Develop elite runners’ strategies and abilities.
Whether you find yourself in races in the front pack, or you are further back with the goal of finishing ahead of your nearest rivals, you need to develop the same abilities as elite runners do, and employ the same strategies.
The ability to win any race depends on you having at your disposal a range of things:
a) thorough knowledge of the course where applicable – run over it first!
b) a working plan of how to run the race on the course – decide how to attack each stage of the run.
c) a plan which is adaptable to a variety of conditions – make allowance for possible heat, wind etc.
d) being alert to the tactics of others – learn to read what others are doing and quickly respond.
e) being able to sit and kick – do practise this in training and in low key races.
f) the ability to run aggressively from the front – practice this in training as often as possible.
g) being able to employ aggressive surging to break up the opposition – vary pace in most training sessions, learn to surge by practising it in training through running on different surfaces, particularly undulating surfaces, developing speed and particularly speed-endurance, and doing hill sprints competitively.
h) the ability to respond to whatever tactics others use, such as going out fast when others do – this needs the abilities mentioned above, and the confidence to employ such tactics, developed by race practice sessions at a fast pace.
I am sure there are more.. these are just what I can think of on a Monday morning.. in summary to race like an elite, you need to train like one.
Racing Principle #8 - Develop elite runners’ strategies and abilities.
Whether you find yourself in races in the front pack, or you are further back with the goal of finishing ahead of your nearest rivals, you need to develop the same abilities as elite runners do, and employ the same strategies.
The ability to win any race depends on you having at your disposal a range of things:
a) thorough knowledge of the course where applicable – run over it first!
b) a working plan of how to run the race on the course – decide how to attack each stage of the run.
c) a plan which is adaptable to a variety of conditions – make allowance for possible heat, wind etc.
d) being alert to the tactics of others – learn to read what others are doing and quickly respond.
e) being able to sit and kick – do practise this in training and in low key races.
f) the ability to run aggressively from the front – practice this in training as often as possible.
g) being able to employ aggressive surging to break up the opposition – vary pace in most training sessions, learn to surge by practising it in training through running on different surfaces, particularly undulating surfaces, developing speed and particularly speed-endurance, and doing hill sprints competitively.
h) the ability to respond to whatever tactics others use, such as going out fast when others do – this needs the abilities mentioned above, and the confidence to employ such tactics, developed by race practice sessions at a fast pace.
I am sure there are more.. these are just what I can think of on a Monday morning.. in summary to race like an elite, you need to train like one.
Racing Principle #8 - Develop elite runners’ strategies and abilities.
