NEGATIVE SPLITS: The Pacing Skill Every Marathoner Needs to Train

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Most runners think pacing is either instinct or grit — but running coach Laura Norris of the Tread Lightly Podcast joins me to make the case that negative splitting is a skill you have to train, just like speed or endurance. In this episode, we dig into:

🌀The physiology behind a negative split — how a controlled start protects glycogen, delays muscle fatigue, and keeps your thermoregulation and cardiovascular system from breaking down late in the race

🌀Why fitness alone won't get you there — the specific workouts (split-pace long runs, cutdowns, fast-finish tempos) that train your body and brain to run faster on tired legs

🌀How to actually execute it on race day — from how much slower to start, to a surprising cue from a sport psychologist for how not to talk yourself out of going out too hot

🌀What to do when it doesn't go to plan — how to tell a normal rough patch from the start of hitting the wall, and the most common mistake runners make when trying to pace a negative split

Whether you're chasing a PR or just tired of blowing up in the last 10K, this conversation will change how you think about your first five miles.

& be sure to check out last week's episode with Laura on the power behind threshold workouts.

RESOURCES:

Website: Laura Norris Running

Substack

Podcast: Tread Lightly Podcast

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Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.

• www.themotherrunners.com
• Instagram: @themotherrunners
• YouTube: The Mother Runners
• whitney@themotherrunners.com