For Saturday’s 5k, I want you to try something a little bit different.
We aren’t going to worry about time. AT ALL. As this will be a hilly course, and the competition (based on the previous race in this series anyway) shouldn’t be too challenging, it is doubtful that you will run a time reflective of your true potential. So we are gonna have some fun with this and try something you have probably never done before.
I want you to run the first 1.25 - 1.5 miles BEHIND somebody. If they are naturally faster than you, great, then they will pull you along. But even if they are slower than you, and take it out 6:00/mi or slower the first mile, I want you to SIT and RELAX for the first 1.25 - 1.5 miles. I want you to practice extreme patience, and I want you to learn how to relax in a race setting - even if it is marathon pace in a 5k.
Here’s the kick. Really. Once you decide to go somewhere between 1.25 - 1.5 miles, I want you to GO. Like you were shot out of a cannon, like dogs are chasing you...just staying as relaxed as possible and without looking back.
I want you to carry that thought of someone chasing you all of the way until the end of the race. Climb hills like there are wolves behind you. Open up on the downhills and let gravity pull you.
I want you to “shorten” the race and then I want you to fly.
If by chance a faster competitor shows up and really pulls you along...
I still want you to shoot out of a cannon at the 1.25 - 1.5 mile mark. Pretend like it’s a 2 mile race and if you get to the 2 mile mark first you are the winner. Chances are your competitor won’t know what happened and won’t know how to respond.
The big thing is that the move requires TOTAL commitment.
The fun part will be to see what happens. To see what you learn about yourself as a racer.
Don’t worry, we are going to chase fast times in the races to come. I want you to imagine this though as a real race, as a competition against fellow racers and not a clock.
You ready for this? It’s going to do wonders for you in Boston. And it’s going to do wonders for you when you chase sub-2:40:00 in the fall...