Since this month there isn't a MR25 5k TT, I decided to do a 10k time trial just to see where my fitness is at and also set a new PB for a 10k. The last official open 10k I did was also my first, which was in 2008. My time was around 1h1min. Earlier this year in the Singapore Biathlon I ran about 49:08 for the 10k after a 1.5km swim. And earlier this week my long run pace was enough for a 47~ 10k. Hence I was pretty curious to see what I could do, and also set a benchmark for my race (in 4 weeks!)
I ran relatively late in the morning and the sun was already up. The stadium did not have much cover from the sun, so all 25 laps were done in the open. After a short jog to the stadium and 1 lap of strides, I was off in my 1 man race. My plan was just to break 45 minutes, so that meant 1:48 per round.
The first km, as always, started off too quickly. Actually it wasn't so much the first km, but rather the first lap. Think I covered it in about 1:40, which was 8 seconds faster than what I wanted. I passed the 2.5 lap mark in 4:22 and still felt quite good at this point. The next 2 km I made an effort to stick closer to my goal pace even though I could go faster because I didn't want to pay for it in the final few km. KM 2 and 3 both passed in 4:28, which was slightly faster than what I wanted but I was fine with it.
The next few km got really tough, mainly because the thought of running for another 7km around a 400m loop got to my head, and the sun didn't really help things. I tried not to focus on how many laps were left but rather how many km I had left. After all 6km sounds much less than 15 rounds. I was also checking my splits every 200m to ensure that I was on the right pace, so much so that now I remember what timings I should be going through every 200m in (:54, 1:48, 2:42, 3:36, 4:30).
KM 4, 5 and 6 all went by in 4:27. I would say that's near perfect pacing :) However I was really starting to suffer already, and started to doubt if I could keep at this pace or even finish the time trial. I thought of bailing out after 5km, but decided to HTFU and get on with it.
KM 7 was my slowest one, in 4:29. I decided to slow down just slightly to ensure I wouldn't die later on. From then on it was more mind over matter. I was thinking to myself its just another 7 laps to go, very soon it will all be over. KM 8 and 9 went by in 4:28. At this point I was pretty sure I could go under 45 min even if I slowed down quite a bit at the last km because of the "buffer" time I had accumulated over the last 9km. Now the question was how much below 45min I could go.
Usually at the last km of a race we push the most because after that it will be over, but this time I really couldn't do it as much as I tried. I finished with a 4:24 final km, and a total time of 44:31. The feeling I had when I crossed the line was indescribable. I was SOOO glad it was over because I doubt I could have lasted even 1 more round, and also really happy that I managed to hit my goal. After a quick drink, I sat down on the track and just let the sweat drip for a good 5 minute. Think I left quite a big puddle there.
I ran relatively late in the morning and the sun was already up. The stadium did not have much cover from the sun, so all 25 laps were done in the open. After a short jog to the stadium and 1 lap of strides, I was off in my 1 man race. My plan was just to break 45 minutes, so that meant 1:48 per round.
The first km, as always, started off too quickly. Actually it wasn't so much the first km, but rather the first lap. Think I covered it in about 1:40, which was 8 seconds faster than what I wanted. I passed the 2.5 lap mark in 4:22 and still felt quite good at this point. The next 2 km I made an effort to stick closer to my goal pace even though I could go faster because I didn't want to pay for it in the final few km. KM 2 and 3 both passed in 4:28, which was slightly faster than what I wanted but I was fine with it.
The next few km got really tough, mainly because the thought of running for another 7km around a 400m loop got to my head, and the sun didn't really help things. I tried not to focus on how many laps were left but rather how many km I had left. After all 6km sounds much less than 15 rounds. I was also checking my splits every 200m to ensure that I was on the right pace, so much so that now I remember what timings I should be going through every 200m in (:54, 1:48, 2:42, 3:36, 4:30).
KM 4, 5 and 6 all went by in 4:27. I would say that's near perfect pacing :) However I was really starting to suffer already, and started to doubt if I could keep at this pace or even finish the time trial. I thought of bailing out after 5km, but decided to HTFU and get on with it.
KM 7 was my slowest one, in 4:29. I decided to slow down just slightly to ensure I wouldn't die later on. From then on it was more mind over matter. I was thinking to myself its just another 7 laps to go, very soon it will all be over. KM 8 and 9 went by in 4:28. At this point I was pretty sure I could go under 45 min even if I slowed down quite a bit at the last km because of the "buffer" time I had accumulated over the last 9km. Now the question was how much below 45min I could go.
Usually at the last km of a race we push the most because after that it will be over, but this time I really couldn't do it as much as I tried. I finished with a 4:24 final km, and a total time of 44:31. The feeling I had when I crossed the line was indescribable. I was SOOO glad it was over because I doubt I could have lasted even 1 more round, and also really happy that I managed to hit my goal. After a quick drink, I sat down on the track and just let the sweat drip for a good 5 minute. Think I left quite a big puddle there.
In about 3 years, I managed to improve my 10k timing by 16 minutes. Not a lot, but also not a shabby amount. Hopefully some day I will see my PB start with a 3, but for now I'll gladly take a 44:31. I probably could have gone sub 43 if I ran in nicer weather and did a proper taper, but my race will take place in the late morning and by the time I start running my 10k it will be around 12pm. Not ideal, but what can I do except train in hot weather as well?
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