Race Pace

Teebor15

Hi

I'm wondering which is the better method of pace setting for a long distance race (10k+).

I completed a half marathon recently and knew the exact pace i needed to average at the end to hit my target time. I set off faster than that as I got caught up with the buzz and runners beside me. This is not my first race so I knew what was happening but said I'd see how it planned out. So by about mile 3 I was still averaging about 20 secs per mile faster than I should have. As the race ticked by my average ever so slowly decreased (as I fully expected it to do as I tired) to finish bang on my target time.

I know everyone is different but in general is that better,worse or all the same as maintaining your target average right from the off? (Obviously allowing for small fluctuations for hills and winds)

What way do you set pace? Do you bank time early on or maintain right from the start?

rom

Equal pacing or negative split where you finish faster is more ideal pacing strategy for distance running.

JohnDozer

I was wondering about this recently too in relation to 5k's... I would have always worked out a target time and split this equally across the mile splits. From seeing people's 5k races on Strava and the like plenty of people seem to do a very quick first mile and slow after that. I'm wondering is that a better approach for 5k in that if you can hang on well enough you won't lose the time banked in the first mile, giving a better overall time?

Clearlier

JohnDozer wrote: »

I was wondering about this recently too in relation to 5k's... I would have always worked out a target time and split this equally across the mile splits. From seeing people's 5k races on Strava and the like plenty of people seem to do a very quick first mile and slow after that. I'm wondering is that a better approach for 5k in that if you can hang on well enough you won't lose the time banked in the first mile, giving a better overall time?

Not usually. Here's a report on splits run for the women's 5000m world indoor record.

Here's a post on letsrun detailing km splits for 5k track world records. If you look back over the past 20 years you'll see very even pacing with a faster last km.

wrstan

Teebor15 wrote: »

Do you bank time early on?

I think maybe a better banking analogy is "do you spend the overdraft too early?"

I don't think there's many will tell you that going out too fast is a good strategy.

Of course there are lots of other important factors to consider such as terrain, wind, your own strategy ....

Hannibal Smith

Great thread!! This is something i wondered too but didnt like to ask.

If you go out too fast you'll suffer later, so then going evenly is going to take time to build up the strength to go evenly at the pace to get you your target (depending on the target of course)? And finding that race pace in training and practising that is obviously what gets it together for race day? Or is it your current pace you train at? So when people talk about sharpening coming up to a race thats what they're doing? Practising that pace so its fresh for race day?

rom

Generally the shorter the distance the longer the warm up. I would hope to do 30mins of a warmup for a 5k for example to do ok at it. The warmup would be slow with a few strides. Taking the first 1/2 slower than race pace would also be advisable and working into it. Made a complete balls of pacing a 5k last year. Ran the first mile at sub 17 pace and ended up at like 18:20 or something like that. Didn't make the same mistake this year.
However when running XC the go hard at the start and hold on seems to be the order of the day as everyone seems to do it and if you are not there at the start gaining places can be much harder.

Clearlier

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

Great thread!! This is something i wondered too but didnt like to ask.

If you go out too fast you'll suffer later, so then going evenly is going to take time to build up the strength to go evenly at the pace to get you your target (depending on the target of course)? And finding that race pace in training and practising that is obviously what gets it together for race day? Or is it your current pace you train at? So when people talk about sharpening coming up to a race thats what they're doing? Practising that pace so its fresh for race day?

You could write a book about this but I'll limit it to just a few paragraphs:)

You have multiple energy systems, aerobic, anaerobic and the really short one whose name I can never remember. You want to spend most of your training time doing aerobic running because that's what sets your ceiling.

The sharpening bit for distance runners refers typically refers (lots of arguments here often but not always linguistic IMO which I won't get in to but are the source of the book that I mentioned) to anaerobic work - sometimes called VO2 max. In practical terms you're talking about fast interval running typically anything from 2 mins to 6 or 7 mins (you can do longer or shorter but best bang for you buck is usually between the above 2).

Race pace training is about getting the body comfortable running at race pace - it's possible to be in great shape for a race but find that actually running race pace is biomechanically awkward. For some distances (e.g. 5k) that will double as anaerobic work - for others (e.g. marathon) it doesn't. Some people will race themselves into shape for this section which is why you'll see bigger improvements over the course of a racing season from some than others.

I like the idea of the Canova approach which advocates sessions at just under race pace and sessions just over race pace gradually moving both towards actual race pace as the target race approaches. I haven't put it into practice in any great detail though. The more traditional method is to choose a target pace and do short amounts at that pace extending the amounts as the target race gets closer. For the purpose of almost everyone either approach will yield dividends.

RayCun

Clearlier wrote: »

You have multiple energy systems, aerobic, anaerobic and the really short one whose name I can never remember.

It's also anaerobic, but based on ATP-CP. After about 10 seconds you're burning muscle glycogen and producing lactic acid

MisterDrak

Negative split for longer races is the way to go IMO. Did a 2 min negative split in DCM13 and the feeling of passing loads of people in the final miles is a great incentive for keep up the pressure / pace.

In saying that, you have to really know what you are capable of for that distance, be it 5K or 26.2m. The only way to know what you are capable of is to run plenty of training miles at the appropriate paces.