On pace

I've never been one to try to ease into a race. I like to pick a fast pace and try to keep it as long as possible. I realize this isn't necessarily a good strategy if I pick too fast of a pace. Just two weeks ago did a ten mile race in which I went out hard and died a horrible death.

In fact, the result was so bad that I worried that my triathlon training had ruined my ability to run a good race. I thought I'd be forever slow as long as I trained for the tri.

So, after ignoring the previous advice of my coach, I decided to listen to hear advice this time and do negative splits in last weekends half marathon in Louisville. The plan was for me to run off of my heart rate monitor and let that be my guide and not pace. I was to do about 75% for the first three miles and not go more than about 80% for the next 8. If I still had some left after 11 miles – I could run as fast as my legs would carry me.

As I understand it, completing an Ironman is all about using your energy wisely. Containing effort early on in the race will save a contestant from hours of walking during the marathon. I needed to start running based on effort (heart rate).

Starting out at the back of the pack drove me nuts. I had to keep reeling myself back in. I was constantly running into the back of the other runner's heals and trying to sidestep around them if they were too slow. But tossing out any expectation of going fast relieved some self applied pressure and I tried to enjoy the slow pace. It was a beautiful day – a perfect day for running. Eventually space began to clear and I ran at a very easy pace, with little stress. The start of the Louisville Derby Mini Marathon is flat for the first few miles but then goes into a hilly park. Running through the park, my heart elevated and I kept my pace down accordingly. I still felt really strong and began to grow some confidence that I was going to be able to pick it up as the race went on.

The last 6 miles of the derby are flat or slightly down hill. With every mile I increased my turnover and accelerating. I passed many many people. I have to admit it was fun. The last few miles I was actually able to push it hard – running a minute and a half per mile faster than my starting pace. While that pace would have been impossible to keep up for more than a mile longer, it really gave me some confidence in what I'd be capable of doing if my splits had been more even. More importantly, by steadily increasing speed during the race, I think I was able to determine what type of pace I can keep up for a long run. In the future, if I'm trying to do a fast marathon, I think I'll do a half marathon on negative splits as a tune up – so I'll know what pace to go out at.

I