It may sound counterintuitive, but you can improve your racing times by running slower in the beginning to conserve energy to finish fast with negative splits.
What is a negative split? If you conjured up an image of a ballerina on her head (What? Just me?) I'll remind you we are talking about running, more specifically, pacing.
Negative splits: Yes, I think I am funny.
When runners talk about splits, they are usually referring to miles. If you look at your run splits, it's your pace for each mile, but splits can also be other distances, depending on your goal of the workout. A split can also be the first and second half of a race or run.
WHAT IS A NEGATIVE SPLIT?
An effective pacing strategy for racing and training is to aim for a negative split. A negative split means that you ran the second half of your distance faster than the first. Running even splits, the same pace for each mile is also effective, but we want to avoid slowing down at the end, no matter the distance.
If you can achieve a negative split, it is an indication that you managed your pace well. Many runners make a mistake by starting their race or training run faster than they can maintain for the distance, and this forces a slow down at the end. It may feel good in the beginning to run faster, especially in a race scenario when feeding off the energy, excitement, and pacing of the runners around you.
CAN YOU BANK TIME AT THE BEGINNING OF A RACE?
It is not usually an effective strategy to bank time at the beginning of a race so that you can slow down at the end and still reach your goal. Attempting to run faster than your training runs on the front end (even when it feels right at the moment) usually leads to burnout and the dreaded runner's bonk (hit the wall) near the end. It takes practice, experience, and discipline to dial in your pacing.
DON’T MAKE THIS MISTAKE
I ran the Surf City half marathon in Huntington Beach, California, in 2012. The ocean air was cold, my legs felt fresh after a couple of taper weeks, the view was gorgeous, and excitement was in the air. I took off from the start line at a pace that was significantly faster than my training runs, but it felt right and so good. I was flying! I couldn't believe my speed, and I was thrilled.
Even though it was faster, it didn't feel too hard...in the beginning. It felt so good that I started calculating my new PR (personal record). I thought that even if I couldn't keep up this fast pace for the entire race, I would get far enough ahead that even when I slowed to my usual pace near the end, I would still finish with a new personal record.
Then I hit mile seven at this pace and entirely hit the dreaded wall. By mile nine, I was walking when I never had to walk on any of my training runs. There's nothing wrong with walking as part of your racing strategy if that is how you trained, but I did not plan for walking breaks; poor energy management forced the slowdown.
My pace slowed so significantly that I didn't get that expected PR, and I finished nearly five minutes slower than my last half marathon.
It was a hard lesson to learn, but most of us have to experience it to grasp. Even though it feels great initially, if you are running faster than your training, it will most likely lead to a slower overall average than if you maintained an even pace or a negative split.
If I had held myself back to a more moderate pace early in the race, I likely would have the energy at the end to finish faster than I started and would have had a much better chance of achieving that coveted personal record. I sabotaged my efforts by not conserving my energy in those early miles. I let emotion dictate my pace, not logic.
It rarely is useful to bank time at the beginning with faster than usual paces. It sounds like it would be a helpful strategy, especially when the speed feels right early on, but it rarely works in your favor in the long run (pun intended).
I used that lesson to effectively pace the Dallas rock ‘n roll half marathon a couple of months later to achieve that PR and my first sub-two-hour half marathon.
WHY YOU SHOULD AIM FOR A NEGATIVE SPLIT
A negative split allows you to manage your energy so that you finish your race strong. When you practice it in your training, your body and mind learn what it feels like to speed up at the end, often leading to a fast finish.
HOW TO ACHIEVE A NEGATIVE SPLIT
SPLIT YOUR RUN IN HALF
The easiest way to achieve a negative split is to run the first half a bit slower than usual and then pick up the second half's speed to run faster than the goal race pace. Practice during training runs, execute in your races.
RUN THE FIRST MILE SLOW, LAST MILE FAST
Another way is to run the first mile about 30 seconds slower, run all the middle miles at an even pace, and the final mile about 30 seconds faster. No matter what the distance, work for even splits in the middle miles.
Keep in mind the terms fast and slow are relative. Slow is your slow, usually, thirty seconds to one minute slower than your comfortable pace, and fast is your fast.
PROGRESSION TRAINING RUN
A progressive increase in speed is another way to run a negative split. Start slower than you need, then increase the pace every mile until you are running your fastest in the final mile. This strategy works best on training runs to teach your body and mind to pick up speed on tired legs; it can translate to a faster finish on race day.
ANOTHER BENEFIT OF A NEGATIVE SPLIT
Running with the aim of a negative split allows your body (and mind) to warm up during the early part of a race. While it's not an excuse to skip a dynamic warmup, a couple of miles at an easy-effort pace in the beginning, can help get your body ready to run strong, which can pay off in overall performance and injury prevention.
HOW TO MAINTAIN A NEGATIVE SPLIT ON DIFFERENT ELEVATIONS AND TERRAIN
With practice and discipline, you can manage your pace to finish faster every time. However, when you run outdoors, it can be challenging to keep a consistent speed when running on different terrains and elevations.
If you have hills or less stable terrain, such as gravel, bricks, or sand in the second part of your route, it can be harder to maintain a consistent pace. In these cases, work to manage your effort over speed. It's always going to be easier to run on flat grounds than up a steep hill, and if you attempt to keep your flat ground pace up that hill, you'll expend energy that should be conserved. Keep the effort consistent, even if that means slowing the pace.
With experience, you can learn to manage your energy and control your pace to finish fast. A negative split usually leads to a positive race experience. You probably won't get it right every time (I sure don't), but think about holding back some energy in the early miles to finish fast and strong when you train. A negative split strategy often translates to faster overall racing times.
Check your splits to see how you can improve!
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