Forums >Racing>First race done! 10 mile race a little over a week from now
Hi all! So last Sunday, I ran an 8km road race to reduce my jitters about the 10 mile race coming up. I was pretty pleased with my results, I just checked online for my exact time and it was 45:02-- 15th place for F 20-29. Given that I have only been running for 8 months and prior to that was chronically obese, I think this is a great starting point.
My first thought when crossing the finish line was "awesome! now do it one more time and that's the length of the next one". At the reception, I think I put more carbs in me than I have in a month!
I feel like I definitely pushed myself a lot, and found the run challenging on my knees at times mainly from sprinting spurts here and there. The next one is twice the length, so I will definitely need to pace myself better and avoid giving in to the desire to pass whoever I can.
Do you guys have any strategies for pacing yourselves? I don't think I care as much about my time for this one as much as I care about finishing without stopping.
Pace Prophet
Congratulations on your first race! (And on your journey to fitness and health!)
One way you can come up with a general pacing plan is by using an equivalence calculator such as https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/embed/index.php or http://www.runworks.com/calculator.html. According to the runworks calculator (which I'm using because Daniels doesn't extrapolate for 10M), your 8k time is the equivalent of about a 1:35 10M, or around 9:30 pace. This is not really a predictor, but most people use it this way; the thing you need to remember is that it assumes equivalent training for both races, and sufficient endurance, which most people don't have, particularly beginners. I would say that unless you're running over 35mpw you should probably start out at a somewhat slower pace, perhaps 9:45; if you haven't run the distance before I'd say you should just start out at your normal long run pace, and after mile 7 if you still have energy you can push a little faster.
If you have a Garmin or similar pace-checking watch, just check it every so often. If you don't, the race should have mile markers, so you can make yourself a cheat-sheet as to what your watch time should be as you pass each marker (e.g. if you plan to run at 10 minute pace, you'd expect to see markers at 10, 20, 30 minutes etc.) and make sure you're not pushing too fast with the excitement of the race.
Have fun! Ten miles is a great race distance.
Old , Ugly and slow
Great job on your first race.
Even pacing is always best.
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes
SMART Approach
Yes even pacing and for newer runners I always tell them that I want them to run the second half of the race faster than the first half. So, what I am saying is start conservatively. You may even want to use the first mile as extension of your warm up. Please take into account the course difficulty and heat/ humidity too. Make it a good experience and don t crash and burn. 10 miles is a different animal than 5. . 10 min miles are more realistic. You can always finish strong if feeling good.
Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery
Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training
Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique
www.smartapproachtraining.com
Problem Child
Just remind yourself in the beginning you have to go twice as far so you can’t go too slow at the start. It’s easier to speed up at the end of mile 6 after going too easy to start than it is to walk every mile after 7 because you went out too hard. Pick something simple like “run the whole thing” or “run 5 minutes and walk 1 minute” as a goal to finish. 10 miles is kind of far.
Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.
VDOT 53.37
5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22