Running a 5k? (Read 560 times)

Okay, I know I am looking ahead a little bit, but that's just how I roll Anyway, about a week before cross country starts, we are going to be running a 5k as a team to support a guy named Mike Cronin who is a former runner for us, works for Saucony, gave our team 100 pairs of free spikes, and he is the race director (wouldn't it be ironic if he were on RA?) Anyway, I should get to how this concerns me. I never ran cross country before and never ran more than two miles in a race situation, and all of those were on a track. So, how do you run a 5k? In comparison to a two mile, how fast do you run? Do you run at about two mile pace, a little slower, or a LOT slower. I guess I can multi task and also ask the same about cross country. All the dual meets in cross country (I'm not counting on any invitationals- only the top seven or so go) are 5k, but I realize that XC is different than road racing or track. Any tips are appreciated, as I am already wicked nervous about next season

1) XC was a welcomed break from road racing and track. I enjoyed XC to the fullest...Never won and usually came in 3rd-5th out of 100+ runners...but I enjoyed the change of scenery. 2) At your age...5k or 3.1 miles isn't a whole lot different than 2 miles. The big difference b/w a 5k and XC are the number of participants...in a 2 mile track event you might have 16 runners on the track at once. In a 5k or XC you will have at least 100+. For me when I was in HS and did it for pure competition... Find a teammate or runner from opposing team you know you run close with at 2 miles and pace off them for the 5K and XC. If you can stay with them, then it's just racing after that...when to pass, when to fall back and pace off someone else. My Rule of thumb for new variables...pace off someone else until you know they are too slow or too fast.

Wow I hope you enjoy cross country. You will have less teammates than track so you should get to know all the guys well. Your team will probably jog/walk the course before you run them. As you do this pick spots where you think you can do well (if you are good downhill look for these spots to get a good run going)... Also the start is important in that you don't want to get clogged behind slower runners. Usually these X country races come up to small trails within 500 feet or so and if thats the case you want to be in the correct position (not clogged behind slower runners) which make it difficult to pass and will slow your times considerably. BenBuck has a great point. Pace behind a runner whom you know is about your speed. This takes a lot of guesswork out of the situation. Too much thinking takes energy. Relax and run your race. I tend to go just a little faster in the opening mile in 5k races because there is alot of energy at the start (but don't get carried away as a 5k cannot be won in the 1st kilometer but it can be lost if you start too fast and blow up later). Try to pace the 1st half ... you can race the 2nd half IF you feel good. As the season goes on you will learn alot about racing. So mile one is hard but comfortable. Know that you could run 3 miles at that pace. Mile 2 you might slow down somewhat perhaps 15 seconds because you are tiring (the goal is even splits if the course is flat but in x-country most runners start out faster in mile one)...Mile 3 I run about the same pace as mile 2 until I reach the half mile to go point. Then I try to pick up the pace. The last 200-400 meters you want to let it all out. You have a good 400 meter time so somewhere in the last quarter mile you may be able to pick off runners ahead of you.