Feeling off the pace

The month started well with a 5k PB of 17:21.

This had filled me with confidence that I could have a real go at a 10k PB at a very flat Kempton Park event at the end of the month. 36:34 was the time to beat, but I'd have been happy with anything under 37:00 just to be in the right ball park.

So the plan was to do the first 5k at a 3:42/km pace and then hopefully clock up negative splits to attack the PB.

I trained hard through May, then gave myself 72hrs break before the run. The weather was perfect also.

Kempton Park - the perfect location for a 10k?

...*however*, by km 3 and 4 of the run it became apparent that I couldn't get anywhere near that 3:42/km pace. Worse still, for the mid-part of the race I was struggling to get the pace below 3:50/km. Even the last two km which should have been the pick up to the end where nowhere near what I had been hoping for. The week before I'd done the same pace as a training race on a route with +125m elevation.

The result was a disappointing 38+ where I had set out being confident for a sub-37.

Race break down

On reflection, running has peaks and troughs, you just have to keep on training well and putting the effort in and hopefully improvement will come.

You need the tough runs to make the good runs feel even better.