Okay, I know many runners claim they are consistent in their performance, but this is getting ridiculous.
On Saturday, I ran my 3rd Gaspee 5K.
Here was my official time (although my Garmin said 25:16):
And here was my time in 2013.
Kind of eerie, right? Same place in the field of runners. And pretty much the same exact time.
But its not a fluke. Consider I ran the 2013 Run to Remember half marathon (my first 13.1 race) in 2:04:10.
And my second half, the Baystate Half Marathon?
2:04:06
Seriously?!
When you think about all the intangibles and unpredictable elements involved in a large event like a half marathon, the fact that my times differed by only 4 seconds is pretty crazy.
And check out the Milford 5K in 2013: 25:05 (which actually earned me a first place finish in my age group)
And again in 2012: 25:38 (whoa, a whopping 33 second difference!)
Oh, and let’s not forget that my first 10-miler and my 10K PR were both run at a 8:47 pace.
Not to go out on a limb or anything, but I think its safe to say I’ve found my comfort zone, especially when it comes to racing 5K, 10K and half marathon distances.
I guess this isn’t too surprising. I’ve been moaning for a year now about coming within seconds of beating old records and meeting certain time goals. But I guess I didn’t realize how crazy consistent I’ve been over the last year or two.
But is it being consistent? Or is it coasting? Either way, it’s a little frustrating.
All I know is that this indisputable evidence makes it clear that I’m not going to improve my times, and overall performance, until I commit. Yes, I need to incorporate more consistent speedwork (how ironic).
But am I spreading myself too thin, simultaneously training for a handful of distances — both short and long — with hopes of hitting certain milestones each time I toe up at the start line? Am I minimizing my results and all my hardwork with (for me) may be an ambitious race schedule?
Maybe instead of setting a dozen running and fitness goals for myself each year, I simply need to set one annual running goal for myself. Just because I decide I want to break a 25-minute 5K doesn’t mean I can’t also train for a half marathon, but I’m beginning to realize it’s not exactly realistic, nor isit fair to myself, to also expect me to break a two hour half marathon at the same time.
It’s definitely something to consider as I work on running for fun — gasp! — for a bit this summer before half marathon training kicks in sometime in late July or early August.
Have you do you train for a variety of distances simultaneously? How have you been able to improve your race times?
Larisa @0to26point2 says
Wow, that’s a little crazy with your matchy numbers. Lol. I think picking a longer distance to train for would be the best idea.mainly because if your longer distance gets faster than inevitable your short distance will get faster by default. Endurance is usually the key to speed. I may be wrong but it worked for me when I was training for time. And speed work on the treadmill worked too. Good luck I know you will be PRing in no time.
Jessica says
Thanks, lady 🙂 I always incorporate speedwork into my plans but I always end up blowing it off. When life gets messy and I have to tweak my training plan, speedwork is always the first to go for me. I guess that explains a lot, right?? 🙂
Kaella (KaellaOnTheRun) says
Those numbers are freaky!! LOL!!
I usually don’t train for events at the same time but will run a 5 or a 10 K during my half training. No matter how hard I train, I always am a speed demon on race day (paces I couldn’t do for a 3 miler I can somehow sustain for 13!)
I find speed work is really the only way I get faster 🙂
Jessica says
I know, right??? I really, really need to commit to doing more speedwork. I always start out with good intentions, then it goes out the window. I need to find my inner speed demon, too 🙂