Sunday, September 8, 2013

How to pace yourself on race day

You've done the work and logged the miles. Now race day is here and you are wondering how to pace yourself to ensure you have your best race. There are a number of strategies here and which one you choose depends a lot of your experience level.

Even Steven:
The Even Steven approach is to take a specific time goal and translate it to a per mile pace. On race day make every effort to run an even race and hit splits on target mile after mile. This can work very well for some people, especially those that have run many races before and can adjust well to changing conditions and know their bodies well.  There are a number of online tools that can help you calculate your splits if you want to go with this approach.
There is even a company who makes temporary tattoos so you can plaster your split times on your forearm!

Warm-up, Commute, and Race:
This three stage approach is better suited for newer racers and allows you to run by your body and effort on race day.  It works well because it can often be difficult to predict what race day will bring; you could be on or off, the weather could be favorable or horrific.  In this approach you divide the race into three sections. The first section is your Warm-up. In this stage you run the first 7 miles at a relatively easy, conversational effort. It would be the pace you would normally hold during your longer training runs.
In miles 8 - 12, dial things up a bit and start your Commute. You should be one level above your "happy zone." This would be your tempo pace from your training. You should be able to speak in one word increments. Mentally it can be very empowering to start to focus on specific racers and pass them one at a time. Think of it as a fishing expedition. Cast your line, hook a runner and start reeling!
Finally, you need to Race. This is the final stretch, the last 1.1 miles. Crank it up and run a hard, strong finish. Adrenaline is your best friend and will carry you through to a glorious finish. More experienced runners can use the Warm-up, Commute and Race strategy too, but should distribute more of their effort in the Commute and Race zones.

Run for your lives!
Bree

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