Watch screen configuration for marathon
This is my first long run event since joining EN back in October. I've embraced the marathon pacing guidance. I'm unsure about the screen configuration on my watch and I would love your input.
I remember reading a DC Rainmaker post that mentioned this a while back and I think this might work.
At this point, I simply ran. I had configured my watch with a display page to simply display my lap pace as a single whole-screen value. That’s all. It would auto-lap every mile. Heart rate and all that other jazz would be recorded, but it wasn’t on my main screen
Something like
- Turn on autolap
- Last lap pace
- Maybe something like average pace or the whole run and distance as well?
In the past, I've just picked a pace group and followed along. I think that a different watch setup would help with the Keep the first five miles in check, Run faster the next 15 miles, Bring it home the last six.
Am I overthinking this?
Comments
Big picture approach: “Trust, but verify.”
my preference is hr and run time. If I’m curious about time (and it’s really only during the first 6mi, to make sure I’m not out too fast), I just hit lap at the mile markers.
To me the question is what helps you keep inside yourself properly especially for those longer races. At a certain point when you have been running as much as you have you understand your body and know what race pace feels like. So HR and power are just there to help with the trust but verify @Dave Tallo mentioned. If the weather is out of the normal, then HR may help to keep things in perspective, same with power it can help minimize mistakes.
My go to screen for most races is; lap pace, HR, Lap distance, and power (only applicable if you have a stryd or similar and plan on using the power numbers). I keep a different screen if I want to see overall time & distance, which I only really use on the longer races
Thanks, @Patrick Hayden and @Dave Tallo!
for race i only put on at avg pace and i wanna see it drop. This is what I did last year and PR the runs on both 140.6 and 70.3
My bias is that racing should be done primarily by RPE. Dave Tallo is implying that in his "Trust but Verify" dictum. Having said that, for a pure running race (not for the marathon portion of an IM), I use 4 metrics on my top screen: HR, Last Lap Time (with auto-lap on 1 mile), Cadence, and Power (3s). I DON'T want to know my immediate pace, but I do want to know if my last mile was too fast or too slow; more frequent observations can lead to excessive match-burning. I prefer HR to Power as a whip or rein, precisely becuase it is a lagging indicator. Same principle: responding to immediate data tends to over-ride my desire to race by feel...
As to seeing overall time, I have a rule: "Pay attention to your nutrition and effort; your time and place will take care of themselves."
I do have secondary screen(s) which can show other data, chief among them overall time, which I might look at in the at few miles IF I'm feeling like I have enough juice to up the ante. But, really, RPE and last lap pace are usually enough to help me ramp up to the finish.
Auto lap 1 mile I don't want to be hitting buttons
Screen 1 pace power and HR
Screen 2 overall time and cadence which I rarely look at
depending on the length of the race determines how I use the watch. I know what feels good and I can continue to run up to a HM or HIM in an IM need to follow HR/power a lot closer.
Marathon depends on race plan but usually more watch guidance early for control and more whip towards the end. I like power for hills both for the ups as well as starting to push at the crest like we do on the bike.
As you can see from the responses this is very individualized. For me I like to know my current pace, current lap pace and HR. That's all that's on my main screen.
Current pace: though it fluctuates, I like to know my pace at that moment. Even better if your watch has 3 or 10 sec avg current pace.
Lap pace/with auto lap every mile: This gives me the average pace for the current mile. This is what I use to follow a pacing strategy, such as first 5 miles 15 secs slower.
HR: just an FYI, unless it's a really hot day then I use HR to make sure I'm not at a Z5 HR on mile 9 of a marathon.
I have total time and total avg pace on another screen but never look at it as it could be a motivator or de-motivator. However, if you're using a pace band, then I'd have total time on the main screen. Most marathons have mile markers so I don't need distance displayed on my watch. Auto lap will flash your last mile split and what mile you're on. After the first 5-6 miles, I don't look at the auto lap stuff and like @Dave Tallo and @Al Truscott said, I run by feel/RPE. Good luck!