Christof Schwiening (physiologist) and Kevin O'Holleran (physicist) take a rational scientific approach to marathon running in this 2-part talk. Neither is a sports scientist; Christof is a cellular neurophysiologist and Kevin is an physicist, but both are competitive runners obsessively concerned with optimizing performance. Some of the ideas presented will challenge current common coaching dogma.

Running your best marathon involves starting at the appropriate pace and then following a plan. We will consider how that pace and plan can be calculated using a range of techniques. Some of the techniques currently used fail for certain runners in a predictable fashion, we will show how corrections can be made. We will also discuss the in-race 'mistakes' that are commonly made as well as the worthwhile optimizations. Why waste the fitness you have spent months gaining?

Image courtesy of Phil Roeder from Flickr Creative Commons