Last year I ran a massive negative split and had a very good performance. It wasn’t a marathon PR but still a good time for me. It’s true that I probably ran the first half too slow and left time on the course but the second half I was able to pass literally thousands of runners since my legs still felt pretty fresh. An indication that I didn’t run my hardest is that it only took me a couple of days after the race to feel pretty recovered and able to resume running normally.
First of all, congratulations on running a great race in Boston last year!! That’s awesome!! It’s great to finish a race strong. However I think you missed the main point, that Boston is an “effort” course . You should be negative splitting in terms of effort but not pace. At Boston splits will be uneven, and if you’re running the first half slower than your overall goal pace, you are most definitely leaving time on the course.
@@jonfalk4029 I understand your point. If I’m running up the Newton Hills faster than I’m descending the big drops in the first 4 miles than I’m clearly starting too slow. Even still, correct pace is so hard to predict and the price paid by overshooting it early in this race is high and so I think it’s best to stay conservative. I plan to go out at a pace that is slower than what I hope my average will be but still fast enough to guarantee a PR and ensure that I still have enough gas in the tank to maintain that or go faster later in the race. Even if it turns out I could’ve gone faster in the beginning (as was the case last year) I will avoid blowing up (as I did the year prior) and feel good as I finish strong.
Thank you so much for your kind words. 🙏 Yes, I think 6am is appropriate if you’re running in the first wave. It allows you not to ever feel rushed thereby reducing your stress level, setting you up for a strong performance. I hope that you have a great race!! Enjoy each and every moment!! 🎉
Hey John! Thank you for the video! Im staying in Everett and thinking about getting an uber in the morning to the bus departure area. Have you heard of any difficulties in getting to the bus departure area in regards to finding an uber/lyft?
You won’t be able to get dropped off super close to the bus departure area due to street closures, but other than that you shouldn’t have any issues. I would definitely consider reserving your ride in advance because I expect Übers will be in short supply/pricey that morning.
Thank you Jon for your insight, recommendations and encouragement!! Just turned 65 and happy to be running my 3rd Boston marathon!
Have a great race David!
Last year I ran a massive negative split and had a very good performance. It wasn’t a marathon PR but still a good time for me. It’s true that I probably ran the first half too slow and left time on the course but the second half I was able to pass literally thousands of runners since my legs still felt pretty fresh. An indication that I didn’t run my hardest is that it only took me a couple of days after the race to feel pretty recovered and able to resume running normally.
First of all, congratulations on running a great race in Boston last year!! That’s awesome!! It’s great to finish a race strong. However I think you missed the main point, that Boston is an “effort” course . You should be negative splitting in terms of effort but not pace. At Boston splits will be uneven, and if you’re running the first half slower than your overall goal pace, you are most definitely leaving time on the course.
@@jonfalk4029 I understand your point. If I’m running up the Newton Hills faster than I’m descending the big drops in the first 4 miles than I’m clearly starting too slow. Even still, correct pace is so hard to predict and the price paid by overshooting it early in this race is high and so I think it’s best to stay conservative. I plan to go out at a pace that is slower than what I hope my average will be but still fast enough to guarantee a PR and ensure that I still have enough gas in the tank to maintain that or go faster later in the race. Even if it turns out I could’ve gone faster in the beginning (as was the case last year) I will avoid blowing up (as I did the year prior) and feel good as I finish strong.
Thanks for posting this! Good Luck!!
I hope that you found it useful. Best of luck on Monday!!
Thank you very much for this - very useful and much appreciated.
May I ask you, if I'm in Wave 1, would you recommend arriving around 6am?
Thank you so much for your kind words. 🙏 Yes, I think 6am is appropriate if you’re running in the first wave. It allows you not to ever feel rushed thereby reducing your stress level, setting you up for a strong performance. I hope that you have a great race!! Enjoy each and every moment!! 🎉
Thanks again!
Hey John! Thank you for the video! Im staying in Everett and thinking about getting an uber in the morning to the bus departure area. Have you heard of any difficulties in getting to the bus departure area in regards to finding an uber/lyft?
You won’t be able to get dropped off super close to the bus departure area due to street closures, but other than that you shouldn’t have any issues. I would definitely consider reserving your ride in advance because I expect Übers will be in short supply/pricey that morning.