Second Mile Blues

2 watchers

LucyJDowning Mar 2015 4:13pm, 13 Mar 2015 5 posts	0 LucyJDowning Happy Friday Afternoon - YAAAAAY Here's a thing.... I've been looking at my splits and notice that I always flag on my second mile. ALWAYS. WTF is that about? Is it a thing? Does anyone have any tips to combat it? Any advice or ideas will be very welcome. Cheers Lu
chunkywizard Mar 2015 4:18pm, 13 Mar 2015 151 posts	0 chunkywizard I also slow on Km 6 and 7 in a 10K, I think for me it's a mental thing ie only over half way, not near enough to the end yet. In Km 8 I can visualise the finishing tape. How far are you running? Do you always start too quick? Does your pace recover in line with the first mile in mile 3? CW
LucyJDowning Mar 2015 4:24pm, 13 Mar 2015 7 posts	0 LucyJDowning I run 5k about 4 lunch breaks a week. And the 3rd mile is usually a very similar pace to the first. 2nd though is considerably slower. Probably is a mental thing you're right. Have you found any thing that helps you when you hit 6/7k?
Ted Mar 2015 4:26pm, 13 Mar 2015 13,793 posts	0 Ted Lucy, it could just be that you got into a comfort zone in your run. For instance I find that in a race my mind can wander in the 2nd half and my 2nd last mile* can be the slowest in the race as I think about the finish rather than just getting on with it. Tip: It's a mental game, for more reasons than one. *or Km if that is your interval.
LucyJDowning Mar 2015 5:03pm, 13 Mar 2015 8 posts	0 LucyJDowning I need to find a way to trick my brain then I think...
chunkywizard Mar 2015 6:47pm, 13 Mar 2015 152 posts	0 chunkywizard The brain likes incentives. If you are gong for a PB then being on pace for a new PB really helps. Also chasing people or being paced helps me. Try starting a bit slower then getting progressively quicker will also help CW
LucyJDowning Mar 2015 2:22pm, 16 Mar 2015 9 posts	0 LucyJDowning Oh thanks CW. I put my head down today and focused my efforts on the first two miles telling myself I could ease off at the end, it made the second mile a bit faster than usual. I think it's going to be a case of trying lots of different ways of thinking and visualising so I can find what works for me.