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10K strategy?

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  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I decided to write this up on Science-Based running. Pretty fascinating stuff:

    http://sciencebasedrunning.com/2014/04/should-you-start-out-slow-in-a-10k/

    Interesting.

    So. Are you planning a faster start? And if so what are your thoughts on by how much?
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
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    So. Are you planning a faster start? And if so what are your thoughts on by how much?

    Yes, if it was a totally flat course I would definitely try to start out at a 6:15 pace instead of 6:20. I will have to look at the course map to be sure; there will be a few adjustments for hills. But I think the biggest hill is in the second half so if I'm shooting for a 6:20 overall pace I may need to start even just a touch faster than that.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I drew the map for the course so I could get an idea of the elevation profile and it's not exactly flat and the hills are pretty well dispersed through the whole thing

    231945f4-5118-42fe-89b6-6a81727e8f7e_zps11dd08bb.jpg
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I just saw that they're going to have pacers.......? Is that even a thing? Pacers at a 10K?
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
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    I drew the map for the course so I could get an idea of the elevation profile and it's not exactly flat and the hills are pretty well dispersed through the whole thing

    231945f4-5118-42fe-89b6-6a81727e8f7e_zps11dd08bb.jpg

    That looks to me like it's got a mostly downhill finish. So maybe shoot for an even pace the whole way? The extra work on the front half will probably match the effort of a fast start.
    I just saw that they're going to have pacers.......? Is that even a thing? Pacers at a 10K?

    I've been at one 10k with pacers. But my pacer had bitten off more than she could chew and couldn't keep up the required pace, so I ended up finishing way ahead of her!
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    Yeah. I'm thinking even pace and then if I have anything left at the end open it up.

    Thanks for the input.
    But my pacer had bitten off more than she could chew and couldn't keep up the required pace, so I ended up finishing way ahead of her!

    I can see this being pretty common in shorter races.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    The hills were a LOT worse in person than they were on the map. A LOT worse. The 85% humidity didn't help much either. 51:38 was my watch time. Still a 3 minute PR but not quite the sub 50 I was hoping for.
  • actlc
    actlc Posts: 84
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    Congratulations!

    humidity definitely played a role and made it difficult & slower. I always find myself slower or higher heart rate when running in high humidity.
    The hills were a LOT worse in person than they were on the map. A LOT worse. The 85% humidity didn't help much either. 51:38 was my watch time. Still a 3 minute PR but not quite the sub 50 I was hoping for.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    Congratulations!

    humidity definitely played a role and made it difficult & slower. I always find myself slower or higher heart rate when running in high humidity.
    The hills were a LOT worse in person than they were on the map. A LOT worse. The 85% humidity didn't help much either. 51:38 was my watch time. Still a 3 minute PR but not quite the sub 50 I was hoping for.

    Thanks!

    It's usually humid here in the spring/summer/fall but I just haven't had a chance to get re-acclimated to it after our "exceptionally cold" winter.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    Sorry, Dave. I kinda jacked your thread. But the timeliness of it was just too good for me to pass.
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
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    The hills were a LOT worse in person than they were on the map. A LOT worse. The 85% humidity didn't help much either. 51:38 was my watch time. Still a 3 minute PR but not quite the sub 50 I was hoping for.

    Wow, tough day. Adjusting for hills / temp / humidity makes the whole "how fast should I go" question even tougher! Very impressive to PR in those conditions! (And no, you didn't hijack the thread! It's good to hear how these strategies pan out in reality!)
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    My first two miles were sub 8:00. And I was feeling good until about 2.4 or so. That was after a pretty good hill and the wheels kinda came off at that point. I think with less hills the starting out a few seconds faster than overall goal pace would have been pretty solid.
  • zornig
    zornig Posts: 336 Member
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    I have only run 10Ks as training runs, but I always run a negative split--with my second 5K as much as a minute faster than my first 5K. Maybe that's unusual?
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
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    The hills were a LOT worse in person than they were on the map. A LOT worse. The 85% humidity didn't help much either. 51:38 was my watch time. Still a 3 minute PR but not quite the sub 50 I was hoping for.

    Great job on the PR! Sounds like a rough race.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    I have only run 10Ks as training runs, but I always run a negative split--with my second 5K as much as a minute faster than my first 5K. Maybe that's unusual?

    My experience with training runs vs. races is that there is very little comparison. I try not to compare what will happen in a race to what happens in training.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    The hills were a LOT worse in person than they were on the map. A LOT worse. The 85% humidity didn't help much either. 51:38 was my watch time. Still a 3 minute PR but not quite the sub 50 I was hoping for.

    Great job on the PR! Sounds like a rough race.

    Thanks!
    Looking back it was the toughest race I've ever done. Which surprises the dogcrap out of me.
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
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    So I finished the 10K -- pretty much nailed the pace. Was shooting for 6:15/mile, ended up with 6:15 mile average pace. Ran a little faster in the first 5K. Second half was very tough, but I still came in right at my target time, 39:01 PR. I'm writing up a full recap and will post a link here when it is done.
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
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    Here is the recap of the 10K:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/davemunger/view/race-recap-the-lake-norman-rotary-10k-651297

    Going out fast made Mile 6 really tough, but I think it was the right call.
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
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    So I finished the 10K -- pretty much nailed the pace. Was shooting for 6:15/mile, ended up with 6:15 mile average pace. Ran a little faster in the first 5K. Second half was very tough, but I still came in right at my target time, 39:01 PR. I'm writing up a full recap and will post a link here when it is done.

    Great execution and a great result!
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    So I finished the 10K -- pretty much nailed the pace. Was shooting for 6:15/mile, ended up with 6:15 mile average pace. Ran a little faster in the first 5K. Second half was very tough, but I still came in right at my target time, 39:01 PR. I'm writing up a full recap and will post a link here when it is done.

    Damn. That's awesome.

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