Tips for 10K Race Day: Pacing, Strategy and Fuel

Today we’re going to talk about the 10k race day strategy that will help you nail your goals, first we’re going to talk about some of the mental things you need to do and then the practical things.

In part one, we talked about the keys to training for a 10K, whether it’s your first or a big goal PR they apply to us all. That’s the best thing about running, it grows with you, but we’re always learning.

First of all a 10k in miles is 6.2!

I have no idea why we like to do half and full races in miles but everything else in kilometers from a 5K to a 50K.

Regardless, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is how you approach the 10K race distance and set your mind to have a great day. We’re going to start with mindset then move on to how to pace a 10K and more.

10K Race Tips

Let’s start at the beginning and work our way down this list of 10K race day tips. This is all predicated on you having done the work to build up to a 10K and now we’re just fine tuning the last minute things!

1. Stop Saying “just a 10K”

One of my biggest pet peeves as a runner and a coach is when people refer to any distance shorter than a marathon as “just” that distance. First off, all running accomplishments should be celebrated, whether you’re crossing the finish line of a mile race or a 50 mile race.

The shorter the race, the faster the pace should be. A 5K can be just as difficult as a marathon because of both the physical and mental effort required to push yourself all out.

A 10K is no easy race – simply a different type of physical and mental challenge.

Experienced runners should not view the 10K race as “just a 10K.” Instead, focus on the challenge of running as fast as possible as you can for 6.2 miles – which will be a challenge for even skilled marathoners. {Bonus points for making you a faster distance runner!}

2. Embracing Being Physically Uncomfortable

No matter how well trained you are, the final couple miles of the 10K are going to sear your lungs and burn your quads. That’s the inevitable consequence of pushing yourself as hard as you can for 6.2 miles.

This doesn’t mean you should back off during the 10K race, especially if you’re an experienced runner hoping to PR. Rather, you should mentally prepare yourself to be comfortable with the physical sensations of running hard.

3. What to Eat Before a 10K

The 10K is not long enough to require any mid-race fueling, but you don’t want to toe the starting line with an empty stomach. That’s right, you MUST EAT for optimal performance!!

Since a 10K won’t deplete your glycogen stores, stick with your normal pre-run meal. Some tried and true ideas from runners round the world:

• a banana, wrapped in a tortilla with 1 tbsp nut butter (great for grab and go)
• 2 slices of toast with peanut butter
• 1/2 cup oatmeal with berries
• a protein shake + handful of nuts
• Coffee before your run should be timed for the biggest boost – it takes about 45 minutes to peak in your system
• Drink some electrolytes!

Eat breakfast about 1-2 hours pre-race depending on how your stomach handles food.

At the start line, you may also want to take in an additional quick carbohydrate. So while you’re doing your warm up, munch on a Honey Stinger waffle or something similar. The idea is this will take about 30 minutes to get in to your system and give you a boost!

AVOID: Yogurt and most dairy, it’s known to cause stomach issues during workouts. It makes sense when you consider what happens to dairy when heated…it curdles!!

There’s no need to carb-load the week before for a 10K either.

In fact, carb-loading could weigh you down and increase your risk for the runner’s trots next morning. Eat a normal meal the night before. If you’re at risk for runners trots during races, forego any vegetables, beans, or other fibrous food at dinner the night before.

4. Handle the Basics

What are the basics? All the little things you can do to keep yourself calm and eliminate any stress which will take away from your race focus.

• Get there early, so you have plenty of time to avoid traffic issues and porta poty lines.
• Get in line for the porta poty, trust me, you’ll go.
• Bring water and a snack to the start, so you can sip or eat a little if you didn’t previously
• Do a short dynamic warm up
• Do a light shakeout run of up to 1 mile with 3-4 strides
• Consider your goal when figuring out where to line up if there are no corrals, too far back and you’ll be weaving, too far forward and you’ll feel like getting run over
• Find a pacer or pace group close to your goal

How to Pace a 10K?

Gone out too fast in previous races? It’s time for a 10K race strategy, called pacing.

It turns out that the ideal way to hit a race PR is to aim for an even pace from start to finish. In the 10K, you may be pushing for a slight negative split if feeling really good. A negative split is when you do the second half of the race faster than the first half.

Here’s a detailed 10K Pace Chart to help you find your estimated finish time.

Mentally we want to break the race in to thirds.

Miles 1-2

Force yourself to go no faster than the goal pace that you’ve set for yourself. Initially it’s going to feel too easy and that you’re holding back. This is ideal.

Starting out too fast is the mistake that bites most runners, which you’ll realize later in the race as you start passing people. You want to finish strong, not start strong and fizzle out.

Miles 3-4

By now you should have settled in to your goal race pace. You want to stay within a few seconds on either side of your goal, knowing that you might be a little slower with uphills and make up that time on the downhills.

Ensure that you grab water or electrolytes when available to stay hydrated.

Focus on a quick foot turnover and check in on your posture. If the pace is starting to feel too hard, thinking about that fast turnover vs stretching out your legs can often make the difference.

Miles 5-6.2

Now it comes down to digging deep and every bit of grit you have. Thinking about all the work you’ve done and leaning in to that discomfort.

If you are still feeling really strong, then you can start to pick up the pace gradually over the remaining miles. Just remember that jumping your pace too much at mile 5 could be hard to hold. So small and continually pick ups.

If you’re starting to feel like the wheels are falling off, then again focus in on your breathing, pump those arms and if you need to slow down so be it. But hopefully with smart pacing, what you’re feeling now is that you can sustain this pace even if it feels harder than when you started.

No matter what happens on race day remember that it’s one day.

It doesn’t take away from the time you spent training and getting stronger. If it wasn’t your day, that happens to all of us. As a long time runner and a running coach, I can tell you there’s no predicting when we might just have an off day or the weather is going to make things so much harder.

Hopefully these 10K race tips help you feel more prepared. But if you need more…

• How to Fuel a 10K – More info on what to eat before or during
• Checkout our online running group
• 7 Tips to Run Faster for Longer
• Couch to 10K Training Plan

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