So after a month of running twice a day and hitting new distance records weekly it’s time to see if this has translated to better racing. I have a 10k this weekend and would hope to be able to run around 35 minutes, quicker if the conditions are good. A 10k is a testing distance because you invariably go out at 5k pace which is fine  for the first 5k but then the wheels can fall off. K’s 6-8 are the testing ones and this is where you need to dig deep. The final kilometre you can normally find something and when you smell the finish line it’s amazing the kick you can produce.

This year I have run five 10k races and this has helped me drop to a PB time of 34:41 earlier in the year on a flat and fast course. When you’re chasing PB’s the course layout is important. My PB course was three laps of a lake so there was no turns and it was completely flat. Couldn’t have asked for a better course. I went out too fast and led for the first 8k until I heard footsteps behind me and I was well beaten into 2nd place. Because of the layout I was never able to look behind me and had no idea where the rest of the field was. With 3k to go I was dreaming of glory but it was not to be.  It was still a PB time and the first time I had run under 35 minutes. This was a goal I had been chasing for a few years.

Should I have ran with the pack and then raced for position rather than go alone ? Tough call. It was a good PB so really you can’t argue with the time. It was nice to lead the race and have the lead bike in front of me albeit only for 8k.  As I get older this time at the front of the pack will be limited and eventually I will slowly work my way back down the field. That is the way of getting older but I’ll be working as hard as possible to make the journey as slow as possible.

So to sum up this mornings post, if you are racing this weekend trust in your training. If you have done the work you will be rewarded, running is the most honest sport. Don’t be intimidated by the occasion, trust in your ability and enjoy the experience. Racing is one of the best ways to improve because you will vary rarely push yourself in a training session the way you do with a bib on your chest and a target runner ahead of you.

Weekends mean racing and I love racing. Nothing gets the old competitive juices flowing like a race bib on your chest. Some people shy away from competing but to me it is everything. I’m not racing for position normally just trying to beat a PB (PR). That’s why I love running, the only real person you’re competing against is yourself. I always use to go by the old adage you had 7 years of PB’s from when you start to run ‘properly’. Be that in your twenties, thirties or beyond. (There’s probably a age limit when this window will shorten i.e. if you started in your 70’s).. Anyway I was about on track for this as my running career started in earnest when I trained for the Comrades  ultra marathon in 2008 ( http://WWW.COMRADES.COM , now that’s another story)  and I thought I’d peaked in 2013/14.  By changing my diet and training I seem to have hit a second wind and recorded a few PB’s this year so we’ll see if i can prove the 7 year PB window wrong.

Racing is putting all the hard work to the test. Running is the most honest sport there is, there’s no option for high tech zip wheels, lighter frames, silly helmets to gain an advantage. Just you, the distance and a watch. Racing is when you test yourself against yourself initially and your peers and age group if you so desire. The most important competitor though will always be yourself.

Don’t be nervous about racing. I must admit my family know that a weekend of a marathon I am one to be avoided. I normally perform well on the day but the day before, hell the week before, you are filled with doubt. When I get to the line and the gun goes all that is forgotten as I get to do what I love best, run and run as hard and fast as i can. I am not one for ‘running’ marathons, I race them.

I’ve attached three classic Steve Prefontaine quotes below to get you inspired for the weekend ahead.

What more can I say, go out there this weekend and be the best you can be. Then Monday start to work on being even better.

 

 

Sometimes a run comes along that defies logic, a run that makes all the hard work . the early mornings, double up days, long runs, time in the pain box, thresholds etc. ; all seem so worthwhile. This years Perth half was one such a run. My half pb stood at 1:16:24 set in 2013 and it was a time I was happy with and one I thought I would never better.  Boom ! After a great training block I surprised my myself and broke 1:16 for the first and probably last time. 1:15:55 according to the photo below. Still smiling. Big head wind which made for a good negative split. One of those runs where everything comes together, at my age a rare treat.

 

A half is a good distance, not too long to disrupt training but long enough to be a good test. Normally set off at 10k pace and try and hang on for as long as possible. On this run hung on until the end.