Pacing a 14 mile trail run race
I have a 14 mile trail race in 2 wks. The course is a loop and is basically a pyramid that elevates to approx 2,000 ft and then comes back down. The grade fluctuates btw 4% and 10% on most of the hill. Part fire road, part river bed. I did a slow jog on part of it today as a preview.
I'm assuming I shouldn't attempt my half marathon pace on this. But wondering how people pace these sorts of races. Do you hold back on the hills (in this case, nearly half the course) and then sprint down (kinda dangerous in spots)? Or do most people just try to hold their Half Marathon pace?
Thanks for the advice!
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trails slow you down by ~20-30sec compared to your road times. hills and mountains will also slow you down. unless you know your paces on trails and over significant climbs, then 'pacing' this run should be based on not blowing up on the climbs and not falling down on the descents.
i raced the malibu creek 25km in march which climbed to 2900ft (got podium in my age group). prior to this race i trained for a month on a 1000ft steep ascent and on rolling trails. going into the race, i knew the rhythm that worked well for me when climbing and what 'fast' felt like on the rollers. neither was anywhere near what i could do on the road, but it was the pacing strategy i used. it was super hard, but i kept my rhythm, suffered, and that worked out really well.
as for the downhills, that's all technical. you either have experience descending or you have to develop it. i got to the top of the mountain in my race with a select group, but they just floated over the rough terrain and left me behind.
not sure of your technical skills descending, but if they are strong then use it. if not, then if you have the energy, try to crest the mountain ahead of others around you once you see the top.
good luck! i almost exclusively train on trails now. it makes you fast on the road.
gh
Thanks, Gilberto. Funny....I'm running the same race, Malibu Creek! The preview run gave me an idea of the terrain but I have only been training on the road/treadmill for triathlons. It was a wake up call. I'd like to run the entire thing, walking only at aid stations. I'll definitely hold back on the ascents. Downhills were interesting. I'd get running and couldn't slow down (!). Maybe it was dumb luck but I never bit the dust, despite never having done it. Looking at my Garmin I was btw 5 - 5:30 pace which I can barely do on the track!
I'd like to do a trail run once a week. I've only heard good things about how it can positively affect running on the road.
Mac: cool. in that case, here's course specific intel...
from the start to just after the creek crossing (it was like 3 feet when i raced! be careful) you can go at a pretty decent clip. don't over do it, but definitely run fast since you don't want to hit a traffic jam at the creek. don't remove shoes, etc. just carefully walk across with high knees since the bottom is rocky and you don't want to trip.
once the climbing begins in earnest, keep a consistent short step rhythm up the climb. it's way too long to run the whole thing if you have not been climbing on trails. so, climb until you are at your limit and then walk just enough to recover and repeat and repeat until you reach the top. eventually, like 2 to 3miles up the climb, a selection will be made and you'll only be around others that are as strong as you. at this point, they are your competition. i got to the top at around 1hour and 27minutes from the start gun, just to give you an idea of how long that climb is.
mile 8 or so is the top of the climb, then it's down hill...careful on the downhill especially near the top because it's pure rock! no dirt.
the 'flat' part on the profile is deceiving. it is NOT flat. it is rolling and technical especially near the end, so you don't get a chance to go fast until like 0.75 miles from the finish.
oh and take water or gatorade with you. on paper, it looks like the aid station is well placed, however, trail running zaps you harder than road running and you'll want to drink more than on road, especially if the sun is out.
otherwise, have fun and enjoy running up to 2900ft, it's pretty cool. my profile picture is from 20feet from the summit!
GH
Wow, great info. Especially since I didn't see the latter half of the course. Thanks for all the details. Gonna try to go with just one handstrap. Tried using a fuel belt and it drove me crazy!
cool, glad to help.
yes, one hand held and then re-fill at the aid station near the top. i did the fuel belt with one bottle, but in retrospect would have gone hand held with strap. i ended up climbing with the fuel belt bottle in my hand anyway, better to have run with a handheld strap.
you are all set now.
GH