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Jimmy J.
Jimmy J. Sendmail

No Man's Land.+

posted almost 2 years ago | Report

Have you ever been in what I often call (No Man's Land). That's the place in a race where no man or woman is near you. You are basically racing alone. You're not as fast as the guys or gals in front of you, or you are just a bit faster than the guys or gals behind you.

I've been in this place many times. I deal with it sometimes by just running what I feel, and maybe glancing at my watch at the next mile split so see if I'm holding pace. Mostly I get motivation from the faster runners in front of me, and even though I may not out run them I try to stay as close as possible and pick up the pace a little whenever I can. Also if someone just happens to cathc me I always get motivation from that - "Thank-God" 4/Racing...+

(I was with my buddy Nick one time after he started racing on the trails in this same spot). I was wondering if maybe I had taken a wrong turn. I did recall the race director say to always follow the white ribbons on the trees at each intersection and you won't get lost. (But in my heart I was still wondering), lol. Sometime after that with about 3 or 4-miles to go I was getting tired and slowed down a bit. Just after that I noticed 2 runners behind me in a distance. Great I'm on the right track, (GOD), now get me to the finish please = I'm Really Tired...+

Explain what you do when you are basically racing alone, (If you want to), ok.
God Bless All Dailymilers - (Friends & Others).+ If you want to be my friend just let me know.+
Jimmy J. ( =

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4 posts

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  • Kevin M.
    Kevin M. Sendmail

    In almost every mountain bike race I've done, I normally end up in no man's land in the second half of the race. It's very difficult as there's no one to pace, you have no idea if you're gaining or falling behind the leaders, and no idea if those behind you are sneaking up or losing ground. It's very important to pace properly and can be very easy to settle into a less than race pace.

    At those times I would always struggle to put in 100%, and I'd normally save a bit of gas in the tank for the last 25% to try and gain in the end and make a big push. A lot of times as I got more experienced this would work really well for me and I'd end up passing numerous people who dropped off the leaders at the end of the race. Sometimes it wasn't enough though and I'd end up in that half way zone between the lead group of the top guys and everyone else. No matter what the outcome was, one thing always remained constant - the insanity and random thoughts that would start to go through my head as I'd push at 95% of MHR... Serious insanity. The feedzone and descents became my dearest of friends. So much pain.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Reverend Run V.
    Reverend Run V. Sendmail

    I run most of my races in no man's land - I run a lot of "smaller" 5K races where there are the really fast guys (sub 20) and then there are quite a few 22+ runners, but there are very few in the 20-21 minute range.

    I'm used to training alone, so it doesn't make a whole lot of difference; I just look ahead and see how I can gain on faster runners (or keep up with them) - never look back!!!!

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Joe B.
    Joe B. Sendmail

    I often find myself there, be it training or racing. I always wondered if it was because I have a stubborn streak. :-) Meaning that I tend to run a pre-planned pace. I suspect others may consciously or unconsciously pace off of others.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Kris R.PRO
    Kris R. Sendmail

    All the time, both in organized rides and commutes home. I pass the time doing mental math and calculating how long it is before I hit certain markers, along with knowing the course profile (I memorize these things beforehand because it happens so often). In cycling it's especially bad as you can save so much energy drafting off others. I remember the pace I did earlier, and use my bike computer to keep doing a similar pace. If it's commuting home I figure out an ETA, and try to adjust my speed to match that ETA. I do this to a lesser extent on organized rides because I'm usually at the mercy of someone else's rest break routine.

    posted almost 2 years ago | edited almost 2 years ago

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