Last week I ran two 5k events on July 4th and July 5th. I recorded my fastest 5k time ever on the 4th by running it in 22:46. The next day I finished 7th overall with a time of 24:10.
My question is rather simple. During my races, I want to go at a good speed, faster than average, but not wear myself out to the point of almost puking, which I almost did on July 4th at the finish line. However, when I begin running I get other runners that will pass me and the competitive nature in me wants to go faster almost immediately but I know I shouldn't. I did this in both 5k events but I'm competing in my first ever 10k on August 16th and if I start going faster than I should I'm not going to make it through 6+ miles.
Are there any experienced racers out there that can give me any tips or suggestions? What do you normally tell yourself to not go any faster than you are just because someone else is passing you?
Discipline! If that is your strategy, anyway. You can warm up a little more then usual, instead of 5 min try 10, to prevent your self from going all out, it should not hurt your over all time, just keep you body from getting caught up in the adrenaline rush. But when it boils down to it comes down to self control and your strategy. You can always ask around to see what times the people around you are shooting for but that can be a little risky, depending on how seasoned they are and how well they can pace themselves. Just go out and have fun. Good luck!
The most common mistake people make on most races is starting really fast. Don't worry about people passing you. Keep focus on your pace and after the first 3 miles if you start feeling good, speed up a little bit (not much). Keep that pace until mile 4/4.5. During the last mile / mile and a half start approaching the closest person in front of you but don't pass him right away. Stay behind that person for a few seconds and then speed up enough to pass him. Keep doing that with everyone you see in front of you. It will give you confidence and without noticing you are gonna be running a lot faster. If you still have energy sprint as fast as you can on the last 300/400 yards. I've been running for 4 years and this really works for me on a 10k.
Without much knowledge of your mileage per week I'm not quite sure, but if you're aiming to get a personal best try to go out a bit harder at the start but listen to your body and with more training you will get to the point where you can usually push your body as close to the breaking point as possible (most of the time )
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