Race Day Tactics Part 1: Pacing and Effort Control
Most races don’t fall apart because of fitness. Many times, it’s because of pacing. Which is why having a race pacing strategy is so important.
It’s a common mistake at every level of the sport. Athletes go out too fast, feel great in the beginning, and then spend the rest of the race trying to hold on. If you want to race better, this is where you start.
Why Pacing is Hard to Get Right
Going into a race, you’re tapered and fresh and adrenaline is pumping through your veins. Early in a race, you may be surrounded by athletes who are faster. What feels easy and controlled is often significantly faster than your sustainable effort.
Unfortunately, this is something that will effect your race later. Having a race pacing strategy will help you execute your race well and help you finish strong.
Effort vs Pace
Effort and pace can be used together. Through your training, you should have a good idea of what pace you can sustain and how it feels. But sometimes, race day conditions might dictate if you should rely more on effort as opposed to pace. But this will also depend on your training.
Conditions that might warrant focusing on effort instead of pace are:
- Heat
- Humidity
- Hills
- Wind
Adjust in real time instead of chasing numbers. There will be times that the whole race may have to be based off of effort. Other races may require you to make adjustments only on certain sections of the race. Through training and race experience, you’ll learn when it’s needed.
This is why it’s important to train in all sorts of weather and terrain (as long as it’s safe). And only racing can give you the experience to learn what to do and when.
The First Third of the Race
An aggressive start should be saved for advanced and elite athletes. It is useful in order to challenge your competition and stretch out the field. If you fall into this category, then you’ll also be training to be able to do this on race day.
For the majority of athletes, the first third of the race should be controlled. You should feel like you’re holding back and breathing should feel controlled.
For triathletes, the swim is where many athlete go out too hard due to the race start chaos long with the adrenaline. Remember to start controlled and find a rhythm.
The Middle Third of the Race
This is where the race begins for many athletes. At this point, you start to feel the effort. Your job is to stay steady, either by pace or by effort. At this point, you may find that you pass the athletes that went out too fast.
Triathletes should remember that the bike determines the run. “Mashing” on the bike may make you feel like you’re making progress, but it will detrimentally effect how well you can run. Remember to spin, not mash. Keep the gearing easier and the cadence high. Your run pace is earned on the bike.
The Final Third of the Race
If you paced correctly, you can really start to compete at this point. Yu still have control over your effort since you didn’t overextend early in the race. And you can increase output without falling apart.
For triathletes, you’re not starting with fresh legs. In fact, your legs probably feel like rubber or heavy bricks. This is where a triathlete should ease into the first mile, even if it feels slow. Then gradually build up to a faster pace.
Negative Split vs Even Split
Negative splitting, or running the race faster as it goes along, is a great race tactic but can be difficult to carry out.
Aiming for an even split race, where every mile is paced evenly, is a good place to start for beginner athletes and it suites flat courses. If you’re racing a hilly course, keep in mind that in order to keep an even pace, you’ll need to put more effort into the uphills.
A negative split racing strategy works well once you have some race experience under your belt. It should feel controlled early in the race, steady in the middle, and strong at the end.
Common Pacing Mistakes to Avoid
- Going out based on emotion, instead of a plan
- Trying to “bank time” early
- Ignoring race day conditions
- Letting other athletes dictate your pace
- Treating the swim and bike like separate events in a triathlon
For your next race, remember this:
- Start more controlled than you think you should
- Be patient early so you can be strong later
Your goal is to be able to continue pushing in the race in the later miles.
What’s Next
It’s easy to focus on fitness, but race execution is also important and can be trained.
Once you’re able to pace a race well, there’s still another place where you can improve and race effectively.
In Part 2, we’ll break down how to run a course effectively by running tangents.
Want help turning your fitness into smart race-day performances?
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