LRB, I worded my question to be very general since I thought it would promote more discussion than just talking about myself. But since you asked, I have been thinking about it because I would like to break 24 minutes in a 5k, hopefully in a few weeks. My current PR, from September, is 24:19. So I'd be happy with 23:59, but then I thought, maybe I am cheating myself by only aiming for under 24 and no faster. Maybe I *could* run it at 23:30 or something (or maybe I absolutely couldn't). But that's just the thing...I don't know. I don't know if the fact that I have hit my goals ~2/3 of the time means that I am being too "incremental". Maybe I am actually doing myself a disservice and setting the bar too low.
Or maybe (probably) I am just totally overthinking this and should just run like hell in every race.
PRs:
5k - 22:53 (May 2015)
10k - 50:00 (unofficial; part of 20k race, March 2015); 50:33 (official; July 2016)
HM - 1:48:40 (Apr. 2015)
Well you have to start somewhere, a 23:30 is a pace of 7:35. If you think you can hold that for 3.1 miles go for it!
If I'm not going to meet my goals then I adjust them mid-race so I can have a 100% success rate I know, cheating.
Labrat
In the last 12 months, I hit my goal just 3 times. Sickness last Spring played its part, then an Injury this year.
Nailed the Fall of 2013 though, I am hopeful of doing the same this year.
5K 20:23 (Vdot 48.7) 9/9/17
10K 44:06 (Vdot 46.3) 3/11/17
HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17
FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18
I'm very realistic in setting goals so I tend to hit more often than miss. Maybe 2/3 or 3/4 races.
For instance one could argue I missed my Boston goal if I choose to go back to the beginning of the year. I was coming off a nice fall and had aspirations of sub 2:50 dancing in my head. In February I wound up going to a doctor three times for a left leg issue. This impacted my miles and training and definitely had me resetting my goal. Two weeks before the marathon I realized a PR was a good A goal and a course PR was a good B goal. In that case I met my goal.
It's up for debate on whether I hit or missed my goal.
Are we there, yet?
Specific time goals aside, in the 15 races I've run since the beginning of last year I've only been dissatisfied with one, very happy with 7, and the other 7 have been satisfactory, but nothing I'd celebrate, especially since several were designated training runs and not intended as race efforts.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
This.
In a marathon yesterday, I started with 4:15 pacer and once I saw him go bye bye at mile 18, I picked a next number of 4:30......sometimes once I don't hit the goal I take it easy, other times I try to get as close as possible.
You guys and your nutty A, B, C, D, and E goals. I usually have "a goal", and if I miss it, I just try to see how close to it I can get. I will say though that it must to be nice to have BQ as your "well if all else goes to hell" goal.
You guys and your nutty A, B, C, D, and E goals. I usually have "a goal", and if I miss it, I just try to see how close to it I can get.
I will say though that it must to be nice to have BQ as your "well if all else goes to hell" goal.
This. In a marathon yesterday, I started with 4:15 pacer and once I saw him go bye bye at mile 18, I picked a next number of 4:30......sometimes once I don't hit the goal I take it easy, other times I try to get as close as possible.
I can dig it. It's just that in the midst of training and racing there are usually more things at play than just the finish time. For me anyway.
Pace per mile, how I responded to the easy part of the race versus the tough part. Did I fight back when the crap hit the fan or just mail it in, all those things play a part in judging a race performance and thus answering the question of did I hit a race goal.