PUBLISHED 06/03/2008
Finishing strong is one of the best feelings in racing. I don't mean outkicking everyone, or sprinting hard for the last 100 meters. Rather, finishing strong means maintaining your pace over the last third of a race while those around you are slowing. On the team I coach, we keep a statistic during the cross-country season of our "finish strong" points, what we call FiSt points. A video camera records each team member's place at two-thirds of the way into a race. From that point on, that runner earns a point for each person he passes. But for each person who darts by him, the runner loses a point, and he could end the day with the shame of negative FiSt points.
The point isn't to gain lots of FiSt points (in fact, you shouldn't), but to use them to gain insight into your pacing habits and fitness level. Runners with a few points at the end of a season may have been going out too fast. On the flip side, runners with tons of points leave too much for the last third and could improve their times by pushing a little harder earlier. The ideal is to start out at a fast pace that you can sustain for the distance, with enough reserve to push past slowing competitors near the finish. My runners do the workouts below throughout the season to fine-tune their pacing and boost their "fatigue" fitness--the ability to sustain pace when your body is already taxed. Use them to help you run strong to the finish line.
Fatigue Intervals
Instead of your normal 15-minute warmup before your long intervals, run 50 to 60 minutes. Your legs will likely feel tired, so don't worry if your interval splits fall off by a second or two per lap. Running fast while fatigued forces your body to recruit muscle fibers that might otherwise go untrained. Do this workout every third or fourth interval session.
Fast-Finish Long Run
In the last third of your run, drop the pace by 20 to 30 seconds per mile. Concentrate on holding good form, which will help you stay relaxed as you push the pace. Make every second or third long run a fast-finish workout.
Mile Breakdown
Do a two-mile warmup, then a mile at 5-K race pace, 1200 at one second per lap faster than the previous mile, 1000 at two seconds per lap faster than last mile, 800 at three seconds per lap faster, 600 at four seconds per lap faster, and 400 at five seconds per lap faster, with recovery equal to the time of the last interval. Incorporate this workout into your long interval rotation, and do it the Monday or Tuesday before a Sunday race to prime your speed for competition.
Step-Down Tempo Workout
Start this 10-mile run at 1:20 per mile slower than your usual five-mile tempo pace. Every two miles drop the pace by 20 seconds per mile (your progression would look something like this: 8:05-8:05-7:45-7:45-7:25-7:25-7:05-7:05-6:45-6:45). While only the last two miles are at your normal tempo pace, the fact that you ran eight descending miles beforehand will make the pace feel more challenging. Replace your usual tempo run with this step-down approach about every third threshold workout.
