Deep into some current client projects, I completely missed Patriots’ Day this past Monday. 
And so late Monday afternoon, I also realized that I’d missed this year’s running of the Boston Marathon. When I checked on the results, I was blown away by Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot’s winning men’s time 2:05:52 I was aware it was a new record, and quickly did some calculations in my head. Somewhere around 12.5 miles per hour, and under a 5 minute mile… for the entire race distance. Incredible!
There is a great review and analysis of the race over on The Science Of Sport. And if you want to understand what this pace, this feat means, here’s a fun way to compare it with only one mile as a target distance. Head over to your favorite gym and find an available treadmill. Do your stretching exercises, warm up on the treadmill if you prefer, with a short 0.25 run at a leisurely pace. Stop running and reset the treadmill if you’re warming up, otherwise, just step on the treadmill. Set the speed for 7.5 miles per hour and start running. This is equivalent to a 3:30 marathon. After about 0.3 miles, start inching the speed up in 0.5 mph increments, every subsequent .05 miles, come up another half a mile per hour. By 0.5 miles of distance, you should be at 10 miles per hour. Keep going… when you feel you’re maxed out on the top speed, try and hold it for the rest of the mile. If you keep increasing the speed, by 0.75 miles you’ll be at 12.5 mph, the winning Boston Marathon pace. All you have to do then is hold it for a quarter mile!
I’m no speed demon – but I don’t consider myself to be slow either. My marathon PR is 3:16 – my best on that particular day. There’s probably a faster time out there for me, I just haven’t had the forces combine to deliver it. It seemed like it took years to break 3:30 When I try this exercise, I would probably start out at a faster pace, as that’s what I’m accustomed to. But my top end for sustained turnover is around 11.5 mph, meaning over a quarter mile. I lose fluidity at anything above that and can’t hold the pace smoothly. I can hit 12. 5, but I get all herky jerky… my body just isn’t made for it nor is it accustomed to the cadence and stride required to maintain that pace. And bear in mind that a treadmill gives you a significant push over a road, there are likely studies that measure the differential, but I would guess it’s in the order of an extra 10% of speed when you get above 11 mph. Think about what it took to pull off that 2:05:52 the next time you hit the road or treadmill. I will. Oh, and Robert’s actual time per mile – 4:48
