I am trying to help my young athletes with pacing for distance. Is there any good technology (watches, etc, apps) to help teach my middle school and first year distance athletes pacing?
I am trying to help my young athletes with pacing for distance. Is there any good technology (watches, etc, apps) to help teach my middle school and first year distance athletes pacing?
There are two simple methods.
1. Using a simple wrist watch, the athletes should run 15-20 laps at an exact duration each lap.
They should make a mental evaluation of how they felt during a lap and on the next lap to adjust the speed as needed to finish it in the desired time.
This method takes time, but it is very efficient.
2. Using a heart rate monitor, the athletes should run 20-30 minutes at an exact heart rate.
Just like in the case of the first method, they should adjust the speed as needed to reach the desired heart rate.
This method works best on flat route, because the heart rate is constant.
Unlike the first method, this one works without waiting to complete certain distances or laps.
Both methods help the athletes to learn to control the pace based on their perception of effort.
I also think that the first method mentioned above could be fun.
If the athletes run together, they should change the pack leader and see who is managing to complete the lap at the target time.