PUBLISHED 06/07/2007
Tune-up races
Run one or two all-out tune-up races in the weeks before the marathon taper to get a time that can be converted to a sensible marathon goal time. Try Greg McMillan's "McMillan Running Calculator" (at mcmillanrunning.com) to convert your race times to marathon-equivalent times. Just remember that the longer the race, the more accurate the "conversion"--and the more time you need to allow between the tune-up race and the marathon itself (at least two weeks for a 5-K; four weeks for a half-marathon).
Yasso 800s
A number of our panelists suggested doing this workout to help you determine a realistic marathon pace. Three or four weeks before the marathon, do a track workout of 10 x 800 meters with a 400-meter jog. You should be spent after the last repeat. The average of your 800 times is a good barometer of how fast you can run in the marathon--but in hours and minutes instead of minutes and seconds.
Magic miles
Jeff Galloway has his runners do a "magic mile"--an all-out mile on the track after a warmup--once every three or four weeks. Multiply that time by 1.3, he says, and you get a good marathon-pace goal.
