13.37. 26.39. 26.7.

These are all numbers I have seen on my Garmin at the end of races – numbers I never want to see again. When we run half marathons and marathons, the last thing we want to do is run more than we have to. Not only does it result in wasted energy when we’re already tired; it results in a slower time on the clock than could have been achieved if we ran the targeted 13.1 or 26.2 miles. It’s also the quickest way to dash the chances of a PR (personal record) or BQ (Boston qualifying time) if you are gunning for a new personal best.

So what causes this? How can we prevent running further than we should during races? The secret is in running the tangents.

Running the tangents simply means running the shortest distance on a race course, which is how the course is measured. Although races often contain many turns and curves, tangents are straight lines. That means in order to run the tangents, you will need to run in a straight line from curve to curve rather than following the middle of the road and snaking around every curve.

Perhaps an explanation in pictures would be easier:

Here are some tips to help you race more efficiently by running the tangents during your next race:

• Familiarize yourself with the race course before race day. Study the curves and turns on the course map and think about where you will need to be in the road to run as straight of a line as possible. If you are running a bigger race where pacers are offered, ask the pace leaders at the expo about their strategy for running tangents. I have run with pacers before that didn’t run the tangents, and I had to leave them because we were starting to run too much added distance.
• Be on the lookout for curves and turns. One of the simplest things you can do to run the tangents is to simply keep your eyes open and be alert. When you conquer one curve, start looking for the next so you can position yourself correctly in the road and maintain straight lines. When you zone out and stop paying attention, it’s easy to miss the tangents.
• Don’t be afraid to get out of line. Many races try to keep runners on one side of the road with cones in the middle off the road. If a road is closed off and/or there is no traffic, do not feel you have to stay within those cones when the race is actually measured in a straight line across the entire road. Look at the drawings above. If you didn’t cross over the line in the middle of the road, you’d be adding extra mileage and turns by snaking along the course in an “S” shape. If you are racing and the road is not closed, you will have to use greater caution if the road is open to traffic and this may not be a possibility. Ask race staff at the expo if there are any rules about this to ensure you are safe. During my recent Kauai Marathon and at the ZOOMA Florida Half Marathon earlier this year, I was one of the only people cutting all the way across the road rather than staying within the cones to run the tangents. Guess what my watch said at the end of both races? 26.2 and 13.1. Bam!
• Consider training to run a slightly faster pace. If you know you will be unable to run all the tangents due to large crowds, open roads with traffic, etc., consider training for a slightly faster pace (a few seconds per mile) to help overcome the added time that will be on the clock from running a slightly longer distance.
• Be respectful of your fellow runners. Be mindful as you run against the crowd from inside curve to inside curve that you aren’t cutting off other runners or plowing into other people. Be respectful to your fellow runners and don’t let your running the tangents cause problems for others.

Running the tangents can take practice, and there is no perfect way to do it. Be mindful of the tangents and just do the best you can to overcome turns and curves.

What other tips do you have for running the tangents and being more efficient on race day? What is the longest distance you’ve ever logged during a race due to not running the tangents?