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A/R 5k Anniversary TT 24th April
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21:24, though I did 5.01 because Strava can be such a b*tch.
That's 24 seconds slower than even my modest prediction.
So much pain for such a lousy time!
Age graded-result is 18:34.
https://www.strava.com/activities/51819927500 -
16:45 for me this morning, 9 seconds under my prediction. Perfect running conditions of 9 degrees, sun and a light easterly breeze.
Delighted with the time. I ran the same mile loop that I ran for last years TT. I have been doing more 1/2 marathon type training since the start of the year when I ran 16:40 on the same course on New Year's Day. Lots of tempo paced training rather than anything specific to 5k. Im glad that the speed is still there and like Diablo Verde, I didn't hit the 3-4km pain cave. Just a steady hard effort and a wish for the finish line ASAP. I needed a good sit down once the watched beeped for the 5th km.
Kudos to the organisers again. Maybe an ice-cream and a beer later today
https://www.strava.com/activities/51814466720 -
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23.27 for 4.97k for me this morning.
My watch is set to miles rather than km so I would have had to average 7.23 min/mile to hit my target time of 23.00. My back-of-an-envelope plan was to go a bit easier for the first mile - maybe 7.30 and push a bit harder on the last two as my usual issue is going too fast/hard on the first lap and then shedding time on the remaining two laps.
The first 300 m of the course have a slight incline. This morning the wind was right in your face from that direction. Ugh! Anyhow the first lap came in at 7.20. Ahead of pace. I changed the watch to just show heartrate and tried to keep the effort in that area just below "blow-up" territory. Second lap came in at 7.46. Oh well, not gonna get to 23 now. However I was feeling reasonably good as there was a few 21.30 pace runners ahead of me and I didn't think I seemed that far behind them. In hindsight that turned out to be an illusion but it made me feel better at the time.
The third mile came in at 7.44 and the last .11 of a mile came in at 6.50 pace as it's got a downhill gradient and you can see the finish line. :pac:
I used the local parkrun course which has been accurately measured to exactly 5K. The GPS Gods had in in for me today as my distance was showing as short of the 3.11 mile at the finish. I kept going but it was obvious I was going to have to run substantially more to bring it up to 3.11. (I think my watch was showing 3.06 or 3.08 distance at the finish point).
I may try running it again tomorrow but most likely won't. If it's a DQ then it's a DQ.
So, another month of mainly General Aerobic running and then a 5K plan. It will be interesting to see how much time can be shaved off the 5K later in the year.0 -
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18:11 5k, 1 second off my prediction
, at the end of my 10 Mile TT this morning/afternoon. Heat and wind were gnawing away at my mojo during the run but managed to keep it between the lines for a decent morning's work. Some morning for a 5k TT though 
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Event: Boards Anniversary 5k TT
Venue: National Beer Mile Stadium (Kilbogget)
Date: 24/04/2021 - 7:48 AM
Weather: sunny, 8°C, light SE breeze
When I woke up naturally just before 6 AM I knew that could only mean one thing: race day had arrived. I lingered in bed for a few minutes letting the last few remnants of sleep fall away before getting up and making my way down the stairs, carefully stepping over the squeaky steps. As I slipped on the running gear, meticulously chosen and laid out the night before, I welcomed again the familiar feeling of an oft-repeated ritual now almost forgotten.
The few minutes spent munching on half a banana and sipping some water are the perfect time to review and finalise the strategy. The plan today was to run entirely by feel: go out reasonably strong, ease into a steady pace then try and pick it up progressively. Worried that I might miscount the laps, I set up the watch to display just one thing: distance. No elapsed time, no pace, no alerts.
A few dynamic stretches and I was ready to step outside. The garden thermometer, placed in a shaded spot, read 5°C; a nice blue sky above and the faintest of breezes: perfect conditions. I cut across Cabinteely Park and the village on the way to Kilbogget, as I've done many a time, all the while feeling the slow build-up of adrenaline mixed with apprehension that precedes an ominous workout.
As I stepped into a deserted Kilbogget Park I was greeted by the serene sight of the track, shimmering in the light of the low early-morning sunshine, as if to say: here I am - ready for you. A lap round the park to complete the warm-up and dread is rising: my legs are feeling really heavy; not sure I'm up for it today; it's ok, if it gets too painful after one km, just pull the plug and go again on Sunday evening, sure there's precedent for that sort of carry-on in this event.
I shake out of it with a couple of strides and a slow jog round the outer lane of the track. A few last-minute stretches and walk to the starting line. Ready to go? Not quite ... Without a starter to force me over the line I take a couple more minutes to do a few drills up and down the straight then walk slowly again to the starting line. Ready this time? Deep breath and hit the start button on the watch.
I'm off and I let the legs choose what pace to dial into, hoping they'll know better than me what they're up for. My mantras today will be "focus" and, fresh from listening to Eamonn Coghlan's interview on the Runner Beans podcast, "relax". The first couple of laps, settling into a steady pace, go by in a flash. Conditions are great and the light breeze, so often a hindrance in such an exposed track, has today a very welcome cooling effect along one of the straights.
Coming up to the 1st km I am trying to gauge how sustainable this pace is. I feel it's about right and, after a quick systems check, I start the 2nd km aiming to gently and cautiously step it up; 5k feels like a very long distance at this point. Not having the distraction of worrying about time, splits or pace I can concentrate on form, trying to run tall, looking at the track ahead, and keep reminding myself of the two mantras. I am vaguely aware that other park users are starting to appear (a jogger near the track, a dog walker along the path, a cyclist) but they are just faint shapes in my peripheral vision; my focus is on the few metres ahead of me and I can't be distracted today.
A few metres into the 3rd km, suddenly, the lungs begin to feel the burn and not long afterwards my breathing, fairly controlled to this point, starts getting a bit more intense. So early on? I'm not even half way and I know it's time to knuckle down. Just concentrate and keep her steady. Through halfway and onto the 3 km mark. I am working hard, no question about it; the breathing has become yet more laboured but the legs seem to be holding firm. For how long, though? I am sure the lack of endurance training will catch up with me any moment now but I know this is make-or-break territory; stay focused and don't let it drop now.
By now my mind has dialled into the monotony or running round the track and the metronomic sound of my feet crunching the gravel. What I feared would become tedious and a hindrance is actually a great help: I can concentrate the effort and just focus on one lap at a time. At one mile to go I allow myself to start the countdown. Four laps. One more. Three laps. One more. With two laps to go the finish is in sight but I'm really hurting and I shorten the focus span to the next 200m. Right, 600 to go, keep pushing, 400 to go, time to wind it up; with 200 to go I open up my stride and try to squeeze a final sprint out of the body before I finally cross the line and collapse on the infield, enjoying the damp grass and the warm sunshine for a few minutes.
Naturally I check my time (22:50) and my splits (4:42 - 4:41 - 4:37 - 4:35 - 4:15). Slightly outside what I had in mind (that crappy track surface surely robs you of a good few seconds) but nevertheless a fair reflection of the regression over the last half year or so. Really pleased, however, that not only I didn't crash and burn but I even managed an ever so slight progression. In fact, I felt a lot happier than after last year's TT.
But today wasn't about the time or the splits. For me today was about regaining the running mojo and feeling again the buzz of race day (real or virtual), about the sense of achievement after a hard effort, about sharing the experience with like-minded folk even if it's a group of complete strangers somewhere across the ether. As I write this I realise how much I've missed all of it and how good it feels to be back to some degree, so in that respect today is mission accomplished. Anniversary mile TT anyone?
Thank you to the organisers!
PS: both Garmin and Strava measured the distance at 4.96 km but I'm sure the organisers will agree that the National Beer Mile Stadium must undoubtedly conform to IAAF standard track dimensions and therefore the apparent shortfall can only be attributed to the inherent inaccuracy of GPS devices. 0 -
Kurt_Godel. wrote: »34:05being the first 5k as part of a longer a hill run. I'm only including this as I've completed the other monthly challenges, and there's bound to be Brucie Bonus points at the end of the year if you've completed all 12:D
Clever 0 -
Event: Boards Anniversary 5k TT
Venue: National Beer Mile Stadium (Kilbogget)
Date: 24/04/2021 - 7:48 AM
Weather: sunny, 8°C, light SE breeze
When I woke up naturally just before 6 AM I knew that could only mean one thing: race day had arrived. I lingered in bed for a few minutes letting the last few remnants of sleep fall away before getting up and making my way down the stairs, carefully stepping over the squeaky steps. As I slipped on the running gear, meticulously chosen and laid out the night before, I welcomed again the familiar feeling of an oft-repeated ritual now almost forgotten.
The few minutes spent munching on half a banana and sipping some water are the perfect time to review and finalise the strategy. The plan today was to run entirely by feel: go out reasonably strong, ease into a steady pace then try and pick it up progressively. Worried that I might miscount the laps, I set up the watch to display just one thing: distance. No elapsed time, no pace, no alerts.
A few dynamic stretches and I was ready to step outside. The garden thermometer, placed in a shaded spot, read 5°C; a nice blue sky above and the faintest of breezes: perfect conditions. I cut across Cabinteely Park and the village on the way to Kilbogget, as I've done many a time, all the while feeling the slow build-up of adrenaline mixed with apprehension that precedes an ominous workout.
As I stepped into a deserted Kilbogget Park I was greeted by the serene sight of the track, shimmering in the light of the low early-morning sunshine, as if to say: here I am - ready for you. A lap round the park to complete the warm-up and dread is rising: my legs are feeling really heavy; not sure I'm up for it today; it's ok, if it gets too painful after one km, just pull the plug and go again on Sunday evening, sure there's precedent for that sort of carry-on in this event.
I shake out of it with a couple of strides and a slow jog round the outer lane of the track. A few last-minute stretches and walk to the starting line. Ready to go? Not quite ... Without a starter to force me over the line I take a couple more minutes to do a few drills up and down the straight then walk slowly again to the starting line. Ready this time? Deep breath and hit the start button on the watch.
I'm off and I let the legs choose what pace to dial into, hoping they'll know better than me what they're up for. My mantras today will be "focus" and, fresh from listening to Eamonn Coghlan's interview on the Runner Beans podcast, "relax". The first couple of laps, settling into a steady pace, go by in a flash. Conditions are great and the light breeze, so often a hindrance in such an exposed track, has today a very welcome cooling effect along one of the straights.
Coming up to the 1st km I am trying to gauge how sustainable this pace is. I feel it's about right and, after a quick systems check, I start the 2nd km aiming to gently and cautiously step it up; 5k feels like a very long distance at this point. Not having the distraction of worrying about time, splits or pace I can concentrate on form, trying to run tall, looking at the track ahead, and keep reminding myself of the two mantras. I am vaguely aware that other park users are starting to appear (a jogger near the track, a dog walker along the path, a cyclist) but they are just faint shapes in my peripheral vision; my focus is on the few metres ahead of me and I can't be distracted today.
A few metres into the 3rd km, suddenly, the lungs begin to feel the burn and not long afterwards my breathing, fairly controlled to this point, starts getting a bit more intense. So early on? I'm not even half way and I know it's time to knuckle down. Just concentrate and keep her steady. Through halfway and onto the 3 km mark. I am working hard, no question about it; the breathing has become yet more laboured but the legs seem to be holding firm. For how long, though? I am sure the lack of endurance training will catch up with me any moment now but I know this is make-or-break territory; stay focused and don't let it drop now.
By now my mind has dialled into the monotony or running round the track and the metronomic sound of my feet crunching the gravel. What I feared would become tedious and a hindrance is actually a great help: I can concentrate the effort and just focus on one lap at a time. At one mile to go I allow myself to start the countdown. Four laps. One more. Three laps. One more. With two laps to go the finish is in sight but I'm really hurting and I shorten the focus span to the next 200m. Right, 600 to go, keep pushing, 400 to go, time to wind it up; with 200 to go I open up my stride and try to squeeze a final sprint out of the body before I finally cross the line and collapse on the infield, enjoying the damp grass and the warm sunshine for a few minutes.
Naturally I check my time (22:50) and my splits (4:42 - 4:41 - 4:37 - 4:35 - 4:15). Slightly outside what I had in mind (that crappy track surface surely robs you of a good few seconds) but nevertheless a fair reflection of the regression over the last half year or so. Really pleased, however, that not only I didn't crash and burn but I even managed an ever so slight progression. In fact, I felt a lot happier than after last year's TT.
But today wasn't about the time or the splits. For me today was about regaining the running mojo and feeling again the buzz of race day (real or virtual), about the sense of achievement after a hard effort, about sharing the experience with like-minded folk even if it's a group of complete strangers somewhere across the ether. As I write this I realise how much I've missed all of it and how good it feels to be back to some degree, so in that respect today is mission accomplished. Anniversary mile TT anyone?
Thank you to the organisers!
PS: both Garmin and Strava measured the distance at 4.96 km but I'm sure the organisers will agree that the National Beer Mile Stadium must undoubtedly conform to IAAF standard track dimensions and therefore the apparent shortfall can only be attributed to the inherent inaccuracy of GPS devices.
Awesome thank you 0 -
Event: Boards Anniversary 5k TT
Venue: National Beer Mile Stadium (Kilbogget)
Date: 24/04/2021 - 7:48 AM
Weather: sunny, 8°C, light SE breeze
When I woke up naturally just before 6 AM I knew that could only mean one thing: race day had arrived. I lingered in bed for a few minutes letting the last few remnants of sleep fall away before getting up and making my way down the stairs, carefully stepping over the squeaky steps. As I slipped on the running gear, meticulously chosen and laid out the night before, I welcomed again the familiar feeling of an oft-repeated ritual now almost forgotten.
The few minutes spent munching on half a banana and sipping some water are the perfect time to review and finalise the strategy. The plan today was to run entirely by feel: go out reasonably strong, ease into a steady pace then try and pick it up progressively. Worried that I might miscount the laps, I set up the watch to display just one thing: distance. No elapsed time, no pace, no alerts.
A few dynamic stretches and I was ready to step outside. The garden thermometer, placed in a shaded spot, read 5°C; a nice blue sky above and the faintest of breezes: perfect conditions. I cut across Cabinteely Park and the village on the way to Kilbogget, as I've done many a time, all the while feeling the slow build-up of adrenaline mixed with apprehension that precedes an ominous workout.
As I stepped into a deserted Kilbogget Park I was greeted by the serene sight of the track, shimmering in the light of the low early-morning sunshine, as if to say: here I am - ready for you. A lap round the park to complete the warm-up and dread is rising: my legs are feeling really heavy; not sure I'm up for it today; it's ok, if it gets too painful after one km, just pull the plug and go again on Sunday evening, sure there's precedent for that sort of carry-on in this event.
I shake out of it with a couple of strides and a slow jog round the outer lane of the track. A few last-minute stretches and walk to the starting line. Ready to go? Not quite ... Without a starter to force me over the line I take a couple more minutes to do a few drills up and down the straight then walk slowly again to the starting line. Ready this time? Deep breath and hit the start button on the watch.
I'm off and I let the legs choose what pace to dial into, hoping they'll know better than me what they're up for. My mantras today will be "focus" and, fresh from listening to Eamonn Coghlan's interview on the Runner Beans podcast, "relax". The first couple of laps, settling into a steady pace, go by in a flash. Conditions are great and the light breeze, so often a hindrance in such an exposed track, has today a very welcome cooling effect along one of the straights.
Coming up to the 1st km I am trying to gauge how sustainable this pace is. I feel it's about right and, after a quick systems check, I start the 2nd km aiming to gently and cautiously step it up; 5k feels like a very long distance at this point. Not having the distraction of worrying about time, splits or pace I can concentrate on form, trying to run tall, looking at the track ahead, and keep reminding myself of the two mantras. I am vaguely aware that other park users are starting to appear (a jogger near the track, a dog walker along the path, a cyclist) but they are just faint shapes in my peripheral vision; my focus is on the few metres ahead of me and I can't be distracted today.
A few metres into the 3rd km, suddenly, the lungs begin to feel the burn and not long afterwards my breathing, fairly controlled to this point, starts getting a bit more intense. So early on? I'm not even half way and I know it's time to knuckle down. Just concentrate and keep her steady. Through halfway and onto the 3 km mark. I am working hard, no question about it; the breathing has become yet more laboured but the legs seem to be holding firm. For how long, though? I am sure the lack of endurance training will catch up with me any moment now but I know this is make-or-break territory; stay focused and don't let it drop now.
By now my mind has dialled into the monotony or running round the track and the metronomic sound of my feet crunching the gravel. What I feared would become tedious and a hindrance is actually a great help: I can concentrate the effort and just focus on one lap at a time. At one mile to go I allow myself to start the countdown. Four laps. One more. Three laps. One more. With two laps to go the finish is in sight but I'm really hurting and I shorten the focus span to the next 200m. Right, 600 to go, keep pushing, 400 to go, time to wind it up; with 200 to go I open up my stride and try to squeeze a final sprint out of the body before I finally cross the line and collapse on the infield, enjoying the damp grass and the warm sunshine for a few minutes.
Naturally I check my time (22:50) and my splits (4:42 - 4:41 - 4:37 - 4:35 - 4:15). Slightly outside what I had in mind (that crappy track surface surely robs you of a good few seconds) but nevertheless a fair reflection of the regression over the last half year or so. Really pleased, however, that not only I didn't crash and burn but I even managed an ever so slight progression. In fact, I felt a lot happier than after last year's TT.
But today wasn't about the time or the splits. For me today was about regaining the running mojo and feeling again the buzz of race day (real or virtual), about the sense of achievement after a hard effort, about sharing the experience with like-minded folk even if it's a group of complete strangers somewhere across the ether. As I write this I realise how much I've missed all of it and how good it feels to be back to some degree, so in that respect today is mission accomplished. Anniversary mile TT anyone?
Thank you to the organisers!
PS: both Garmin and Strava measured the distance at 4.96 km but I'm sure the organisers will agree that the National Beer Mile Stadium must undoubtedly conform to IAAF standard track dimensions and therefore the apparent shortfall can only be attributed to the inherent inaccuracy of GPS devices.
Great report! It does justice to the run. That’s what it’s all about. Well done on both counts.0 -
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Thanks for organising this, I’ve had a rough few weeks and definitely wouldn’t have attempted a 5k TT without this initiative.
The body has been in a heap for weeks and I’ve had low grade constant pain (that peculiarly doesn’t get much worse while running). I’d the physio twice this week and only decided last night I’d try it and if I was doing it I was going all out!
First mile was too fast at 6.03 but despite a struggle at the end I was happy with the way I hung in.
Garmin says 3.12 miles in 19.02
Strava says 3.11 miles and 5k PB of 18.58.
Either will do
TbL0 -
So it turns out that the source of my so' ass is my psoas :-)
Had a good loosen out last night (Achilles had gone a bit tight as well) so will take it handy today, light run tomorrow evening maybe and then have a crack at the 5K TT on Sunday at some stage.
I should possibly recalibrate my goal but I'll leave as is for now I think
It’s going to be a DNS for me I’m afraid :rolleyes:
Popped out for a mid paced 9K last night to see how I was shaping up and while the run itself was fine there was a disconcerting grumble from my hip a couple of times.
I probably need to rehab the psoas properly while continuing with low intensity low mileage. As tempting as it is, I don’t think hammering out a full effort 5K today is a good idea in the long term.
Good luck to all - hopefully the virtual run era is coming to an end soon:D:pac: 0 -
https://www.strava.com/activities/5187637978
Take 2 - 32:42
I hope I was allowed to do it again - feel like I've cheated a little bit giving it another go!! Feeling I could do it again made me wonder could I pushed a bit more and perhaps drop those 7 seconds from yesterday and get 32:xx :eek: - but bearing in mind Womble Hill and OBM were in the 2nd and 3rd miles. The whole way round I tried to balance between trying to make up for the time I was going to lose on OBM and not go too hard too soon to make it tougher than it had to be. As it turned out when I got to it I didn't feel so bad, so rather than sacrificing time to it unnecessarily and leaving myself with more work to do for the last stretch I kept the pace up! Get me!!
I stuck to yesterday's plan of pushing to the Whitestown Roundabout and then give it everything until you get passed the bottle bank (no stopping before it! ) The last part was a complete and utter mind game - from if you're thinking of anything else other than surviving you're not going hard enough to damn it I've gone too soon I'll never make it - the bottle bank is moving further away!! So I remembered Swashbuckler's 'yes it hurts but its for a good cause' and I brought everything back down, focused on what I doing and fupping ran!!! . Must have checked the watch a gazillion times to make sure it was the correct distance .
Thanks so much to the organisers. If a second go counts thanks even more. I'm flamin delighted with me life either way . 0 -
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Kurt, if completing the twelve monthly challenges is your main motivation, then you might want to have another go at this. The first 5k of this run is neither a looped course, nor an out-and-back run, so I’m not sure it qualifies as a legitimate attempt. I won’t make the final call on this, but better be safe than sorry.
+1 this will count towards the monthly challenges so rules be rules.
On that, thank you to everyone who took part. Still a few to go. The Challenges had approx max of 20pts on offer. So, we'll do results like last year for starters.
I'm thinking for the challenge
10pts for everyone who completed (+ReeReeG)
5pts if it was a DNF as having a go is having a go
To make up an additional 10pts
+2 if you equal or beat last year's time
+3 if you got within 5 secs of prediction
+2 if you got within 10 secs of prediction
-2 if you were 60 secs faster than prediction!
+5, +3, +1 for 1st, 2nd, 3rd per category
Any objections?
Also PM me or post ideas for June Challenge, thanks0 -
Well done!! Multiple attempts aloud of course but only the brave will attempt more than one 5k :eek:Hannibal_Smith wrote: »https://www.strava.com/activities/5187637978
Take 2 - 32:42
I hope I was allowed to do it again - feel like I've cheated a little bit giving it another go!! Feeling I could do it again made me wonder could I pushed a bit more and perhaps drop those 7 seconds from yesterday and get 32:xx :eek: - but bearing in mind Womble Hill and OBM were in the 2nd and 3rd miles. The whole way round I tried to balance between trying to make up for the time I was going to lose on OBM and not go too hard too soon to make it tougher than it had to be. As it turned out when I got to it I didn't feel so bad, so rather than sacrificing time to it unnecessarily and leaving myself with more work to do for the last stretch I kept the pace up! Get me!!
I stuck to yesterday's plan of pushing to the Whitestown Roundabout and then give it everything until you get passed the bottle bank (no stopping before it! ) The last part was a complete and utter mind game - from if you're thinking of anything else other than surviving you're not going hard enough to damn it I've gone too soon I'll never make it - the bottle bank is moving further away!! So I remembered Swashbuckler's 'yes it hurts but its for a good cause' and I brought everything back down, focused on what I doing and fupping ran!!! . Must have checked the watch a gazillion times to make sure it was the correct distance .
Thanks so much to the organisers. If a second go counts thanks even more. I'm flamin delighted with me life either way .0 -
Great reading all the excuses reports coming in, that's what I love about this place - thanks to the organisers for making us all feel like we're racing together!
Boards 5k Anniversary TT 25th April 2021
After a fairly consistent bank of training earlier in the year, I've been grounded recently for a number of reasons only do the very odd jog here and there or walking/jogging combo. Not the best prep this week with two longish bike rides on Wednesday and Friday and yesterday was spent sitting in a car for 3+ hours on day trip to the beach (1.5 hours each way). I was determined to run this as best I could but not to overthink it, or worry about any of it in the way I normally do. I found a 'pro pacing' thing on my watch which allows you to set up distance and desired time and it calculates the pace for you, quite handy! Saved that in my watch last night. Woke just before 7am this morning, had coffee and porridge with berries for brekkie and stole downloaded Shotgunmcos's easy run playlist onto my watch thinking it would probably be perfect for my race pace. Did some warm up high knees, jogging and hamstring stretches in the back garden. Faffing complete, I set off for an easy warm up jog to the park. I'm getting quite good at running easy, the nose breathing is helping hugely to keep the pace and HR low as it should be. Reached the park but had forgotten to check the start of the parkrun loop, having never done one in this park! Decided not to worry about it did a few more quick drills before pulling up the Pace Pro workout and off I went.
Mile 1 9:20. Straight away the pace was hot, I was aiming for 3 x 10 min miles, my watch was showing me 7:15 :rolleyes::rolleyes: I had told myself earlier not to go out too fast as per usual but.... slowed dramatically trying to find 10 min mile pace but still too fast, mile 1 came in at 9:20. It felt okay but I knew I'd pay for this toward the end and there went my aim of a sprint finish!
Mile 2 9:43. Still trying to slow the pace I was starting to feel the heat and wondering why I hadn't worn my singlet instead of a black t-shirt. Tried to bring the breathing under control with deep long breaths through the nose as well as the mouth (not at the point where I can nose breath while running fast - yet!!). I focused on fast cadence and narrow stride, also trying to bring the arms in to do a bit of the work, remembering to smile and trick the body into thinking it was having a ton of fun! The park was starting to get a little busier but people seemed to notice I was 'racing' and kindly moved aside so I didn't have to. Looked at the watch a few times to see how much further before this second, never ending mile would end.
Mile 3 9:57. Had to give myself a good talking too now, thoughts of stopping and quitting were strong but I slowed again and just tried to maintain a pace that was hard but not going to break me. A few heart palpitations that I sometimes get when running in the heat reared their head and again I focused on controlling the breathing, the watch was now on distance display and I probably did more harm than good glancing at it every few seconds to see it stubbornly staying put :rolleyes:. So happy to hear the beep for mile 3 and finally, the pace was almost the target of 10 min miles...
Last bit How far is .11 of a mile anyway, the watch will beep any second now, aaaaannnnyyyy second now...... still running, WTF? The screen was still on distance for fear my Pace Pro wouldn't actually stop the watch (it didn't) so as soon as I saw 3.11 the watch beeped to say I'd completed the distance but the workout hadn't stopped. Paused on 3.12 for 30:15, faster than the 31 I predicted and straight away I was thinking FFS I could have done sub 30 if I'd paced it properly!
Walked the 1.69 miles home browsing in some shop windows along the way enjoying the lovely sunshine, what a beautiful day!
Analysis How to run a race on zero training and in fact, zero running!!!! Have to say I'm happy with that, it was hard (very hard) but I'm buzzing now. The new runners (Reebok Floatride Energy 3 Shoes) were lovely to run in, nice and springy. The foot was a bit niggly when I got home but it's okay now.
Thanks so much to the organisers and participants who make this place such a fab community to be part of! This gives me an incentive to get back training sooner rather than later.
https://www.strava.com/activities/51882395690 -
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