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How to learn pacing
DD92
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I'm sure I wont be the only person with this problem. In races I can be guilty of going off at the wrong pace either too slowly or, more probably, far too fast and then running out of steam half way round.
I did a race at the weekend and changed tactic. For the first half of the race I sat on the shoulder of someone who is a similar pace as me but has more consistent pacing for the first five miles and then kicked on at my own pace once I'd passed half way. It's probably one of the best races I've ran because the pacing at the start was right.
However the pacing was only right because I was copying someone else. How do I learn how to pace myself? When I set off too fast it's not until the damage is done halfway round that I realise I probably went too hard at the start.
I did a race at the weekend and changed tactic. For the first half of the race I sat on the shoulder of someone who is a similar pace as me but has more consistent pacing for the first five miles and then kicked on at my own pace once I'd passed half way. It's probably one of the best races I've ran because the pacing at the start was right.
However the pacing was only right because I was copying someone else. How do I learn how to pace myself? When I set off too fast it's not until the damage is done halfway round that I realise I probably went too hard at the start.
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Comments
I do check each mile split on my GPS as I'm racing and then adjust my pace accordingly, usually that means to slow down in the early stages, it's the commonest fault setting off too fast.
You will get better with practise so lots more racing
It's just a case of learning how much effort is too much effort. I've considered heart rate but don't know much about this at all or how effective it is.
In hilly races you will just have to learn by experience and training over similar routes. It's the same for most of the other runners too.
If you can’t get GPS to work only other way could be timing how long it takes you to reach certain places on runs and adjust speed based on how your feeling and keep doing same route to get used to speed you are aiming to get.
In the absence of anything like that, the best thing is just to be safe rather than sorry - ignore everyone around you at the start of a race, focus on yourself and run maybe even slower than feels natural. You can always pick up the pace if you're feeling good, but expending too much energy at the start is pretty much irreversible.