Tip: Learning to run when uncomfortable

If you think about it, the key to running a good cross country race is running well when you're uncomfortable.  The discomfort of cross country isn't the same as the pain you feel when you run the 400m or the 800m in track, yet 5k pace isn't easy.  But it's harder than a threshold run, fartlek workout or long run.  This is why it's sometimes hard for athletes to learn to get on that edge of discomfort and learn to hold on to that pace for the entire race - and then kick at the end.  Easier said than done.  Outside of learning to do this in races, you need to practice this skill in workouts.  Repeat miles, repeat kilometers and short threshold runs are all great workouts that can teach you how to run uncomfortable.  You might go too hard in these workouts and die a bit…but that's okay - that teaches you that edge, the edge between running with discomfort and running so hard that you can't maintain your pace for the entire 5k race.  Better to make that mistake in workouts than in the race, where the last thing you want to do is run negative splits (i.e the second half of the race is slower than the first half of the race).  Bottom line is that learning to run when you're uncomfortable is a challenging skill that you should be practicing throughout the season.

Jay