Racing — It’s about pacing guys, even at the front

Coach Joe English

Some people may interpret this message as being aimed primarily for runners that are new to marathon running. That’s not the case at all. Even pacing is for all runners, even at the most elite levels. One of the points that we’ve often brought out is that when an elite runner records a negative split (running the second half faster than the first), they do it by running the bulk of the race, perhaps the first 23 or 24 miles, at the same pace and then picking it up just in the closing 2 or 3 miles of the race.

Even pacing means two different things. First, it means understanding your pace capability for a particular distance. Second, it means avoiding going out too fast for your capabilities in the early miles under the pressure of competition.

These same principles hold true in shorter distance races as well. It is just as important to know your pace and just as important to run that pace from start to finish in a 5K or 10K event as it would be in a marathon. Going out too fast drives the body into oxygen deficit and it is nearly impossible to recover without dramatically backing off the pace. The result is that the body is forced to slow down in the closing miles of the race.

I bring this up today, because in races these last two weeks I’ve noticed something quite interesting. For all of you out there that are thinking that our admonitions about going out too fast are only for inexperienced runners, guess again. I’ve been watching the guys at the front of these races and they don’t get this right either.

In 10Ks these last two weeks, I used a strategy that is typical for me when using a race as a workout: I started out at a comfortably fast tempo pace and then ran that pace for the rest of the race. In both races, I let the front runners go out as hard as they wanted and didn’t let it bother me. I had this feeling that I might be seeing them again in a few miles. And so it was.

In the race two weekends ago, I started the race (after things shook out in the first mile) in about 10th position and from there I steadily worked my way up through the field. I ended up passing six of the runners in front of me, who were — sorry to say it — slowing down.

In another race this weekend, the result was even more dramatic. I started again in about 10th position and quickly — because the leaders quickly slowed down — moved up into fourth. After about mile three I was sitting in third and it looked to me that I wouldn’t make it any higher. The runner in second place was at least 15 seconds ahead of me and looking strong. As the next two miles unfolded, I watched as I started very slowly reeling him in. He didn’t appear to be slowing, but he was slowing almost imperceptibly — and that’s how it happens. He had gone out too fast and his body was abandoning him.

A thought kept repeating itself in my head, “if I had just another mile or two I would naturally catch this,” without picking up the pace. I stayed steady and then just after the six mile mark, I was right on his tail. I passed him and finished the race. When I looked at the results, I had put almost 15 seconds up on him in JUST THE LAST 1/4 MILE. Imagine, he was slowing down enough in those closing moments, that I doubled the difference between us two miles earlier in just the last quarter mile. That’s what pacing — good and bad — does for you.

So my point of all this is that pacing is something that everyone needs to learn, from the front of the pack to the back. And nothing should be interpreted about this to suggest that you should go out “slowly”. The message is simply that you need to know your pace for a particular distance and then hit it from start to finish. Going out too fast is a recipe for disaster. Learn your pace and then don’t get bullied into running faster. Try it in your next race; you’ll be happy with the results.

Coach Joe English, Portland Oregon, USA
Running Advice and News
www.running-advice.com

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