From road racing to the track

My favourite racing is either 5k (especially parkruns) and 10k. I know the pace I can hit for each split and train to get faster.

Next week though, I've entered a 3000m track race. I've done one track race before (a 5000m) and a mile challenge on a cycling circuit. So... what's the plan for a 3,000m track race? What's the pace I should set myself?

As with planning for a road race, I'm going to have a look at the pace I've done previously - but then add a bit on based on being a bit fitter (hopefully), the 3000m distance being shorter than 5k and the track being a perfect flat surface.

So looking at three past runs...

1. 5k PB
My 5k PB tells me I should be able to do a 3000m comfortably in splits of 3:30/km, 3:30/km and then 3:25/km (10:25).

2. 5000m track race
Just over a year ago I did a 5000m track race. Managed 3:30/km pace for a number of the laps. Again, this suggests a 3:30, 3:30, 3:25 is doable.
3. One mile challenge
Over the shorter distance (in a field of similar paced competitors) I managed sub-3:20/km...
So wanting to be ambitious, but also a realist not wanting to go off too fast and have a nightmare second half of the race, I'm going to go for a 3:25 first km and then take it from there.

I'd be happy with 3:25, 3:25, 3:25 = 10:15. If I cannot keep the 3:25 up and need to drop to 3:30, 3;30 (10:25) for the rest of the race then so be it 

I'd be delighted with anything closer to 10:00. Let's see...

UPDATE 2nd Oct:
Finished in a time of 10:34. The km splits were 3:22, 3:28, 3:31. Looking at the splits, it was far from the slightly negative splits I was hoping for... 

Looking at the splits for the laps, first two laps were good, but on reflection should have been slightly slower as I clearly couldn't keep up that speed. It was nice to dig in a bit for the last 600m to pull some pace back (finished knackered) - but at 10:35 I was 5s out of the time range I had aimed for.

There were about 12 people doing the run, and for first four laps I was 11th. But then by the finish line had moved up to 7th. So clearly going off too fast is a common thing for track races.

All good fun though. Doing a 5k properly measured/timed road race next week. My 5k (not parkrun) official PB is 18:12 - so desperate to do sub 18 - fingers crossed.

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