Explaining: Marathon Pace: For Beginners

Most beginner marathoners are sabotaging their race before training even begins by choosing a goal pace that has nothing to do with their current fitness. If you’ve picked a time because it sounded good, matched someone else’s result, or felt like the “right” number, there’s a good chance every run in your build is being anchored to the wrong pace. That leads to workouts that feel too hard, easy runs that aren’t actually easy, inconsistent training, and ultimately a race day that doesn’t reflect your true ability.There’s been a lot of conversation around marathon pace on this channel, but I wanted to approach this specifically for beginners and first-time marathoners who don’t have a clear reference point yet. In this video, I break down what marathon pace actually is (and why it’s not a goal), how to calculate it using real performance data instead of guesswork, and how to use tools like VDOT, RPE, heart rate, and the talk test to triangulate your correct pace. We also cover how to build that pace into your training properly so it becomes automatic by race day.⸻Relevant Links🚨 FREE CALCULATOR AND CARB GUIDE I CREATED RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-tools⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.scoreapp.comGet coached by Brant Stachelhttps://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-stachel-kingston-ontario-running-coach/Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-minute-intake-call-clone?month=2026-01Get my Book, "Fast and Free":https://a.co/d/00twBZ6dLearn More about Team RunRun: https://teamrunrun.com/Fuel Your Training (Affiliate Link): https://fuelgoods.com/?ref=Brant⸻Follow Brant Stachel Fast & Free Performance Coachinghttps://www.youtube.com/@UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQhttps://www.instagram.com/fastandfreecoachinghttps://www.tiktok.com/@BrantStachelhttps://www.strava.com/athletes/12318637https://www.facebook.com/FastandFreeWithBranthttps://www.twitter.com/BrantStachelhttps://www.LinkedIn.com/Brant-StachelVisit Our Website: http://runfastandfree.com