Patience
By
Chris Graff
of
Trackcoach.com
The art of running a race is exactly that, an art.
Strategy and tactics play a major role in the outcome of a race and
often the smarter runner can beat the faster one if they have the
right race plan and stick to it.
One of the most important qualities to have as a distance
runner is patience. In a 5k or 10k race, the first person to the
mile marker is not necessarily the one who wins. It is very easy to
get excited at the beginning of a race and go out to quickly,
causing your legs to fill prematurely with lactic acid. On the other
hand going out too slow will leave you lost in the pack and
sometimes unable to pass through the crowds of people. So where do
we find the medium? My college coach used to use the term controlled
aggression. You need to be in control of yourself, your emotions,
your pace, at the start of the race, but that doesn’t mean you are
going to let people run by you either. How fast you should go out in
a race can be predicted by your workouts to a certain extent, but
often a certain degree of trial and error is necessary until you
become a more experienced racer.
When I race 5k or 10k I break the race into thirds (one
mile segments for a 5k and 2 mile segments for the 10k) and use
these sections as comparative points from one race to the next. I
can tell you for sure that if you are really hurting after the first
third you probably went out too fast and are going to have a tough
road ahead. If you are at two thirds and not at all tired you
probably will not fulfill your potential for that day. I have found
that after the first third it is good to feel that I have been
running at a pace that feels brisk, but still relaxed. During the
middle third I try run in a steady rhythm. Ideally, the pace will
not change too much either way, and I try to glide as much as
possible despite the now noticeable fatigue. Pace changes will make
you more tired and decrease your efficiency later down the line. At
two thirds of the way you should be fairly tired, but not totally
exhausted. It should be a good tired, and not an overbearing one.
The final third usually takes care of itself, because you pretty
much throw in whatever is left, and the smell of the finish is
motivation enough to deal with the now extensive fatigue that your
body is enduring.
