Making a Pass
During a group training long run on Saturday, I stumbled upon a problem in running etiquette. And I think it’s an interesting one to share here because it’s a problem that arose trying to avoid a different running etiquette problem.
Here’s the situation: The fastest runner in our training group is a woman. About 100 of us were out for a 12-miler. She surged to the front almost immediately. I settled into my pace and established myself about 25 yards behind her. For the full 12 miles we ran nearly identical paces. I never caught up to her, and she never got beyond about 40 yards.
In the last mile, I was feeling pretty good, and maintaining my pace, but she slowly began to fade back to me. Without about a quarter-mile left, I was on her heels. That’s when the problem hit.
Should I pass her? After running behind her for 11 and 3/4 miles? Wouldn’t she think I was being a jerk, trying to avoid ”getting chicked” even though it was just a training run? So I slowed down, and finished right behind her.
I thought about it afterwards, and decided I probably would have done the same thing in the same situation even in a race. If you’re in the middle-of-the-pack what difference does it make if you finish 354th or 355th? Then I thought I probably would have done the same thing if it were a kid or an older runner in front of me, but I would have sprinted if I determined the runner was in my age group.
It also would have been different had we been jockeying back and forth the entire way. In that case, passing her at the end would not have stood out. Yes, there are a million different permutations for an uncommon situation, but after 12 miles I wasn’t prepared to think it all through to its logical conclusion.
I would be interested to hear what you think. Was it smart to avoid a negative impression, or was it condescending? Is a race different from a training run? Does it make a difference if it’s a “chick” or a “geezer“?
In a race I pass everyone I can. If I’m able to pass them then I must have run a better race than they did and deserve the place above them!
I think in the training run situation I would have pulled next to her and chatted seeing if you could get her to match your faster pace. It is a little weird that you basically ran the same pace for the run, but she started out faster. You should try running with her from the start next time!
Race: I pass. It’s a strategy called “use and abuse.” You let them dot he work of setting the pace and cutting the wind (although @ 40 yards she wouldn’t have done much of that for you) and then you take advantage of your not having had to work as hard to run at that pace.
In a training run, I’d have caught up to her after a mile or 3 and run with her from there, but given your circumstances, as Nick said, just pull up alongside and then either pull her at your pace or slow down to run at hers.
Or just keep going at your own pace and don’t worry about. It’s a training run, why train yourself to slow down at the end?
I had something sort of similar happen to me this weekend, although it wasn’t during a group run. I was running on a mostly flat 20-something mile long trail frequented by runners and hikers, doing a 15 miler. With about 2.5 miles to go I saw a girl running quite a bit up ahead. I don’t know how far she was running. When I got to a little under half mile to go in my run I was right on her heels. I hadn’t intended to catch and/or pass her, but it was turning out to work out that way.
When I pulled up even with her, maintaining the pace I’d been running for most of my 14+ miles, she looked over, sped up, and tried to block me from passing. That just made me want to pass her! We got to a point where the trail was too wide for her to keep blocking me and I ran past. She faded further behind almost immediately while I never stopped maintaining my pace.
I think there’s nothing wrong with passing someone at the end of a training run, as long as you’re maintaining your pace and not making an effort to blow past whomever was ahead of you. It is just a training run, after all. I also think the person who’s about to be passed should be gracious enough to allow to be passed when they know they’re fading.
When it comes to a race, however, all bets are off. I don’t care if it’s the most beautiful female runner I’ve ever seen and watching her butt move for 10 miles was the only thing that kept me going. If I have it in me at the end I’m going to beat her to the finish line.
BTW, I’m 39 and the girl I passed was early 20s. Score one for the geezers!
I can’t comment on this one because I am so slow I have never passed another runner – the answers are interesting though :)
Since it wasn’t a race, I don’t think it matters. I like crossn81′s comment,
“I think in the training run situation I would have pulled next to her and chatted seeing if you could get her to match your faster pace.”
It depends on what you felt you wanted to do and it sounds like you made your decision. If you run with this same person again and want to pass her, do it. Don’t make a habit of letting her win, even if it is only training.
I think you think too much. :)