Vampire Weekend and Strategy Talk

First things first:

Tuesday: 4.11 total miles, for a total duration of 29:48. This was comprised of a 1.55-mile warm-up (12:02) and a 1.71-mile cool-down (13:36), with 4xhill, 1 downhill (0.17) in between. My hill splits were: #1--0:50, #2--0:54, #3--0:51, #4--0:44 (downhill), #5--51.
Wednesday: Ran 2.55 miles in 21:12 (8:19 pace).

Now on to basic strategy, and where it puts me for this weekend's race. Some people go out hard and simply try to hang on before other runners can catch them. Some people sit (not literally, obviously; that would be disallowed) on the shoulder of a runner whose speed they want to closely mimick, allowing him/her to push themselves more than they normally might. And some people practice something referred to as running "negative splits." Currently, I plan to use at least two of these techniques in combination.

There's a lot to be said for going out at a somewhat rapid pace initally (this is not to be mistaken for starting a race in an all-out sprint, which you will likely realize--all too late--has wiped out any energy reserves you hoped to have with a few miles remaining), then slowing to your target race pace. Starting off quickly helps insure you don't get caught behind a pack of runners that slow you down, while also allowing you to keep an eye on who the frontrunners are and where they're positioning themselves.

This technique is easily combined with drafting another runner (running right behind him/her, just off their shoulder--similar to the way birds fly in a v-formation). As I already mentioned, this gives you the chance to run at a faster pace than you might be able to by yourself, and also affords you the ability to run with a decreased amount of wind resistance (the guy in front of you does all the work, tires himself out, and then you push past him at the end! It's wicked and quite enjoyable...for you, anyways).

Running negative splits is best defined as running progressivley faster as the race wears on--not tiring yourself out by the midway point, then simply trying to hold on for dear life. Many people swear by this approach, and I can definitely see the merits of it (though I've not yet tried it), but I currently try to run as I always have: consistant. For example, if I hope/plan to run 1:22:00 for the half, I'd want to run 6:15 mile splits for each mile...and would try and practice doing so in the weeks leading up to the race. I've been running 6:30s on my pace runs, as that's the pace I wish to run at Boston.

Which leads me to my last point on the subject of strategy, when it comes to racing. It's true that I'm running the Tybee Half-marathon this weekend, and that I will be racing it (in it to win it!), but I've never lost sight of the fact that this is nothing more than a preparatory race in my lead-up to the Boston Marathon. That means I need to run smart (if I feel an injury coming on, SLOW DOWN!), because the last thing I need to do is run myself right out of being able to compete at Boston; you don't have to set a record every time you run a race, and not having to take an entire week off of training to heal after this race will go a lot farther than going all out to gain ten extra seconds in my prepping for Boston.

The plan: Get a good start and sit on the shoulder of someone running at/around a 6:25-6:30 per-mile pace (assuming there is someone doing so). Assuming I'm feeling pretty good, start increasing my pace, little by little (negative splits), around mile 6--the halfway point.

Of course, I retain the right to change my mind and scrap this plan altogether at any time in between now and when the starter's gun goes off.


And here's a band (Vampire Weekend) I recently came across (thanks, Julia!) and very much enjoy:



...and:




And I'll link you to my favorite of the bunch, which is very Wes Anderson-esque, but also contains a brief smattering of bad language:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_i1xk07o4g