I have the Forerunner 305 and have the same issue but have seen the avg pace/pace react and can conclude that the distance you ran 26.6 is accurate. (I ran 26.42 in my first two and their were no buildings).

My plan for Manchester will me similar to Wineglass. Hold a 7:00avg through the half, and then keep it down, trying to not rise above a 7:20. The goal will be to PR but we’ll see with the hills. Lets run together!

We’ll have to meet up in Manchester before the race – lets stay in touch as it gets closer and maybe we can find a time/place in Veterans Park near the start to meet. There are a few others on Dailymile and Twitter who I know are running Manchester (Matt is one – http://www.dailymile.com/peopl…. Are you on Twitter?
There are a bunch of runners from MA + NH on there who I stay in touch with regularly – it’s a great forum.

My plan for Manchester is to try a few 40 second walk breaks early on and more regularly throughout, while running at a faster pace in between (around 7:10) than I did in Hartford. If things work out, it might still out me in range for the BQ, just trying to get there in a different way. My legs seem to die around 17 miles and I wind up walking way too much – my problem is that I have the speed to do it, but maybe not the training mileage since I maxed out at 45 in a week (tough to get the miles in with little kids!).

Maybe we can start together and see how things go from there. I can’t
remember what Matt is shooting for, but he might be up for it as well.

Pete

Ernesto – Thanks, I’m in the midst of strategizing for Manchester right
now. It’s such a tough and hilly course that the realist in me doesn’t see
it as BQable with only a few weeks to go, so I’m toying with a radical
change in strategy by running a faster pace and incorporating some of
Galloway’s run-walk method earlier on to delay or prevent the bonk. -Pete

Thanks everyone for the kind words!

@Ted I was confident going in, but as you said, anything can happen on
marathon day. Despite the fact that things didn’t go how I wanted, it was still a great experience. There’s something so magical about the whole marathon experience that I can’t fathom the idea of not doing another. I’m also very excited to see how yours goes – you’ve been throwing down some great times lately and I hope you smash your 4:15 goal time! – Pete

Thanks very much for your thoughtful and supportive comments! There’s a lot
of truth to what you have said here – I have been doing speed work in the
form of intervals and tempo runs, and they have made a huge difference for
me in getting me to the next level. I owe my 5K and half-marathon PR’s to
incorporating speedwork into my training. I think one of my problems is
taking the endurance I have developed and pushing it beyond the 17-18 mile
mark. There were some extenuating circumstances that came into play in
Hartford (I’d been sick with a respiratory issue for much of the 2 weeks
prior to the marathon), but one of the major issues is that my overall
mileage is still relatively low for marathon training (maxed out above 40
miles in a week only a few times). I need to really commit to either
running in the early AM or evening if I want to push beyond that, and maybe
trying two-a-days is one possibility. You idea of doing some biking for
cross training is also a good one.

My goal in running Manchester is not so much as a BQ attempt, but because
it’s a hometown race that runs through the college I work at, and on roads
that I frequent. The water stops at miles 17 and 19 are staffed by students
that I know, and I’ve been looking forward to running the full distance
after doing the half in each of the past 2 years. I run on the course all
the time, and know it very well. I’m planning to be smart about the race
given the quick turnaround since Hartford, hence the idea of walk breaks to
hold back a bit, and then I have a solid 2+ months before I do Disney in
January. Should be interesting – we’ll see how things go!

Thanks again for the comments!
Pete

Thanks very much for your thoughtful and supportive comments! There’s a lot of truth to what you have said here – I have been doing speed work in the form of intervals and tempo runs, and they have made a huge difference for me in getting me to the next level. I owe my 5K and half-marathon PR’s to incorporating speedwork into my training. I think one of my problems is taking the endurance I have developed and pushing it beyond the 17-18 mile mark. There were some extenuating circumstances that came into play in Hartford (I’d been sick with a respiratory issue for much of the 2 weeks prior to the marathon), but one of the major issues is that my overall mileage is still relatively low for marathon training (maxed out above 40 miles in a week only a few times). I need to really commit to either running in the early AM or evening if I want to push beyond that, and maybe trying two-a-days is one possibility. You idea of doing some biking for cross training is also a good one.

My goal in running Manchester is not so much as a BQ attempt, but because it’s a hometown race that runs through the college I work at, and on roads that I frequent. The water stops at miles 17 and 19 are staffed by students that I know, and I’ve been looking forward to running the full distance after doing the half in each of the past 2 years. I run on the course all the time, and know it very well. I’m planning to be smart about the race given the quick turnaround since Hartford, hence the idea of walk breaks to hold back a bit, and then I have a solid 2+ months before I do Disney in January. Should be interesting – we’ll see how things go!

Thanks again for the comments!
Pete

Steve- I ran the Manchester Half each of the last 2 years (did a 1:29 there last year – my proudest running moment so far!), and I teach at St. Anselm College so I run on the second half almost every day during the school year. I know the course really well, and am hoping that will help. I’ve heard that the second half can get lonely, but I look forward to it due to
the familiarity factor (home-field advantage maybe?), and am hoping I can get a few of the St. A’s XC runners to join me for a bit when I pass through campus around mile 20! -Pete

Peter….best of luck at Manchester. I ran it the past two years and you’re right, it is not an easy one. Some good hills (although easier last year than the first) and it can get cold and windy. The toughest part is when the half marathoners peel off to the finish and you are left almost alone.
Stay tough mentally and you can have a good race there. Nice finish from around mile 23 on, almost all downhill.

Steve