5 mile race, short 10k or a long 5k!?

Chartsengrafs

Now that road season is well underway there are a number of 5 mile races coming up. Just wondering how others approach them? There were a few useful threads a few years back, recommending a negative split approach for 10ks. Do those who feel they have correctly executed five mile races think that this approach has value? Or are even splits the way to go?

jebuz

Chartsengrafs wrote: »

Now that road season is well underway there are a number of 5 mile races coming up. Just wondering how others approach them? There were a few useful threads a few years back, recommending a negative split approach for 10ks. Do those who feel they have correctly executed five mile races think that this approach has value? Or are even splits the way to go?

How to approach a 5 mile? Don't mean to be blunt but for feck sake it's not a marathon, it's 5 miles, you go out and run hard and race! The idea of going out with the intention of negative splitting a 5m/10k just doesn't sit well with me. If you go out hard and bonk then you'll learn to pace the next one better, a negative split might then happen as a consequence of sensible pacing and a well executed race plan, but it shouldn't be the goal and its not necessarily a marker of a good race in my opinion. I've never looked back on a 5 mile and said great I ran a negative split (I don't even know if I have done it myself) I'd be more concerned about did I race to the best of my ability, did I push myself out of my comfort zone? Was the time reflective of my training? Should I have taken more cakes, etc

Chartsengrafs

jebuz wrote: »

How to approach a 5 mile?

Yep, that's what I asked. Just trying to see how people view the distance.

I asked how others approach them. So you've never gone out too hard in a 10k and paid for it? All the training in the world is useless without putting some thought into what you're about to do. Edit: agree about getting out of comfort zone etc. I feel if I don't want to quit at least once during a race I'm not pushing hard enough!

And you can never have too much cake

jebuz

Chartsengrafs wrote: »

Yep, that's what I asked. Just trying to see how people view the distance.

I asked how others approach them. So you've never gone out too hard in a 10k and paid for it? All the training in the world is useless without putting some thought into what you're about to do. Edit: agree about getting out of comfort zone etc. I feel if I don't want to quit at least once during a race I'm not pushing hard enough!

And you can never have too much cake

Of course I've gone out hard and paid for it but it's from experiences like that you learn your limits and how to pace a race correctly. By all means put thought into a race but it shouldn't be in the form of trying to negatively split the race, particular such a short distance. That's just overthinking it when it's quite simple really, race! there should be little if any clock watching in races of that distance.

demfad

Chartsengrafs wrote: »

Now that road season is well underway there are a number of 5 mile races coming up. Just wondering how others approach them? There were a few useful threads a few years back, recommending a negative split approach for 10ks. Do those who feel they have correctly executed five mile races think that this approach has value? Or are even splits the way to go?

First of all I think a 5 mile race is a little closer in nature to a 10k than a 5k.
You'll probably run a decent 5 mile off 10k training but you wont necessarily run a decent 5m off 5k training. This is because there is a greater endurance element.
People positive splitting a 5 mile or 10k race would most probably be a reflection of inadequate endurance at that pace.
Also folks who are natural 5kers will view it as a long 5k and folks who are natural 10kers will view it as a short 10k.
To prepare for a 5m I would make sure my endurance is in order to save time in the latter part of the race.
Then you can go out with a group roughly at your even race pace.
If you don't have the endurance you can either:
1: Go out hard and fade.
2: First Mile or two slower (10k pace) and last 3 at goal pace.

The second approach would more often get you a better time IMO and improve your specific endurance more (running at race pace while more fatigued). But the first approach will toughen you up more. Experiment!

robinph

If you've got enough time to be figuring out if you are +ve or -ve splitting on a 10km then you are not running fast enough.

I may well ease off a tiny bit if the watch tells me I've done a crazy fast first mile, but more than likely I'll just think that the first mile went well, lets see how long I can hang onto the coat tails of this guy infront who is normally 30 seconds further down the road at this point, and tuck in behind for as long as possible. Yeah, there may be some other guys go past me in the last 100m at crazy speed because I'm tired, but there is always another race next week/ month to try again.

Even pace throughout is obviously the best strategy, but if you are not aware of what pace you can hold for the duration it is a great opportunity to learn, get it wrong and then try again slightly differently next time. If you get to the end and have a sprint finish left then you were not trying hard enough, if you get to the end and are dry hurling over the line then you got it right.