Mid-Race Strategies: Friends

What do you do when you catch up to another runner in the middle of a race? It’s a complicated question with many IF-THEN statements to consider. IF “X” is the circumstance, THEN you should do “Y”. The problem is that it is never entirely certain whether the “IF” portion of the statement is true, which then makes the “THEN” portion of the statement iffy as well. Confused?

I said in an earlier post that you had little effect on other runners during a race. I did use the qualifier “little”. Catching another runner from behind is the single greatest moment when you can have an impact on another runner.

Friends
IF, there is that word again, and you will see it often in this essay, IF this is a teammate, or someone not in your competitive age-group, or not of your gender; i.e. someone whose ass you don’t necessarily need or want to kick and in fact would like to do well and would otherwise aid and assist if at all possible. IF that is a true statement, there are a few things you can do to be helpful, or at least friendly.

You could call out their name with what little breath you have available to let them know you are right behind them. “Bob!” Not so loud you scare them and tire them out with an adrenaline surge. You can let them know it is you who is catching them from behind so they don’t bother to pick up the pace in an effort to destroy a rival. You are a friend and non-competitor in this scenario, yes? So you say, “Its Tom”, to let them know that they need not fear that an enemy is approaching.

Sidle up next to them, not too close so as to compromise their running form, just close enough so they feel your presence and know you are there. In case they did not hear you before, identify yourself again. “It’s Tom”. They don’t want to waste a stride looking over to see who you are. They are presumably running at top speed, right at the red-line of the body’s tachometer. You are the one who caught them from behind. You presumably have one or two RPMs to waste; they don’t.

You run with them for a few moments. Don’t match their stride cadence and stride length, just match their pace. You don’t want to compromise your own race too much. Running together for a few moments provides an emotional relief; for both you and your friend. Setting and holding the pace is a mental effort, but it feels altogether physical. Sharing the pace together makes you both stronger and provides a nice respite from the rigors of the race. Use the moments to restore your mental and physical energy.

Also use these moments to assess your own status. At every moment of the race you are assessing whether you could go faster, should just hold the current pace, or need to slow down. Just because you are compromising your own pace briefly to run with a friend does not mean you can neglect your obligation to mentally monitor your own pace and all of your body’s systems.

If it was a struggle to catch up to your friend, you may wish to linger there and simply get through this section of the race with the most efficient use of your physical and emotional capital as possible. If so, tell your friend that you are going to hang with them for a little bit.

If the friend is just a bit too fast for you at this stage of the race, let them know that you are going to back off a little bit and that they should continue on. You would not want them to unknowingly match your slower pace and drop back with you. Use a minimum of words, energy, and oxygen to communicate your intentions.

If you are feeling good, or after a few moments you feel ready to press on, let your friend know. It would be impolite to suck them into a pace they did not intend to run and cannot hold. They may want to stay on their current pace, or they may want to press on with you. You should always welcome company from anyone who is not your foe.

Sometimes you will find yourself running with a complete stranger who, after observing their age or gender, is quite obviously not your foe, and strangely, form and alliance or friendship for the duration of the race. A word or two properly phrased can turn a competitive moment into a team effort for several miles. Many times in long races I’ve turned small groups of runners into a small team who share the pace and take turns breaking the wind. All it takes is overcoming your natural shyness and verbally encouraging your nearby runners to engage in a behavior that is in your collective interest. You will all be faster if you cooperate together. It is also a wonderful distraction from the pain.

All of this is predicated on your ability to accurately assess your ability to maintain a certain pace throughout the race. Read that sentence again. Hard workouts, and frequent racing, develop your ability to make these critical assessments.