Guest Post: Negative Splits ...by Pat Walsh

 ** Negative splits ** 🏃‍♀️🏃

Most of us have started attending races again and maybe no harm to think about how we actually run a race. Passed a few people recently late in the run who were walking or struggling home and it can be demoralising and give a negative attitude to racing. The secret to overcoming this is negative splits.

“A negative split is a racing strategy that involves completing the second half of a race faster than the first half. It is defined by the intentional setting of a slower initial pace, followed by a gradual or sudden increase of speed towards the end of the race”… Wikipedia

We have all ran silly races where we went out too hard, died a death and struggled home. We hated the race, swore never again and learned nothing.

Just take it handy, settle in and speed up in later stages. You know you can do it, you will  finish with a positive feeling and you have a good idea of what you can do and what more improvement is there. You have learned something about yourself.

The reason all of this works is because it can take your body several miles to get warmed up. After that, your muscles are charged, your lungs working, your joints lubricated, and mood-boosting endorphins flood your system. You'll find yourself running faster without feeling any more effort. 

5K to 5mile racers can benefit from this negative-split technique, while long distance races up to marathons will find it even more beneficial.

Many people are so used to charging out and then gradually slowing down that they don't trust their bodies will ever speed up during a run. It works. If you conserve your resources during the early part of a run, they will be available to you at the end.

To build confidence in the method, practice negative splits during your training runs. Run the first portion of the workout 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower. 

So heading out for a weekend 10 mile at 9’s

2 x 9.15, 6 x 9.00, 2 x 8.45. Adjust these times yourself for pace and distance but it is a great feeling to finish strong… Pls msg if you need help for your own guidelines.

Predict your pace accurately. 

One of the most important keys to running negative splits is pinpointing an accurate race pace. So if you think you are 32 mins for a 4mile 

then 8.15, 8.00, 7.50 7.45 for a 31.50

instead of the usual 7.30, 8.00, 8.10, 8.30 and dying..

Start slow. 

Begin your race 10 to 20 seconds per mile slower than the race pace you've predicted. Don't be tempted to speed up when you notice all those other runners flying by. Instead, hold back by imagining yourself comfortably passing them later in the race. Gradually build speed. As you near the middle of the race--8 to 10 miles into a marathon, for example--you want to hit your race pace. Then, toward the end, use those fresh legs to pass as many tired runners as you can. 😍🤣

#pwr #KeeponRunning