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Pacing a one-mile race
Catalin Bond
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Does anyone have any advice on the best way to pace a one-mile race? I have a rough idea of target time, predicted from a recent 5K and half marathon, but is it better to go for it from the beginning, or to hold back and aim for a negative split?
This will be in a park not on a track, if that makes a difference. Though I think the course is pretty much flat.
Not raced anything this short in years - I used to regularly run 800m as a teenager but my pacing strategy was awful; run as hard as I could, then die! (my first lap was often 20s faster than my second!)
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I don't have much advice because I don't do it often, but my club does run two one-mile races every year, one on a local common, another on the track. Pacing is far easier on the latter run, as you can imagine. I think the point is everyone is different - some people need a steady pace on each race they do, some others can bomb it on the first bit and try to hang on, others grow into a race and, as you suggested, do a negative split. Perhaps you can experiment during your training? Or even just decide on a strategy for this first time (assuming it's your first). It really is a hard one to gauge because it's long enough to be irksome, but is actually over quite quickly. I must admit, the most recent one I did I bombed it and then died a little, but was still close to my PB.
I think it depends just how much you're willing to let it hurt! On paper, even pacing is probably the best strategy, but assuming you've got an endurance bias from your longer racing distances, to attain the equivalent predicted time in the mile will involve enduring a higher intensity of lactic burn. If you've paced it absolutely right your legs will feel like they're beginning to seize up towards the end and it'll be an uncomfortable experience to try and maintain pace to the end. In practise you might be advised to set out a little slower than target pace (but no more than 5 - 10 secs/mile) and assess how you're feeling at halfway.
Please bear in mind I've raced precisely 2 x 1500m on the track and one road mile, and not really done justice to any of them. Horrible distance!
Just hammer it from the start, Catalin. How much can it hurt in 5 minutes?
nonsense Philpub - 1500 (or mile) is the mark of a true athlete
if you have time, go and run 8 *400 off 60 secs rec. add the time together and half it and that will give you approx your mile race time.
if you are not used to middle distance lactic then i would advise you dont go hell for leather early on. as phil say maybe 10secs or so under predicted time and then try and speed up.
Thanks for all the responses. Lots to think about. I like the sound of starting just a little slower than target pace and then evaluating. They start us in waves with similar target times. If people have similar strategy to me, it will help to have someone the aim for on the way round, just got to make sure I don't get myself pulled away too fast at the start!
As stated above, it was a pain fest that was over very quickly.
I'm also doing a track mile tomorrow night and have been advised that I should(in theory) be about 10 seconds quicker on the track as it is flat and without doglegs and hairpin bends... But I don't know if I have that extra speed in me.
I have however just decided to go hard from the start and hang in. I'll be in a slot with others who are all expecting to run approx the same time as me so there will be no time to think tactics once it starts.
Obviously based on that I reckon you should just go all out and hang in for you dignity! I guess that for people who do regular track session and know their times from attest like Dean suggests it is easier to pace, but just going hard is a pretty good place to start.
If you find yourself in a mile race with Dean, don't go with him!
Another tip for anyone rocking up to a track mile/1500 race, especially if not used to running on the track. If there are a few youngsters in the race, don't go with them either! Because (a) they're probably very quick, and (b) even if they're not that quick, they will almost invariably start fast and fade.
I've often started an open track race (typically 3,000m or 5,000m) thinking I must have gone off too slow because most of the field is ahead of me, only to complete the first lap about 3 seconds quicker than planned. More often than not, I rein it in and end up overtaking some of the more enthusiastic starters. Starting too quick and fading is not a fun way to run a race, especially when the 12 y.o. kid dashes past just as your legs have turned to treacle.
In the magic mile run at the park I used my GPS to ensure I was up to speed and motivate me to keep it there. I was thinking of running of tech free on the track tonight as I ought to be in a group of similarly able runners and therefore fading doesn't really worry me so much but I am worried about going too slow and not Achieving/equalling target. But I guess you are right Phil, more likely to crash and burn, but it will still be over quickly!
Our club does a mile race each year and often do the 1500 for the vets.
Strongly recommend using a track for 400 & 800 reps so you have some idea of how fast you're going. Invariably you will run the first lap too fast unless you know how to judge pace.
I always find maintaining pace on lap 3 the hardest part.
After doing the first Westminster mile I found the big difference between the track and road mile is this..
On the track you just run faster, it's weird, but you just do - even though you don't think you are, not sure if it's because you are on a track, but the nice surface will have something to do with it too.
So you start a road mile thinking you are doing a decent pace..and suddenly your 5 seconds off what you think you are doing! Is this generally because road races tend to go off more steady and you are trained to go off at a certain speed?
In the Westminster mile, there seemd to be a collective 'oh s**t' at 800 to go and our group tried to raise the pace a bit.
Definitely a distance that you need to practice over and over again to get right.
Target time was 7.40 but that was gonna be a stretch for me on a good day, and with today's temperatures it was not gonna be a good day!
I was in a heat with about 20 people, thought they were mostly going to be faster than me so settle in at the back. Once garmin settled down I check pace, and quickly realised That despite being last, I was going to need to slow down as I was well under target pace and feeling it. Next, just to make things worse I realised my shoelace was undone! First lap 3:53 (including s stop to tie the lace). Second lap was uneventful, managed to catch a couple of people and tried to sprint for the finish, felt like I'd picked uo, but was actually slower. Final time 7:55.
What I leant, probably not going to get my best time on a hot day, i probavly need to hang back further at the start, and make sure to tie my laces!