Deciding race pace?

nerraw1111

This could be blindingly obvious but how do you decide your race pace? Do you simply set a target time and train for that? Or do you take your time from a recent set distance and use that pace?

Thanks for any advice.

Sub430

Have a look here

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm

ecoli

mcmillan is ok for a general guideline but people often pick a time they want to run rather than one they are able to and set paces from that. It is alot better to go out run a race without the watch and take it comfortable first half the race and push on from there at the end you can get a time and this can be the basis for training. If a race is not an option why not try a time trial? will give you a general idea

shels4ever

ecoli wrote: »

mcmillan is ok for a general guideline but people often pick a time they want to run rather than one they are able to and set paces from that. It is alot better to go out run a race without the watch and take it comfortable first half the race and push on from there at the end you can get a time and this can be the basis for training. If a race is not an option why not try a time trial? will give you a general idea

Yes thats always good advise for a race, but I do find that if i plan to go off easy and pick it up, then I start far too slow. Once you do a couple or races you will know yourself. Learn from mistakes

The Rook

But what if you’re in the situation where I am, where my last race was a 10k back in October (52:04) and have been training steadily since then. I know I’ve improved and gotten faster, but I’ve a 10 mile race coming up at the end of January … how do I know what pace I should be going for?!!

McMillan will only base my predicted time & pace based off my last race, which was ages ago!

misty floyd

Rook, Give it a guess as to how much you have improved and run to that pace. 52 in Oct.....47min now?

What shels says makes lots of sence, learn from your mistakes.....no better way to get it right.

nerraw1111

The Rook wrote: »

But what if you’re in the situation where I am, where my last race was a 10k back in October (52:04) and have been training steadily since then. I know I’ve improved and gotten faster, but I’ve a 10 mile race coming up at the end of January … how do I know what pace I should be going for?!!

McMillan will only base my predicted time & pace based off my last race, which was ages ago!

That's pretty much my situation. Mcmillan works off an old time which I reckon I could better by 5 mins. Hence using old time as race pace isn't ideal. I'll do a time trial so.

Thanks for help as always

DustyBin

I think that you target pace should be stretching but not off the wall

OP - I'd suggest that you should consider what pace you currently run at, and then think about what pace you would like to run the race at

Then test the required pace out for size on one or more training runs of much shorter distance than race (maybe 60% distance?). This will tell you one of 3 things:
1. - if you can cope (need to be sweating obviously) with that pace then go for it on the day
2. - if you're not able to keep it going then revise target time upwards by a few minutes
3. - if it's too easy then you're being too soft on yourself and slash that target downwards

There may be other more technical ways of doing it but that's what I'm doing for my next race anyway

Just a bit of trial and error really, but I guess what I'm getting at is that you're the best placed person to know

ecoli

The Rook wrote: »

But what if you’re in the situation where I am, where my last race was a 10k back in October (52:04) and have been training steadily since then. I know I’ve improved and gotten faster, but I’ve a 10 mile race coming up at the end of January … how do I know what pace I should be going for?!!

McMillan will only base my predicted time & pace based off my last race, which was ages ago!

Why not head out for about 51 or 50 pace for the first half the race and see how you feeling from there you can push on if you feel you are able to and if not you are still on course for a new PB win win

john do

I'd love to be able to advice ye on how to pace yourselfs but just tell ye the way I do it,I never wear a watch in races and depending on how i'm feeling I pick someone who I think is 30 sec's to a minute faster than me and try and keep in with them. Have run 5.30 pace for half marathon but only managed 5.33 for 5 miles, so my advice would be don't be afraid to push yourself a little more than you did in the last race and try and knock sec's rather than mins of your pb and you'll gradually reap the rewards.

tergat

The Rook wrote: »

But what if you’re in the situation where I am, where my last race was a 10k back in October (52:04) and have been training steadily since then. I know I’ve improved and gotten faster, but I’ve a 10 mile race coming up at the end of January … how do I know what pace I should be going for?!!

McMillan will only base my predicted time & pace based off my last race, which was ages ago!

The Rook,

Try running 5km time trial @ your curent (what you think right now is your 10km pace) in training on a measured 5km course or on track. Remember, run the 5km at your current 10k pace, during the workout. Tune into the feel of a 10k race effort, and use that pace, whatever it happens to be. The pace, in training, may be slower than you use in a race.

The 5km TT at 10k effort serves multiple purposes. First, it fine-tunes you for the effort needed to race a 10k, which you aim to do. Second, you will figure out the effort you could probably hold in a 10k race (based on the last mile). Third, it will give you an approximate pace to use as a guideline.

5k TT at 10k effort can be used as a prep tool for races and can be prescribed for races ranging from 3km to the marathon. A 5k TT at 10k effort serves as a good physiological stimulus for improved racing fitness; and, it helps a runner identify realistic paces, which can be adjusted up or down - depending upon the race length. Finally, a 5k TT at 10k race effort forces a runner to concentrate for an extended time-frame.

Overall, the 5k TT at 10k race effort is a solid (but not hard) workout. It only becomes hard when you force the pace and turn the TT into a race, rather than a preparatory tool.

Lesson: A 5k TT at 10k effort, run at TODAY'S 10k race pace, is a key training tool, which fine-tunes a runner's condition and racing skills.

Tergat

The Rook

Excellent stuff, thanks to all for your replies to my particular part of the question.

I should have a good enough idea now come race day as to what I'm about! (Fingers crossed!!)

toomuchdetail

Good advice here ;appreciate it ; I have a habit of going off very easy (even within target pace),pushing in the 2nd half and finishing the race with some left in the tank which leads me to believe that 1. my original pace was wrong and 2.I should be pushing myself harder -afraid here to hard and possibly blow up after first half of the race but its a good way to learn.