Do you ever pick up your pace during a training run so you don't get passed?

a good tactic is to turn around and start running towards them. then chase after them. repeat.

That's what they tell me.

Python wrote:

That dad sounds awesome.

It's a dick move, but everyone has done it. It goes with the runner personality.

No one passes me when I'm on training runs unless it's someone I know. I mean, someone I am running with who I know is faster. And I don't even run that fast, usually around 8 minute miles on easy/regular runs. Usually if a random stranger passes me, it's some d-bag who sprints ahead because I'm a woman, but then I just hang back and wait for him to slow down as usual and I pass him back. In other words, I don't worry about racing when I'm not racing.

I always think about what wejo said in one of his articles, or maybe it was a thread. He and rojo were running an easy run at 7 min pace or so and some guy passed them. Rojo asked wejo if it bothered him and he said something like, "No. What do you think his 10k PR is, 28:05?"

As long as you know you're fast, who cares if someone passes you on a training run? For all you know they could only be running 1 mile while you're running 10.

Is the Pope Catholic?

Of course. We all pick it up. Well except for Ed Whitlock. He goes his own pace no matter what.

I'll tell you what's cool: passing someone that's riding a bike!

To answer the original question, NO, not since was probably 13.

I never really encounter anyone on my runs but back in my early running days when I was a freshman in high school I was really insecure so I would speed up if I was running at a place with a lot of people around. Fortunately I grew out of that.

Tues Ave Tommy wrote:

I love these guys, who kill it on every training run, kick it in the last 200m etc...

even at my best level (15/5k) my easy days would be 8+/mi it was always a kick to hear someone at race say "...but I pass that guy all the time on my training runs" but they weren't at the track when we were doing intervals/tempo/etc

Holy shit does this ring a bell. Got this today on my lunchtime run, an older guy passing me and knowingly commenting on the weather because I was running 9min/mile after running <5min/mile in intervals yesterday. I'm sure he thought he was "faster" because he was way taller too.

I would pick on you too. 9 minutes is a little ridiculous

Tile Planter wrote:

Tues Ave Tommy wrote:

I love these guys, who kill it on every training run, kick it in the last 200m etc...

even at my best level (15/5k) my easy days would be 8+/mi it was always a kick to hear someone at race say "...but I pass that guy all the time on my training runs" but they weren't at the track when we were doing intervals/tempo/etc

Holy shit does this ring a bell. Got this today on my lunchtime run, an older guy passing me and knowingly commenting on the weather because I was running 9min/mile after running <5min/mile in intervals yesterday. I'm sure he thought he was "faster" because he was way taller too.

Jeez, not allowed to go for a jog at lunchtime to "open the lungs" after a good interval session? Evening run was much faster.

ross wrote:

I would pick on you too. 9 minutes is a little ridiculous

Tile Planter wrote:

Holy shit does this ring a bell. Got this today on my lunchtime run, an older guy passing me and knowingly commenting on the weather because I was running 9min/mile after running <5min/mile in intervals yesterday. I'm sure he thought he was "faster" because he was way taller too.

I guess I am wondering why a significant amount of posts seem to be so worried about what everyone else can run, if they are working out or not, or just being so competitive when it doesn't matter?

Have I ever done it...yes. But the urge or need to justify my pace (fast or slow) is just not there anymore. If you really believe in your training and are going hard when needed and easy when recovery is needed then why be such head cases? You see these people for such brief instances, yet think that your pace or thoughts when you are running at a pace are somehow picked up by people who are passing or not passing you.

I bet that most people don't even give more than a 15 second thought to who they passed or how fast they were going for the rest of their lives after it happens (unless it is a race). So I guess just mellow out a bit and enjoy the run and stop thinking that everyone is somehow concerned with what you are doing. Narcissism at its ugliest I guess. Do you ever speed up when a car passes you because you think that the person in the car is secretly judging you while running? If yes...you just may be a narcissist runner and most likely also think that everyone you pass on run...biking, walking, or otherwise are really paying attention to what you are doing.

To those who still struggle with this...I hope you do get over yourselves...it will make running a lot more fun when you do.

The ATT is a hotspot for this.

Pedro from NC wrote:

I'll tell you what's cool: passing someone that's riding a bike!

I can't remember getting passed by runners even though I only run 6:30-7:15 pace. Anyhow, my favorite thing is tracking down bikers. Especially if they pass me on a downhill and then I have a nice long uphill to reintroduce them to my backside. That would be the one time I'd instinctively get competitive.

YES, picking off bikers is well worth the pace change.

I got passed by one of our female collegiate soccer players who was on a bicycle (she passed me on a flat) then came a three-quarter of a mile hill (she had 30 seconds on me by the time we hit the hill. I started to pick up the pace and caught her before the top, it was nice. To be truthful that mile was a 5:38 to catch her and the next was still sub-6 but I was in the middle of base training and it doesn't hurt to pick up the pace every once in a while.

Another time I didn't have anyone to talk to on a run and some bikers caught up to me, they weren't leaving me (I was going about 6:30 per) and decided to speed up a little to talk with them, it was very pleasant and we were only going 6:05 pace.