So today I ran the Jingle Bells 5k road race in Freeport, Maine. I ran this race last year and had the best 5k time I had all last season. I think the length of the road course was short by almost 1/2 a kilometer and it is very flat, that's why I had a fast time last December, but that's neither here nor there. That being said I have worked on my conditioning a lot this year and I figured I'd be able to put down a smoking time for me, maybe even a personal best in the 5k since university.
So I set out a goal of running this course faster than 24 minutes.
And...it wasn't to be.
I found out just before the race that they had changed the course route to make it a true 5k. By doing so they added a pretty steep hill at the mid-way point. I started OK, worked my way through all fo the slower runners and I was on pace to break 24 minutes until that hill at the halfway point.
I never recovered.
My legs were like concrete when I got to the top of the hill and my pace slowed. I could do nothing ablout it despite tyrying to pick up the pace. I finished 26:53 and 24/35 in my age group, 190th overall out of 609. Still very poor.
It comes down to this. I need to lose weight to get faster. It's that simple. I can do all the endurance training runs and hill sprints I want. I'm not going to get any faster if I don't lose some substantial weight...and soon.
See my run at: http://tpks.ws/cFqh
Awesome job JP!! I find that I learn more from the races that I don't hit my goal for than the ones I do.
ReplyDeleteWeight loss helps for sure (picture running with a 5-10lb backpack on...then take it off) and it is something I struggle with. BUT something else helps too - if the hill is what killed you, you MAY want to try doing hill repeats 1 day every other week or something...only after a long warm up and starting with 3 repeats adn building. You will see it help you.
Switch from beer to mead for a little while. That oughta help the pudge.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that you did the run faster than I did though - so be proud of that.
(Obviously ignore the fact that A) I never did the run , making it easy to beat my time, and B) that I actually haven't done physical exercise in 2 years. Don't let the actual details dumb down the above broment)
Thanks guys. I think you're right Mandy that we learn more from our failures that our successes. I know what I've got to do, now I just have to apply myself to get there.
ReplyDeleteJordan: Broment? Maybe you could join me for a broment in the NYC triathlon next summer???