Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers - 2 of the greatest 'feel runners"
Can you run effectively by feel? If you were to show up at a race, your watch
died on the start line and the mile markers didn't have clocks, so you were
forced to run entirely by feel, how would you do?
Like most coaches, I love getting pace data and assigning
pace ranges to my runners. It is hard
data that can be analyzed and equated to various performance levels. We can analyze, like I have often done here
on this blog, and tell you the fastest races seem to be run on even to slight
negative splits; that in most cases we need to adjust x% for certain weather
conditions; and that a tempo run at x:xx pace indicates a race fitness of xx:xx
for a 15k. This is all good and useful
information if used appropriately.
But we need to be careful (runners and coaches) that we are
focused on effort and feel on the input side and save our pace analysis for
afterwards for feedback so we can adjust that input.
In an ideal world, I would assign a runner a 30 minute tempo
run, they would go out and run a hard 30 minutes at whatever pace had the
proper feel, without looking at their watch, and then they would come back and
download the data from the run and we could see what the pace and spits where
and learn from and give feedback based on that.
Feedback may be things like: “we need to start out a little more
conservative” which is a feel that the runner can take into account the next
time the workout is performed. Or “you
had too much left for the last repeat or late in the tempo, you can be a little
more aggressive earlier in the workout”.
By mastering the feel of workouts and races, we bullet proof
ourselves to a certain extent. We avoid over training, we avoid big mistakes
in race pace adjustments, bad races are less likely to happen, and we take away
some of the pressure and preoccupation of having to try and hit an absolute
pace range regardless of feel.
But running by feel takes practice and experience, as you
have to learn the proper feel of the workouts and races and how to judge how
much you have left in the tank. Staying in
the moment becomes about pushing appropriately for the stage of the race or
workout you are in, rather than nail a certain split. This doesn't mean we can’t look at our watch at certain
points for some intermediate feedback, but it should be used as a tool and sanity check, not a
slave master.
I try and talk to my runners about the feel I am looking for
in workouts, and plan to move more in this direction for races as well; encouraging
them more and more to learn and focus on the right effort and feel.
In workouts, that appropriate effort level is one in which
we are working hard but sustainable, pushing ourselves while staying in
control. In continuous run stress workouts (such as a
tempo runs or steady state runs) we should seek to find a groove or rhythm that
we can sustain for the whole run, finishing feeling like we worked very hard
but could continue on a little bit if we had to. Similarly in repeat workouts, we gauge our
effort so that we work hard but finish without dying/fading, feeling like
another repeat or at least part of another repeat at that pace would be
possible. Easy and recovery runs then,
become focused on keeping the feel of the run easy and not pushing the
pace. Then by looking at our paces and
splits afterwards, we can use this data in comparison to the charts, that I and
other coaches have developed based on the physiology of the sport, to help us
adjust our efforts accordingly and learn the right feel for executing the workouts
in the most beneficial ways.
In races, we gauge our efforts based on feel given the
conditions and race distance, but in the case of races, we can push to the
limits, so that at the finish line we have given it our all. Through experience, in our workouts and other
races, we learn how hard we can push at what point and still make it to the end
without dying/fading/bonking. Splits and
paces that we can take and analyze afterwards, show any areas for improvements
we may be able to make next time.
A runner that can master running by feel is a very scary
runner indeed, as they rarely have a bad race, they rarely over train, and they
are adept at adjusting to any course, distance or conditions, and they are less stressed on the starting line.
Challenge yourself to start doing some or all of your
workouts and races in this fashion and don’t be a slave to your watch, but
rather use the splits and paces you take (or your Garmin records) along the way
as feedback afterwards not edicts during the workout or race.
Great post! I have been putting a piece of electrical tape over my "pace" display on my Garmin to train myself to run by feel. I don't look at the paces until after the workout is done.
ReplyDeleteThis exact scenario happened to me last Sunday at the RnR Philly race...My Garmin was died before the race started despite being charged all night. I ran the race by feel and was spot on to where I need to be for my full marathon next month! Great post!
ReplyDelete