Choose Your Pacer Wisely
Terry Sullivan /The Get it Dunn Run and many other races have pacers every 5 minutes. The pacers will be holding a sign with their projected finish time and per mile pace. Most pacers have done multiple half marathon and marathons and know their pace well. Typically a pacer is doing a pace time well off their own race pace. For example I will be pacing the 2 hour group and my fastest ½ is 1:33. So if your pacer is not huffing and puffing do not be alarmed, you want someone that will not be struggling. Pacers can typically talk in full sentences, at their pace, in order to give advice and offer encouragement along the way. When I use a pacer I try to stay a couple of minutes ahead of them because when I stay right by their side it gives me no room for error. Also, I find it very difficult to do a negative split (which means you run the second half faster than the first) so I don’t want to fall behind them.
Hope training is going awesome! See you soon!