PACING
Run with our free SmartPace teams to achieve your goal time, or just to have a great time running with a group. Our seasoned lineup of runners will follow a carefully planned pacing strategy designed to give you the best chance to run a great race. Instead of running an even pace for each mile, they will use a SmartPace strategy that adjusts the pace based on the uphills and downhills to help you run “even effort” and start out conservatively to help you run more efficiently. Meet your pacers for this event and join a team for one of these goal times:
Half Marathon: 1:30, 1:35, 1:40, 1:45, 1:50, 1:55, 2:00, 2:05, 2:10, 2:15, 2:20, 2:25, 2:30, 2:35, 2:40, 2:45, 2:50, 2:55, 3:00
Check out your pace team: HERE
Whether you have a time goal or just want to enjoy running with a group, we are happy to provide The Runner’s Edge SmartPace Team for the Stilly Half Marathon. Our pacers have been carefully chosen and promise to do something that most races don’t – set an intelligent pace given our course terrain to increase the likelihood of you achieving your goal. Most races let their pacers do whatever they want with the results being hit-or-miss at best. Sure, they may come in at their designated time, but there aren’t too many participants that finish with them. Why? In addition to the obvious reason of people choosing a goal that is too ambitious, there are also tactical mistakes within the control of the pacer. By using the SmartPace strategy, we’ll avoid the 3 most common mistakes.
STARTING OUT TOO FAST - It’s very easy to give into the temptation of starting out too fast with the adrenaline rush of race day. If you’re thinking about starting out at an even pace, that also doesn’t allow people to warm up properly. If you don’t start your training runs at race pace, why do so on the most important day you’ve been gearing up for? When not warmed up, the body is inefficient at converting fuel to energy and releasing heat – it takes about 15-20 minutes or 2 miles. As a result, people use up too much of their glycogen (sugar stored in the muscles), accumulate too much metabolic waste, and risk overheating to virtually assure themselves of wearing down too much in the latter part of the race.
RUSHING THROUGH THE AID STATIONS - This doesn’t allow people to replenish adequately. Especially in the first third of the race people are most apt to deal with crowded aid stations and when feel their best leading them to skimp on valuable opportunities to stay replenished. The reality is that the early aid stations are the most critical for optimal performance.
PUSHING TOO HARD ON THE UPHILLS - Trying to maintain the same pace up hills will exhaust many folks while failing to go faster down hills is a wasted opportunity to use gravity to one’s advantage. Instead, our pacers will rely more on even ‘effort’ which means you’ll naturally and appropriately slow down and speed up according to the terrain to conserve energy.
WHY JOIN A PACE TEAM? It’s so much easier to let someone else set the pace (especially someone who will do so intelligently) and simply follow along. The synergy of the group helps you conserve your energy and you can also take turns blocking any potential headwind further sparing energy. Besides, it’s a lot more fun to tackle this challenge with others and our pacers promise to keep you entertained as well as on track. On race morning, simply look for your pace team sign and line up accordingly.
