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Competitive Running Strategy and Tactics

By Rick Morris

 

 

“Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do, strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do” – Savielly Tartakower, Polish Chess Grandmaster

You don’t need to be a grand master in the game of chess to formulate a successful plan of attack for your next race, but you should have a basic knowledge of the types of running strategies that are available and be able to determine those that will help you succeed in your competition.

Strategy and Tactics

There are two related but distinctly separate kinds of planning you need to do – strategy and tactics. You may want to think of them as schemes and maneuvers. Your race strategy is your overall scheme. Strategy is your overall pre race plan of how you intend to meet your goals. Tactics are the maneuvers you make during your race in response to the conditions and specific events taking place at the time. Tactics are your reactions to the moves and actions of your fellow competitors. The quote above is a simple but clear explanation of the difference between strategy and tactics.

Race Strategies

The most important part of your overall race strategy is your planned pacing. There are a number of possible race pacing strategies including: even pacing, even effort, negative splits, surging and front running. Go here for a more complete discussion of race pacing strategies.

The best strategy for you depends upon your race distance, your race goal and your fitness level. For most runners and in most races, running either even pacing or negative splits usually results in the best race performance, but there are always exceptions to that rule. I have outlined my recommendations for the most appropriate race strategies in the table below.

 Strategy

 Race Distances

 Recommendations

 Even Pacing

5K up to ultra marathon

 This is an especially good strategy for the marathon and ultra marathon distance when proper pacing is important in carbohydrate conservation and when running negative splits can prove to be very difficult.

 Even Effort

 5K up to ultra marathon

 Just as with even pacing, even effort is an excellent strategy during very long distance events. Even effort is a superior strategy when you're running on a mountain trail course or an uphill or very hilly course. The even pacing will allow you to adjust your pace to effort level to compensate for the changing terrain.

 Negative Splits

 Mile to half marathon

 Running negative splits will usually give you the best results in shorter races. This is a good strategy for experienced runners that are confident in their ability to increase pace in the second half of their race. This technique also requires a lot of patience to avoid going stronger that planned pace in the early stages when you feel strong. If you are a strong finisher and have the confidence in your ability to close on and pass competitors in the final miles, this is an excellent strategy for you.

 Surging

 All distances

 Surging is an effective strategy for all race distances. The key to surging is knowing when and how much to surge. See below for more information on surging.

 Front Running

 Mile to 5K

 This one has limited use. You will rarely run your best race with this type of strategy. If you are one of the few runners have the ability to maintain a very strong pace when highly fatigued and are able to withstand the pain associated with this type of racing it can be over powering tactic.

 Positive Splits

 All Distances

 Negative splits get a lot of attention as being the best racing strategy while positive splits are usually vilified. Does that mean positive splits have no place in racing? Not at all. Some good times to use positive splits are in hot weather marathons where you know the last half will be slow or races with the first half downhill and the last half uphill. If there is any situation in which running negative splits or even pacing could prove difficult, don't hesitate to use a positive split strategy.

 Strong Start/Middle Float

 Mile to 10K

 This strategy is a modified version of positive splits. This strategy can be used with high success if you are able to hold a strong pace when fatigued and can be intimidation to your opponents. The strong start and middle miles float will keep you in good position for a strong finishing kick.

 Middle Push/Strong Finish

 All Distances

 This race strategy is a modified negative split technique for more advanced runners that can have a devastating effect on your opponents. The continual increase in pace will challenge all of your fellow competitors and break most of them. Is this one for you? It is if you have a lofty lactate turn point and a strong finishing kick. You also need a lot of confiidence in your ability to maintain a strong pace when fatigued and in your ability to find sprint speed when almost totally exhausted.

Race Tactics

OK – you have your overall race strategy plan and you’re ready for your attack. The starting gun goes off and you’re on your way. If everything goes according to plan you can stick to your original strategy though out your race. If you planned on running even pacing you can just cruise along to a successful finish. If your race strategy included running negative splits, you can run at a strong but controlled pace early and then pick up your speed for a strong finish. But what if the course conditions change? What happens if it’s much hotter than you expected? What do you do if there are steep hills on the course you weren’t prepared for? How do you handle unexpected surges or moves by your competition? That is where race tactics come in. You need to be able to make tactical decisions on the run so you react properly to unexpected changes in the course conditions or the always changing competitive situation.

Adjusting to Course Conditions

One of the more difficult things to adjust to is unexpected course conditions. Some years ago I was training for a small trail marathon in Colorado. Since this was a fall marathon at high altitude, I was expecting cold weather conditions, so that is how I planned both my training and race strategy. On race day an unexpected warm front moved in and the temperatures soared. My training had prepared me for cold weather running and my race strategy was to run even pacing. I started the race at my planned pace and continued on with my strategy of even pacing. As this very hilly and difficult trail marathon proceeded it became evident that the heat was not going to allow me to continue with my planned strategy. The heat was causing me to use too much effort early in the race. I changed my tactics at that point and slowed my early pace to conserve energy. That change in tactics allowed me to pick up the pace later in the race using negative splits and I was able to successfully meet my goal time.

You should always be aware of changing course conditions and adjust your race tactics accordingly. Here are some recommendations on tactics related to course conditions.

 Course Conditions

 Recommendations

 Hot Weather

 If weather conditions are hotter than you expected you may need to decrease your pace. In shorter races up to 2 miles you will probably be able to stick to your original pace strategy. Be sure to soak yourself down with water before you start to help keep you cool. In 5K or 10K races you may need to adjust your planned pace or use even effort rather than even pacing or negative splits. In the marathon or longer you should plan on switching to positive spllits and run slightly faster early in the race when it's still relatively cool. The heat later in the race will force you to a slower pace.

 Cold Weather

 For most cold weather conditions you will not need to change your pacing strategy. If cold conditions are extreme you may need to decrease your pace because your body begins to divert blood to your trunk to maintain core temperature

 Unexpected Hills

 Don't you just hate it when you hit a hill you weren't expecting. If the hill is short, try to maintain your planned pace and continue on. If the hill is long or if there are a lot of hills, use even effort until the terrain flattens out. If the hills are early in your race, resume your planned pacing strategy. If the hills are towards the end of your race try to increase your pace after the hills and finish strong.

 Rain

 Most runners love the rain and it should present no problems. Just keep on with your planned race strategy. The only exceptions to this are a very cold rain or extremely heavy rain. A cold rain may require a decrease pace for the same reasons as running in extreme cold. A heavy rain could create hazordous course conditions that require a decreased pace.

 Snow/Ice

 Snow and ice are treacherous to run on. Your strategy at this point is to be wild and reckless while maintaining your planned pace or slow down a bit to avoid costly slips. My opinion - slow down and live to run another day.

 Terrain/Road Surface

 Have you ever run a race that you expected to be completely on a hard surface but ended up being partly on grass or another soft surface? You can successfully maintain your planned race strategy for most of these situatiions, but if a large portion of your race is on grass or natural area you might want to consider switching to even effort. The effort based pacing will allow you to stay within your planned effort level rather that stray to the higher running intensity required to maintain pace on grass.

Meeting the Challenge

One thing you can count on in racing is that you will always be challenged. If you weren’t challenged in a race, what would be the point? Your tactical decisions during your race will make a world of difference in how successful you are as a competitive runner. Nearly every challenge you face during a race is related to surging – either a surge from a competitor or your own surge. Click here for an in-depth discussion on race surging.

There will be times in nearly every race where you will either need to answer a surge or throw in a surge of your own. The surges can come anytime and anywhere. There may be a surge intended to create separation right at the start or later in the race. There will always be a finishing surge or kick to the finish line. When should you surge and how should you answer an opponents challenging surge? See below for some recommendations.

 Type of Surge

 Recommendations

 Competitors Surge at Start

 If one or more competitors surge at the start it is usually a good idea to let them go. If they can't maintain that pace they will come back to you and the pack. If they can maintain that pace you probably would not be able to catch them. Only go with a surge at the start if you are able to maintain the surge pace for an extended period and are able to hold on to a qualty pace after the surge.

 Your Surge at Start

 Surging at the start is approprate only if your plan includes front running. That is a risky tactic that only works for a few select runners in a few select situations. This is not generally a recommended tactic.

 Competitors Surge at Mid Race

 If your primary competition throws in a surge at mid race you should attempt to stay on their shoulders. This is a good time for head games. Your competition is attempting to break you, but you can turn their strategy against them. If you show that you can and will stay with them they could become frustrated and lose confidence. Don't lose contact with them at this point. Stay as close as possible so they know you aren't going away.

 Your Surge at Mid Race

 A mid race surge is a good opportunity to let your competition know that they will need to work to stay with you. There are two type of mid race surges - a surge you initiate and a counter surge in reponse to a competitors surge. In either case, make sure your surge is strong and decisive. Don't let there be any question that you are the strongest runner. If you initiate the surge, run hard and strong past your competitors. Don't relax into your normal pace until you are at least 20 to 30 meters past your opponents. If another runner goes with you it's time to increase your pace even more to break their will. Don't start a mid race surge unless you are willing and able to do what's necessary to complete a successful surge. If you're reacting to a competitors surge, try to stay with or if possible, overtake the surging runner. This is a great opportunity to break the will of some of your opponents.

 Competitors Surge at Finish

 It's a rare race that you don't see surges or finishing kicks at the end. If one of your competitors starts a finishing kick, you have no choice. You must go with them. Don't let them gain any separation late in the race. It will be very difficult to make up the distance unless your opponent crashes and burns. Hold nothing back in the final 300 meters - it should be a sprint to the finish.

 Your Surge at Finish

 You should finish every race you do with a strong finishing kick. The question is when to start it. For races up to 2 miles I would suggest starting your finishing kick at about 200 meters. For the 5K and 10K distance, I believe a more appropriate tactic would be starting your sprint with 300 to 400 meters to go. For longer races such as the marathon a gradual increase in pace with about 1 mile to go combined with a final sprint of 400 meters is a good tactic.

 

 

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