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Lead Stories: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

How to get the most out of your late race push …

Posted April 29th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TheFinalSprint.com. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.

end of race kick_edited-1[After recently discussing a reader’s questions regarding their problems during a late race push], I thought I would offer a few things that I do to help maintain or increase pace in those late stages of a race when your legs and cardio-respiratory system are crying for relief.

There are certain things you can do in training to help prepare you for this challenge, such as increasing the pace toward the end of a long run when you are tired. And making sure that your speedwork is paced so that the last couple of intervals or hill repeats are the fastest, as well as the hardest. But, once you are in a race, it’s too late to deal with training. You’ve got to make the most you can of the preparation that you have.

If you have run the first part of the race much too fast and are in severe oxygen debt with a lot of lactic acid built up in your legs toward the end, you probably blew it and won’t be able to maintain pace. You will just have to accept a slower finish and learn from the experience. If you have run a smartly paced race, or even more conservatively than necessary in the first part, you have a good opportunity to really “go for it” at the end.
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Finish Strong with your end of race kick

Posted December 2nd, 2006 at 1:00 PM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.

end of race kick_edited-1.jpgYou are in the late stages of a race. Your heart and lungs feel as though they are going to explode as you push toward the finish line. Your legs are loaded with lactic acid and feel like they are moving in slow motion. You try not to give up and slow down. You really want to try to maintain pace, or even pull out an end of race kick. But, where are you going to find it? How can you even hold on to the finish without giving in to how bad you feel?

What has worked best for me is to run the last 10-20%, and especially the last few hundred yards, of any race from 5k to marathon with my upper body….and, no, I don’t mean to go upside down.

For every running stride there is an arm swing, and vice versa. One will not happen without the other. Read the rest of this entry »


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