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

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.