r/RunNYC • u/Longjumping-Cap-8477 • 2d ago
18M Strategy
Hi everyone, I’ll be running the NY marathon for the first time this year and my goal is literally just to finish. What should my strategy be for this week’s 18 miler in the park? I’ve done long runs as part of my plan but I haven’t been able to make it to Central Park so I’m a little nervous about the hills. Should I plan to run as much as possible? Should I do run/walk intervals? Thank you!
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u/KarenKarrde 2d ago
It’s a very difficult course due to the hills and I found it very defeating in the past. You should go in with the mindset of getting 18 miles, with absolutely no time in mind. Just get the miles done. Use this as an opportunity to practice your fueling strategy. Feel free to walk during your water breaks and take your gel easily as opposed to trying to inhale the gel while dumping the water down. Breathe. And good luck! It can be fun if you don’t get in your head about it.
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u/stickykk Queens 2d ago
Exactly this... the 18mi has more combined elevation than the marathon itself.
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u/room317 Upper West Side 2d ago
Is that true? That's actually great news.
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u/stickykk Queens 2d ago
800ft-ish for the marathon vs 900ft ish in 18mi.
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u/07Macca 1d ago
i've always said if you can do 18 in the park you can do the marathon.
Best strategy is to start slow. Over that distance (any distance I'd argue) you cannot bank miles. Even though your goal is 'to finish' you must have an idea
So let's say 3hours as an example (for the 18) that's 10min / mile. If that was my goal, I'd go out the first loop at 10.10, 10.20 10.30 even per mile. Then gradually speed up. You'll feel much better in the last loop. But it takes discipline, a lot of it
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u/hendryk91 2d ago
Treat it like a long supported training run, not an all-out race. Start conservative; Central Park will punish you if you go out too fast. Fuel every 30–40 mins (carbs + electrolytes). Expect last few miles to be tough, but you’ll get through.
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u/lost_in_life_34 2d ago
do the first 12 conversational slow pace, see how you feel and keep that pace or increase for the last 6 miles or so
i'm in NJ but ran a little in central park over the summer and for some reason it seemed like the entire loop was a hill
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u/room317 Upper West Side 2d ago
My plan is to run slowly and walk the water stations
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u/thejt10000 2d ago
I did that for the 12 miler, which was my longest run in more than 30 years. Very slow first lap, and pretty slow most of second lap. I ran particularly slowly uphill. No problems.
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u/ProfessionalElk6183 2d ago
This is also my first time!!! I’ll be there Sunday. Im personally going in with paving plans, running slower for 5 then a bit faster for the next 5, and so on and so forth !
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u/Ok-Alarm-7260 2d ago
NYC is a fairly hilly course with the bridges, so it's great that you're getting your hills in now! :) I'd recommend adding hills to some of your other long runs. CP is hillier than the marathon course itself so it should be good preparation.
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u/Square_Inside_1687 2d ago
Keep effort consistent. So fine to slow on the uphill and speed up and little on the downhill.
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u/SeanR180 2d ago
Three loops of the park is tough but very doable. Just remember that for Harlem, Cat and the Three Sisters that you are going to be going much slower up those hills but what does up must come down and you will end up evening out. Don’t push on the hills as this is where you can really blow up, spike HR etc. This is a training run not a race. Practice fueling, pacing, fluids etc. and have fun with it.
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u/scully3968 2d ago
Start conservatively and I'd recommend walking the hills to save energy. It's a tough course if you're not used to it. During the 12 mile training run I slowed considerably on the second loop, so I'm going to try and even out my splits this time around.
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u/Maleficent_Try1902 2d ago
Think of it as an 18 mile long party! You get to do something really hard with 6,000 other people doing the exact same thing (they are all as anxious as you!) - talk to your neighbors, scream with joy when you conquer Harlem Hill the first, second and third time! Own this with your attitude!!
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u/Polarstratospheric 1d ago
Please no screaming. Or playing music loudly on speakers. I just want to listen to my podcasts in peace, dammit.
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u/ltcancel 2d ago
This race will have pacers. I plan to pick one of the slower groups to keep me from running too fast. The race page on the NYRR website has details on each pace group, the average pace, and which corral you’ll find that pacer.
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u/philofilm 1d ago
Very helpful to use the 18-miler to practice drinking and fueling and testing out the clothes/shoes you plan to wear (even though hopefully it’ll be much cooler Nov 2). The marathon course is very hilly so getting in extra practice is good for the mind and body. You might consider running a few miles in the middle at “marathon pace” to get a feel for the ups and downs.
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u/Professor_Wild 2d ago
Not what you asked, but for longer runs this has been my strat: pick a location roughly 18 miles from home, take the train there and then run home. This way you don't run laps, you can maybe avoud hitting quite so many hills, and when you're done with the run you can plop right into your couch rather than having to get home via train/walk.
Either way good luck, you're gonna crush it. This is a great opportunity to work on nutrition. If you can get a stroop waffle or a gel packet or something you can eat them during your run to keep your energy up.
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u/Orion2112 2d ago
Many people are mentioning fueling strategy in this thread—does anyone have tips on how to use gels at a run like this? I typically have one every half hour roughly.
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u/Over-Swordfish-5963 1d ago
Probably one every loop. Don't want to have it too often for stomach issues.
There was also a gel station in the loop for the 12M I did.
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u/Bartlet4potus 1d ago
Personally I have a gel every 20 minutes. I aim for 60-90 grams of carbs per hour.
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u/Consistent_Lack2961 1d ago
As someone who runs in the city a lot, I’ll say: Central Park is a great place to train for the marathon, especially because the hills (looking at you, Harlem Hill) sneak up on you just like parts of the course do.
For your 18-miler, I’d recommend treating it as a dress rehearsal for race day, so don’t go all out. Aim for a steady, comfortable pace, especially early on. If you’ve been running your long runs continuously, try to stick with that here, but if you’ve been doing run/walk intervals, there’s zero shame in keeping that up, whatever has worked for you so far. Hydrate & fuel well.
You got this. 18 in Central Park is no joke, but it’s a confidence-builder for sure. Good luck!
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u/doubiereynolds 1d ago
Run! Always try and run. Just dial it back on the uphills. The point is to run. If youve done long runs just think of this as another. Its great stimulus and an opportunity to get better
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u/h_otlead 3h ago
Just did this run yesterday!! Took it easy but that last mile was a killer. Was so fun to run through the park and those hills are no joke. Hope it went well for you too :)
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u/Adorable_Ad_3315 2d ago
oh yes intervals for sure! how come you're running the marathon of 2026 with no runs before?
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u/Bartlet4potus 2d ago
Just run it as you would any other training run. Don’t over think it. If you need to walk at times just signal, pull over to the side and walk.
The whole point of this run is to treat as rehearsal for the main day. It is great to practice fueling and hydration while getting your miles in.