This coming Saturday, a local running club has a 4 miler no frills race. This race is free to members so I chose to run it for the experience. What's your approach in theory to racing a 4 miler? Any similarity to a 5K? I'm sure my execution of this race will not compare to most runners on this forum, but at least, I may have a strategy prior to the start of the race. The brief description of the course from 2012 is "the moderately hilly course runs through wooded neighborhoods, offering shade from the heat". Thanks for all responses.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T.S. Eliot
I usually run it at almost 5K pace, as it is less than mile longer. Maybe 5-7 seconds off the 5K.
Good luck!
Damaris
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Barking Mad To Run
1. Read my race report for the 4-miler I did on the 4th of July
2. DON'T do yours like I did mine!
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt
Scottydawg - so arrive earlier than 30 minutes before a race and hydrate plenty prior to race, right? Since this is my first 4 miler it's guaranteed to be my PB and PW.
Skirt Runner
I like 4 mile races. NYC has a lot of them....about 1 a month. However I am A) too much of a noob to give anyone racing advice and B) never actually "raced" a 4M. They always seem to come up at a time when racing all out would effect performance in an upcoming race of another distance that was more important to me at the time, so I've always used the 4M races as speedwork....running the first 2 miles easy then testing out my 5K or 10K pace for the last 2 miles....or doing a progression. Good luck!
PRs: 5K- 28:16 (5/5/13) 10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13) 4M- 41:43 (9/7/13) 15K- 1:34:25 (8/17/13) 10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14) HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14) Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)
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Are we there, yet?
If you tend to race conservatively, race it like a 5K. If you're more aggressive in your pacing, race It more like an 8K.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
^^This^^
I tend to be aggressive and would worry more about going out too hard and blowing up. I'd probably try to start off a bit slower than I thought necessary and build through the race. That's probably not optimal but you'll beat folks who are treating it more like a 10K and may well get past the folks who go out too hard. Mind you, if you are one of those folks who feels like he always leaves a bunch of gas in the tank and can sprint the last half mile of every race, then go out at what you think is a hard effort.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
Super B****
Like Kristin said, they're pretty common in NYC, so it doesn't seem as strange a distance to me as it might to some. I tend to treat them like 5Ks, maybe a couple of seconds a mile slower. But these races are always on the same course, which gives me a bit of an advantage since I already know what I'm dealing with.
chasing the impossible
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miscreant
Just run really fucking fast, until your lungs feel like they're going to burst. Then keep going.
It's only 4 miles. I mean, my mother could run 4 miles, for shit's sake...
I'm happy, hope you're happy too...
Just run really fucking fast, until your lungs feel like they're going to burst. Then keep going. It's only 4 miles. I mean, my mother could run 4 miles, for shit's sake...
Uh huh. Wait till you're my age and some of your body parts may not work as well as they used to. 4 miles can be quite a handful for some folks.
Does your mother know you're telling everyone she can run 4 miles? You better let her know or you might get grounded when she finds out.
What's your base like? At last summer's 4 miler here, I logged my best AG% of the year by just going at 5K effort and trying to gradually pick it up through the last .5 mile rather than dropping a big kick.
Thanks for everyone's input so far. Bluerun - you present a valid point regarding running a race on a familiar course. I've run a specific 10K race 3 years in a row and it helps immeasurably psychologically because I know what to expect while running the race. Unfortunately, I don't know the course and have yet to find a race report online describing it.
So, I may approach it just a few seconds slower than a 5K pace for the first 2 miles and then increase the pace. It will be a fun learning experience.
If it's "moderately hilly" as you say in OP, I'd just run it at an effort a little easier than 5k but a bunch harder than 10k. If you really want to race it, just go for it. It's only 4 miles.
We have a series of fall xc races where the distance and course aren't announced until just before the start - generally in the 3-5mile range with approximate distances. For those already familiar with those trail systems, they'll have an idea how to moderate their effort. For those of us not familiar with those systems, it's a fun time managing energy trying not to leave anything on the course, but having enough to get to the finish. I've done them both ways. After leaving a bunch on the course a few times and having a little more confidence, I went a lot harder on the next one. Unfortunately, when I thought we were turning back toward the finish line, there was still probably at least 3/4+ mi to go with some decent hills, including something called "stairway to heaven" as I later saw on the map.