Race selection should focus on one of two things; experience and performance.
We can select a race for the experience. For example, I have ran the California International Marathon a few times simply to go back to where I grew up and see family and friends.
Selecting a race can also be about performance. That’s what we are going to focus on here.
How to Pick the Perfect Marathon for a Sub Four Hour Time
Back in 2008, if you were driving around Tempe, Arizona at four or five in the afternoon when it was 105 degrees out, you would have seen this wild man with just running shorts, shoes, a bandana and a water bottle pacing at 7:15/mile.
That crazy man was me.
I thrive in the heat. I loved every second training in Arizona.
My wife on the other hand prefers the snow any day over the heat.
By now, you probably get where I am going with this.
The race you select should meet your ideal performance situation knowing that weather could derail anything.
We are going to break this up into three categories to consider when choosing your marathon to run a sub four hour time.
Weather
The general rule of thumb is to pick a race that will have similar weather to where you train.
The first thought would then be, “Why don’t I just race where I train?” This doesn’t always work out well. For example, I live in Denver, Colorado. If I started a roughly 3-4 month training plan in September, by the time race day comes around, the weather has drastically changed. I’m not running a marathon in snow. In this hypothetical training situation, I’d maybe plan for a marathon where the weather will be similar to fall in Colorado since that was the majority of my training.
Always know that weather is unpredictable and you can just prepare the best you can. Don’t beat yourself up if you wake up and it’s raining on race day. That kind of weather is out of your control. You can just research and hope for the best.
An often overlooked weather aspect is humidity. Running a marathon in Georgia is far different than Arizona. If you are a dry-air, low humidity runner like myself, going for a personal record (PR) at the Honolulu marathon won’t work out so well.
Weather is unpredictable. Plan your race on averages and cross your fingers that average comes true on marathon day.
Elevation
Zero elevation changes throughout. High altitude. Sea level. Endless hills. All uphill. All downhill.
There’s no perfect training route, other than the race route itself, that will prepare you for the elevation changes. Training on a no-hill loop for a race that has undulations throughout won’t help your cause.
Do what you can to mimic certain aspects of the course. I study the elevation charts for marathons to mentally and physically prepare for what’s to come. Knowing mile 14 has a 100 foot incline will help you know to save some reserves at mile 13 for the push. In training, try to set yourself up for that push by having mile 13 or 14 come along a hill.
Living at 5280′ feet, I don’t have to acclimate much for the races I run. But if you live in San Diego, which I would be extremely jealous about, and want to run the Colfax marathon in Denver, you are probably setting yourself up for failure.
Elevation changes, whether huge or small, can impact results. Train and select a race accordingly.
Distractions
Will you be able to focus on race weekend?
That is an extremely important question. If you have never been to New York and want to sight see the day before your race, you are asking for disappointment.
When you have placed hundreds of hours into completing this goal, why blow it on being distracted for 36 hours prior to the race?
I remember getting lost walking around San Diego two days prior to the marathon I wanted to Boston Qualify (BQ). I didn’t BQ for other reasons, but I’m sure walking around lost for 13-15 miles two days prior to the race didn’t help me much.
If you plan on having supporters during race weekend, make them stay at their own hotel room and tell them your exact schedule at least until the marathon is over. Family and friends are there to have fun and don’t realize they might sabotage your results. Tell them you can party after the race is over, but you need your rest.
Limit the distractions on race weekend. Remain focused and relaxed. We are on a mission that is different from most others so don’t let others derail your success.
Bonus Race Selection Tips
The following are some other items to consider when selecting your marathon:
- Limit travel 48 hours prior | If you are flying from Austin to New Orleans, this isn’t such a big deal. If you are flying from LA to Sydney, you need time to adjust. Try to arrive 2 days prior to the race (i.e. fly Friday, visit expo Saturday, race Sunday). If you can’t get to your destination this early, find a different race.
- Sign up early | You’ll usually save money, but more importantly you don’t want to train and then not be able to get into the race due to late registration or it being full.
- Bring one supporter | Plan a race where a supporter can be at your beck-and-call. Selecting a race cross country now means no one can come help relieve the stress and frustration of race weekend.
Select for Success
I wouldn’t train in Phoenix heat for a marathon in overcast Seattle. I also wouldn’t pick a race where all my frat brothers live.
Race selection is not as daunting as I make it out to be. It’s a fun process. Just don’t forget that we want to set ourselves up to succeed. Anything we can put in our favor, let’s do it. Race selection is one of the many choices we have control over that can drastically increase our chance of success.
Race Selection Recap
- Address the three main categories of race selection: weather, elevation, distractions
- Give yourself plenty of travel and rest time pre-race.