The G Running Diary

Start Slow and Taper Off: 4/8/04

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This is one of the ultrarunner's favorite quotes: "Start slow and taper off." The problem is, that implies slowing down. Which means that people actually start relatively fast. I don't mean they start fast like sprinters or anything, but maybe they start faster than they should. The last batch of races I did were at a slow pace. But, my starting pace was even slower than my finish pace. (It seemed that way to me.) It could just be an illusion. If you go slow at the start, it feels ultra-slow because everyone passes you and you are left at the very back. Going slightly faster at the end means you will pass a lot of people, as they are locked in their final struggle to make it to the finish.

The physiological reason to run slower at the start is to allow your heart rate to come up very slowly. Don't shock the system. Warm it up. The adrenaline rush at the start of a race provides plenty of juice to get you going. You don't need to add more of a rush, you need to hold back. This helps you save energy for the end. But I wonder, if someone is going to slow down inevitably anyway, is it better for them to speed at the start and get "money in the bank" while they still can? Would their times be even slower if they started slow? I guess I won't really know until I try actually racing a race using this strategy. My times this year have been slower than in previous years when I went out fast and struggled at the end, but the times are intentionally slow this year. I run slowly so that I can run a race every weekend. Or at least, that is my excuse and I am sticking to it.