Given the training I have been doing lately and the paces that I was able to hit in some pretty specific workouts (ie 3 x 1600m with 2min jog recovery and 5 x 1k with 1 min jog recovery), I felt like I was in shape to not only run a PB but go under 18 mins and maybe get close to 17.30 even though I knew that Rottnest is a hard course.
Warm up 3.1k in 12:30 with sugar42 - felt Ok not fantastic but certainly no worse than I feel before a hard interval or tempo session.
Sugar Cane and Simon Coates were looking to run 35 mins for the 10k ie 3.30/km pace so I went out with them.
First km in 3.21 and second in 3.32 by which time we had hit a headwind before going over the causeway and up the long hill. Unfortunately there were no more km markers for the 5km as we then turned and headed back. It’s not a true out and back course as there is an extra approx 1km loop at the start. So no splits for last 3km.
What is disappointing though is that I felt like I maintained my effort and worked hard all the way. very different from City to Surf where I knew I was running crap but couldn’t do anything about it – this time I felt like I was running to my capacity so was very surprised when I glanced at my watch with about 150m to go to see that it had already ticked over 18mins. I averaged 3.50/km pace for the last 3km but felt like I was running 3.30-3.35.
Not sure where to go from here. Seriously thinking about getting a coach who knows what they are doing because clearly my current coach (me) doesn’t. One of my previous bosses used to like to say that the definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing but expecting to get a different result. I have a couple of little tweaks in mind but nothing drastic when drastic is perhaps what I need to kick start my racing.
I stopped my watch at 18.21 which is an equal PB but the official result is 18:19 so a PB by 2 secs (I’ll take what I can get).
Finished 7th – pack of 4 young guys ran together until the last km when they got down to business with even gaps then back through 5th, 6th and then me. Finished about 40m behind 6th. (Check of the results indicates that I was spotting at least 8-24 years to the guys in front of me which is some small consolation).
Photo below courtesy of Sugar and Kim - I was going more than 8km an hour but it seems not by much ...
3 comments:
It's coming, just need the right day and the right course.
Are you doing the 5k at penninsula? If the wind is OK that should be a good chance on terrain you guys know well.
Yes, I'll be doing the Peninsula run. Look forward to seeing you there. Clown is doing it also so should be a good race for all of us.
Well done on landing a PB. Remember that the winds and hills of Ratts nest can make it a whole lot tougher...and there may be other factors that caused you to have a less than expected day. Maybe a big breakthough at the Peninsula run. Over the decades I have found that often the pattern is PB by a seond or two or less, and then the second time (if you keep the momentum going) you PB by a big amount...I sometimes wonder if some elite runners deliberately break their records by small amounts so they can take the money bonus of breaking the same record several times...you sure you don't have a side bet with someone as to how many PB's you are going to get this year?...;-) just joking...stick with it.
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