3 ms·

For someone who does not run marathons, I’d ask why a human would be necessary? People could use smartwatches, or there could be waypoint signs. This is a domai

For someone who does not run marathons, I’d ask why a human would be necessary? People could use smartwatches, or there could be waypoint signs. This is a domain specific thing. Without Googling, did you know what a patternmaker is?

hanniabu 4y ago
Showing a timer or splits is not pacing
- diceduckmonk 4y ago
  If the watch also measured the distance you’ve travel, is pace not just distance over time? Speaking of wearable, pacemakers serve a different purpose, so the term is ambiguous I’m sure you run then, because again I have no idea what you mean by “splits”
  - infamousclyde 4y ago
    Splits refers to the amount of time passed over a measured distance. A miler would be interested in their 400m split (the time they run through 1/4 of their race), and a marathoner would be more concerned with their mile/km split. Holistically, pacers are just experienced runners that provide even splits over their distance. In a marathon context, running in a group can be quite pleasant and motivating, but there is definitely nothing stopping anyone from just using a GPS watch.
  - mattkrause 4y ago
    Yes and no. In theory, you can pace yourself with a watch and a map. “Splits” are (distance, time) pairs that correspond to a targeted finish time. For example, if you were targeting a 4:00 finish at an even pace, you’d want to be crossing the halfway point at 2:00. In practice, it’s mentally much easier to pace yourself off another person. The implicit peer pressure to stay with the pack helps when you might otherwise start to lag behind and helps you resist the temptation to blow up your plan because “you’re feeling good” and want to go for broke.
    - nl 4y ago
      It's worth noting that many GPS exercise watches have a "virtual pacesetter" where you set the pace you want given a route and it will show a graphical representation of how far ahead or behind you are. eg: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/forerunner245/EN-US/GUID-106F4D70-E9D6-4EE4-ACDF-6EA0876D93E6.html https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/forerunner245/EN-US/...
tekla 4y ago
You dont need to run marathons to have a pacer. You have pacers in most "official" races. Plenty of pacers in 5K's, 10K's, 15Ks, and Halfs. People want to focus on running their time at a constant pace and not having to speed up and slow down every mile. I assume a patternmaker is someone who focuses on making patterns, probably novel, with sewing and crocheting. I'll google it and edit this post once I confirm it. Edit: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patternmaker https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patternmaker Yep, seems close enough. Amazing what one can do with basic logic.
- diceduckmonk 4y ago
  > You have pacers in most "official" races. Plenty of pacers in 5K's, 10K's, 15Ks, and Halfs. So you confirm that this term is obvious for people who are familiar with races in general. I’m not and don’t even know what units those K’s are in. I’m going to presume kilometers, but who knows. > I assume a patternmaker is someone who focuses on making patterns, probably novel, with sewing and crocheting > Yep, seems close enough. Amazing what one can do with basic logic The only thing they have in common is textiles. This is as close as saying people who know how to edit HTML/CSS are coders or scriptmonkeys are hackers. No shit I know the word pacer means someone who keeps pace. What that means in context and culture is a different thing.
  - tekla 4y ago
    > This is as close as saying people who know how to edit HTML/CSS are coders or scriptmonkeys are hackers. You are on a social media platform where many people would gladly say that these claims are true. Anyway I looked it up on wikipedia and my guess still holds up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patternmaker_(clothing) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patternmaker_(clothing) The only thing I didn't bring up was the software that modern patternmakers might be using, but the core idea is still correct. >> A patternmaker is a skilled worker who produces patterns on paper or fabric for use in the clothing industry. > No shit I know the word pacer means someone who keeps pace. Good, so you recognized that there is very little thought required to match "racing" and "pacers"
northwest65 4y ago
I'm sure I saw on TV that they use what is basically a giant LED strip on the inside of the course, which as I understood was a 'pacer light'. Seems to strip the strategy out and reduce it to a purely physical contest, which doesn't seem an improvement.
NoPicklez 4y ago
It's not necessary, but if there is one you will find that it's much easier mentally to run at a pace when someone else is doing the pacing next to you. Especially if you're running at the top end of your pace.
JimTheMan 4y ago
These runners run fast enough that much like cyclists, they get a benefit from following in the aerodynamic drag of another competitor. Unless there is a pacer none of the runners really want to be in front and eating all the aerodynamic drag. So the race slows down. This greatly favours runners with a faster sprint at the end.

hanniabu 4y ago

Showing a timer or splits is not pacing

diceduckmonk 4y ago
If the watch also measured the distance you’ve travel, is pace not just distance over time? Speaking of wearable, pacemakers serve a different purpose, so the term is ambiguous I’m sure you run then, because again I have no idea what you mean by “splits”
- infamousclyde 4y ago
  Splits refers to the amount of time passed over a measured distance. A miler would be interested in their 400m split (the time they run through 1/4 of their race), and a marathoner would be more concerned with their mile/km split. Holistically, pacers are just experienced runners that provide even splits over their distance. In a marathon context, running in a group can be quite pleasant and motivating, but there is definitely nothing stopping anyone from just using a GPS watch.
- mattkrause 4y ago
  Yes and no. In theory, you can pace yourself with a watch and a map. “Splits” are (distance, time) pairs that correspond to a targeted finish time. For example, if you were targeting a 4:00 finish at an even pace, you’d want to be crossing the halfway point at 2:00. In practice, it’s mentally much easier to pace yourself off another person. The implicit peer pressure to stay with the pack helps when you might otherwise start to lag behind and helps you resist the temptation to blow up your plan because “you’re feeling good” and want to go for broke.
  - nl 4y ago
    It's worth noting that many GPS exercise watches have a "virtual pacesetter" where you set the pace you want given a route and it will show a graphical representation of how far ahead or behind you are. eg: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/forerunner245/EN-US/GUID-106F4D70-E9D6-4EE4-ACDF-6EA0876D93E6.html https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/forerunner245/EN-US/...

tekla 4y ago

You dont need to run marathons to have a pacer. You have pacers in most "official" races. Plenty of pacers in 5K's, 10K's, 15Ks, and Halfs. People want to focus on running their time at a constant pace and not having to speed up and slow down every mile. I assume a patternmaker is someone who focuses on making patterns, probably novel, with sewing and crocheting. I'll google it and edit this post once I confirm it. Edit: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patternmaker https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patternmaker Yep, seems close enough. Amazing what one can do with basic logic.

diceduckmonk 4y ago
> You have pacers in most "official" races. Plenty of pacers in 5K's, 10K's, 15Ks, and Halfs. So you confirm that this term is obvious for people who are familiar with races in general. I’m not and don’t even know what units those K’s are in. I’m going to presume kilometers, but who knows. > I assume a patternmaker is someone who focuses on making patterns, probably novel, with sewing and crocheting > Yep, seems close enough. Amazing what one can do with basic logic The only thing they have in common is textiles. This is as close as saying people who know how to edit HTML/CSS are coders or scriptmonkeys are hackers. No shit I know the word pacer means someone who keeps pace. What that means in context and culture is a different thing.
- tekla 4y ago
  > This is as close as saying people who know how to edit HTML/CSS are coders or scriptmonkeys are hackers. You are on a social media platform where many people would gladly say that these claims are true. Anyway I looked it up on wikipedia and my guess still holds up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patternmaker_(clothing) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patternmaker_(clothing) The only thing I didn't bring up was the software that modern patternmakers might be using, but the core idea is still correct. >> A patternmaker is a skilled worker who produces patterns on paper or fabric for use in the clothing industry. > No shit I know the word pacer means someone who keeps pace. Good, so you recognized that there is very little thought required to match "racing" and "pacers"

northwest65 4y ago

I'm sure I saw on TV that they use what is basically a giant LED strip on the inside of the course, which as I understood was a 'pacer light'. Seems to strip the strategy out and reduce it to a purely physical contest, which doesn't seem an improvement.

NoPicklez 4y ago

It's not necessary, but if there is one you will find that it's much easier mentally to run at a pace when someone else is doing the pacing next to you. Especially if you're running at the top end of your pace.

JimTheMan 4y ago

These runners run fast enough that much like cyclists, they get a benefit from following in the aerodynamic drag of another competitor. Unless there is a pacer none of the runners really want to be in front and eating all the aerodynamic drag. So the race slows down. This greatly favours runners with a faster sprint at the end.