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by
Bob Cooper
Six
strategies for running the race of your life
It's race day, and you're halfway through the distance. Or
slightly more. Until now, the race has seemed almost effortless. All's going
well. Almost too well. Could this be your day for a PR?
Minutes later, your form begins to wobble. All at once, your pace falls off,
your shoulders sag, your mood darkens. All the high hopes you had for this
race-dashed!
To ensure this never happens again, we're going to share six proven pacing
strategies with you. They may not all work for you, but several of them
will. And one may be the ticket to your perfect race.
1. Break It Up
Try mentally segmenting your next race-over the entire
distance or just during the difficult final third or half. "I approach a
half-marathon not as a 21-K, but as three 5-Ks and one 6-K, each with a
water stop and a prize at the end," says veteran midpack marathoner Hurben
Baynes of New Zealand. "This helps me avoid the midrace doldrums."
Ultramarathon star Ann Trason takes segmenting to even greater lengths. "I
broke the 1997 Comrades, a 56-miler, into quarters," she says. "In the third
quarter I was feeling terrible, so I broke it into 2-minute segments. Every
2 minutes, I tried to draw a little bit closer to [women's leader] Maria Bak,
who was 2 minutes ahead of me." Trason caught Bak at the 52-mile mark of the
ultra classic in South Africa and won in the second-fastest women's time in
race history.
The long distances of ultras demand this segmenting approach, but it's just
as useful in shorter races. Marathoners can regard each aid station as a
finish line, 10-K runners can mentally split the distance into six 1-mile
races plus a sprint, and milers should run one lap at a time. Simple advice,
but it works.
2. Look for the Pass
In chasing Bak, Trason was using another effective strategy:
keying in on a runner ahead of you to stay motivated. It's second nature to
top runners who are trying to win or place, but it can work just as well at
a 10-minute-mile pace.
"I try to gradually move up to the next runner ahead, and once I pass, I
look for the next one to catch," says Thom Rhoads, a recreational racer from
Vergennes, Vt. "I told some friends about this, and it worked so well for a
buddy of mine that he used it to beat me at a 5-K!" To time the gap between
yourself and the runner ahead, periodically check your watch when each of
you passes a stationary object. Try to close that gap gradually.
If cooperation, not competition, holds greater appeal, you can adopt the
perspective of Elizabeth Weaver Engel of Washington, D.C. "I look for
someone who seems to be struggling and try to talk them through it," says
Engel. "This takes my mind off how bad I'm feeling, and helps them in the
process."
Marathon legend Bill Rodgers has used the same strategy. "I look for another
runner who's fatigued, and talk to him," says Rodgers. "I say, 'Let's work
together and try to move up.' This way, we help each other out."
Here's something else to try. On out-and-back courses, once you've made the
turnaround, cheer for the runners coming at you. Many will reciprocate,
which is just what you'll need to keep chugging. Giving and receiving
encouragement in this way more than compensates for the extra effort.
3. Stay in Rhythm
Tuning in to the rhythm of your footsteps can help you in a
race when you're beginning to slip off-key. Try "playing" songs with a
driving beat in your head (Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" is a favorite)
to stay on track. You may prefer classical music or reggae, or even Julie
Andrews.
"Around the 17-mile mark at my first marathon," recalls Kim Schulz of
Toronto, "my hips were aching and my toes hurt. Then I started singing to
myself. It was "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music, and it had the perfect
cadence for my tired body. Also, it's so optimistic. It carried me the rest
of the way."
Counting steps is another way to maintain your rhythm. Do this between
evenly spaced objects, such as fence posts or telephone poles, to monitor
your stride length.
Boulder's Paula Vaughan counts the number of right-foot steps she takes per
minute to maintain cadence. "I try for 92 per minute, and if I count fewer,
I pick my tempo right back up to 92."
Others just count. "I count up to 100, over and over," says Joe Arbona, of
Spring, Tex. ''By running in tune with this internal metronome, I maintain
my pace." Kim Kazimour of Gainesville, Fla., agrees. "Counting seems to
bring my focus back to running when my mind starts to drift as I fatigue. It
has a hypnotic quality, and helps me keep a steady cadence."
These rhythm methods help you achieve the paradoxical mindset that can be
critical in a race: distraction (from negative thoughts by focusing on your
stride cadence) and attention (to your body as it works hard to stay on
pace).
4. Take Your Cue
Using simple, positive mantras can keep you focused and on pace.
"I like to use 'No slack' or 'Relax your arms,'" says Dr. Nancy Eckhardt of Fort
Collins, Colo. Julia Kirtland, the 1997 U.S. marathon champion, favors "Relax"
and "Loosen your hips."
Suzie Tuffey, Ph.D., a sports psychologist and former North Carolina State
University cross-country star, says that cue words can literally switch your
mental state from negative to positive.
"When your mind wanders at a critical point in any race, it usually shifts to
negative thoughts," she notes. "You'll think to yourself, 'My legs ache,' or 'No
way can I keep up this pace.' Instead, you need to think 'Pick it up' or
'Relax.'" The key is, have that cue word or phrase ready. Decide on it ahead of
time, perhaps settling on it during some of your harder training efforts leading
up to the race.
5. Use Your Imagination
Tuffey also recommends the use of images. "Imagine yourself as a
leopard, with its relaxed, loping stride," she says. Never mind that you're
feeling like a hungover tree sloth. Yogi Berra said about his sport, "Baseball
is 90 percent mental, and the other half is physical." The same is true of
running.
George Parrott, Ph.D. a California State University-Sacramento psychology
professor and veteran ultramarathoner, takes the African animal imagery a few
steps farther. "Imagine yourself a predator-lion, cheetah, whatever-and those
runners in your sight are prey to run down. As you pass each, look ahead for
your next dessert."
Another imagery option: When the racing gets hard, picture anything positive,
such as a favorite person, place, or experience. Karla Mortara of Eastchester,
N.Y., sees herself cruising through a pleasant weekday run. "Mentally I put
myself on my favorite training route," she says, "and the energy sweeps me up
and carries me along."
This same strategy helps Jane Welzel of Fort Collins, one of America's top
female masters marathoners. "If no one is around me in a race, I pretend I'm on
a training run. I visualize my training course, knowing that I can get through
it. If runners are near me, I pretend they're my training partners and I know
that I can hang with them."
6. Seize the Day
Or regret it tomorrow. Tell yourself this the next time your pace
is headed south. Take it from Lorinda Brandon of Pepperell, Mass., who avoided
late-race slacking in her first half-marathon.
"I knew I'd ease up by mile 11 unless I could come up with a way to talk myself
out of it," she says. "So when that point came, I firmly reminded myself that
all my hill repeats while training in the rain would be wasted if I didn't push
myself now. I also reminded myself how many people would be asking me about the
race the next day. Did I want to answer with pride or disappointment?" Brandon's
internal pep talk worked. She beat her goal time by 8 minutes.
Or take it from St. Louis marathoner Tracey Grzegorczyk: "I tell myself that
just because I'm tired and whiny, that doesn't mean the race will stop. Tomorrow
I'll have to wake up and face the results of my decisions. Will I be satisfied,
or angry at myself for wimping out due to temporary discomfort? Do I really want
to dwell on this for weeks or months, just because I wasn't willing to carry it
through today? The answer is always no."
Of course it is. And that's the lesson here. If you're the competitive type, or
even a recreational runner, you'll eventually find a racing strategy that works
for you. It may be one of the methods we've suggested, or it may be one you
develop on your own. When it proves successful, and when you reach that finish
line having accomplished your goal, you'll know at that moment that there's no
better feeling in running.
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