Settling for a PB!

MCOS

Just wondering if anyone has not felt the fulfillment of attaining a personal best due to missing an inner child type goal?

For example the marathon, going for a certain time, blowing up in the last few miles but still getting a pb. Instead of running within yourself and getting a pb finishing strong but still not hitting that time.
Difference between the 2 is obviously the mindset at the start.

showry

40:15 in the Dungarvan 10k earlier in the year, a PB by about 6 minutes.
I should have been delighted with the time but I was well pi$$ed off. I was flying and was sure all I had to do was turn up for my sub-40. A pan-flat mile in the middle took about 30 seconds longer than it should have for no explicable reason.
I hit the 6 mile marker at exactly 39 and knew it was gone. Herself and the kids were cheering me on about 100 metres from the end just as the clock turned to 40 and I screamed a loud F&*K. Not my finest hour.

shels4ever

MCOS wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has not felt the fulfillment of attaining a personal best due to missing an inner child type goal?

For example the marathon, going for a certain time, blowing up in the last few miles but still getting a pb. Instead of running within yourself and getting a pb finishing strong but still not hitting that time.
Difference between the 2 is obviously the mindset at the start.

Depends on the pb really and when it was set, if i broke any pb i set in the 90's i'd be over the moon, then again i've pb's from last year that i've run in training since so wouldnt be bothered if i break them really.

TFBubendorfer

MCOS wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has not felt the fulfillment of attaining a personal best due to missing an inner child type goal?

For example the marathon, going for a certain time, blowing up in the last few miles but still getting a pb. Instead of running within yourself and getting a pb finishing strong but still not hitting that time.
Difference between the 2 is obviously the mindset at the start.

You're talking about my 2008 Dublin marathon here. At 3:05:37 it was a PB by 4 minutes but 5:38 slower than my target after blowing up between miles 19 and 20.

It still rankles.

tunney

So the question is which do I prefer, a poorly conceived race execution plan that resulted in a PB but the plan failed or a perfectly executed race plan that resulted in the planned PB?

scottreynolds

MCOS wrote: »

Difference between the 2 is obviously the mindset at the start.

I'm sure you didn't know this at the start.

Surely if you knew at the start the outcome then you knew you were going to blow up which indeed implies this was part of the plan.

MCOS

tunney wrote: »

So the question is which do I prefer, a poorly conceived race execution plan that resulted in a PB but the plan failed or a perfectly executed race plan that resulted in the planned PB?

Yep

scottreynolds wrote: »

I'm sure you didn't know this at the start.

Surely if you knew at the start the outcome then you knew you were going to blow up which indeed implies this was part of the plan.

Aye. Its the case where you know you can PB but the challenge you set yourself is a stretch so you go for it and miss it but still pb in the process. How does that pb feel?

TFBubendorfer

MCOS wrote: »

Aye. Its the case where you know you can PB but the challenge you set yourself is a stretch so you go for it and miss it but still pb in the process. How does that pb feel?

It f***ing sucks!

Peckham

DCM 2008 - 3:00:00. PB by 6mins 30secs.....but one of the lowest moments in my relatively short running career, and have obsessed about it since! :rolleyes:

Lesson learned about sticking to race plan and not going for silly speed bursts mid-race.

thirtyfoot

tunney wrote: »

a poorly conceived race execution plan that resulted in a PB but the plan failed

I'd take this one as it means there is more in the tank if you can do the perfect race. Has anyone ever ran a perfect race? Michael Johnson said he was still looking for the elusive perfect race when he retired. Even his 200m in Atlanta '96 had a little stumble.

Generally its all about the PB no matter how it comes. If you run a PB and it was way off to your original plan, then your original plan was probably wrong. This especially applies when you have run lots of races and are pushing on and PB's are hard to come by. Never be unhappy with a PB, a day will come when you won't be getting within an asses roar of them.

MrCreosote

MCOS wrote: »

Aye. Its the case where you know you can PB but the challenge you set yourself is a stretch so you go for it and miss it but still pb in the process. How does that pb feel?

Depends I'd say. If it was better than a PB from a while ago which you knew you'd easily improve on, I'd say not too good, cos the main aim would be the target time.

But if it was a "sure I'll see how it goes" type thing and the previous PB was close enough I'd say I'd feel grand about it and think the target time was too ambitious.

Not a problem for me- I'm usually too conservative.

bourne99

My pb for 5 mile was set going out hard and just hanging on. I kept trying to 'blow up' and slow at the end, but somehow kept up the pace and finished. It was a pb by 90 seconds and is so far my best run. If I had stopped however, I know that based on how much effot I had put in, right now I would still be cursing it - one year later.

By contrast, in a 2 mile race I did, I aimed (secretly) to go sub 11 mins having never done it before. Went out easy and kept up an ok pace. With a few hundred metres to go, I just decided to maintain the pace rather than give 'everything'. I gave 99% not 100% and finished with 11:12. Yes, a pb, but I'm still annoyed that I didn't push it that last two hundred metres or so and get a 10:59. I still remember the look on the face of the guy who held me to the line... Grr

edit: but would agree that any pb is a good pb!!

ecoli

Went out in a five mile by a train 5 min first mile came through 5k in a new 5k PB (16.24) and thought i died a death but still managed to equal my five mile PB (27:41)

Pisco Sour

Peckham wrote: »

DCM 2008 - 3:00:00. PB by 6mins 30secs.....but one of the lowest moments in my relatively short running career, and have obsessed about it since! :rolleyes:

Lesson learned about sticking to race plan and not going for silly speed bursts mid-race.

If the marathon course was even just a few metres longer than the exact marathon distance then you can claim a sub 3 hour marathon!:D

Pisco Sour

ecoli wrote: »

Went out in a five mile by a train 5 min first mile came through 5k in a new 5k PB (16.24) and thought i died a death but still managed to equal my five mile PB (27:41)

Seems like your 5k PB needs some serious revising so.

ecoli

04072511 wrote: »

Seems like your 5k PB needs some serious revising so.

Definitely hitting Rathfarnam with a sub 16 in mind hopefully

--amadeus--

It's happened to me in the majority of my marathons.

In my first I had planned a sub 4:30 but switched in teh last week to sub 4 and was doing that pace when the wheels feel off at about 18. Ran / walked home in 4:23. 8 mins inside my original target but I was gutted.

Next marathon I started too far back in teh pen, ran through woeful congestion and ended in 4:00:xx, PB by 23 mins but just outside sub 4 (not as bad as Peckham though )

Same story through a lot of others but my lowest point - and one that still rankles - was last years Dublin. My PB was 3:15 (which had been a good, tough run). Coming into the last 5 miles or so I knew that I was dropping off the pace and had to decide to run aggressively and aim for my target or run conservatively and take the PB. I bottled it and for the only time ever in a race I took the easy option. 3:11:30 was only 1:30 outside my target but a decent PB. I still can't believe I just settled when I should have had the balls to go for it though.

So yes getting a PB but not hitting a target can be an uncomfortable thing.

MCOS

--amadeus-- wrote: »

for the only time ever in a race I took the easy option.

...3:11:30 was only 1:30 outside my target but a decent PB. I still can't believe I just settled when I should have had the balls to go for it though.

So yes getting a PB but not hitting a target can be an uncomfortable thing.

This is exactly it! I set a target of 3'10 for Dublin but I haven't done the work for it. Just going for any ole pb feels like the easy option!

I started training for Dublin yesterday, yes.. yesterday! Average mileage up to last week was about 20-25 and longest run was a 1'40 half marathon off a hilly bike last week. I'll probably get 2 decent long runs in. After hitting all my targets so far for the year I'm very dubious about the 3'10 I wrote down. pb from last year is 3'27

Yikes I remember talking to you after this --amadeus--. 3'11 was a savage time to me then and I couldn't understand how you felt so deflated but had yet another pb and an overall very good time! But hey I could be sitting in the pub with you a year later feeling the very same way...

tunney

MCOS - if you want to build on the gains you have made over the season (tri season) and the work you will do over the winter you need to start racing smart. Obviously push yourself, but unrealistic goals will only end in tears and impaired performances.

MCOS wrote:

I set a target of 3'10 for Dublin but I haven't done the work for it.

Then why would you aim for it if you haven't done the work and don't think you can do it? If you think it is realistic, (4:28 per km) then go for it, if you don't then why run 4:28 for 30km and 5:00 (or the like) for the last 12.5km?

If you want to run 3:10 and this requires you to do work, then HTFU and do the fcuking work.

MCOS

tunney wrote: »

MCOS - if you want to build on the gains you have made over the season (tri season) and the work you will do over the winter you need to start racing smart. Obviously push yourself, but unrealistic goals will only end in tears and impaired performances. .

Thanks I agree. I'll be smart about it on race week and go out at a pace that I feel I can handle for the distance.

tunney wrote: »

Then why would you aim for it if you haven't done the work and don't think you can do it? If you think it is realistic, (4:28 per km) then go for it, if you don't then why run 4:28 for 30km and 5:00 (or the like) for the last 12.5km?

If you want to run 3:10 and this requires you to do work, then HTFU and do the fcuking work.

Hey, I know no pb comes for free :P With endurance you get out of it what you put in. Specifically I haven't put the work in in terms of running mileage or long runs to consider 3'10 but the bike miles have definitely helped the endurance but to what degree for a marathon I don't know.. yet!

Hmm.. perhaps I'll just do it without a watch and see what I get.. maybe do it off heart rate.

I guess no matter what pb you get you are ultimately only happy with it until another pb beckons

--amadeus--

I know where you're coming from and having pressured you to push the envelope a bit on your target I feel a bit guilty now

The only thing I would say is decide early if you aren't going to push hard - as in a few days or even a week or more ahead of time. No point saying you're going to go easy if in the back of your head you're still thinking 3:10 and ir would be a shame to end a great season on a down note.

MCOS

--amadeus-- wrote: »

I know where you're coming from and having pressured you to push the envelope a bit on your target I feel a bit guilty now

The only thing I would say is decide early if you aren't going to push hard - as in a few days or even a week or more ahead of time. No point saying you're going to go easy if in the back of your head you're still thinking 3:10 and ir would be a shame to end a great season on a down note.

Its all your fault!!! Ah no, you made a fair point and there is probably a fast marathon in there somewhere but it has to be teased out with the proper training like everyone else. I'll take that approach and see how I'm set on the week and approach accordingly. I'd rather pb happily than miss a target and be in a mood meeting ye all for a drink afterwards

ultraman1

If the marathon course was even just a few metres longer than the exact marathon distance then you can claim a sub 3 hour marathon!:D

according to an official course measurer the mara course is 42 meters longer to account for "discrepancies"....