Uncomfortable truth: it's extremely alpha to run the first mile of a 5k your fastest

Idiot post of the day.

There is nothing alpha about running a 5K, you skinny nerd

God this is a stupid post. Running the first mile of a race fastest means you're going to get a slower time than you would otherwise, especially since you're some immature teen and not an elite athlete running a near even pace. The only time a fast first mile may have value is in an xc race where the course narrows or otherwise presents an advantage of getting out.

When you're running in the NCAA as a college athlete or even on the roads as a post collegiate no one cares how cool you are and a few seconds could mean several places for your team. A few seconds could mean the difference between being a scholarship athlete and a walk on or a walk on and a nirca runner. Its running, not gymnastics. And dragging along in the last half mile of a race because you are burnt out is the lamest thing ever. That is what people will remember, you sucking it up and getting past by 10 guys in the last 800, not how you had a huge gap on the field at 2.5 miles to go.

Some runners can set personal best racing significant positive split and others fall apart so badly the last 2.1 miles, it proves to be a disaster. It only can work out if: 1) You train like that; 2) if you frequently race like that.

Going out too fast is what people do when they don't have confidence in their ability to actually race. A confident runner is comfortable in the pack knowing that they can win by actually racing. A runner who can't race will just gamble on blowing the race open early and hoping they can hang on. It's a desperation play, not a show of confidence.

Jakob slowing down to enjoy a cup of water mid race knowing that he's going to break the race open whenever he feels like it = confidence. Prime Mo Farah chilling in the pack with complete confidence that even if he spots someone else a lead he can kick them down like they're standing still when the real racing starts = confidence. An unsustainably fast first mile = choosing to the the hunted because you're scared to be the hunter.

Alpha's win the first mile. Sigma's win the race.

Steve Scott, himself, said to frontload the Carlsbad 5000 with the first mile being the quickest. He told us this in a San Diego Track Club practice with David Kloz as our coach in 2008. Scott's advice was the only reason i trained to frontload Carlsbad. In 2015, I achieved a PR of 19:35...at age 41 and 181 lbs....beating my former Carlsbad PR of 19:56....at age 18 and at 147 lbs.lbs

i agree with the advice empirically for my results alone.

Let me include I'm hardly alpha

Run your first mile too fast and then hold that pace.

PEDs also give you confidence to toy with the field.

this is a good strategy imo

You are aware that the world record in the 5000m was set in a race where the first km and mile was the fastest of the race right?

Your wives and gfs wont see me dying out on the course at mile 2 but they'll definitely be 'mirin when I charge out hard at the start, and kick in in to the finish 🥇

If you don't feel like your lungs are being touched by a red-hot poker over the last mile, did you go out hard enough?

I've run my best times slowing down about 5 seconds over 3200-4600 and making it up over the 400

If your goal is to run a PB, the best strategy for EVERY runner is to run a completely even split, assuming the course is flat.

If you could run a PB with a big positive split, that means you could have run even faster with an even split.

It’s a cute thought but it’s inherently impossible. If you can sustain the pace, then the first mile wasn’t “too fast.” If the first mile was too fast, you won’t maximize your potential.

In high school my first mile was always the fastest of the race, often 15+ seconds faster than my average pace come the finish. In hindsight I wish I’d had the confidence to run an even pace through 4k, continually picking people off, and been able to use my 800/1500 chops in the last half mile. I’m always impressed by the rare high school kid who has the confidence, patience and wherewithal to run 5:10-10:25-16:10 and beat guys who went out at 4:58/10:20.

Also, the use of “alpha” is almost always obnoxious.

Do you understand how apostrophes work?

You are aware that that’s false right?

Cheptegei’s WR:

2:31.87

2:31.90

2:31.37

2:30.32

2:29.90

= 12:35.36

That's what happens at parkrun. A lot will push to the front and go out as hard as possible and then fade badly at 0.5 miles.