My dad pointed something out. (training advice please)

I start horribly in XC for the first 800 and then I gain on everyone. Like yesterday in my biggest JV race I've ever done I started 43rd and moved up to 13th. My rival beat me in the first 400 meters pretty much. He went out hard the first 400 and then at 1 mile he was 100 in front of me. At the end of the race [4K] I was 50 meters behind him. The reason my start sucks is if I go out as hard as everyone else does I just die and I would've gotten like 40th. So could you help me to start fast and not fade out please?

Learn to pace yourself correctly. I never go out fast and I always end up near the front of the pack by the end of the race. Those that get out fast always die out so I wait patiently to make my move. My first two miles are always nice and easy and I try to hang in there. You'll usually pass a lot of people by this point. And by the last mile you'll be passing the guys who didn't run their race and die out. Last mile should be your fastest. I'm sure your training is fine, you can't train for what you just stated. It's all about strategy and patience.

how do you know you started 43rd? lol

but yea, you just need to get into your pace as soon as possible.

Maybe 43rd = last?

CT Track wrote:Maybe 43rd = last?

that's the only logical explanation as to how he would know that.

our team counts and tells our place in our first split. there were 139 in the race.

P2 wrote:our team counts and tells our place in our first split. there were 139 in the race.

lol, who gets that job? i would screw up and just yell out a random number.

im pretty sure they do. but at least i was somewhere around 40.

My biology teacher used to have a job in the enviromentalist profession and her job was to count the salmon that passed a certain point in the river.

Well You could also start out fast like Prefontaine and Lingdren and try to hang with the guys in the front. You should work on fartleks. These short and fast bursts of speed will help you keep up or you can be lazy and pace yourself. Stay in school kid.

Anyways to P2, I seem to have the same prob. I always start out in the back but I do it because I'm afraid I'll burn out. But my coach is always telling me to go out with so and so (who's like #1 or 2 on the team) and says I'll be fine if I just stick with them. So maybe go out with someone a little faster then you in the beginning and see how you do?

that might be cruddy advice so I dunno..

Like today I went out with a guy who I thought was faster than me; 5:15 first mile and just powered my way to a new PR. But that doesn't work for everyone

Pinthin wrote:Anyways to P2, I seem to have the same prob. I always start out in the back but I do it because I'm afraid I'll burn out. But my coach is always telling me to go out with so and so (who's like #1 or 2 on the team) and says I'll be fine if I just stick with them. So maybe go out with someone a little faster then you in the beginning and see how you do?

that might be cruddy advice so I dunno..

Its beautiful advice pinthin

I've found going out hard once in a while kind of helps me get an idea of the exact types of times I could be running, but I tend to do better both in time and place when I go for negative splits (except the 800, but including the mile)

It might just be me though, because I suck at telling what pace is going to let me finish the fastest I can but not die in the middle of a race.

Just do whatever works best for you. There's no harm in trying a different approach early in the season, especially if you've still got multiple years left in high school.

im the same way P2, if i go out fast, i dont do nearly as well as if i build up to a fast pace.

Yeah our teams fastest runner who has a pr of 15:54 in the 5K (his pr came from a comminuty run and were still not sure how legit it is), but he always negative splits every mile and usually will be far back in the beggining and more up ahead by the end. I think that starting off slowly helps u feel were your at and what type of pace u can pull off at the race.

It sounds like you did a good job. I've always kind of struggled getting out fast so I don't really have any advice.

But I saw the results from the varsity meets in the paper. Love how Class B was represented in the the boy's race with the Grinnell twins. Oh and I have a question for you piper. Can Joash Osoro from Bismarck run this year or is he too old? And where was Shanice Lambert from New Town??

I believe Osoro is still competing Shanice didn't race. Roesler ran 16.08. You are set! You're PR beats her time.

It was a hard course and if you can remember this be very very careful to not roll your ankle when you get by he coulee and there is only like 4 meters of pavement but you can go around it.

I guess I heard that Osoro was past the age limit for competing. I am very curious why Shanice didn't race.

I ran my pr on a very nice day and she ran that on a very windy day. We ran in a meet at Williston today. Very small and a course that's pavement and gravel. Oh and we only ran a 3k.

practice like you want to race.

If you want to go out faster

you need to practice doing so

I read an article that tested 50 runners on whether going out even paced or faster than average pace worked better. 80% of the people who went out faster PR'ed. Just gut out one race and see how it goes. It'll hurt though, but you won't ever win unless you compete.

^^good advice

BagoXC25 wrote:I read an article that tested 50 runners on whether going out even paced or faster than average pace worked better. 80% of the people who went out faster PR'ed. Just gut out one race and see how it goes. It'll hurt though, but you won't ever win unless you compete.

I think I read that somewhere.. yeah when doesn't a pr hurt??

But Everyone is different, like bago said try both ways.

When I first broke 5 I ran a 2:25 800m and then 2:27. I ran two other miles after that but I never got closer than 6 seconds. I think Bago's right, you'll never know if you don't go out a little faster.

I have too much stuff riding on my races to go out hard now. I do think I want to experiment with it though. Like I said, its not the mile or so that I dont go hard. Its the first 200. Thats what screws me.