A Smarter Place to Save Time on Cutoff

When we’re planning a race and I ask a client where they’re going to save time, the most frequent answer I get by far is, “get in and out of aid stations as fast as I can.”

And that makes sense. It’s the the first thing you think of because when you’re in an aid station, you’re stationary. You’re not getting closer to the finish. And cutoff is getting closer.

So yes, it’s important not to just hang out there. Aid stations can consume a surprising amount of time.

But a problem comes in when you put all the responsibility for saving time, on aid stations. You have no other plan.

You spend a small fraction of the race in aid stations.

In a 100-mile race, if you spend an hour total in aid stations, you’re spending 29 hours on the course.

Three percent of your race in aid stations. Ninety-seven percent on the course.

Once you get aid stations down, the course is where the opportunity is. The moving time is where you have the most potential for saving time on cutoff - even gaining it.

There’s a simple way I teach clients to do it - cut down the time you spend giving your attention to distractions. Most runners are surprised to learn what distractions they face in a race - things like what other people are doing, past races, cutoff. Even in part, your crew.

Things that distract you from getting to the finish line as fast as you can.

They take your attention off what you need to be doing - staying on pace, hydrating and yes, getting through aid stations efficiently. When you’re distracted, your pace slows, you lose track of time in aid stations, and don’t realize you’re doing that unless you realize you’ve been distracted.

I noticed years ago that if I was running up a tough hill and happened to think about something I regretted - a strong negative emotion - I’d immediately stop to a walk. Like a balloon that had been deflated. Every time.

Keeping your attention on what you need to be doing to finish is the easiest strategy to save time on the course. You don’t have to push harder. You just need to stay in control of your attention.

The better you get at this, the more mental energy you save from getting distracted and constantly refocusing.

And it lets the pressure off you to save all your time in aid stations.

Try this test - on your next run, notice when you’re distracted by something that isn’t absolutely essential to getting done on time, what happens to your pace. Now multiply the time you spent doing that by the miles in a race to estimate how long your pace could be slower than you wanted in a race.

There’s only so much time you can wring out of aid stations.

But there’s a lot you can save on the course in between.