March-tastic

5000m goal : 15:50

5k PB : 16:21

5k SB (post-Sept 2011) : 16:21

It seemed like a distant dream 6 months ago, but this month has seen me break two of my PBs, and not those silly PBs like 800m, or Coop and back.  Real manly distances.

My 10k PB dated back two years, and it evaporated on a fresh spring morning 13days ago in an ungentlemanly display of positive splatting to provide me with entry to the ’33 Club’.  I was hoping that would entail a gold plated cup, a lame running belt (you know for gels and stuff) and a date with Darya Klishina, but instead what you get is a congratulatory text of Simon ‘Millhouse’ Millhouse, and a firm handshake of Mister Banks.  They were both appreciated.

Today’s epic showing at the BRAT dominated Park Run, in a time which thankfully wasn’t rounded up despite having to stop suddenly as the finishing funnel featured a 90 degree corner (contrary to my momentum), meant I have had to dust of my abacus to calculate that I’m now a gamely 31 seconds off my goal. 

But it was analysing the data afterwards that raised some (my) eyebrows: despite being more rested for the 10k, I was far more efficient today, with lower average heart rates for every single km.  Coincidently, my times at 3 and 4kms were identical in both races, suggesting there’s some Kenyan in me, and the 624 beats in the final km today meant that this was a lower effort level than its counterpart despite its rapidness. 

	Trafford 10k (11th March)		Park Run 5k (24th March)
	Split	Average bpm	Split	Average bpm
1km	3:15 | (3:15)	184	3:13 | (3:13)	178
2km	3:11 | (6:26)	193	3:16 | (6:29)	189
3km	3:21 | (9:47)	196	3:18 | (9:47)	191
4km	3:22 | (13:09)	196	3:22 | (13:09)	194
5km	3:24 | (16:34)	196	3:11 | (16:21)	195

 Comparison of the opening 5k of Trafford 10k and a 5k race 13 days later.

The verdict of this? I don’t know, but I think it’s interesting, and I am open to suggestions!

The optimists amongst you will also note that I’m now hot on the trails of my apprentice Steven Bayton, who recorded a 10k of 33:55 in March 2010, and 5k of 16:20 in November that year.  Next stop then is projected to be 32:17, give or take a couple of seconds of course.

Diminishing Marginal Returns

5000m goal : 15:50

5000m PB : 16:29.9

5k SB (post-Sept 2011) : 17:36

At first I had been very reluctant to put a target into writing.  The obvious downsides: the pressure of trying to achieve it or perhaps the public humiliation should I fall miles short.  But my cockiness in doing this has had some positives too: aside from the secret hope that I’ll somehow surpass it by at least a minute, motivation.  There’s a number in my head.  15:50.  Its right there,  15:50, whenever I am feeling slightly lazy.  This morning it got me out of bed at 06:54 (yes my alarm is set that accurately) to get to the pool.  This evening that goal flashed in my head while I considered if I could be arsed to do the prescribed 3 sets of conditioning circuits when I returned soaking wet from an hour post-work run.  But that goal does mean that my rather feeble hips and shoulders are slightly more tired than they otherwise would have been tonight, and I can enjoy the standard 2¼ bowls of evening Weetos guilt-free.

Living with Mister Alastair Canaway for the last 11 months has left me privy to many economic terms.  “Opportunity Cost”, “Propensity to Consume” and “God my bum insertion point is aching again” are all economic phrases to which I am regularly privy.  But the one that sticks most in my mind is “Diminishing Marginal Returns”.  The concept that a higher proportion of my fitness gains will come in the first half of my training, with the applied effort being worth less the closer I get to my goal.  As such I am nailing the endurance work and racked up 73 hard and lazy miles, and one emergency sprint to the bathroom from a lying down position, last week, with a solid Saturday afternoon spent tactically planning training patterns with Chief Movement Coach Nick ‘Nandos’ Howard fitted between games of Fifa 12.

Despite being snubbed by UKA for the recent High Alitude Endurance Camp in Iten, Kenya, I more than made up for this with 15 consecutive mind-numbing laps of Metchley Park, leaving me ideally prepared for a SB lowering attempt at Saturday’s Cannon Hill Park Run.  I still remain fearful of my house Triple Jump Lead, which with housemates practicing bouncing routines around the clock, the 1.16m looks less secure each day.