Random Runner Ramblings: Pacing

For this second installment of Random Running Ramblings, I figured I would tackle a topic near and dear to runner's hearts: Pacing. What is such a vital skill comes naturally to some, and is elusive to others.  I remember in high school there would always be a group of guys that would take off flying the first 200m of a race, like it was the start of playground time back in elementary school. They'd be yelling and laughing like it was a grand old time. Then about 800m into the race, things weren't so funny anymore as they faded.  I never saw them at the finish, but I have a feeling they were seriously rethinking their life choices. 

How much you suffer for poor pacing depends on the distance you are running. I once had a runner go out in 55 for the 800. He was the anchor of a 4 x 800 and was trying to keep us near the front.  For a second I thought "Wow! He's really going after it today. Sub 2 here we come!". Alas, it was not meant to be. I started to see the warning signs on the backstretch.  If you've experienced this, you know the feeling. Where once your legs were your friends, they now betray you. "Nope, I'm done", they scream at you. "Us too!" say your lungs.  Doesn't matter how much more of the race you have: when they go on strike, they mean it. And that was what happened to this runner. His 55 opening lap led to a 70 second lap. The last 100m looked like he was running in slow motion. Through molasses. While holding an invisible 100lb weight. You might say at least it was only an 800, but I bet he traded distance for a more exquisite type of pain. 

I've been a victim myself of poor pacing.  I've run some marathons and I have experienced both great negative splits and (more often) unfortunate lapses in judgement.  When the weather ends up being in the 80s on marathon day, most people would realize they need to adjust their pace.  However, on a couple of occasions my brain decided I'd be perfectly fine, and shouldn't adjust anything. Cut to 2 hours later and I'm doing the deathmarch,  feeling like if I step on a pebble in the road, I'll be done, with my last "meal" being a gel and some Gatorade that mostly spilled down my singlet. 

For the 5k, I try to help my runners with pacing by practicing it in workouts. This can be trickier with some runners than others. For example, I've had runners who would routinely go out about 25 seconds too fast for the first mile of a tempo run, only to slow down significantly. "But that first mile felt so good, Coach", they say while pleading their case. "EVERYONE feels good the first mile!" I say in return. In my mind, this is like a jaywalker saying "But I felt so good when I crossing the street! It wasn't until the car hit me that I started feeling bad". It's always great (and a little funny) when juniors and seniors finally get it and realize they feel so much better if they run the appropriate paces in workouts and races.  See, there is a method to your coach's madness!

Now with GPS watches, pacing is easier, in theory. However, as most runners know, GPS notoriously doesn't work as well in certain situations. Running out in the open on a clear blue day? 7:30 Pace. Start running in the woods on the same day? You are now going 10:00 pace, regardless of if you didn't slow down, because watches can be evil and toy with you on purpose.  In the Chicago Marathon a few years back, I wanted to go out at 7:45 pace.  My watch and the skyscrapers made a pact to mess with me, and said I was going 7:45 pace, until right before the mile mark, when (surprise!) it suddenly switched to 7:15 pace.  While I would have loved to stop for a few minutes while I set my watch on fire and laughed as I watched it burn, I had no choice but to adjust to going out too aggressively. 

Despite the many obstacles, I will not give up on trying to help runners (and myself) to pace correctly, no matter the race distance.  Sometimes the 567th time is the charm!