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Choosing the Right Race Pace: Setting Yourself Up to Succeed

As any of you who follow me on Instagram know the last few years have been wild and a bit out of my control on the running front. First I was injured for 8 months and then there were the months of rebuilding after I finally had knee surgery.

Now, I’m back to 120 miles a month and feeling like I really want to find my speed again.

I WANT to prove I can come back just as strong as I was before the injury.half marathon goalSince I’m back in action, I decided to create a series of race specific posts to help anyone else in this process! Hopefully, it will help in your next PR attempt to find some tips, motivation or just comfort when I crash and burn.

Next in the Road to a PR Series:

Picking the right race for your goal >>
Creating your training plan >>
Why you need a base building phase>>
Safely adding speed work >>
Why you need a peak week >>
How to correctly taper >>
Race day etiquette do’s and don’ts >>
Should you follow a pace group >>

Selecting a Race Goal?

While I do believe in racing for fun, this time around I’m focused and motivated. Both of those were lacking in previous years, so I didn’t need to line up enjoy my runs.

Most of us hedge our bets with an A, B and C goal.Why?

  • It’s scary to set big goals.
  • It gives us an out if we aren’t doing the work
  • We’ve all learned to make measurable goals, so it’s clearly defined failure if we don’t meet it.

I hate that style of goal setting. It leaves too much wiggle room to fudge workouts, skip a hill repeat, indulge a bit to much and neglect our cross training….and then suffer the regrets at the end of the race.

Now that being said, I do understand setting goals where your A goal is truly your hearts desire…then your b and c goals are if things keep going well or to support A.

Example: In My first race after surgery my goals were as follows:

A. Finish pain free
B. Don’t take walk breaks (didn’t want to let myself off the hook of pushing through)
C. Sub Two hours

In this case, the A goal was all that mattered, once I could tell it was happening I started trying to focus on the other two.

Step 1: Establish a Timeline

The first thing to consider when picking your new goal is your timeline. Have you suddenly gotten inspired for a 10K that’s just a month a way? You’ll see some progress, but not a ton in 4 weeks.

I think this chart does a great job of breaking down how much time you likely need to train for a PR in most events.race distancesOnce you’ve truly evaluated your timeline, then you’ll have a better idea of how much you can truly progress prior to race day.

Step 2: Review the Race Course

I’ve written a few posts on picking the right race or understanding race course descriptions, but it has to be mentioned here as well that the course is also key in selecting your pace.

  • The best way to PR is a consistent pace from start to finish (yup better than negative splitting!)
  • BUT a super hilly course means you’ll need to plan for pace adjustments
  • Compare this course to those you’ve done previously and how they effected your time
  • Review potential weather conditions, you will slow down in the heat

Highlights of the Jerusalem Marathon

Step 3: Get Realistic About Progress

I know this particular point can feel like a buzzkill. You don’t come here for me to sugarcoat it though, I give it to you straight!

You have to be realistic and honest when looking at your timeline, the course and your training schedule when deciding on a goal.

  • New runners will often see massive gains in pace from one race to the next
  • Long time runners might have a massive PR by shaving a minute off their time
  • Do you have time to increase your mileage? Cross train?
  • Are you open to trying a running group, which might give you a little competitive push?
  • Are you focused on quality recovery and nutrition?
How do you choose the RIGHT race goal? What matters? Learn more #runchat Click To Tweet

Step 4: Set a Race Pace Goal

Finally, we have reached the long awaited section of actually figuring out what you want to run each mile. You know the course, you’ve committed, you’re excited, but how do you choose a race pace?race paceI’ve seen so many people throw out goals to “beat Oprah” or run a sub-2 hour half marathon, when their current training level and time to race day just don’t match up. And even if you plug a past race in to one of those fun calculators, I’ve found them to be around 50/50 on actually predicting the time you could potentially run.

So how do you figure out your race pace?

Talk to a Running Coach
You might not be interested in working with someone long term, but even a consult will help you get a better grasp on your current fitness and what you can reasonably achieve.

Evaluate Current Fitness
Be honest with yourself about your current running, have you been doing it? Do you have a recent race time to judge your fitness? Plug that data in to a race pace calculator to get an initial idea and then consider how that output compares to what you’ve actually run previously.

Consider Your Running History
Newer runners can often expect a much bigger jump in improvement levels because they’re learning and adjusting, where long time runners have dialed in much of what works for them already. Additionally, if you have a tendency to get injured that’s going to impact the intensity and duration you can handle to push towards a big PR.

Repeat Test Runs
Find a route you regularly run from 3-6 miles depending on your goal and every 5 weeks use that run for a speed workout. Push yourself to that race day feeling and record progress. It will help you determine if you’re on track for the big goal you set.

Here is a great post with tips on learning to pace yourself while running outside >>

Race Pace Miles
For some reason very few training plans include race pace miles, but it’s one of the best ways throughout training to find out if you’re on track. Early in training you might be able to hit a few miles, but shouldn’t expect to run a long ways at your goal pace. Instead, these miles are saved for later in training when you have built a solid foundation.

My Personal Next Goal

My goal: A PR of sub 1:45.

Is it realistic? I’m not sure, but it’s the one that is most motivating to me right now! I’ve also learned from years of running and coaching that many who miss their PR on a planned race, find they easily hit it in the coming months.race sign ideas

Even a perfect round of training is no guarantee of a great race day. Nerves, travel, eating fried catfish the night before (yup I’ve done that), weather, can all derail our best laid plans.

Unfortunately, I’ve got more than unmanageable race day moments to think about. My body runs the show around here and sometimes it’s agrees with my plans other times not so much, like that whole no estrogen thing.

What’s that mean for my training?

  1. LHR training is a must to control my cortisol levels
  2. I’ll likely have to take unplanned rest days to recover due when I’m feeling too fatigued.
  3. I’m still slower at altitude, so I’m hoping to find a good sea level race.
  4. I can work on continuing to improve my diet to help offset these things.
  5. I will get regular massages, meditate and laugh to reduce overall stress levels.

How often do you race for a PR?

What was the last scary goal you set?

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Comments

  2. John

    Totally agree with what you’re saying about having an A goal, a B goal and a C goal. That said, there are other ways to build out multiple goals for a race without leaving yourself an out to slack off on training. I try to build in goals to work on not just when I finish, but how I get there. Maybe something as simple as running a negative split or building on your pace with each mile. Something that gets you focused on not just being faster, but also smarter on the course.

    That way, if it isn’t your day out there, you have some other good measuring sticks to show how well you did given the circumstances, and hopefully something else to build on for your next race.

    Good luck!

    • amanda

      Of course tons of ways to set goals.I talk a lot about practice races, which is likely what PHX will be for me. Any race I show up to is a win for me :)

  3. Kat

    I’m not much of a runner [ok so I dont run at all] but when it comes to setting goals in teh gym I like to keep them small and straight forward. For example, right now I am working to do 5 unassisted pull-ups. I can do two right now, so I have 2 back days planned during the week where I am doing pull-ups and strengthening my back muscles. Hopefully I get there by the end of the year!!

  4. Chrissa - Physical Kitchness

    LOL beat Oprah goals? Is that really a thing? I’m not a runner (just short little jogs for me) but your post is inspiring me to think outside the box and dig a little deeper to see what I can accomplish fitness-wise next year!

  5. Sarah

    Great goals Amanda! Sometimes we just have to adjust and make goals that work for our bodies. We can only do so much no matter how hard we try. This really hits home for me with the keeping the heart rate down and I look forward to reading all your information as I need to slow down as no matter how hard I try to regulate my breathing and slowing to what I feel is a good pace my heart rate is still way up there. With HIIT and other workouts my heart rate gets up there but recovers quickly. I’ve changed my workouts to work with my body this year but still want to run and I haven’t been able to increase my distance as I would like due to my heart rate. I look forward to following along and learn more from you. I love your 5 ways to reach your goal and a couple are ones I would have never thought of, especially #5.

  6. Elizabeth Shaw

    Such a great post! I am so excited for you! I definitely in the past set goals for myself when I ran more frequently and it totally helped me train harder to get to where I wanted to be! I can’t wait to follow along- 2017 is going to be awesome for you!

  7. Laura @ This Runner's Recipes

    Hooray for a big goal! It’s so inspiring and interesting to read about others’ journeys to achieving their goals. Race pace miles are also one of my favorites for reaching a race goal! My goal marathon is this weekend and after that I’ll have a good idea of goals for 2017, but PRing in the half marathon is definitely one of them!

  8. Laura

    In this baby-having season of life I run between pregnancies as I can…so no PRing for me! But I totally hear you about running at altitude! It’s amazing when I visit my hometown that’s at sea level…I feel like I could run for DAYS! LOL!

  10. Susie @ SuzLyfe

    I’m so sorry that you are going through these health trials. Sending you all the good energy that I can (C’MON HORMONES). I unfortunately understand at least part of the frustration all too well.
    But on the subject of running, this is one of the biggest and most important jobs of the coach (though you don’t need to be a coach to do it). Race pace helps determine workouts and the basis of training–so important!

  14. Katie

    Great post, Amanda! You always break it down so clearly. Got me thinking about my next races (Philly 10K next month and Philly Marathon in November), which if I’m being honest I have not put much thought into yet 😬

  15. Gmail

    Such a great post! I am so excited for you! I definitely in the past set goals for myself when I ran more frequently and it totally helped me train harder to get to where I wanted to be! I can’t wait to follow along- 2017 is going to be awesome for you!

  16. Christine

    Most timely post ever! Just getting back to runner after a year long “running sabbatical”. First thing I did was pick a 1/2 marathon in my wheel house, mostly downhill😉. On week 12 of my 18 weeks to prepare and just started learning about race pace, threshold training, etc. can’t wait to read more of you great articles. You’ve definitely inspired me these last few weeks. At 57 and having a half dozen 1/2 marathons behind, my goal is to run a full marathon. Thank you again!

  17. Holly Martin

    Hey Amanda,

    I have been chasing a PR of 2.5 for my next race. And just when I needed some motivation, your post came to the rescue :) In the field of running, setting up measurable and realistic goals is quite important. This is truly an admiring post. Thanks a lot for sharing.

    Happy Running!