THE BETTER RUN WEEKLY · NO. 02
The pacing mistake that costs runners sub-2:00
Why "banking time" backfires, and the km-by-km plan to use instead.
Hey {{first_name|runner}},
A sub-2:00 half marathon means an average of 5:41 per km for 21.1 km. Most runners who miss it don't miss it because they're not fit enough. They miss it in the first 5 km.
THE "TIME IN THE BANK" TRAP
The start feels easy. Adrenaline, fresh legs, a crowd around you. So you run 5:25 instead of 5:41 and tell yourself you're banking time for later.
The problem: running faster than your sustainable pace early costs more energy than the seconds it saves. You pay it back with interest after km 15, when every km starts drifting to 6:00 and beyond.
WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
Reviews of pacing research suggest that for longer endurance events, a fairly even pace is the most effective strategy (Abbiss and Laursen, Sports Medicine, 2008). And studies of big-city marathon results show most amateur runners slow down in the second half (Deaner et al., 2015). It's the same pattern at the half marathon: the fast start shows up as a slow finish.
A SIMPLE SUB-2:00 PACING PLAN
Km 1 to 5: 5:45 per km. It should feel too easy. Good.
Km 6 to 16: 5:40 per km. Settle in and stay patient.
Km 17 to finish: 5:35 per km, or faster if you feel strong.
Finish time: about 1:59:30, with a strong last 5 km instead of a painful one.
TRY IT THIS WEEK
On your next long run, run the first third slower than you want to and the last third a little faster. It trains the habit before race day, when it matters.
Quick question: do you usually start too fast? Hit reply with yes or no. We read every answer.
WANT EVERY KM PLANNED?
The Sub-2:00 Half Marathon Blueprint gives you 12 weeks of sessions with your exact paces, plus a km-by-km race plan and a printable pace band.
🔥 $5 for our first 100 runners.
Run better,
The Better Run
Sources: Abbiss CR, Laursen PB. Describing and understanding pacing strategies during athletic competition. Sports Medicine, 2008. Deaner RO et al. Men are more likely than women to slow in the marathon. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2015.