Finish Line Etiquette

QUESTION: Is there an unspoken rule that says you cannot pass another runner just before the finish line, even if you are in different age groups or different-length races, such as a half marathon and marathon finishing together? I overheard two runners this weekend arguing about that at a race. I stayed out of the argument, because I had no idea.

HAL’S ANSWER: Simply stated, it's a "race," isn't it? And it’s your race, not a race against some stranger encountered for the first time on the final straightaway. As far as I am concerned, you are permitted to shave every silly, little second off your finishing time. If someone got passed in the last 20 meters, that person should have trained harder instead of hanging around outside the chute afterwards and grousing that someone outsprinted him at the line. Also, I particularly don't care for "unspoken rules." It's up to each individual runner to determine how hard and fast he or she wants to run once in sight of the digital clock overhanging the finish line.

Hal uses TrainingPeaks to power his interactive marathon and half marathon training plans. Check out more of Hal Higdon's training plans here or on his website. 

Dropping Three Minutes

QUESTION: I am 50 years old and have been running 5-K races for a year now. I usually run in free runs in a local park, attracting usually about 200-300 runners, all of differing age and ability. I have managed to improve my time from 23:12 down to 20:58. The fastest runners generally finish around 17:00. (I usually place Top-30.) I absolutely love running, working out three times a week, averaging about 20 weekly miles. I interval-train at the beginning of the week and often race on weekends. My main goal is to actually win one of these races, which means I need to achieve a time of 17:00. I appreciate that most people would think this is not realistic given my age, but hey, why not aim high? Is it a case of doing more miles and making sure they are quality runs? Is it worth doing weights to improve leg strength?

HAL’S ANSWER: I can't promise you another three minutes of improvement. The closer you get to your maximum fitness level, the tougher it becomes to chip seconds away, much less minutes. But you certainly still have room for improvement. What you might consider is taking your focus temporarily away from those 5-K races and train up for a longer distance. Even a 10-K might offer some shift in your training approach, but consider aiming at a half marathon, if only to add some workout miles. You don't necessarily have to take this longer race seriously, but use it for motivation. Then, back to the shorter distances. I believe 20 miles is more than enough for improvement at the 5-K, but it depends on what you do with those fewer miles. 

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Hal uses TrainingPeaks to power his interactive marathon and half marathon training plans. Check out more of Hal Higdon's training plans here or on his website. 

When to Travel Before a Race

QUESTION: I will be traveling from Calgary to San Francisco to run a marathon in July and am wondering if there are any guidelines about how many days before the race I should travel. We will be staying in San Francisco for ten days, and I would like to run the race in the first few days after we arrive, but I don't know if that’s a good idea.

HAL’S ANSWER: Sounds good to me. I’ve read various recommendations that you should arrive one-day-per-time-zone before competition. In other words, if you live in New York and plan to compete in Europe five or six time zones away, arrive five or six days early. But this can be overkill if you are both young and/or well-trained. In my competitive years, I sometimes stepped off an airplane in Europe only 36 hours before a world masters championships and raced with distinction. When you arrive depends partly on how much time you have. With a ten-day planned vacation and not that much of a time-zone jump, it almost seems that you should make your decision for reasons other than the race. More specifically, for a race of only minor importance, I might travel down one day and run the next. For a major or destination marathon, I would travel down one day, have a full day of rest, then run the next day. If the San Francisco Marathon is truly important, you might want to save your sightseeing for afterwards, even though it’s going to be tough hiking the hills a few days. Take the cable car instead.

Hal uses TrainingPeaks to power his interactive marathon and half marathon training plans. Check out more of Hal Higdon's training plans here or on his website. Archived Q&A's from Hal can be found here.

Pre-Race Jitters

QUESTION: Any advice for night-before-the-race jitters? I usually have no problem sleeping through the week, but the night before my last race I only slept three hours! Does this happen to anyone else?

HAL’S ANSWER: Anyone else? No, it happens to everyone else. Let’s take a quick survey: Those who have slept soundly the night before an important race, please raise your hands. (I thought so.) Pre-Race Jitters is a universal disease. This is why sleep the night before "the night before" is more essential. Store up on rest the Friday night before a Sunday marathon. Grab a nap Saturday afternoon after coming back from the expo. Go to bed whenever you want, knowing that you are probably going to need to get up inexcusably early to do all the things one needs to do before an early-morning race. If you have to lie awake for an hour (or two or three or four) staring at the ceiling of your hotel room, relax. You have plenty of company. In fact, knowing that fact might allow you to get to sleep more easily next time.

Hal uses TrainingPeaks to power his interactive marathon and half marathon training plans. Check out more of Hal Higdon's training plans here or on his website. Archived Q&A's from Hal can be found here.