10K race pace advise

In article <[email hidden]>,

Neil Gendzwill said:

Hi, all. About to try my 1st race of any flavour this Sunday. I've run
10K in training at an 8 min pace and still had some in the tank but not
much. On race day, should I go out at an 8 min pace and speed up if I
feel good, or try to push the pace a little? I've read some advice
where racing pace is as much as a full minute/mile faster - I'm pretty
sure I'd die very quickly at 7 as I've never run that fast for any
appreciable distance.

Without a time from a previous race, your plan of starting at 8 and
speeding up if you feel good is a good one. The 1-2 minutes/mile faster
are for 10k racing in good training as compared to a properly slow
training run. Chances are good that you're running your training runs
too fast, which is why the 7 minute pace looks so fast.

Main thing on the first race: Have fun. It is much better to finish
feeling that you could have run faster, than to not finish or finish
your first feeling like dead meat.

--
Robert Grumbine http://www.radix.net/~bobg/ Science faqs and amateur activities notes and links.
Sagredo (Galileo Galilei) "You present these recondite matters with too much
evidence and ease; this great facility makes them less appreciated than they
would be had they been presented in a more abstruse manner." Two New Sciences

"Neil Gendzwill" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, all. About to try my 1st race of any flavour this Sunday. I've run
10K in training at an 8 min pace and still had some in the tank but not
much. On race day, should I go out at an 8 min pace and speed up if I
feel good, or try to push the pace a little? I've read some advice where
racing pace is as much as a full minute/mile faster - I'm pretty sure I'd
die very quickly at 7 as I've never run that fast for any appreciable
distance.

Neil

Neil - there's nothing like the adrenaline surge of raceday, and the lure
of
competition.

Based on my training pace I figured that I'd be able to run about 45 mins
for my first 10K race. I ended up running 42.

Having said that, it's also common to take off too fast at the beginning
with the
surge of other runners. So, I would suggest starting at a steady pace, one
that
you're comfortable with, and then increasing as the race unfolds. You
shouldn't feel
like you're pushing the pace in the first mile. Save that for the last
mile. :-)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Anthony.

Its likely the excitement of the race and crowds may make start out too
fast and you may fade in the second half. Experience is the best
teacher.
10K isnt long enough to worry about serious injury if you go too fast.
In the next 10K you'll know yourself better.

Neil Gendzwill said:

Hi, all. About to try my 1st race of any flavour this Sunday. I've run
10K in training at an 8 min pace and still had some in the tank but not
much. On race day, should I go out at an 8 min pace and speed up if I
feel good, or try to push the pace a little? I've read some advice
where racing pace is as much as a full minute/mile faster - I'm pretty
sure I'd die very quickly at 7 as I've never run that fast for any
appreciable distance.

My first and foremost piece of advice for a first race is, just do it, and don't
worry too much about running "the perfect race". You'll have plenty of
opportunity for that -- later. Go for the experience, and the excitement of the
race day atmosphere, and have fun!

Try to hold back at the start -- you'll be surprised by how quickly the
first mile goes by. If you get into a good rhythm by the end of the first mile,
just go with it. Then about 2/3 of the way in, either hang on as best you can,
or pick it up, depending on the circumstances. Or to put it more concisely, just
go out there and run the damn thing.

Good luck,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/

"Neil Gendzwill" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, all. About to try my 1st race of any flavour this Sunday. I've run
10K in training at an 8 min pace and still had some in the tank but not
much. On race day, should I go out at an 8 min pace and speed up if I
feel good, or try to push the pace a little? I've read some advice where
racing pace is as much as a full minute/mile faster - I'm pretty sure I'd
die very quickly at 7 as I've never run that fast for any appreciable
distance.

Try starting at 7:30/mile, and if still feel strong at 5k, start going a
little faster through the rest.
Unlike starting fast and trying to hang on, starting a little too slow
is much easier to 'fix' in the last 3 miles. It's also the style of race
that yields maximum performance when you do figure out exactly what pace is
right. So get it started and give it a run.

Dave

Anthony said:

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I just ran what felt good and at the halfway mark felt OK enough to turn
it up a bit. Time was 48:36, split was 24:30/24:06 so I'm happy with
that for a first effort - I only run 2 or 3 times a week so it's not
like I'm training superhard.

The overall race was pretty slow, fastest 10K was 37, 1/2 was 1:24 and
full was 2:53 - I think all the really fast guys were in Ottawa for the
national marathon.

Neil

Congratulations on your first race!

It's a PR (Personal Record) by definition, so enjoy it.

Try some of the other distances (5K, 5miles) and see how those work for
you.

Have a good run,
Ed