Train, Train, Race, Train

Taking three days to shake the stiffness, soreness and heaviness from my legs after Sunday has given me a bit of time to reflect on my racing. Despite running way too fast for nearly the first half of the half marathon, it is clear I still have some strong racing point. The first and foremost is that 3:47/km for 9km feels very comfortable.

Moving beyond, it is also clear that my current fitness level is missing a bit of endurance. Given my training template, I believe that is something will take some substantial time to develop. At least for a few months I expect there to be quite a gap between my high-end aerobic (ie. 5000m race pace) and my sub anaerobic threshold sustainable speeds. Not a bad thing if it means I can keep lifting that high-end speed. The catch is I won't have much margin for error when racing. Run a bit to fast is likely to result in a big and painful slow down, rather than a slight drop in pace. The slight drop is what I am historically used to.

The roster imposed on me from work, means my weekends off can be some time apart. So based on my current expected rostering, it looks like I get to race once or twice out of every six calender weeks. Given I am aiming to rebuild some triathlon fitness, the extra time between races is probably a good thing. I can keep my focus on some consistent and progressive training, with the added bonus of a race every so often. Not often enough to burn out or cut into training. Not too far apart that I lose a racing edge. Taking 4-7 weeks between each race (most of the time) will allow me to correct any glaring weaknesses or errors in training.

Comments

  1. Jason, I'll take 3.47 for ONE km right now! Good to hear your new training plan is forming up. PB

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