RWAGR wrote: ↑April 15th, 2024, 8:20 am
Disappointing 60 min PB for me today. I suppose a PB by 141 meters is solid enough (especially as it was a recent PB from last month), but I'm irritated not to have broken 16,000. I blew up attempting this on Saturday when I was ahead of 1.52.5 pace with 20 min to go before HD'ing, so today I tried to be more conservative. I still couldn't hold the split in the 1.52's in the back half, but had good enough mental resilience to settle for a 15,900's result even once I knew my final push wouldn't get me to 16,000. Hopefully next season I can get there.
1:00:00.0 15,967m 1:52.7 244 1140 27 162
6:00.0 1,598m 1:52.6 245 1142 27 149
12:00.0 1,596m 1:52.7 244 1139 27 155
18:00.0 1,598m 1:52.6 245 1142 27 159
24:00.0 1,598m 1:52.6 245 1142 27 160
30:00.0 1,593m 1:52.9 243 1134 27 162
36:00.0 1,595m 1:52.8 244 1138 27 165
42:00.0 1,588m 1:53.3 240 1127 27 166
48:00.0 1,591m 1:53.1 242 1131 27 169
54:00.0 1,591m 1:53.1 242 1131 27 170
1:00:00.0 1,619m 1:51.1 255 1176 28 174
That's a fantastic PB! I can definitely understand the feeling of disappointment, and how the thought of breaking through a hard-to-reach goal/milestone can consume your training for the next few sessions... I don't know what your training program is like more generally, but I've found that for me, there's definitely an element of "fear" when I'm adapting to seeing lower numbers on the PM. The "fear" being, "I don't know if I can sustain this; I'm going to blow a gasket," etc. which without a doubt affects my performance come test day. My own recent experience has shown that in some instances, my body/fitness is actually "ready" for the next step before my mind is, and the task then becomes putting in the time/work
getting more comfortable seeing those lower numbers, especially for a test as demanding as the HoP... I do plan on training for an HoP at some point later this year, and when that time comes I would likely take the following approach (using your splits for illustrative purposes here)... Oh, and take this unsolicited advice with a grain of salt, I am by no means a credentialed/qualified coach!
- One longer interval workout each week spending
significant time at or around the target pace, e.g. 3x20min w/ 5' rest, 2x30min w/ 5' rest, at your target of 1:52.5. This will be tough.
- One mid-distance interval workout each week along the lines of 4x2k w/ 5' rest, 3x3k w/ 5' rest, etc. at ~5-6 beats below the target HoP pace, focused on building endurance with
slightly more of a power/watts focus. These workouts have helped build my confidence in the sense that, if I can hold target pace X-5 pace for the extended periods in these workouts, then seeing target pace X on the PM for minutes on end feels less outside the bounds of my ability.
- Weight training 1-2x/week focused on a handful of compound lifts (good mornings, squats, deadlifts, pull-ups/rows, overhead/bench press) to improve max power potential.
- And obviously, copious amounts of disciplined (staying within the appropriate HR zone) steady state
.
Now, you may very well already be doing something similar, in which case, plz ignore. Either way, good luck to you in your quest for 16k!
RWAGR wrote: ↑April 16th, 2024, 9:32 am
Thanks for the pep talks guys!
Re pacing- I usually fall into the negative split camp (albeit my first split is, like most people, usually ahead of target). For this last 60 min I ended up flat pacing but part of the psychological problem was I knew I was gassed at 30 min and wouldn't be able to push on. The flip side problem, of course, is that when you start conservatively you can't help but notice the "projected finish" screen which starts playing the classic "you'll never make up that much ground" mind tricks.
I often feel that projected finish is the most evil data point on the erg- maybe I need to tape over it.
FWIW, I rarely look at the projected finish metric on the PM, and tend to be pretty laser-focused on meters left. I suppose through my high school + college experience I developed a repertoire of mind games/tricks to play with myself involving meters remaining, and breaking things into manageable chunks, which keeps my brain fully occupied. Taping projected finish over could be a great way to redirect your focus and help you be more "present" during your pieces. Worth trying for sure.
