This weekend marked the unofficial start to the Southern California SUP race season. With the Hanohano race in the bag, racers are starting to plan their training and their race schedule. One of the questions we routinely get at Riding Bumps regarding racing goes something like this:

My issue is figuring out how hard and long to push it at the start of the race and still be able to recover and build towards the end.

If we we had  an easy answer to this question we would be famous. The answer to your question is the holy grail that endurance athletes search for year in and year out. The problem is that the answer will change depending on your fitness, your mental state at the start line, and with your race experience over time.

Race experience is key. You cannot sort out this answer unless you race. Race simulations during training do not quite simulate what goes on in a race because the pressures are different, you are in a different location with unfamiliar conditions, and you have other racers mixing things up for you. Again,  experience is key and to get that experience you need to get out and race.

That said, just showing up at races and doing your best might not be the fastest route to your answer.  Focus on pacing during every training session. Start your trial and error process during your interval workouts. For example, experiment by holding back in your first few intervals and then dramatically build and see how your overall session finishes up. You need to test your limits to get to your answer.

Do the same in your early season races. Try going out as hard as you can for the first 1-2 miles and see how the rest of the race goes and then try it the other way and hold back 10-20% those first 2 miles and compare. Do not try this at your A-priority race. Rather sign up for some  races  that don’t mean much to you and use them as little experiments.

With my triathletes, I would have them do this in races as long as a ½ Ironman. For example, I would have them put it all on the line in the swim and bike and see how they could run and then at another race do the opposite where they would hold back  during the swim and bike then see if that helped them run faster and evaluate the effect on their overall race time. In many cases, by simply changing up the approach to racing athletes learned something about themselves, learned something about race pacing, and were surprised at their results.

The bottom line on all of this is that learning how to optimally pace your race takes experience and work. Going out and doing the same thing you have always done may not get you the answer you are looking for. Change things up, experiment, and explore your limits.  In your next race go out either harder than you normal do or, alternatively, go out easier than normal. You are going to be surprised at what you find.