When running for long and medium distances, not only physical readiness is important for an athlete, but also the ability to correctly distribute forces over a distance. Running tactics are just as important as strong legs or endurance.
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In practice, 3 main types of tactics are most often used when running long and medium distances: leading, quick start and fartlek or “torn run”. Let’s take a closer look at each type of tactic.

Leading
With this tactic, the athlete from the very start or in the first laps takes the lead in the race and leads the entire group to the finish line. This tactic is suitable for those athletes who do not have a good finishing dash, but at the same time have excellent endurance.
If you are not a finisher, but at the same time you know that according to the results you are equal to all the participants in the race or even surpass them, then in this case it is better not to tempt fate and take everything into your own hands from the very start. If you set a pace that your opponents can’t keep up with, you’ll be able to secure a win early on by building up a significant lead.
But at the same time, there is a risk of “driving” yourself and falling off in the last laps, so wisely distribute your forces.

Fast finish
For athletes with good finishing acceleration, there is only one task in the race – to keep up with the leading group. If there is a tactical struggle, then the best finisher will celebrate the victory.
If you know that there are many athletes in the race who have the best results in a particular distance, then you should not take the lead. Just try to be in the leader group and wait for your finest hour at the finish line. At the same time, it must be understood that finishers are very a lot, so this tactic is more like a lottery, and does not guarantee victory even for the clear favorites of the race.
“Ragged Run”
The meaning of such a run is to “drive” rivals. Taking the burden of leadership on yourself, you dictate the pace of running. First you do an acceleration that not many people can do, then slow down and rest for a while, then pick up the pace again. With such a run, many rivals will “fall off” from the leading group, since the frequent change in aerobic and anaerobic load will take away strength from many stayers.
The main problem with this tactic is that you yourself must be prepared for a “ragged run.” For this, a special set of training is carried out, which is not quite typical for a stayer. However, if you do not have a phenomenal finish, and you will also not be able to lead the race due to poor results, then the competent use of ragged running tactics can bring victorious results against any opponent.

Running for medium and long distances requires from the athlete not only physical data, but also a competent layout of forces. Therefore, always think in advance what running tactics you will choose, otherwise your rivals will do it for you.