Readjusting goals...in the wrong direction UPDATED - Race done

mpalios

I have my A+ race in two days.  It's an open 15K, and I've had this on my mind for a long time.  I originally had a goal of sub-60 minutes.  There's no way I'll be able to hit that, as no markers in any workouts indicate that I will hit that goal.  Partly my fault, partly no ones fault (it just is what it is type of thing).

How do you guys end up adjusting in your heads and changing your internal goals?  And avoiding (what I will feel) is disappointment, as I'll run much slower than what I hoped.

My new goal is ~64 minutes.  I know that for some folks, this is fast.  But I was really hoping for a sub-60.

About 2-3 weeks ago, when I knew 60 wasn't going to happen, my enthusiasm for the race took a nosedive, and my overall training (mostly bike work) also took a nose dive.  Oh well.

Sorry for scattered thoughts, just feels good to get it off my chest.

kurshing

First thing is that, as you progress with the EN training, you will learn to set more appropriate goals...meaning, you will have a better idea of quickly to expect improvements and at what levels. And, think about it this way...if you had trained a different way, you probably wouldn't even be where you are now!

Secondly, I have noticed (having done the OS three times) that my fitness games seem to come in chunks. It is almost like you work and work and work and then finally break through...so, keep your head down and keep charging, you may be a couple of weeks from one of those breakthroughs!

Good luck!

Coach Patrick

@Mike, goals are important, but I look to racing to my potential. You can be bummed about knowing you "only" have a 64 in you based on your fitness, but you can try to race like ninja and score a 63. IOW, I am always racing who I am at the start line...not who I wanted to be when I started this thing. Just my two cents!

mpalios

Posted By Patrick McCrann on 24 Feb 2011 08:24 PM

@Mike, goals are important, but I look to racing to my potential. You can be bummed about knowing you "only" have a 64 in you based on your fitness, but you can try to race like ninja and score a 63. IOW, I am always racing who I am at the start line...not who I wanted to be when I started this thing. Just my two cents!

 

That's my hope.  There might be a chance that I can hit a 63'.  I sure as heck am going to try.

This 15k training experience has been a learning experience for me, that's for sure.  Not used to focusing, and not being able to hit my marks.  But it is what it is, and I need to feel VERY fortunate to be doing what I'm doing.   I also have to remember that I trained for a 15K like a triathlete, not a runner.  And I'm pretty damn fit too.  So, I just need to chill the heck out.  And if I go sub-5.10 this year in a half IM, that will MORE than make up for it!

So, race strategy...

FIRST MILE - 6:50-6:55.  This is a must, as I've blown my wad in the first mile in some other races.  No can do here.  Fisrt 7 minutes of the race are key to the last 8 miles....I won't even be bent out of shape if M1 is a 7:05, although that won't be ideal.

First 3M - 20:30, holding 6.50's

Second 3M - 20:45-ish, but try like crazy to get to 6.45/mile

Last 3M - hold on for dear life!  It's only 3 miles, and it will REALLY feel bad for only 10 minutes.  That's not that long!!!

Last .3 mile = ~1.40

Steven Ford

Coach P hit it on the head, when at the line you have to assess your self and say given what I have what can I do. Also try to take away as many positives as you can, we all do a least a few things right during a race.

 

Good Luck looking forward to your report.

Paul Hough

Hey Mike - I'm running the 1/2 on Sunday. Early on I wanted to do well, but my hamstring was preventing me from doing the harder workouts I needed, so this week morphed into a running volume week with no emphasis on speed. I'm looking at the race as a well-attended workout, and I know that I will go faster than if I ran the distance by myself. I assume that triathlon is your primary sport, so don't take it so hard. The 15K will still help you towards your goals later in the season. Give it your best shot and don't beat yourself up over it.

mpalios

First, Paul...good luck tomorrow. The weather was perfect for a race; hope it's the same for you. You are correct - I trained for a 15k as a triathlete, not a "runner", and there's a big difference. Watch out for those two false flats on Bayshore and ~Euclid as you're heading south!!!

Back home from the race, and I figured it was going to go one of two ways - how I described in my plan above, or I was going to completely melt the last 5K. Unfortunately, the latter happened. But not too bad.

At Mile 4, I was already at Z4.5. At Mile 5, I had hit Z5. The last 2.5 miles were spent in Z6! (I don't race based on zones, but I knew I was red lining big time...)
The course is just about pancake flat, but a few sneaky false flats could wipe you out if you're not careful...

Mile splits:
6.51
6.51
6.53
7.00
6.55
6.58
7.03
7.23
7.30
2.28 (.3 miles)

By 5K:
21.21
21.32
23.02

Total time of 65.56. My quads were cramping after the race as I walked around a bit. There's no way I could have gone any faster than I did. So, while I'm a little disappointed in the finishing time, there's nothing else I think I could have done differently to improve the time. I laid it all out there, and did my best, probably finishing around #250 or so.

I might make this race a real focus; I REALLY want to race this in sub-60, and since I've done it once before, I want to do it again while I can.

Thanks everyone for reading and the encouragement.

Coach Rich

Mike,

You learned something and would likely pace it a little differently next time, lesson learned. Congrats!

mpalios

Hi Rich. I averaged 7.04/mile. At Mile 7, I thought..."Man, I'd love to have those 10 seconds back from Mile 2."

But I followed my plan I laid out nearly perfectly. I guess the plan was too aggressive. BUT...if I had stuck to 7' miles for the first 5k, I think I still would have collapsed like I did that last 2 miles of the race. There's base there for sure, but not enough for a "fast" 15k.

The other thing...in all my training runs, after the main set that was all paced at 6.40 or so, the Z3 work has been very easy to maintain. So, it gives me quite a bit of confidence as I begin to focus in on the 1/2IM distance.

The last open 15k I did was a rolling hill race in Charlotte in 2003, and I finished in 60.39, so I've got it in me, I'm just not focusing on that right now. I'm also 8 years older, and ~8 lbs heavier.

After Florida 70.3, I'll take a couple of weeks off, then see if I can drill this race next year.

Paul Hough

@ Mike - Although it wasn't windy, it was way too warm for ideal running. At 15K, a temperature in the low 50s would have been ideal. I've been coaching my son for his 15K debut with a goal of sub 50, and I had cautioned him strongly about pacing, especially since it was 70 degrees at the start. He ran 50:23 and missed only due to the heat. You lost at least a minute due to the warm weather, and it's also probably why you were cramping afterwards. But this heat is nothing compared to the run on the Florida 70.3 ... the 7th level of hell in Dante's inferno.

I'll be running easy tomorrow since I'm racing a triathlon at Clermont next week.

mpalios

Paul, at about 5 miles or so (right around Bayshore and Bay to Bay), I thought to myself "man, it's kind of warm"), then I forgot about it when I noticed Z6 on the Garmin! But you are correct, I just wasn't paying attention. I just didn't have the strength to finish those last 2 miles or so with a good charge. Not too many folks passed me though.

Your boy's got some wheels! Congrats. I'm sure you're incredibly proud!

Coach Patrick

Mike, well done. As Rich noted, pacing could have helped a bit. And then the heat too. And don't forget you get 2" for every pound you lose...that's a 6:48 pace and even closer to your goal! Enjoy your recovery...