Methods Of Teaching Racing Strategy For Distance Runners
We've not seen as thorough a discussion of racing strategy for young distance runners anywhere else. Coach Chapman also describes how to train for various race plans.

By Robert Chapman, Ph.D., Indiana University

    A majority of the time, the run­ner who wins a given race will be the one with the best combination of:
       •  genetic ability or natural talent
       •  current fitness (i.e., being in good shape/well trained/race sharp)
       •  mental preparation
       •  a well executed racing strategy
    For the distance runner, the first three factors listed above are determined at some time before the start of the race, ranging from as early as the moment the athlete's parents happened to meet, to a few moments before the starter's pistol fires. Once the race begins, there is nothing the athlete can do to modify the first three factors listed above affecting race performance.
    Only the last factor, a well ex­ecuted racing strategy, is somewhat under the control of the athlete once the race begins. Time and time again, we have seen examples of a less gifted or a less fit athlete win a distance competition, either due to his or her own successful racing strategy, or due to the poor execution of a racing strategy by a competitor possessing superior talent or fitness. For this reason, it becomes important for the distance runner to spend time preparing and practicing different potential racing strategies, as it could make the difference between winning and losing, PR'ing or running slow, or qualifying for a final (with energy conserved) or watching the final from the stands.

RULES FOR RACING

    As coaches, we all have our own rules for how we conduct practice. Some are more formal while oth­ers are more determined by the "culture" of the team. I often find it surprising that coaches, many of whom can be quite exacting about the way practice is run, often do not have specific rules for racing or race preparation.
Below is a set of "rules for racing" that I have used with athletes over the last 20 years of coaching.
    Rule #1---Every runner is prepared with a primary racing strategy before the start of the race. This strategy is normally based on the athlete's strengths and weaknesses, or opponents' strengths or weaknesses.
    All runners should step to the line with a clear idea of what they want to accomplish and how they will need to execute in the race to accomplish that goal. Even if the race is a low key "let's see where you are" type of race, the athlete still needs to start the race with an idea of what he or she is going to do. Often, this preparation will involve the best guess as to what others in the race are planning. For example, the athlete may know that a particular competitor likes to go to the front and take the pace out fast; therefore, he can adjust his strategy accordingly. But what if that com­petitor doesn't go to the front and push the pace as anticipated? The athlete should have an alternative or back-up strategy in mind. Chance favors the prepared mind.
    Rule #2---The strategy that is selected is based on the following priorities:
       •  To win the race (or qualify for the final)
       •  If the runner cannot win, to beat as many runners as possible
       •  To run a personal best time (or qualifying time for a key competition)
       •  To practice a particular racing strategy that can be used in important future competitions.
    With rare exceptions, the top priority when selecting a racing strategy should be to win the race. What the athletes do, and what we prepare them to do, is to compete to the best of their abilities. Certainly there are situations where the athlete does not have to win to achieve a primary racing goal. For example, in a qualifying round, the athlete may only need to place in the top 2-4 places or so to make the final.
    Winning a prelim handily can sometimes send a useful psychological statement to competitors, but often the only goal of the prelim is to make the final safely, expending the least amount of energy possible, saving it for the more important final. Additionally, the athlete may be in a "time trial" situation, where the primary goal is to achieve a qualifying time for a regional! national! international championship, break a record, or break a unique mark, like four minutes in the mile.
    However, for most athletes in most racing situations, the primary consideration when setting goal should be to win or to place as high as possible.
    Rule #3---Every runner must be prepared to change his/her pre-race strategy after the race starts, depending on how the race unfolds.
    Rule #4---All racing strategies need to be practiced regularly, so that several different strategies can be available in the athlete's "arse­nal."

DEVELOPING A STRATEGY

    One athlete I coached in college once shared a story with me about one of his former coaches, who didn't really spend time with his athletes developing race strategies. This athlete said that the coach would often implore him and his teammates to "go out hard, push the middle, and kick at the end." It sounds nice, but it's hardly a practical strategy.
    Naturally, any strategy the athlete and coach may decide on will be determined and influenced by any of a number of factors: weather, fitness, competition, course or track conditions, and more. However, we can list some basic strategies that can be the starting point.
    Below, I have listed four strategies: Leader, Kicker, Pacer, and Breaker. These strategies can be tweaked and modified to fit the
specifics of most competitive racing situations. Perhaps just as importantly, I recommend that each of these strategies be practiced regu­larly, so that the athlete has some measure of proficiency.
    As the race unfolds and situations dictate, the athlete could find himself needing to utilize any of these strategies, even if it is not the intended strategy prior to the race.
    For each strategy, I have listed several components: a definition, advantages and disadvantages of the strategy, examples of how it is used, why or when you would want to use this particular strategy, when you would not want to use this strategy, and how to practice the strategy to best prepare to use it successfully in competition.

LEADER

    Definition---Take the lead, either from the gun or at some early point during the race, and control the pace of the race.
    Advantages---Helps the athlete stay out of traffic trouble, is relatively easy to mentally prepare for, and allows the athlete to control and dictate the tempo of the race
    Disadvantages---Can be mentally demanding to execute, usually has a high energy cost for the athlete (breaking the wind), can include a larger acid buildup in mid-race or late-race, can be a "risky" strategy in that misjudging the tempo (either too fast or too slow) can cause this strategy to backfire.
    Examples of how and why this strategy is used---1) Run a fast pace early---either to "steal" the race when other runners let you go, or to "burn out" or take away the finishing kick of the competition, or 2) Take the lead and run the pace you want, staying clear of traffic.
    Why/when you would use this strategy---1) To press the pace in a race with strong kickers, 2) To control the pace in key races where others are nervous about leading, or to slow down a too-fast opening pace, 3) When the athlete is clearly the dominant runner in the race, 4) To avoid traffic problems in a crowded race, or perhaps in cross country where adverse course conditions (narrow passages, sloppy terrain, etc.) would make it difficult to move up late in the race.
    Why/when you would NOT use this strategy---1) When the athlete is in a race with athletes who are significantly better than he is, 2) Races where there is a strong wind, 3) In races where the goal is to run a particular qualifying time or a qualifying round where the goal is just to qualify for the final, 4) When the athlete feels he/she possesses the best finishing kick, and the pace goes out slow.
    The KEY to make this strategy work-The athlete must be able to mentally and physically relax while on the lead.
    This strategy may seem like it is the simplest and most straight forward, i.e., go to the front and stay there. But proper execution of the leader strategy can often require deceptively subtle components that might not be noticeable to the casual observer.
    Perhaps one of the best examples of perfect execution of the leader strategy came from the men's 1500m final at the 1988 Olympic Games. Peter Rono of Kenya took the lead off a slow pace at 700m, and proceeded to control the race from the front, never relinquishing the lead. He gradually and progressively increased the tempo over the last 800m of the race, and as a result, he never had to deal with the traffic issues that many of the other contenders in the race had to deal with.
    Often, someone who is execut­ing a leader strategy will look like he is expending a lot of energy at the front---not only physical energy breaking the wind, but mental and emotional energy as well. In Rono's case, being in the front, he was relaxed and mentally in control, while most of his competitors appear to be nervous, jostling for position, and having to make uneconomical spurts to try and improve their position heading into the finishing kick.
    Normally, while being in the lead is less economical than being in the pack, in the 1988 men's 1500m Olympic final with the early pace being so slow, leading over the last 800m of the race was the perfect strategy for Rono. His positioning out of traffic was the difference between winning the gold and possibly running out of the medals.
    Rono's execution of the leader strategy was considerably different from that of Paula Ivan, who won the women's 1500m at the same 1988 Olympics-leading from wire to wire. Ivan felt she had the best fitness of the athletes in the race, took the lead from the gun, and ran remarkably fast opening splits. The other women in the race, likely ex­pecting a more conservative tempo often seen in championship races, appeared to be caught off guard and let Ivan go. It may be that Ivan had far superior fitness and no one would have beaten her on the day, regardless of the strategy she chose. However, this is a classical example of the leader strategy being used to "steal" the race from the front, setting a tempo that no one was keen to match.
    How to practice the leader strategy---A key component in effective practice of the leader strategy is more of a mental than a physical focus. The athlete must be able to mentally relax on the front end of the pack. During practice with a group, it is common for athletes doing an interval or repeat session to rotate the lead on each rep. By rotating the lead, everyone shares the work of pulling the group through, and each athlete gets the most out of the workout physiologically. However, when having an individual practice the leader strategy, the same athlete should either a) lead every rep, or b) practice taking the lead then controlling the pace approximately 25-50% into each rep.
    It is not uncommon for athletes who are trying to execute the leader strategy in practice to overdo it in the early part of the interval. For example, when completing a classic interval session of something like 12 x 400m at 1500m-3000m race pace on 1:1 rest, we often see the rep leader (collegiate men, for example) run 200m splits of something like 30s for the first 200m and 32s for the final 200m (even with a running start for the second half of the repeat).
    It is important for the coach to remind the athlete frequently to focus on being as economical as possible. Because leading can cost approximately 6-8% more in energy cost or VO2 compared to following in the pack (dependent on body size and pace), proper execution of the leader strategy needs to include constant reminders and practice to be physically smooth and economi­cal, as well as mentally relaxed and in control.

KICKER

    Definition---Sit back off of the lead, expending as little energy as possible, then use strong finishing speed to win.
    Advantages---Mentally, probably the easiest strategy to execute, as it effectively shortens the race to a smaller distance.
    Disadvantages---May be difficult in large fields (being boxed in), usually results in slower times, can be risky if the athlete is boxed in or mis-times his kick-the athlete could be the best athlete and still lose.
    Why/when you would use this strategy---1) Qualifying rounds or in meets where the athlete is running several events, 2) When the athlete has the best speed (off a comfortable pace) in the race, 3) When the race goes out too slow.
    Why/when you would NOT use this strategy---1) When the athlete has inferior finishing speed (off the opening tempo) to someone else in the race, 2) When the athlete does not run well in traffic, 3) When the athlete has trouble being patient.
    The KEYS to make this strategy work---The athlete must be able to run the first portion of the race in a manner that allows him/her to waste little energy, avoiding traffic, without getting boxed in. When it's time to start the kick, the athlete must be in the proper position and must time it appropriately.
In characterizing good colle­giate and elite distance runners--­particularly milers---invariably all think they have great kicks. As coaches, we know that all kickers are not created equal. There are athletes who can kick, but need something of a longer "wind-up" or acceleration to their top finishing speed. Other kickers seem to have the ability to shift gears on a dime, and are gone after just a couple of steps.
    For the former, timing the kick is of the essence. A kicker who needs to "wind up" needs to make sure and start kicking early enough so as not to run out of real estate, finishing just short of the win. For the athlete with the more explosive kick, a bigger issue is avoiding being boxed in.
    One pet peeve of mine concerning kickers---a popular TV announc­er will commonly state something like "watch out for Runner X if the race comes down to a kick, as he/she has the best pure 400m/800m speed in the field." In my mind, this is a myth. The athletes with the best 200m or 400m raw speed are not necessarily the best kickers in a distance race. The reason being that the time an athlete can post for the last 200m or 400m of a distance race is strongly influenced by the metabolic state at the point he starts the kick, not just his raw speed.
    Here is an example: let's say that we are going to have a male high school 4:30 miler race a 400 meters versus Jeremy Wariner. Who are you going to bet your money on? But what if I imposed these conditions-that before the race, I was going to hook Jeremy Wariner up to an IV and infuse lactic acid, dropping his blood pH down to a level similar to that which he might experience at the end of a 400m or 800m race. Then we line the athletes up and fire the gun. Who would you bet on now? The fresh high school 4:30 miler, with maybe a 400m PR of 52s, or the Olympic champion who has run 43s for the 400m-but who is in a highly acidic state, muscles locking up with the very first step?
    It is an extreme example, but it makes the point that with 400m to go in a distance race, each athlete is likely to be in a very different metabolic state. The athlete who at the start of the kick is further away from his or her "failure point" physiologically, where the muscles begin to lock up, is likely going to be best able to fully use the top speed that he does have during the kick. So with this viewpoint, being able to kick well at the end of a race is a function not just of raw speed, but the ability to get to the point in the race where the kick starts in the best possible metabolic/ physiologic state.
    Why is this important? How you train an athlete to prepare for a kicker strategy includes general race and positioning awareness and raw speed development, but also perhaps a focus on overall fitness development and economical race execution up until the point where the kick starts.
    I had the pleasure of coaching two excellent kickers in college, multi-time All-Americans Sean and John Jefferson. The twin brothers both had excellent 400m speed, but what I feel made their kicks a powerful weapon was a focus on aerobic development in training. The idea was to see if we could get them sufficiently aerobically strong that they could get to 1200m of a mile/1500m race with less acidity build-up than they would have had without this aerobic training focus (or less acidity than their competi­tors). As a result, they could more effectively use the natural speed they had at the end of the race. For the Jeffersons, improving their kicks meant a focus on aerobic development in training and proper positioning during practice and races, more so than working on raw speed development.
    One of the best examples of a great finishing kick, and the poten­tial dangers associated with this strategy, come from Peter Snell's gold medal winning performance in the 1500m at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Off of a moderate early tempo, Snell found himself with 400m to go in his words, "out of it as a result of bad positioning." Stuck in 4th place and boxed in on the rail, he famously stuck out his right arm to try and clear a lane. John Whetton of Great Britain on Snell's right obliged by moving out slightly, creating a lane for Snell and a path to unleash his ferocious finishing kick over the final 300m. Despite being 4th at the bell with 400m to go and seriously boxed in, Snell won by nearly 15m.
    How to practice---Most of the best methods for practicing the kicker strategy come from working on situations of avoiding or getting out of boxes. Often, this can be practiced in a team practice situation, using longer intervals with a modest, controlled early tempo, then an acceleration to a faster tempo.
    For example, one athlete in the training group can be designated as the leader/pacer for a repetition of between 600 and 1000m. This athlete runs a controlled and conservative tempo up until 400m (or 300m or 200m) to go. During the repetition up to this point, the athlete(s) in the group practicing the kicker strategy are working on getting into proper position for the finishing kick, while trying to avoid being boxed in and the pitfalls of running in traffic. Once the leader hits 400m (or the selected point) and the kick begins, it provides an excellent opportunity to practice various components of the kick, such as passing (or not passing) on the turn, when to time the move, and how to maneuver out of a box.
    Another important component that can be practiced in this situation is learning how to move up the rail off the final turn into the home straight. It is very common for athletes in the final 100m of most distance races to drift out coming out of the final turn and even throughout the final straightaway. Many times, athletes who are not in the lead will be running wide off the leader's shoulder exiting the final turn. However, with the natural drift to the outside that most leaders demonstrate in this situation, often a lane will open down the rail. Many times, rather than swinging wide, it is best to hold position on the rail, waiting patiently for the lane to open up. One of the more recent examples of this tactic is Christian Smith's move on the inside in the final straight of the 2008 Olympic Trials 800m, where he captured the third and final Olympic team slot.

PACER

    Definition---Strategy where the athlete and coach predetermine a time that will win (or PR, or hit a qualifying/goal time) and the athlete executes even splits for as long as possible (with perhaps a negative split at the end).
    Advantages---Most economical strategy to execute, often leads to fastest times, normally the easiest strategy to practice. Usually this strategy will not have to be changed as race unfolds.
    Disadvantages---Some athletes find it difficult to "let the pack go" in the early stages of the race if the pace goes out more quickly than their intended pace (they feel they need to keep contact), can be risky if the predetermined time ends up being too slow to win, can be mentally demanding for some athletes, athletes could find themselves in the lead if there is no rabbit or competitor to take the early pace.
    Why/when you would use this strategy---1) When it is easy for the athlete and coach to predict the winning time before the race, 2) When the athlete is looking to hit a specific time, 3) When the athlete probably cannot win, but is ready to PR, 4) When the kicks of other top competition in the race is unknown.
    Why/when you would NOT use this strategy---1) When the athlete has poor pace judgment or an inability to hold a steady pace, 2) With fiery, highly competitive athletes who would feel constrained, 3) With athletes with poor self confidence, 4) When it is difficult to predict the winning time before the race, and the primary goal is to win.
    The KEY to make this strategy work---Be patient early, sometimes letting runners go, but knowing they will come back in later stages of the race.
    For most high school athletes, a focus on becoming better at pacing typically leads to the best improvements in race performance. The hardest part of this strategy is that most high school races go out very quickly, slow dramatically in the middle, then have a slight negative split at the very end of the race. From a physiological point of view, running even splits is by far the best strategy to produce the best times.
    Most athletes, particularly high school athletes, really struggle with letting the leaders go early. Similarly, many high school coaches also urge their athletes to "maintain contact" or "move up" early in a race, when the tempo is simply way over the physical capabilities of the athlete.
    As a result, this strategy requires that the coach and athlete both be realistic about what the capabilities of the athlete are going into the race, adjusted for the race conditions (hot, windy, etc). Normally, this evaluation can go back to previous races, but also to times the athlete shows they can hold in practice. With this realistic assessment, an appropriate pace can be planned.
    How to practice---Sometimes, the workouts we give in practice are used mainly for developing fitness and are unrelated to race prepara­tion. However, some workout ses­sions can help give the athlete a sense of pace and of what tempo he can likely hold in competition. With athletes I coach, I often call these "marker workouts" as they give me and the athlete a marker of what their current race fitness might be.
    For example, a common marker workout we have used for milers has been a 3-mile tempo on the road at 90% effort, then the athlete jogs back to the track, spikes up, and completes a 1000m rep at near max effort. After the fatiguing 3-mile tempo effort, we have found that the 1000m rep gives us a good indication of the pace the athlete can likely hold for a mile fresh.
    Another excellent way to pre­pare for a pacer strategy is to have the athlete practice reps or intervals without the aid of splits or a watch. The goal of the session is to see if the athlete can learn what particular splits/tempos feel like subjectively. Some athletes are quite good at this, while others will be awful.
    Another technique is to have the athlete practicing even pacing complete a session at the same time with other athletes practicing different strategies. This will help the coach determine if the pacer athlete loses the sense of pace when distracted. A good pacer will need to "keep his head level, while others are losing theirs."

BREAKER

    Definition---Breaks the race open with a surge.
    Advantages---Forces other athletes to make a quick decision to either cover the move or wait and see, may force other athletes to abandon their pre-race strategy, can mentally devastate other competitors, introduces the element of surprise.
    Disadvantages---Can cause a quick build-up of lactic acid, can often be mentally demanding, requires precise timing of the surge, usually only works off of a slower early pace.
    Why/when you would use this strategy---1) When the race develops slowly, 2) When the athlete's strength is his mental and physical strength, 3) In cross country, when the course has hard parts (hills, poor footing, into the wind) and the athlete is well prepared, 4) To "break" the spirit of a nearby runner in XC, 5) To test how other athletes are feeling in longer races.
    Why/when you would NOT use this strategy---1) When the race goes out very fast, 2) On a day when the athlete is feeling less than 100%, 3) In races where other runners are strong enough to cover the move.
    The KEY to make this strategy work--Choose the timing of the surge carefully, make one sustained surge, then settle back into the pace needed to maintain the lead and win.
    Probably one of the most famous examples of successful execu­tion of the breaker strategy takes us back to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and the men's 5000m. In that race, John Ngugi of Kenya made a surge just prior to the 1000m mark into the race, throwing in a 2:02 800m for the next two laps. The rest of the field let Ngugi go, and he quickly built up a lead of 50m. When the rest of the field let him go, they likely felt that Ngugi was not fit enough to be a factor at the end, or that Ngugi would certainly fade from his quick tempo, and they would catch him in the end. With about 1000m to go, and Ngugi still maintaining his significant lead, the rest of the field (led by Domingos Castro of Portugal) tried vainly to catch him, but Ngugi had put too much distance on the field. The race was effectively over when Ngugi made the early break and no one decided to cover the move. The key was Ngugi's ability to re-establish and hold a solid racing tempo (from his 60's during the surge to 65's after the surge), which kept the distance between him and the "peloton" the same over the middle 2-3k of the race. As commentator Frank Shorter commented in the broadcast, "Ngugi has stolen this race."
    More often than on the track, we see the breaker strategy used in cross country or marathons, taking advantage of changes in course ter­rain or signals of increased effort from a nearby competitor.
    How to practice-Certainly, changing tempos in training will be an important component of practicing the breaker strategy. A key focus needs to be on re-establishing a normal tempo after the surge. Some examples:
       •  Mile repeats, where the first 400m is at normal race tempo, the middle 800m is at break or surge tempo, and the final400m is back at normal race tempo.
       •  Hill repeats, which includes a flat 100-200m section at the top of the hill, where the athlete focuses on maintaining normal race tempo after cresting the hill.
       •  "30/40" or similar track session---Bill Bowerman made the classic 30/40 workout a staple of his Oregon runners training sessions. The 30/40 workout is a continuous effort on the track, where 200m is run in 30s, followed immediately by a "recovery" 200m rep in 40s. Moderately fit collegiate runners can normally do around 7 to 10 reps, while Oregon phenom Galen Rupp has completed 24 laps---9600m---before be­ing unable to hold the tempo. For less advanced runners, the workout can be modified to fit appropriate levels (like 35/45 or 40/55).
       •  Fartlek training, incorporating surges at strategic points on an XC course (Fartlek training involves continuous running with surges interspersed through the duration of the effort). One way that a Fartlek workout can incorporate practice of the breaker strategy for cross country, would be to enforce surges as components of the Fartlek that correspond to strategic points on an XC course. For example, after certain locations on an XC course, like a sharp turn or a hill, place a cone approximately 200m to 400m past the turn or hill. The athlete must time the "on" part of the fartlek with these strategic points.
    With each of these examples, make sure the athlete focuses on reestablishing a normal tempo after the surge or break. If the athlete naturally slows down, then the break is for nothing, and can end up ultimately impairing performance.
 

RACING STRATEGY SUMMARY

    As the athlete gets in better shape, the better he or she will be able to execute different rac­ing strategies. Every race unfolds differently, therefore every athlete may need to use any of the above listed strategies to win. Consider trying to improve the components of the athlete's weakest strategy and maximize the potential of his best strategy through practice and mental preparation.

FROM: TRACK COACH 189