by Ujena Fit Club Coach Barry Anderson  Runners who are racing 5ks and/or 10ks frequently (2-3 times per month) may want to make sure that some of these races are used as a part of your training program. This is particularly true if there are races on your schedule where you are pointing toward a personal record (PR) or want to defeat one of your top rivals. Sometimes over-racing can lead to injury and/or disappointment if your times do not improve each time you race or fail to reach your race goals.

Go into these “training” races with a different purpose in mind. If you have been having trouble with finishing races strong, start out at a comfortable training run pace and try to accelerate through the end of the race. You may also want to practice surging and floating during your race. During a surge, run at a pace above your race pace for approximately 400-800 meters (or for a certain length of time) then ease into a comfortable training pace (float) for recovery. Repeat this process several times throughout the “training” race. Or, work on running even mile splits at 10-15% slower than you best race times. This can help you further understand the feel of pace.

When you approach races with this purpose in mind, you will not need to taper or sacrifice your training routine. Just consider this run as one of your quality workouts for the week. Sometimes you may even be surprised at the times you run.

Barry Anderson was the women’s track coach for 10 years at Kansas State University. He was responsible for organizing and hosting the first women’s Big 8 conference championship, and coached over 30 athletes that earned All-American status. These athletes included All-Americans in cross country and in track events from the 880 yard run through the 2 mile. 

Barry also participated in track and cross country as a middle distance and distance runner. This included competitive racing at the AAU club level beginning at age 13 and continued through high school, with five state championship top 5 finishes, and earned two letters in his college career.

Above Photo: start of the Ave of the Giants Half Marathon photo by Catherine Cross Ujena Fit Club

As you know, I am racing nearly every weekend this year between 5k and half marathon...it can be tough when you don't hit your goal but you have to shake it off and move to next week. My 5k and 4 mile time in this weekends half was almost as fast as I have been racing those distances...what do you think about that?
Bob Anderson 5/7/12 2:38 pm

Barry, back in the day I used races all the time in place of speed workouts. I called them 95%ers. I would not run them all out but during the race I eould move from tempo to more race-like efforts. I did much better off of these thsn track workouts which tended to tear me up.
Richard Stiller 5/7/12 3:32 pm

If I were running 50 races in a year I would not try to run each one all out. You only have so many really good races in you over a year. I would aim to be fresher for the longer races which are your strength and run the shorter races as Barry described. You'll still be well under your seven pace goal on those.
Richard Stiller 5/7/12 3:35 pm

Richard, we did this also back in the days at K-State. Bob, I don't want to be the cause of you missing your goal but would like to see you try some negative split running and not your "bank it early" style. It will take a different mental approach but, as Richard says, you will still be under your goal. In your next 5k try a first mile at 7:00-7:10 which should seem to be an easy pace based on the splits I have seen. Then pick up your tempo through the last 2 miles gradually with your last mile being the fastest. Don't worry about where you place but you will surprise yourself with how well you will run. Probably will feel better afterward...and recover faster. Your biggest danger in reaching your goal is over-racing. Can lead to injury and/or mental exhaustion. Have some fun on a few of these.
Barry Anderson 5/7/12 6:23 pm

I am having lunch with Bob Thursday. Will discuss but you know Bob. He is all out. But that's what makes him such a force.
Richard Stiller 5/7/12 7:07 pm

Very true...has been that way his entire life. Would love to see him try splits like 7:00/6:40/6:20 plus or minus 5-10 seconds on each. You are a great asset to the Fit Club Richard. Hope we can meet in person some day.
Barry Anderson 5/7/12 7:19 pm

I would like to run splits like this but I do like to bank time early...but I know I don't want to be in the spot I was in when running the Zippy 5k...or even the Great Race...in both cases I needed more of a warm up I think...
Bob Anderson 5/8/12 11:53 am

I think what Barry is saying is that you can't run each race all out.
Richard Stiller 5/8/12 11:57 am

I have run 20 so far all out...I don't know how else to race...and this is what makes my 50 race Challenge more interesting...dealing with injuries, burn-out, stress, etc....certainly keeps it more interesting...race 21 this weekend!!!
Bob Anderson 5/8/12 12:28 pm

Exactly...racing "all out" every week will take a toll both physically and mentally. Physically, you can turn this into a 1-1.5 mile hard run by running a very comfortable pace (for you) the first mile...will also get you warmed up better...the next .5-1mile is a gradual build in tempo...then see what you can do the rest of the way to the finish. Don't set an overall time goal. Of course this is like asking a life time smoker to stop cold turky.
Barry Anderson 5/8/12 12:30 pm

You know yourself best Bob and should do what you feel most comfortable with towards your 50 race goal. With some of the splits I have seen you run (6:30 last mile in the Zippy on a bad day...your words) I think it would be interesting to see if you could go 6:20. You would be passing people like crazy (probably, but know nothing about the race). If you went around 7:00 and 6:40 for the first 2 miles you would still have a good time. No need to fret about it however.
Barry Anderson 5/8/12 1:06 pm

MY thoughts on pacing are the longer the race the more important pacing becomes. In my case with many years of racing experience under my belt the 1st mile of a race is automatically built in. Thats to say my body goes out at what it feels like which usually borders on the edge of sane. Racing every week is totally different as I know from cross-country season when you run something like 12 races week after week. Keeping your head in the game becomes spotty and more attention must be paid to the mind and body. I still try to push as hard as I can this time of year but as I said it's only 12 weeks , not 50 races and 1 year.
Bill Dunn 5/8/12 4:32 pm

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by Ujena Fit Club Coach Barry Anderson  Nearly every one has heard the phrase; “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.”—and that applies to your racing as well. Though not a road race, one of the most talked about distance races in Olympic history was the 5000 meter final in 1972. This was a race that featured, among others; Finland’s Lasse Viren and one of America’s best know distance runners of all time, Steve Prefontaine.

By most estimations, it is believed that Prefontaine ran as much as 40 meters further than Viren during the race by running to the outside of lane one, or in lane 2 or 3, during most of the turns. Viren won the race over Prefontaine (who finished 4th) by 2 seconds—or approximately 10-15 meters. No one will ever know if the extra 40 meters would have made a difference in the outcome of the race as Viren was one of the great distance racers and tacticians of all time—but why give your competitors or the clock an edge.

Though it is not always possible, try to keep to the inside on all turns. For “S” type turns or winding roads keep to the inside of the first turn (point 1) then look ahead to the inside of the second turn (point 2) and run directly to that point in a straight line. It will save you a few yards each time you do and may make a difference of several seconds in your total race time.

 Barry Anderson was the women’s track coach for 10 years at Kansas State University. He was responsible for organizing and hosting the first women’s Big 8 conference championship, and coached over 30 athletes that earned All-American status. These athletes included All-Americans in cross country and in track events from the 880 yard run through the 2 mile. 

Barry also participated in track and cross country as a middle distance and distance runner. This included competitive racing at the AAU club level beginning at age 13 and continued through high school, with five state championship top 5 finishes, and earned two letters in his college career.

I see a lot of runners not doing this. It is a simple thought but a good one. Just think about how many extra yards you would run in a marathon with a lot of turns...
Bob Anderson 5/3/12 10:52 am

Right Bob, and I saw lots of folks at Rock The Parkway just staying in their lanes like the car traffic would do, not finding the tangents--I knew you were not one of them as you sped to the finish the straightest possible. Barry, I try to practice your technique ON THE WAY TO THE RACE, if not too much traffic--is that appropriate?
Bruce Gilbert 5/3/12 2:18 pm

As long as you don't get caught Bruce. As I remember, Ward Parkway is kind of a winding road so this may have been a good tip for that race...even through it is pretty simple. I have also seen it work well in track meets on staggered starts. You are running well—keep it going.
Barry Anderson 5/3/12 6:59 pm

If Pre did as you say I doubt he would have won but he might have nabbed that Bronze he lost is the last few meters. Viren was the better runner that day.
Richard Stiller 5/4/12 8:06 am

I totally agree Richard...the bronze maybe but not the gold or silver. Viren was the best runner and racer on that day and 4 years later. Much faster than people have given him credit for. He could really put the hammer down for a long push to the finish and would consistently run 1:55-1:57 for the last 800...even in the 10k. Think he may have also placed 5th in the 76 Olympic marathon...good range.
Barry Anderson 5/4/12 9:43 am

The timing of this article was so perfect. There were a lot of turns in the Ave of the Giants half marathon on Sunday. Most runners did not follow this advice, I did. I know it helped. My question, how do they measure a certified course?
Bob Anderson 5/7/12 9:48 am

I believe they measure the shortest distance that you could realistically run it without other runners to contend with. So many folks seemed zoned out and are just staying in a particular lane--maybe they think it would be rude to cut across, and it is rude if you are cutting off other runners to do it.
Bruce Gilbert 5/7/12 9:54 am

Pre would have had to shift to the 10k. He might have medalled there but not in the 5k. That turned out to be a kickers race which Viren won. But it was a near thing by his own admission.
Richard Stiller 5/7/12 1:29 pm

From what I understand viren was the master at being precisely at his best fitness for the biggest races. Ahead of his time. And about the ave course, ken young certified it. He rides a calibrated bicycle (with people on radios on either side of the turn) in just the manner that barry described. From the way ken talks every course measurer SHOULD be doing it the same way.
Daniel Huddleston 5/8/12 8:03 pm

I measured courses for the TAC and the Pacific Association and we used a calibrated cycle. It was a burden as far as time was concerned but we knew the courses were accurate. I don't believe Garmins and G-Mapping is as accurate.
Richard Stiller 5/8/12 8:42 pm

Ken Young was a master at making sure the course was spot on...
Bob Anderson 5/8/12 10:45 pm

Only one change to your comment, Bob, "was" should be "is". :) What Ken did for course standardization and record keeping is about on-par with what you did in expanding the knowledge base of running.
Daniel Huddleston 5/9/12 7:36 am

Totally agree...
Bob Anderson 5/9/12 8:32 pm

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