Time Trial Tribulations

The time trial to conclude my 5K training has not gone as well as I hoped. Injuring my toe delayed the trial by four days. My glutes were still sore from the last workouts of the block, and I took another rest day. On my first attempt, I felt like I went out too fast and ran out of breath too quickly. It was 72F, and I scrubbed the run after 20 minutes. After the run, I examined the heart rate data and observed I hit Z5 after the first mile.

27:30

On the second attempt, I did not go out as fast, but I couldn’t pick up the pace. It was cooler but windier. I hit Z5 1.5 miles into the run and completed 5K in 27:30.

26:41

I compared my second attempt with the 5K time trial I completed a month ago. That day, it was 59F and less windy. Because of traffic, the route was altered with a slightly lower total ascent. I finished in 26:41.

26:18

My second-fastest 5K was on the day I should have completed a 10K time trial last year. My fueling was “off,” and my legs turned to lead in mile two. I decided to make it a 5K time trial. I finished in 26:18 and had the slowest climb into Z5 of all my time trial attempts.

25:25

My fastest 5K was during my 10K training block last year. The weather was similar to my second-fastest time, and it was five weeks after the Mountains 2 Beach marathon. My time was 25:25.

Analysis

I think my mind is preventing me from running faster. The weather has some influence that can be countered by running earlier in the day. My fastest, third-fastest, and fourth-fastest attempts have a similar heart rate graph over distance. I feel like my heart rate is too high, and I’m out of breath, but it might be mental. However, I have lost aerobic fitness since my last marathon six months ago. My best time was five weeks after a marathon.

In this training block, I ran faster (400-meter intervals at a mile pace and 200-meter intervals at an 800-meter pace) and slower than my goal pace, but I did not train at my goal pace for middle-length distances, like mile repeats. I’ll try some more work at a 5K pace this week and see if my time improves before moving to 10K training, where I will have another crack at a 5K time trial.

What has your experience been running 5K races? Please let me know in the comments below.


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