50-54 1/156 21/1341 1:22:38 1:30:45
23 JASON SMITH TORONTO CAN 1629 2:53:37.1 2:53:34.8 4:07 M35-39 4/207 22/1341 1:24:26 1:29:12
24 J-FRANCOIS LINDSAY ALMA CAN 1699 2:54:40.9 2:54:37.5 4:09 M45-49 6/228 23/1341 1:22:58 1:31:43
25 WIL GELINAS OTTAWA CAN 666 2:55:16.0 2:55:13.2 4:10 M30-34 5/163 24/1341 1:26:13 1:29:04
26 CHRISTOPHER D'ESTERRE LONDON CAN 1150 2:56:01.9 2:55:58.5 4:11 M25-29 3/153 25/1341 1:26:09 1:29:54
27 LUC OVERHOLT GAINESVILLE USA 1794 2:56:13.4 2:56:08.7 4:11 M24& 3/83 26/1341 1:27:04 1:29:10
28 MARCUS GILLAM TORONTO CAN 487 2:56:28.4 2:56:24.2 4:11 M35-39 5/207 27/1341 1:26:30 1:29:59
29 JOHN MEIJER TORONTO CAN 521 2:57:48.7 2:57:46.5 4:13 M45-49 7/228 28/1341 1:28:39 1:29:10
30 CHRISTOPHER OCCHINO BUFFALO USA 1320 2:58:09.5 2:58:07.3 4:14 M35-39 6/207 29/1341 1:25:21 1:32:49

[jonovision_man]

I kind of figured out the answer to my own original post on this in the meantime - looking at the results of the top 30 or so finishers last year, the first and second half splits (the last two sets of figures on each line) typically differ by at least 4 minutes... in many cases a lot more. That tells its own story really. The same is true for 2009 finishers, and the pattern pretty much continues throughout.

That could just mean that everyone screws the pacing up equally...

jono

[fingerboy]

From that POV I examined the average splits from the (first approx 100 runners) under 3:11 crowd:

Year: 1st half / 2nd half (difference)

2008: 1:29 / 1:32:51 (3:52)
2009: 1:27:48 / 1:32:41 (4:53)
2010: 1:26:52 / 1:33:13 (6:21)

Interesting that the gap has been widening. I think that suggests that people are going out too fast.

Looking at Waterfront for the same period (I can only get the first split without doing any formatting)

2008: 1:22:08
2009: 1:24:07
2010: 1:24:10

That suggest to me that (1) the waterfront first half is faster, and (2) The waterfront first half is actually the second half of the Goodlife course.

I'm going to infer that one could probably run the second half of this marathon faster if they save themselves.

[Killerz]

Interesting viewpoints there....

I wonder though - I dont know if all of these people are going out too fast - I think maybe theyre just taking advantage of a fast first half.
Or, maybe its a combination of both.

I do have little nightmares starting to creep up on me about the wind thats going to hit on the lakeshore portion of this race. Oh, and that final drag up University Avenue

[jonovision_man]

I do have little nightmares starting to creep up on me about the wind thats going to hit on the lakeshore portion of this race. Oh, and that final drag up University Avenue

Isn't that around where you passed me last year... I lived that nightmare!

jono

[Killerz]

I do have little nightmares starting to creep up on me about the wind thats going to hit on the lakeshore portion of this race. Oh, and that final drag up University Avenue

Isn't that around where you passed me last year... I lived that nightmare!

jono

Haha, I think that maybe right. I was wearing pink bunny ears though, so the shame was on me really