How to Plan Your Race

Here are some questions the canny middle of pack (MOP) runner should be asking him or herself before the race.

• Do I have a race plan based on the following?
• What level of runner am I? (Recreational, semi-serious, aspiring-elite)?
• Am I familiar with this course? (Hilly, flat, rolling)?
• What are the weather conditions today?
• What strategy am I going to use to run this race? (Negative splits, equal splits, positive splits)?
• Hills, wind, heat and humidity will all throw you off your desired goal pace, so slow down your goal pace to allow for these factors.

The Warm Up

The multiple benefits of warm up make this practice worthwhile. However, many runners overdo it and fatigue themselves prematurely; burning up valuable glycogen stores and losing water that will be needed later, when they overheat.

Your warm up for a 10K should be 15 - 20 minutes, no more. A shorter warm up for a half marathon (10 - 15 minutes) is still a good idea, and even shorter if it's very hot and humid. The converse applies in cold conditions, below 10 degrees Centigrade.

The Start

How many of us are guilty of flying off at a suicidal pace in the first mile or two in a 10K because we got excited, caught up in the moment, and disregarded common sense? You need only to experience this once to realize that it is not wise - and you'll feel miserable at the finish.

The excitement of competition causes your adrenal glands to dump large amounts of stress hormones like adrenalin into your bloodstream, often causing runners to override common sense, and start far too quickly. So hold yourself back and start very slowly; up to 30 seconds slower than your desired race pace, or even run at your standard training pace. Don't worry about losing time this way - you'll make it up when it counts later in the race.

Start with runners of your ability, not faster runners. If it's a large race, maintain a steady pace and avoid weaving in and out of the runners to overtake them. Settle into your desired goal pace somewhere around the first mile. Keep things under control until you're past the first two miles in the 10K and five miles in the half marathon.

The Middle of the Race

By now you should still be running within your capabilities. This is the part of the race where you should gradually start picking up your tempo. Do not pick your pace up in a short fast burst; it should be done over a half-mile or more - speed up almost imperceptibly.

Altering your Strategy Mid-race

Most of the time you should attempt to stay with your pacing plan, but occasionally the weather or how you are feeling will merit altering your pace. Do so without regret, and realise we're not machines, occasionally we're just not up to the challenge for some unknown reason.

Drafting

There is convincing evidence to support the tactic of drafting behind other runners. Research shows the energy required to overcome air resistance increases exponentially with running velocity and headwind. The energy cost of overcoming air resistance depends on air density, your frontal surface area, and the square of your running velocity.

One study found that running at 10 mph in calm conditions uses about 2.9 liters of oxygen/minute, while running at the same speed into a 10 mph headwind increases the oxygen cost 5%, to 3.09 liters/min. Another study found a 10 mph headwind adds 8% to energy costs.

Any runner ignoring these daunting statistics flirts with disaster. But by drafting behind another runner you reduce wind resistance by 90%, and decrease your energy expenditure by 7%.

Thus, your strategy should be to shelter about one meter behind other runners into a headwind, whenever possible. You'll save a lot of energy doing this. Conversely, when the wind is behind you, come out wide from the pack, set your sails, and pick up your pace.

Running with a group can help tremendously. Sharing the goal and motivating each other can really help your time. Just make sure the pack is running at your pace.

Cutting corners

Accurate courses are measured over the shortest possible route open to the runners. So make sure you cut the corners - this is not cheating. Running down the center of the road adds 1-2 seconds to your finish time and extends the distance you run.

Using external stimuli

You'll find the crowd and supporters along the course will help you get through the race. Use this stimulus as much as possible, without making you divert from your pace plan.

The Last Third of the Race

No matter how well you are pacing yourself, you'll be feeling discomfort by this stage, ranging from moderate to extreme. Concentrate on being as relaxed as possible, and holding your form. Focus on maintaining your pace, breathing, temperature, and rhythm, and adjust pace up or down as you process this feedback.

At this stage, there's a tendency for runners to slump forward like a sack of potatoes, causing their stride to shorten, leading to a much slower pace. A good resistance-training program focusing on the core can help delay this deterioration.

Your Final Sprint

The practice of sprinting the final few hundred meters should be used with caution, if at all. You've just thrashed yourself over 10K or 13.1 miles, and your body is screaming out to stop. Perhaps getting your heart rate up to near maximum, accumulating excess lactate and the other stressors that zap your tired body here might not be worth those few seconds you've shaved off your time.

These then, are the basic strategies used in most 10K and half-marathon races. It's clear what the most effective tactics are, based on research and much personal experience. Maybe it's time for you to evaluate your personal racing tactics and try something new?

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