A winning strategy
You’ve training for 3, 4 up to 6 months for this day. Don’t let a race day flub derail your finish. Whether you are training for a 5K or a marathon, having a strategy and sticking to that strategy can make a huge difference for you on race day.
Let’s start with the basics, a strategy is not an exact science. A strategy is not always the goal you started out with at the beginning of training. A strategy takes your completed (key word) training, race conditions, and race course into consideration to help you physically and mentally tackle the race.
A few guidelines to consider:
The shorter the race the more daring you can be.
Know your threshold pace.
Fueling and hydration are just as important as your pace.
The more turns and elevation changes there are in course the more fatiguing your race will be.
Racing the 5K
You might be thinking, do I really need a strategy for a 5K? YES! For some it may be a simple, run a mile + walk 1 min. Or identifying where the water station is and using that as your reset moment. My favorite 5K strategy? Let it rip. The goal of a 5K is not to have a negative split (of course if your goal is completion then a negative split is a great goal!) But for racing, you actually want to see very little change in pace or even a little dip in that middle/final mile. The 5K is all about embracing the hard. If you have been training then you likely know your threshold pace. Don’t know it? No worries - execute a time trial during your training and use a VDOT calculator or other online calculator to get an idea of your threshold pace. This should be your target - maybe even slightly faster!
Racing a Half Marathon
When racing a half marathon there are a few strategies I like to use:
A ten mile warm up + 5K race. I like this strategy when athletes tend to go out too fast, it’s helps them to find patience in the race. Finding a pace that is just slightly faster than their easy pace and then pushing it the final 5K at threshold pace. Do you need to race like this all the time? Nope. As you learn how your “hard” feels you can start to peel back that easy pace over time.
5+5+5. Break the race into 3 parts. 5 Miles easy. 5 Miles moderate. 5K hard. This strategy is great for making the miles more digestible and not so daunting. However it doesn’t take into account hilly courses or courses with uphill finishes.
Even splits. This is saved for more experienced athletes - say after you have used the 10+5K and 5+5+5 a few times. As you learn what you hard feels like you will find it “easier” to settle into a pace 10-30 seconds slower than threshold pace. This comes with practice, feeling consistent paces the entire race and embracing the hard.
Racing a Marathon
Patience. The number one rule to consider in a marathon is practicing patience. 26.2 miles is a long race. It’s easy to get excited and “feel good” in the first 5-10 miles of the race - don’t let this fool you. You’ve tapered and you have fresh legs for the first time in 16-20 weeks! Don’t let this false feeling ruin your race day. Try the below strategies to run your best 26.2!
A twenty miles warm up + 10K race. Yes, double the half strategy. You may not have run 20 miles during training (and that’s ok!) taking the first 20 miles easy on race day will help you to save energy to finish strong. This is the time to settle into your easy pace and not make any moves until the final 10K. Once you crest the 20 mile mark, try increasing your pace just a little and “start” your race for the final 10K.
10+10+10K. Are you catching on yet? Yes it’s double the half marathon but this is a reminder that half way in the marathon is not 13.1 - notice how that hasn’t been included in this strategy? For this strategy, take the first 10 miles easy and use the second 10 miles to increase your pace 10-30 seconds per mile. This requires actually running your easy pace the first 1/3 - run that too fast and you won’t have anything for a final kick.
Remember to consider:
Having a mileage and pacing strategy is a great first start but it’s also important to consider the terrain of your race course. An athlete racing Boston should not follow the same strategy as someone running California International Marathon (CIM) - why? Because the terrain is so different and those hills (up and down!) impact your effort/available fuel.
You will also want to take care to evaluate your run/walk strategy. I know many of you reading this may be thinking “I do not want to walk at all in my marathon” and I’m going to just tell it to you straight - you will walk in your marathon. And it’s ok! I took walk breaks during my PR at Hartford and even elite athletes walk aid stations (or gasp even use the bathroom!) Strategically using your walk breaks can help you finish stronger than ever. Do not wait until you “can’t run anymore” to take a walk break. Walking in the early parts of the marathon can help you save energy and muscle fatigue for the final 10K. You are not weak or not a runner for taking a walk break.
Some walk ratios I like?
Run 1 mile / Walk 1 min
Walk every aid station
Run 4 min / Walk 1 min
Anything you have practiced with! Testing your strategy prior to race day is the best recipe for success.
Finally, nutrition! Yes you should plan your hydration and nutrition for race day as part of your strategy. You can read a little here about fueling for your long runs but you’ll want to have a game plan for when to take your gels and drink water/electrolytes. Take time to write out exactly how many gels you will use, when you will take them and don’t deviate from it. It is very easy on race day to ‘feel good’ and skip that first gel or push it out 1-2 miles. Remember you are fresh, you feel good - keep that feeling by fueling early and fueling often.
Need help with your race day strategy? Schedule a race strategy consultation with Coach D to help you run your best on race day! No you don’t need to have trained with Coach D, but she’ll need the training you did do to create a customized strategy just for you.
Get out there and have a great race day!
