That first 800m "sprint" is just a race for position. You obviously want to be in good position (i.e. near the front) come the first 1-1.5 mile mark. It's annoying, but don't worry about it too much - let the morons tire themselves out, if you were really meant to win the race, you will stay in front with the leaders anyways.
XCrunnerrr wrote:
I'm sick of the first 800 sprint. People going out in 2:30 who wont break 19. This leads to so much blocking of the course and passing and the worst part is people are rude when you pass them they dont let you. Like wtf. Just start out slow if youre gonna run the race slow.
Let runners race the way they want to race. My last race I crossed mile one in 76th place at 5:03. I finished 42nd at 16:09. Passing people is fun physically and mentally.
It's a race, not a time trial. Get over it, stop whining and don't blame your bad race on others.
Rrun08/12 wrote:
Then don't go out fast. I never sprint off the line. The first mile I do get kinda trapped in the back because of this, but it forces me to stay slow. My first mile is always about 20-30 seconds slower then my second and I win races this way. I'm better the 2 mile/mile so use it to my advantage to start slow then race the last two miles.
20-30 seconds slower is wayyy too slow, you still have to get in the race.
Sick of people typing to instead if too.
You have to adapt to the race. If the race goes out hard into a bottleneck and you get boxed in, you should have gone out hard as well. You can either complain about it or play the game. If it's a bunch of slow guys in front of you it won't matter, but if the competition runs away ahead of you while you're stuck, you probably should have gone out fast with them.
Sicker wrote:
Sick of people typing to instead if too.
Sicker wrote:
Sick of people typing to instead if too.
Excellent comment!
But seriously, is this not good! Them running stupidly allows you to beat them, does it not?
I know know moosecock about HS XC (I ran open road races, against runners in their 20s and 30s in HS) so is passing a problem? In road races, you just go right on by. Roads are never 2 ft wide. Are HS courses?
Doing what I did is also a solution. No coach no AD, no Principal, no GPA or attendence requirements. I just don't see any upside to involving a school district in you career. I never once posted here about "My Coach......". I trained how I saw fit (LRC is a wealth of info) and didn't bitch about the school, the ex football coach it employed, or the losers who ran for them. I did, however, regularly trounce those same clowns in 10ks and marathons!
I was doing a 10k with about 1,000 people and I was expecting to finish in about 25th-30th place. Idecided to not toe the lin because I didn't want to get trampled by the morons sprinting the beginning. I got stuck behind a 5 girls running shoulder to shoulder
LOLLOLOLOL wrote:
god damn run the damn race. XC is not about getting into a rhythm. XC is not about running for time. XC is about RACING.
Right. Practice that fast start. Jjjj's post is good.
Which way is fast and how are they getting there?
You can practice a fast start, but trusting your fitness is much better. You can make up for a slow start, but you cannot make up for a too fast start.
THere is no course where passing is impossible, you might have to choose your moments, but this is just mental fortitude.
Your best race is NEVER one where your first mile is your fastest. NEVER!
tom waits wrote:
XCrunnerrr wrote:I'm sick of the first 800 sprint. People going out in 2:30 who wont break 19. This leads to so much blocking of the course and passing and the worst part is people are rude when you pass them they dont let you. Like wtf. Just start out slow if youre gonna run the race slow.
Have you tried writing your local congressman?
Hahahaha. Thank you for making my Monday morning slightly less miserable.
konroh wrote:
You can practice a fast start, but trusting your fitness is much better. You can make up for a slow start, but you cannot make up for a too fast start.
THere is no course where passing is impossible, you might have to choose your moments, but this is just mental fortitude.
Your best race is NEVER one where your first mile is your fastest. NEVER!
There was a guy who won Footlocker Nationals one year, around 1990 or so, who was in dead LAST PLACE at half way, then passed everyone else like a freight train. I was fortunate to see this race on tv, and might have a copy of it somewhere. Does anyone remember who he was? Oh and I think he'd been only 3rd at his regional.
You can take a middle road. Get off the line fast (first 100-200) then relax and let people pass you. Now you are the obstacle. People will pass you, but you'll be in better position than if you had gone out on goal pace from the gun, and without much wasted effort.