Happy Monday and Happy February folks! I don’t know about anybody else but January felt like the longest month in existence, it was a really tough month to navigate and I know from my point of view running every day definitely helped brighten the days. Pretty early on in January I planned to do a Time Trial in the last week of January to give myself something to work towards and give me some motivation in a time where there are no races on the horizon!
So last Friday I tackled a 10k Time Trial in Phoenix Park. In the run up to this it I took things down a notch in terms of intensity and volume. Partly to leave me fresh for the attempt but also to simulate what I would usually do the week of the race. Although some of the runners I coach have ran Time Trials over the last few months I had yet to attempt one, feedback I had got from some was that its really hard to be motivated as they are so much different than a race! I felt if I treated the few days leading up to the time trial the way I would normally treat the days leading into a goal race this would put me in racing mindset. In truth I usually struggle with nerves leading into a race however I think this usually leaves me sharp and focused. On Tuesday I ran a typical pre race session that I usually run 3 days out from a race which is essentially 5 x 2mins @ target race pace with 2mins jog recovery. Its not too taxing and it gets the pace of what you are intending to run into your legs. I know many people have different race week sessions that they like to do, I think its important to look at what works for you and not necessarily copy something that works for somebody else. I’ve trialled and errored many sessions over the years but know from experience that this works for me! Wednesday and Thursday were very easy 55mins and 35 min runs respectively to leave me fresh for Friday.
I can’t say I was in typical race mood leading up to the time trial but I definitely was in a slightly different mindset than a normal training session. Decided to attempt the run late afternoon on Friday as I thought Phoenix Park might be a bit quieter and my girlfriend would also be finished work and could act as a bit of support before during and after the Time Trial. The park turned out to be way busier than usual but think this is the case in all parks at the moment with everyone wanting to get out to get some fresh air!
WHAT NOT TO DO!
So going to elaborate now on why I think Time Trials for me are not the same as races. In a race you have a definitive course/ location, definitive start time and definitive distance! Where I went wrong in my opinion on Friday was my lack of decisiveness. Until a few minutes before the Time Trial I didn’t know the following:
· What distance I was running
· Exact course/location
· Shoes I was wearing
So obviously this is not good, as if you have a cluttered mind like this before your decision making and clarity is going to be off also. This is my fault but look its learnings for me to take on board for next time. I was torn between running 8k and 10k and to be honest didn’t fully make my mind up on that until about 5k in. I was in two minds on the exact loop to use. I ended up using a 1.55 mile loop that I thought wouldn’t be as busy but turned out to be extremely busy and quite open to wind. I am not saying all of this to make excuses I don’t think any of this made any difference to the time I ran but maybe something for anyone reading to take on board when attempting a Time Trial themselves. Be decisive and clear on what you are doing!! Regarding the runners I wore/ I had gotten a new pair of the New Balance FuelCell RC Elite (New Balance’s version of the Vaporfly). I wore these for the 1st time last Tuesday and felt straight off that they don’t suit my feet at all but was still keen on wearing them Friday, So after completing my warm up threw them on and attempted a couple of strides and straight away I said no they don’t feel comfortable so took them off and went with a pair of Adidas Adios Pro racing flats (the boot of our car is full of runners). The adios pro’s aren’t categorised as one of the super shoes but they are a good racing shoe in my opinion. Yes shoes like the Vaporfly etc do make a slight difference but I think and this is just my opinion some of it is a bit of a placebo affect and actually what they do is essentially make people braver in the pace they go out at! I’m not saying they don’t have an affect but I think people are getting too obsessed with whats on your feet and forget the real improvements come from hours of training and dedication!!
So anyway the Time trial itself went out a bit hard and suffered from about 6k to 9k but held on to run 32.39 running the following mile splits:
· 5.06
· 5.13
· 5.19
· 5.16
· 5.24
· 5.14
Last 400m was at 5.00 mile pace so good to see I still had something left at the end. Being honest I was hurting from about 2k in, I’m not used to that sustained pace, most of my sessions have been between 5.20 – 5.30 mile pace so in a way I was happy to average out at 5.15 mile pace for the whole 10k. I also had a few issues with dogs running out in front of me and having to jump onto the grass a few times to avoid others. At around 6k I had to come to a complete halt as a dog not on its owners lead almost ran straight into me and If I hadn’t of stopped me and the dog would of went clattering in the air. Look this is not ideal and was a but frustrated at the time but its little obstacles like this which will stand to us all when races come back! Somebody asked me at the weekend was it not really difficult doing it on your own? Yes very hard to be honest especially in the middle parts but again another thing that will stand to me when races come back!
Huge thanks to my girlfriend Molly who I wrote on Social Media acted as Coach/ Cheerleader/ Photographer and Videographer for the run on Friday and definitely made a difference having someone there as opposed to going in and attacking it on your own! Had a few drinks over the weekend as a way to wind down as hadn’t had a drink for all of 2021 up to the weekend. Body was a bit battered after the run so taking a down week this week, I’ll still train but just bringing down the intensity and volume before starting back next week into a half marathon block!
Well done to some of the runners I coach who over the last week or so attempted Time Trials themselves all running very impressive times!
Have a great week folks 😊
Noel
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