Goal 02
Setting a PR
CIM is built for PRs — if you run it with even effort. The plan is simple: be patient on the rollers, then use the flat, downhill back half.
Run the course, not the average
CIM is the perfect course to negative split, and almost nobody does it. Runners don't lose CIM in miles 20–24; they lose it by going out too hard. Tame that early energy and the back half gives it all back.
- Mile 1: slow down. It's a downhill rush where most runners run around 30 seconds per mile too fast. Watch your GPS and sit on goal pace or slower.
- Miles 2–10: respect the rollers. Run effort, not pace, uphill; let gravity work downhill. Being 5–8 seconds per mile off pace here is fine.
- Miles 13–18: push the pace. Gentle descent, past the rollers. If you have it, run goal pace or faster.
- Miles 20–21: the last big crowd. Ride it, but don't overspend; it gets quiet after 21.
- Mile 21.5: just get to the bridge. After the J Street Bridge it's flat and fast to the Capitol.
Proof it works: running this plan in 2021, David negative split CIM in under 2:59, passing 41 runners from 15K to halfway, 111 more from halfway to 30K, and another 111 from 30K to 40K.
Tool
CIM pace planner
Enter your goal time. You'll get a negative-split plan for each section of the course (conservative through the rollers, faster from halfway) that adds up exactly to your goal.
Race-day habits that matter at CIM
- Race in shoes you've already run long and fast in. Race week is not the time to debut a new pair.
- Hydrate early. Take water at every aid station, alternating in electrolyte drink. You can't catch up on hydration once you're behind, so don't neglect it through the rollers.
- Sit with a pace group if you can. Crowds go wild for the pace signs, and that energy carries the whole group.
- Dress for mile 10, not the start. Cold starts tempt overdressing. Throwaway layers, then race kit.