Goal of sub 20 5k (Read 13664 times)

I must keep the sub 20 pace as much of the race as I can. There will be hills where I will fall off the pace. But by throwing in 2-3 minutes surges of what feels like 4k race pace I can get a few seconds back. My half mile splits 3:14 3:16 3:22 (uphill) 3:11 (downhill) 3:14 3:03 0:38 last tenth (hard to believe this was so slow. I thought for sure I could run this in 34 seconds...maybe I used all the energy on the rest of the race)

What this proves is that you are totally capable of it. Just run within yourself unless it feels easy to go faster. Then just make sure you are not running so fast that it is wearing you out. Great job, I think you will get it in your next race. By the way I ended up breaking 20:00 yesterday in our mildly hilly Race for the cure. I had only broken 20:00 without the kids a few times in my entire life and my PR for the course was 20:50(~8 attempts at this course). I started off fast because the first mile was mostly down a long hill. I hit the first mile in 5:40 and then I got into the hilly section. I backed off on the hills to conserve some energy but I think I backed off too much. I had a 6:31 and a 6:32 second and third mile. However, I was still ahead of some guys that usually beat me so I knew I had a shot at a decent time. I hammered the last .1 miles(18 mph+) and ended up finishing with a 19:21. I still wasn't where I want to be(I think I could do 18:00 on the right course. However, I was pretty happy to win my age group in a race that had 25000 participants(Yea my age group is really weak around here). One of my good friends ended up with a 16:58 and he had to stop for 15 seconds to re-tie his chip back on. He is over 40 and he absolutely crushed the masters division! See you at the races.

I don't think I could do it (break 20) by myself -- at least not now -- I need the adrenaline of a race and people in front me to chase and try to reel in. Doing it alone sounds substantially more difficult, psychologically. My splits were 6:24, 6:23, 6:17. I caught a couple guys in the third mile, but couldn't catch any of the kids ahead of me over the last quarter.

Think 6:25 and 12:50. It might help psychologically. A 6:30 pace will give you a 20:12 which is not what you want. It takes a 6:25.9 pace to run a 19:59. Those 4 seconds can be huge when you mulitply them by 3 miles. If you are satisfied with a 13-min split at 2 miles you are going to have to run a 6:18 pace for the last 1.1. And then again it depends on what you are more comfortable with. It would be easier for me to run an even pace from the start rather than having to speed up a lot duirng the last third of the race.

I agree with Jim24315... Go for gold, not bronze. That means a sub 6:30 first mile. Also, I've said on a number of occasions that being in the 12 minute range at mile 2, means that a sub 20min effort is doable. Anything slower and a miracle mile is required.

Yea running is about 90% mental. My best races ever have come with the stroller probably because I don’t concentrate on the running at all. Instead I am tending to the children, getting sippy cups, opening packs of crackers….etc. You wouldn’t believe how much harder taking the wrapper off of a lollipop is at speed during a race! It is much better than the alternative though(Cranky 2 year old).

Opening crackers? Too funny. I hope you don't get crumbs all over the course. The mental aspect is where it comes together. I unexpectedly ran a 5k PR on Saturday. I registered that morning knowing that I was training through the race and had tired legs from crappy 11 and 9 miler the prior two days. A hill, after the mile 2 marker, toasted my legs so I had to grit it out. But I knew that I just had to concentrate on the runner ahead rather than how bad I felt. There is no way that I can duplicate/sustain that level of effort, both mental and physical, on a solo run.

It was very similar for me when I ran my 5k PR as well -- I was running with a guy who was better than a Garmin, and he got me though mile one in 5:16 and 2-miles in 10:32. (because every other 5k in that era of my life involved a way too fast first mile followed by a crash and burn).

WOW, if 5:16 is holding back I wonder what "Your B@lls to the wall is"?

WOW, if 5:16 is holding back I wonder what "Your B@lls to the wall is was"?

Fixed the above to past tense. Often ran 5:00~5:05 first mile, and then slowed down a ton. It never ended well that way.

My moto is it’s not “slowing down a ton” unless your first mile is TWICE as fast as your second mile and you run the entire race at your maximum potential effort.

Well, 20 years ago, sub-17 was the big barrier for me, and the only time I broke it in cross country was running even splits. And when I ran the PR the subsequent spring, it was also with even splits. So I'm a big believer. Almost of all of my PR's, from 800m up to 15k at least, came in races where I ran even or negative splits. I also discovered that it felt a lot better to have a little energy for a strong finish, as opposed to having people stream by you late in the race. That being said, everyone's a little different, and sometimes a fast first mile is a gamble that will pay off. Because sometimes, it's an effort barrier you need to be able to break through -- a discovery of how much discomfort you can tolerate but still hold on to the pace.

I'm always impressed by people that run pushing a stroller (and the first stroller in, during my PR'd race last weekend, was a double!)