Tackling Your Main Marathon Fears

When people talk about marathon fears, the same questions tend to come up time and time again- What if I hit the wall? What if I fail? How do I train for marathon pace?

I’m no expert, despite running 10 marathons - I’ve made more mistakes than I care to mention, always learning because there’s something about the marathon distance that has a cruel way of teaching you many lessons. When it doesn’t go to plan, that’s a lot of time, energy and investment that can be lost in a single misjudgement. And unlike the shorter races, you can’t go back a week later to fix mistakes. I suppose that’s why the fears are so understandable.

I’ve felt all the fears, I wear the scars of the many marathons where I’ve shuffled to the finish line, broken, vowing never to run again! I’ve, conversely, finished strong, skipping over the finish lines holding hands with my running buddies; all of them have been worth every second.

I wear the scars of shuffled finish lines, broken, vowing never to run again! I’ve also skipped across the line holding hands with my running buddies. Every marathon has been worth it, scars and all.

What is it about marathon training that convinces us we’ll be the outlier that proves all the research wrong, that we’ll defy human physiology and smash the marathon our way?

I know I’ve believed I’m going to be the exception to the rules, that I didn’t need to “build my base, or slow down my pace to get faster, or start slow to finish strong, that food was fuel”, but now….after many years (and many blogs) later, whilst I’m still learning, I’ve settled on an analogy I like to try to explain the process of training and running a marathon.

Think of marathon training as though you’ve come into a pot of money and you’re desperate to spend it.

When the money starts trickling in (training makes you fitter, runs feel easier) you can’t wait to spend it straight away. You rush around the shops excitedly spending your pot of gold, (running too fast on training runs and in races), whilst peacocking your wealth on Strava.

But when you finally reach the big purchase (mile 20 of the marathon), there’s nothing left in the bank, that’s right you’ve frittered it away too soon.

This isn’t just a cute analogy, it’s physiology and if you’ve heard of the 80/20 rule, it’s based on research suggesting 80% of marathon training should be run at an easy, “chatty” pace, roughly 65–75% of max heart rate (Zone 2). And that’s your saving. Only 20% should be harder efforts (Zones 3 & 4) with your marathon pace sitting around 75–85% which is just below your “threshold” pace.

Here’s the key; HR zones don’t really change, they’re like anchors, what changes is the pace you’re able to run within them.

The shift in pace is mainly due to efficiency, when you’re more efficient, you’re more able to run faster within the same HR zone.

So for example, if your latest run gave you an average pace of 11min mile, average HR 133 bpm, (zone 2) but last year, when you were in peak race shape, your average HR of 133, might have shown a 8:45 min mile pace. The HR zone hasn’t changed, but your efficiency has.

And to build your effeciency, you need to build your engine, build your stash of cash, which, (amongst other things), is running your training runs in the right zone, at the pace that is right for you. But, sometimes what happens is, training runs aren’t aligned in the right zone and this could be because you’ve got a race time goal in mind but you’re not at that pace yet) or you see running “slower” as a step back.

I know, I get it, it’s counterintuitive to trust that 80% slower training runs will enable you to run 26.2 miles at marathon pace, especially as you don’t run the full race distance in training to give you a boost.

But something wonderful happens if you train in the right zone… you build a “buffer” easy runs build your savings, and marathon pace is when you spend it. If you train too fast or start the race too fast, then you’re blowing your budget in the first shop, with no returns or refunds!

I’ve lived this with my last two marathon experiences.

York Marathon – Strong Finish (4:14)
I built steadily on my training runs, with long runs at 9:22–9:47 pace, HR 133, comfortably in my Zone 2 . I grew my buffer and on race day, when adrenaline spiked my HR early, I was still holding 9:37 pace at mile 19 with at HR of 153. It was tough, but I had enough in reserve and finished strong. I’d saved for the checkout.

Marathon 2: Paris - The Shuffle to the End (4:29)

On paper, I was fitter and ran my long runs at 9:27–9:12 pace but my HR was 143–147 which was edging towards my marathon pace HR, my threshold pace. I had some great tune-up races, but, on reflection, I was spending too much in training, my buffer was tiny. And of course, when it mattered, on race day, when heat and nerves hit, I had nothing left by 35K and at the checkout I was skint.

Tough lessons to learn and I’ve not even thought about another marathon for the last 18 months.

Back to the fears -

Hitting the Wall is a bit like filling your trolley too soon and spending all your money in the first shops. On race day, hitting the wall usually looks like going out too fast too soon. Run easy in training, easy at the start of the race and fuel often, this should keep your wallet topped up.

I’ll Fail If I Run Too Slow in training is like saving carefully but still worrying you’ll never be able to afford the big shop. Slower runs are putting money in the bank, as you progress and get fitter, adjust, adapt and on race day enjoy spending your hard-earned cash. Patience is rewarding, as pace improves as your engine grows.

I Won’t Be Able to Hold My Pace is like panicking you won’t have enough left at the checkout. And if you’ve overspent early, this fear comes true; start conservatively and trust the buffer you’ve built.

Run at a pace where you can talk in full sentences, if you’re using your HR, aim for 65-75% of your max, this might be lower and slower than you want to admit but, if you don’t you might not get the chance to save. Long runs preserve the buffer and overtime you’ll notice you can hold a faster pace at the same HR.