Racing – Anyone can run in a race. You just pay your money, turn up and run. But to actually race is a different matter, and requires a certain attitude. To me, it’s just as important to win your own personal race however far down the field you may be. Your personal challenge may be to beat one or two other athletes who usually have the edge over you, or it may be to get a new personal best on the course or distance. All other things being equal, so long as you have your “racing head” on during the race itself, the fine edge between coming 1stor 2nd – or between 275thor 276th for that matter, is largely about quick thinking, planning and a bit of psychology.
After the initial “settling in” phase of a race where everyone finds their pace there’s generally not too much overtaking going on after the field has strung out. However, as you near the final stages of a race and every position gained is a bonus, a bit of technique comes into play.
- If, in the later stages of a race you are only very gradually closing in on someone 50 metres ahead, you’ve probably been moving at a very similar pace, but their pace is now marginally slower than yours. To overtake in a decisive way, which demoralises your opponent, you should continue to close the gap gently. Once on their shoulder, reduce the pace imperceptibly to their pace to give yourself a small recovery, then strike hard for about 10 seconds. If you quickly create a gap, they won’t come back.
- Never give away how bad you may be feeling. They may feel just as bad, but will be encouraged to twist the knife if they know you’re hurting.
- Similarly, if you’re alongside someone who says they are struggling, even if you aren’t feeling great, put the hammer down. Show no mercy and you’ll beat them !
- Attack just before a corner if you can – even a couple of seconds where you’ve gone out of sight will deter the chaser.
- Be willing to hurt.
I’ll cover some more thoughts on gaining competitive edge on another day.
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