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Daily Stride # 7 - Negative split everything

Writer's picture: Dylan BellesDylan Belles

One habit I believe every runner should get into is negative splitting workouts. If you want to go the extra mile, negative split EVERY run.


By negative splitting, I mean always finishing the back half of the workout faster than the first half.


I find nothing more debilitating than knowing I started too fast and suffering a long, slow death for the rest of the workout.


We don’t need to do that to ourselves, and if we don’t break that habit, we repeat the same mistakes. Those suffer-fest workouts turn into suffer-fest races. Eventually, we ask ourselves, "Is all I do is suffer?"


Forming a greater habit of starting slower and finishing faster plays a key role in helping shape the mind and body to build momentum throughout the session naturally.


A little breathing room to start can help open up space to crank up the pace at the end.


Because of the extra breathing room, you will be able to achieve more volume of intensity in a controlled manner but also be able to dig deeper in the back half, which helps improve the proper engagement of mental tactics and physical utilization of muscle fibers.


Most importantly, you avoid blowing up and essentially negating all the hard work you intended to do by running on an empty tank with way too much mileage left to go.


Negative splitting isn’t just limited to your workouts and races either - you can practice doing this on your easier days as well. You don’t need to head out the door at X pace. Let your body naturally warm up and find its rhythm, and if you can do that, I guarantee you’ll find yourself running progressively faster toward the end of your run without even trying! That’s what we’re trying to get, that’s what we want to do!

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