I didn't really know what to expect heading into my 5km time trail run. As I stated yesterday, I rarely run the 5km as a race so my expectations were a bit conservative.
The previous 5km trail I can remember doing (more than a year now I think) was in the upper 26min range so I was hoping to go under 26mins at least for this race.
However, @toofasteddie estimated that I could probably run sub 25 or even sub 24mins going by my reports. I honestly want to thank you Eddie for your encouragement and analysis as it made me realize I was short selling myself.
The time wasn't exactly what I wanted. At the 4km mark I at least hoped for a sub 25min time, but somehow my body just wasn't having any of it.
I was probably let down by a conservative start though as I could've started a lot quicker for the first Km before settling into a comfortable tempo.
All in, am glad I did this trail as it showed two things:
- How much improvement I've made as a runner
- What time is possible with a little more effort.
If I could re-do the race (might just do it again next weekend), I'll probably run a sub 25 easy. I felt there was still a lot left in the tank to run at least a high 24min time. Even a sub24 may be possible but we'll see.
Here are some tips I've gathered from my experience as a runner that I'll like to share:
- Breathe through your mouth during faster runs. You don't want to worry about breathing related contractions when running.
- work on your posture and try to run straight. This affects our ability to breathe properly, as well as our stride and ultimately our pace.
This is a longer than usual report but I hope we can at least agree that consistency pays.