When a has-been on a local forum repeatedly calls out today's runners as slow and lazy and lacking speedwork, as no competition for yesterday's ghosts, some of today's runners may be driven to prove him wrong.
So I've been doing my usual speedwork repeats, favoring 2 sets of 5X(2min hard, 2min jog) within a roughly hour-long run. But instead of doing the hard portions at current 5K pace, I dropped them to near mile pace, because: fuck you, man. (Another part of training has been throwing in a mile at mile pace at the end of workouts a few times.)
Conditions today were almost perfect, with bright sunshine, 50 degrees, and no wind. There was a long, gradual downhill at the start, with the elevation gained back in mile two before a flat finish.
I ended up shaving 26 seconds off my 5K PR, clocking a 16:31. The plan had been to run with a buddy and both go for sub-17, but I went out at a much harder pace, felt good, and decided within the first 100 meters that it was a day to go for broke. Also, it was the first race in my $8 Hagio 2's, and they are great. It's a more comfortable footstrike than I get in Mizuno Ekidens, if that makes sense.
The faster training worked. Rick mentioned spotting the VO2 max in my log, and it was qualitatively reflected in not sucking wind, in not crashing after a very aggressive first mile, in being able to not set off warning flags even late-race. So, to oversimplify greatly, if you want to run faster, train faster than you want to run.
Pics credit -- Checkers AC:
Downtown as a backdrop, look at all those shorts finally!
Floating cheater
Beautiful Sunday morning on the West Side
Sheesh! Are you sure those weren't $8 roller skates? Awesome race!
PRs:
5k - 20:51 - 9/5/15
10k - 47:00 - 5/25/15
15k - 1:10:19 - 11/21/15
13.1 - 1:42:25- 4/25/15
26.2 - TBD (someday)
Wow! Congratulations on the PR.
Can us mere mortals try that run faster than you plan on racing?
The faster speed work speaks volumes, but that you have managed to do it within MRT is even more telling. You may have indeed found found yourself.
Nicely done Jay, you have put last summer's injury setback so far in the rear view mirror that one could argue it was secretly just what you needed.
Looking for something smart to say, but all that comes to mind is a.w.e.s.o.m.e.
With this 5k, you pretty much matched your marathon PR. Now you have to run a 1:16 HM. See what you started? It's a snowball effect!
Congratulations!
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Congratulations. It's great to see hard training really pay off.
race obsessed
Very nice Jay!
Man, you are having just a stellar year. 26 seconds off your PR? Way to go! Remind me not to piss you off though.
This whole post is awesomeness. Congratulations!
Nice!
Congrats, speedy!
delicate flower
Good Lord...a 26 second PR at that speed!? I thought runners at that speed usually only chip away at their PR's, with a few seconds here and a few seconds there. Did you win this race?
<3
+1
Blazing fast Jay! You literally look like you are flying in that picture.
Life is good.