Tactics

In both of yesterday's races, Natick's runners seemed determined to win the meet in the first quarter-mile, sprinting ahead of the somewhat startled Newton North runners. This could have been a case of nerves -- nervous runners awash in adrenaline tend to run too hard at the beginning of a race to burn off some of that nervous energy -- or it could have been tactics.

If Natick's tactical plan was to establish an early lead and then defend it en masse against the Tigers, it didn't work. In the girls race, it looked like it might work for a while, as Natick was in a position to win halfway through the race, and the meet was still close with half a mile to go. But in that last half mile, Newton got stronger and Natick faded. In the boys race, Natick's early lead evaporated much more quickly, and the race outcome was never in doubt. Unanswered is the question of whether Natick's tactics resulted in a better performance than if their runners had shown better pace judgement and run more consistently.

If tactics in long distance running weren't important at all, then the fitter runner would always win any race. But there is a huge psychological component involved in getting the most out of your body on a given day. Anything that affects a runner's motivation -- for good or ill -- can sway the outcome of a race. For example, runners typically run better (faster) if they think they are having a good race than if they think they are running a poor race. Thus, anything that creates a positive feedback loop could be part of good tactics. On the oppositie end of the spectrum, anything that makes the outcome feel inevitably against you -- feeling that your opponent is simply too good -- is likely to lead to poorer performance, regardless of how your opponent runs.

The most important part of tactics is knowing when and how to spend your dwindling reserves of stamina to encourage yourself and discourage your opponent. A well-timed move at the right moment in the race can convince your opponent that they can't win, and, because such thoughts are self-fulfilling, to give up the battle right then and there. In a cross-country race, it is unusual to have that moment come at the very start. Unusual, but not unheard of. A runner with superior stamina but no finishing kick might choose to run hard from the very start in the hope of building a seemingly insurmountable lead. But this example reveals something else about tactics: sound tactical plans are based on knowing one's own strengths and weaknesses, and those of your opponent.

So maybe Natick's girls hoped to instill panic in the Newton North ranks; maybe Natick's boys hoped to intimidate the defending BSC champions; or maybe each team simply wanted to boost their own courage through aggressive front-running. Whatever the reasons, the tactics of front-running fell victim to the tactics of the opposing side -- I mean the tactics of being patient and confident, knowing that superior fitness plays itself out at the end of a race, not at the beginning.