Technically, it was an ultra-marathon, wasn't it?

Posted by Kevin L. Patient Expert

My Garmin said I ran 26.75 miles during my last marathon, in December 2007. Was I zig-zagging too much, or did the White Rock Marathon people need this guy to measure the course . This is a neat little feature in the New York Times this morning about how they are measuring the Olympic marathon course. The womens marathon is Sunday, the mens is next weekend.

Writing again: It ain't Watergate, and it won't win me a Pulitzer but Thursday I wrote my first story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram since April 2002. You can read about a canoe trail opening up on Lake Arlington here .

Tempo speed : Thursday called for 15 minutes easy, a 20 minute tempo run (10k race pace), and 25 minute cool down. The day before I'd run some intervals, so I wasn't sure how my legs would hold up.

In 20 minutes, I ran 2.82 miles, a 7:04 pace. Heart rate averaged 88 percent with a high of 92 percent. I didn't feel gassed at the end, though by the 15th minute I was ready for the run to be over.

It takes a lot of concentration to keep this kind of pace. Its not all out sprinting, but it aint a walk in the park either. Still, just by heart rate alone I know I'm getting in good shape.

On Jan. 1, I ran a 5K in about the same pace as Thursday morning. It was 40 degrees cooler and my heart rate average for the entire run was 93 percent.

Wonder how I'd do now if it was 35 degrees outside.

A sub 21-minute 5K definitely looks to be in the making for me.

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Allen

Kevin,

Unless you run the tangents in the course, you will run farther than the certified distance. The zig zagging that you mentioned also makes you run farther. For those not familar with running tangents, here is my article on it.

http://runninginjuryfree.org/2008/10/run-tangents.html

Congratulations on your 7:04 pace. You were burning up the road!

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Gary D.

Kevin, Allen is right - the tangents really matter in a marathon. Of the 6 marathons I ran last year, I used my Garmin on 4. Non of them ended up at 26.2 -- it really started to throw me off at the Country Music Marathon (the first marathon I used it) b/c I was pacing someone and relied on the Garmin too much.

I found that the courses are (usually) right and my running is a little to non-tangental :-)

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Technically, it was an ultra-marathon, wasn't it?

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