Hello running friends and congrats to everyone who completed Saturday's Rocky Run (5k, 10k & Italian Stallion Challenge!)! Before we get into this week’s blog post, I'm giving away 30 additional bibs to run either the Rothman Orthopedics 8k, Dietz & Watson Half Marathon or AACR Philadelphia Marathon (November 23 & 24). Enter HERE before Wednesday 11/13 at noon. Good luck!
This week, I logged another 27 training miles, including a Saturday morning 10 miler as the pre-marathon taper takes effect and the compulsive weather-app refreshing convenes in hopes a preview of race day weather will magically display (fully realizing that we won’t have any sort of accurate read until a day or two out)! One of the lessons learned from last week’s interview with ultra-marathoner Mark Sullivan, as well as the All-City-Twenty-Miler, is that negative splits are a great race day strategy. This year's All-City-Twenty-Miler was my fastest 20-miler yet, after a very conservative first 5 miles before gradually picking up speed and really accelerating at the 10 mile turnaround…and felt great at the end too!
Does your race plan involve negative splits? NEGATIVE SPLITS = running the second half of the race faster than the first. Most running authorities agree, that for races longer than a 5k, you should use this strategy. So, if you’re running a full marathon (adapt as you see fit to match your race distance), Runner’s World suggests you calculate your predicted race pace (based on training runs and previous races) and start the race 10 to 20 seconds per mile slower than your predicted pace and don’t succumb to the peer pressure to speed up out of the gate! Then, as you approach the 8-10 mile mark, fall into your race pace which should take you to the 20 mile mark, where hopefully you’re feeling so strong and can start to accelerate and push your overall time… and crush your PR! As Mark Sullivan pointed out, if you think you’re ‘banking’ time by running the first part of the race too fast, there are substantial penalties for early withdrawal! Also, according to Runners Connect, "Every world record from 1500 meters to the marathon has been set running negative splits".
For next week's #RunWithRadio1045Johnny blog post, I'm asking the experienced runners (readers) to Tweet me one piece of advice for readers about to embark on their first 8k, half or full marathon...or share the biggest mistake they should avoid! Tweet me @Radio1045Johnny and as always. thanks for reading and running!