Do I go out with the 4:35 guys and hang on for dear life, or do I go out in 2:25 and see what happens?

What do you need to do to qualify for the district meet?

Be sure to report back with your result

Im assuming your a highscool kid. I’d bet $100 you will race better hanging on the backs of the 4:3x group then being alone and fooling yourself into think your good enough to go 2:25 (your pr pace) and then come back in sub 2:20 (you say you think you can go low 4:40?)

Hang on for dear life

Qualifying is 4:36. My season goal was sub 4:40 but I realized I actually have a shot at districts, so that would be good if it happened. I guess I have nothing to lose. If they do something stupid like 64 for the first 400 I'll hang back and try to hold 70s until I die, but if they go out in 66-67ish and 2:15-18 (still most likely too fast) I will latch on even if it means a 20 second last 100.

I will definitely report back.

In that case, definitely go with the pack.

2020420 wrote:

Qualifying is 4:36. My season goal was sub 4:40 but I realized I actually have a shot at districts, so that would be good if it happened. I guess I have nothing to lose. If they do something stupid like 64 for the first 400 I'll hang back and try to hold 70s until I die, but if they go out in 66-67ish and 2:15-18 (still most likely too fast) I will latch on even if it means a 20 second last 100.

I will definitely report back.

Go with The back of the 4:3X group. Stay relaxed then keep moving up through that pack and give it all you have the last lap.

Hopefully since you’ll be at the back of the faster group you won’t go out in anything ridiculous and can comfortably pass those kids the whole way. If you need 4:36 then you might as well go with them. You’re not going to go 2:25/2:10 so just go out faster.

I should add, don’t even think about splits. If you’re going to be racing faster than you have before, it’s just as likely you’ll hear 2:18 at 800 and think “Too fast.” Just get in the pack and stick with them. Tell yourself you’ll quit at 1200 if you need to, but hold on to them at least that long. If you’ve got a good one going, you’ll find something for that last 400, I guarantee it. Good luck!

Assuming your pack of competition runs 4:35....

Go out at 4:40 pace and pick off the few stragglers who will fall off the 4:35 pace in the last 400m.

You have to be willing to start making the gears move at 400 to go. 200 to go I s all systems go, full kick. Last 100m you are doing all you can to keep form. And PLEASE don’t spit down your chin. Nobody does that in the NBA or NFL.

In my day I could go through any 200 or 400 at the pace I desired and continue that exact pacing with splits called out.

Can people still do that or is it a lost art like writing cursive?

Master pacing wrote:

In my day I could go through any 200 or 400 at the pace I desired and continue that exact pacing with splits called out.

Can people still do that or is it a lost art like writing cursive?

I'm 19 and I only write in cursive.

I can do that, but I'd rather not be in no man's land

2020420 wrote:

Qualifying is 4:36. My season goal was sub 4:40 but I realized I actually have a shot at districts, so that would be good if it happened. I guess I have nothing to lose. If they do something stupid like 64 for the first 400 I'll hang back and try to hold 70s until I die, but if they go out in 66-67ish and 2:15-18 (still most likely too fast) I will latch on even if it means a 20 second last 100.

I will definitely report back.

The first lap you should focus on staying relaxed at the back of that group. It’s a high school race so they will pull you through a fast split. The next two laps channel that pace work you did and grind out 70s. Trust your fitness that you’ll have something on the last lap.

Giver of racing advice wrote:

2020420 wrote:

Qualifying is 4:36. My season goal was sub 4:40 but I realized I actually have a shot at districts, so that would be good if it happened. I guess I have nothing to lose. If they do something stupid like 64 for the first 400 I'll hang back and try to hold 70s until I die, but if they go out in 66-67ish and 2:15-18 (still most likely too fast) I will latch on even if it means a 20 second last 100.

I will definitely report back.

The first lap you should focus on staying relaxed at the back of that group. It’s a high school race so they will pull you through a fast split. The next two laps channel that pace work you did and grind out 70s. Trust your fitness that you’ll have something on the last lap.

This is exactly what ended up happening. 70, 72, 73, 67 for 4:42. As expected the first pack (5 dudes went 4:34-4:39) torched the first lap in 65 but I didn't let them tow me.

2020420 wrote:

I can do that, but I'd rather not be in no man's land

Your best time is 4:50.

Go out at even effort and maintain it then kick the last lap.

Run your own pace. Don't try to run someone else's pace, regardless what it is.

33:25 10k tonight

2020420 wrote:

This is exactly what ended up happening. 70, 72, 73, 67 for 4:42. As expected the first pack (5 dudes went 4:34-4:39) torched the first lap in 65 but I didn't let them tow me.

First, congrats on the PR. It was quite an improvement. In fact, you were so close to the lead pack, I gotta wonder what would have happened if you had went with them. Especially at the high school level, there are experiments that indicate going out at a suicidal pace and trying to hang on at the end will usually net you a better time than going out in even paces since the even paces are usually too conservative, either from a lack of experience or progressive improvement (when you're in your teens, simply getting older will make you faster).