Running Tangents Explained: How to Avoid Adding Extra Miles in Your Race

This is very true. The one thing I wasn't prepared for was tangents. My Strava told me I was at mile 21, but the course marker said mile 20. When I finished NYC, Strava showed well over 27 miles! Some people say that's GPS dropouts in parts of NYC, but the same thing happened to me in West Haven and Hamden. It was tangents. The official marathon route is measured along the straightest possible line from point A to point B, hugging every curve. If you drift wide, weave, swerve, give high 5's, cross the road to grab a view of a cool band etc. you will add distance. Running a full marathon? Train for 27.2 miles. Running a half? Train for 13.6 miles. When I finally saw the mile 22 marker, my quads were already close to shutting down. Thinking I was "almost there" because of my app, only to realize I wasn't, that last "additional" mile was physically and mentally brutal. The last 4 miles became a painful trance, but crossing the finish line after that made the moment even better. Research "running tangents" now, and do your best to stay on the measured path. Good luck out there!