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BRRC 7k Champs - 25:41
Posted by
vat
,
13 May 2012
·
122 views
After a relaxed 4.4k (an out and back of the UQ gravel track) on Saturday afternoon (although HR was a little high than I would have like - probably a 'two strong coffees in the morning' thing) and a good night's sleep, it was down to West End on Sunday morning for the fourth round of the Brisbane Road Runner's Club Championship, this instalment being 7km, after the 14k in January, the half marathon in Feb and the 10k in March.
Thanks to a few guys moving up classes and one other guy I'd be battling with being pre-occupied with Ironman, I've had my age group to myself and had three pretty comfortable wins so far, despite the 14 and the half really being training runs and the 10k done on no sleep thanks to being on call. The Road Runners take the best four results of the year so a win today would wrap that up, so it'd be nice to wrap that up. I do want to run all events this year, and am a chance to take all seven, so that's a little side target.
It wasn't a motivation of itself today, though - I can only control what I can control. Today's 7k was more of getting a handle of where I am speed-wise ahead of the Brisbane Marathon. As mentioned, I just want to break 3 hours here, but am training targeting 4:10 pace so there's some margin there, and hey, if I go quicker, so be it. I haven't had a proper speed test since March's 10k - where, thanks to being on call and attending the Elbow concert at the Tivoli the previous night, I'd had 10 hours sleep in the previous 3 days and been on my feet for most of of the time I was awake, but still managed to cough up a 38:16, with a pretty comprehensive blow up in the back 5.
I'd had a solid six week block of training, I was well rested after good sleep and an easy week, body in good nick and I felt motivated. Having a think on it and previous results, I thought a minute off over the 10k in March was probable, so worked the numbers back and figured a sub 26 would be a minimum, with 3:40 pace a solid stretch goal, which would give 25:40. So, a window of 25:40 to 25:59 then....
The morning was perfect for running, temps in the low 10's, clear and still. I got through a solid warm up, nothing particularly special. Had a bit of a think about a race plan - the BRRC course, built around a 5k loop with a bit of a downhill a few hundred metres after the start (which becomes an uphill heading home) needs to be managed, as many a strong start has been revealed to be hill-assisted and when that pace is carried to the far turnaround and then pressed into the uphill return is promptly found out.
With the 7k, there is a turnaround at 1km, so it's effectively 2 and then 5. I figured that given we were hitting the downhill twice, and early, it would be worth not being too worried about going out too hard because you're maximising the benefit of the hill and by the time you had to worry about consequences, there'd only be a couple of km to go and you could probably talk yourself into hanging on.
And that's pretty much how it played out - I was a touch over 7:08 through 2, and then around 18:33 for the back 5 to give 25:41 for the 7, enough for 6th outright and the championship sealing age group win. Wouldn't have minded the pacing being a little more even, but I don't know that it would have made much difference time-wise. Once I got over the hill the last 500m was pretty strong. The only thing was I got to the far turnaround pretty much maxxed in terms of HR and effort, so to turn and then maintain that for the gentle rise over the next couple of km was asking a bit much, so pace came off a bit - but I doubt I could pace that differently to give a faster time.
If I'd had to carry on to 10, I think I could have held on for a couple of seconds under 37, which is a little scary as that's getting close to my old times from '05/'06. I have a 36:28 PB for 10, but it's an outlier and represents the only time I've been under 37. I hadn't done the maths on it properly until the drive home, when I realised how that translated into longer distances...and got a little excited.
So, I have a good idea of where I am speed-wise now, and it's a good place. Focus is obviously endurance, but there aren't any races for a while now (BRRC have a 35k event in a month I'll be treating as a race rehearsal) so I can build the back end and see how that's looking come the Gold Coast HM in July.
It's exciting to feel the old speed start to come back, and the body's holding up pretty well. The regimen of stretching, rolling and core seem to be protecting the back well, and the legs are fine. Just gotta keep doing the work...
Thanks to a few guys moving up classes and one other guy I'd be battling with being pre-occupied with Ironman, I've had my age group to myself and had three pretty comfortable wins so far, despite the 14 and the half really being training runs and the 10k done on no sleep thanks to being on call. The Road Runners take the best four results of the year so a win today would wrap that up, so it'd be nice to wrap that up. I do want to run all events this year, and am a chance to take all seven, so that's a little side target.
It wasn't a motivation of itself today, though - I can only control what I can control. Today's 7k was more of getting a handle of where I am speed-wise ahead of the Brisbane Marathon. As mentioned, I just want to break 3 hours here, but am training targeting 4:10 pace so there's some margin there, and hey, if I go quicker, so be it. I haven't had a proper speed test since March's 10k - where, thanks to being on call and attending the Elbow concert at the Tivoli the previous night, I'd had 10 hours sleep in the previous 3 days and been on my feet for most of of the time I was awake, but still managed to cough up a 38:16, with a pretty comprehensive blow up in the back 5.
I'd had a solid six week block of training, I was well rested after good sleep and an easy week, body in good nick and I felt motivated. Having a think on it and previous results, I thought a minute off over the 10k in March was probable, so worked the numbers back and figured a sub 26 would be a minimum, with 3:40 pace a solid stretch goal, which would give 25:40. So, a window of 25:40 to 25:59 then....
The morning was perfect for running, temps in the low 10's, clear and still. I got through a solid warm up, nothing particularly special. Had a bit of a think about a race plan - the BRRC course, built around a 5k loop with a bit of a downhill a few hundred metres after the start (which becomes an uphill heading home) needs to be managed, as many a strong start has been revealed to be hill-assisted and when that pace is carried to the far turnaround and then pressed into the uphill return is promptly found out.
With the 7k, there is a turnaround at 1km, so it's effectively 2 and then 5. I figured that given we were hitting the downhill twice, and early, it would be worth not being too worried about going out too hard because you're maximising the benefit of the hill and by the time you had to worry about consequences, there'd only be a couple of km to go and you could probably talk yourself into hanging on.
And that's pretty much how it played out - I was a touch over 7:08 through 2, and then around 18:33 for the back 5 to give 25:41 for the 7, enough for 6th outright and the championship sealing age group win. Wouldn't have minded the pacing being a little more even, but I don't know that it would have made much difference time-wise. Once I got over the hill the last 500m was pretty strong. The only thing was I got to the far turnaround pretty much maxxed in terms of HR and effort, so to turn and then maintain that for the gentle rise over the next couple of km was asking a bit much, so pace came off a bit - but I doubt I could pace that differently to give a faster time.
If I'd had to carry on to 10, I think I could have held on for a couple of seconds under 37, which is a little scary as that's getting close to my old times from '05/'06. I have a 36:28 PB for 10, but it's an outlier and represents the only time I've been under 37. I hadn't done the maths on it properly until the drive home, when I realised how that translated into longer distances...and got a little excited.
So, I have a good idea of where I am speed-wise now, and it's a good place. Focus is obviously endurance, but there aren't any races for a while now (BRRC have a 35k event in a month I'll be treating as a race rehearsal) so I can build the back end and see how that's looking come the Gold Coast HM in July.
It's exciting to feel the old speed start to come back, and the body's holding up pretty well. The regimen of stretching, rolling and core seem to be protecting the back well, and the legs are fine. Just gotta keep doing the work...
