To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

I predict you will be 19:20, but only if you look at your watch. Going blind won't get you where you want to be.

Deal!

19:12

Thanks!

 

[McNs]

Going to go 19:20. One thing to watch out/plan for is it looks as though the paths aren't terribly wide, so weaving could be on grass, plus I'm guessing there will be runners still going out while you are coming back.

Look forward to seeing the results!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

19:22
Excited for you! Go get 'em!

 

[sourire]

19:25!
Have fun!

 

[canglim52]

I say 18:40, you were nearly under 19 without proper pacing. Plus now you have ghost to chase

 

[DopeyBadger]

Going to go 19:20. One thing to watch out/plan for is it looks as though the paths aren't terribly wide, so weaving could be on grass, plus I'm guessing there will be runners still going out while you are coming back.

Look forward to seeing the results!

19:22
Excited for you! Go get 'em!

19:25!
Have fun!

I say 18:40, you were nearly under 19 without proper pacing. Plus now you have ghost to chase

Thanks!

 

[roxymama]

You got this!

 

[DopeyBadger]

20:29, update to come. Either 10th or 11th overall.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Looks like 10th by gun time and 11th by chip. Three of us separated by 5 seconds.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Brat Fest 5k - Recap

This is the first 5k I've run in my adult life that wasn't at Disney World as part of the Dopey Challenge. It was also another gentle reminder why I love the marathon so much more than the 5k.

T+D of 113, wind 4 mph, full sun.

The goal going into the race was to stay between 6:08-6:12 for the first mile. At the first beep notification I was around 5:59, so I let up a bit. I felt comfortable for that first section of the race. I did a quick head count and realized that there were 9 people ahead of me (and one WAY AHEAD). I tucked behind another runner (white shirt) and just tried to stick with him as we seemed evenly paced. I knew that if anyone passed either of us it would be critical we passed someone else or me him to ensure a top 10 finish. A 5k is really hard for me to put my finger on. I need to go really fast as to not leave anything in the tank, but not too fast and crash and burn like two weeks ago time trial (19:29). As we neared, the turnaround the leader was coming back. We chatted at the start and he was going for sub-15 (he got 15:07). We hit the 2 mile mark and me, and white shirt were still in lock step. Behind us were two other runners (orange and green). With about 0.7 miles to go, me and white passed blue shirt. I had a feeling this would be the last person we Pac-Man chomped as the next person was just too far ahead to catch, With about 0.5 mile to go, orange made a move and passed me, white and green. I felt confident I couldn't cover that move and just tried to stay ahead of white and green. With about 0.2 miles to go, I could feel green starting to press. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him pass white, and knew he was going to try and take me next. He pulled even with me and I pushed with everything I had. The next 0.1 miles was me and him step for step. Neither willing to yield the corner. Just meters before the last corner he gave one last push and nudged ahead to get the turn. I just didn't have anything left to cover the move and did everything I could to hold off white. I crossed the line in 20:30. I knew it would be close, was I 10th or 11th overall male for an award....

It was agonizing sitting there... waiting....

Then the race timing company posted the sheet...

And that's when I saw - Blaser 11th.... UGH, so deflating. But by how much... Well green came in 9th at 20:25.2 and white at 20:25.7. So looks like white started a little further back from the start. So 10th by gun time and 11th by chip for me!

I have to admit, it was a lot of fun racing a 5k. Covering moves, trying to keep up, doing my best in a dead sprint at the end. It was the best I could do today, but... it was still disappointing. All I can ever ask of myself is to do the best I can that day, and today's best is not necessarily where I want to be yet. The run is a bit of a blow to the confidence and a sub-3 marathon in October. The 19:29 time trial shows me I'm close (a 3:05 equivalent), but I'm just not there yet. The fact that my times over the last three weeks has slipped from 19:29, to 20:11, to 20:30 shows me I might be carrying a lot more fatigue from these races then I realized. The weather played a role, but I'm not sure if it's that big of a role. I've got the 10k in three weeks and it might be a good idea to pull back and push the reset button. Because the "A" goal is the October marathon. I need to be ready and prepared to attack this next training cycle with full force.

Final Stats:
Overall - 11th/247 (4%) *New % PR
Gender - 11th/108 (10%) *New % PR
Division - 7th/19 (37%)

*New % PRs based on non-Disney races of any distance.

Race to the finish!



Orange, Green, and White. All separated by mere seconds...



Me and my BIL (set a new PR with 23:59! Congrats Brian!)



Me and Snow White! Always nice to have royalty come out and cheer you on!



Cheers'ing with our "medals". Yum!



Brat Family!

 

[roxymama]

I mean you didn't get top ten but being part of a brat family is my definition of winning!

Tough to have 7 guys all in your division (including you) with times that fast.

Congrats on leaving it all out there and this is a real PR that's faster than Disney right? So that's great. That's was less than 6 months ago! Keep at it! You are making gains even if it's not a BQ level right this second


Plus....bratwurst!

 

[McNs]

Great photos!

Just a question/ observation. Your Strava data shows HR maxing in the low 160s - does that mean your ticker has more to give but you are maxing out elsewhere?

 

[TCB in FLA]

Well done sir! Eye on the prize -- don't get caught up with 5k racers when your goals are for the longer distances. And celebrate those % PRs!

Been meaning to chime in our your cutie daughter's soccer classes. My boys play high school/middle school and travel soccer -- they started when they were 4 and love the game (they also play baseball and are overall good athletes). The difference between rec soccer players and more competitive ones is that the competitive ones always have a ball around, constantly playing with it (not necessarily practicing, just goofing around, making it part of their lives). So if you haven't done it already, get your princess her own ball, plus get one for you. And keep on keeping it fun!

 

[FFigawi]

Congrats on the new PR!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I mean you didn't get top ten but being part of a brat family is my definition of winning!

Very true!

Tough to have 7 guys all in your division (including you) with times that fast.

Agreed! The male 30-34 is a very competitive division.

Congrats on leaving it all out there and this is a real PR that's faster than Disney right? So that's great. That's was less than 6 months ago! Keep at it! You are making gains even if it's not a BQ level right this second

Sure was a new official PR (Disney was 21:02). I mean the 19:29 didn't suddenly disappear. It's clearly there under the surface, but I just haven't solved this 5k racing enigma. Too fast in the beginning and inevitable slow down. Or try to be more conservative on the start and seemingly hold too much back? I can't quite figure it out.

Plus....bratwurst!

Great photos!

Thanks!

Just a question/ observation. Your Strava data shows HR maxing in the low 160s - does that mean your ticker has more to give but you are maxing out elsewhere?

It's a great question. Given the amount of times I've raced, I feel as if my maxHR is probably around 170-174. This is a recent attempt at me figuring it out based on race HRs and Daniels %HR chart.



My guess is my max HR is probably 172 (which is way lower than the 220-age (220-32=188)). But that calculation isn't very robust and has a huge % error. For the 5k, I took the max at the end of the race (170). I've achieved a 174, but not positive whether that was real or not. Which means just like most everyone else, the goal is to get a faster pace at a certain HR. That's what I track with my HRvPace graph.

Well done sir!

Thanks!

Eye on the prize -- don't get caught up with 5k racers when your goals are for the longer distances.

Very true! I know I am a much better endurance runner than a 5k runner. I'm hoping this recent gain in speed will be enough to push the marathon to where I want it to be.

And celebrate those % PRs!

Been meaning to chime in our your cutie daughter's soccer classes. My boys play high school/middle school and travel soccer -- they started when they were 4 and love the game (they also play baseball and are overall good athletes). The difference between rec soccer players and more competitive ones is that the competitive ones always have a ball around, constantly playing with it (not necessarily practicing, just goofing around, making it part of their lives). So if you haven't done it already, get your princess her own ball, plus get one for you. And keep on keeping it fun!

Oh she most definitely has a ball, in fact we got one as part of the class. I think she's got 3 or 4 soccer balls of various types. We played soccer last night just the three of us. But it became a game of "I can't play soccer because I can't learn. I'm not any good." She wanted us to chase her so we said only if she was kicking the ball. After a little bit of coaxing, she did start to kick it around. We told her it just takes practice. Although, the game did digress into the "Princess shoe game" where she takes off one of her two shoes, runs away, and waits for a prince to find the missing maiden (Cinderella). LOL!

Congrats on the new PR!

Thanks!

 

[opusone]

The fact that my times over the last three weeks has slipped from 19:29, to 20:11, to 20:30 shows me I might be carrying a lot more fatigue from these races then I realized.

Great efforts over the past three weeks! I do think three all-out races within 14-15 days is asking a lot of your body (and mental fortitude). Your initial effort is probably the best estimate of your current performance level; however, since it wasn't a race environment, you probably could have done a little better with competition.

The 19:29 time trial shows me I'm close (a 3:05 equivalent), but I'm just not there yet.

I wouldn't focus on this too much. I think you are currently more of an endurance runner, which makes complete sense given your years of endurance training. One cycle of 5k/10k training is not enough to maximize your anaerobic effort. These changes take time. Over the decades, I have sometimes been better in the aerobic phase and other times in the anaerobic phase, but I don't think I have ever been equally good in both.

It's a great question. Given the amount of times I've raced, I feel as if my maxHR is probably around 170-174.

I completely agree, you do seem to have a relatively low max-HR based on your workouts and races. These 5k efforts have definitely solidified that view. My max-HR doesn't fit the formula (220-age) either (in the opposite direction as you). My max should be 173 based on the formula, but in the last mile of a 5k, I will usually hit 185-188.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Great efforts over the past three weeks! I do think three all-out races within 14-15 days is asking a lot of your body (and mental fortitude). Your initial effort is probably the best estimate of your current performance level; however, since it wasn't a race environment, you probably could have done a little better with competition.

Thanks! Agreed, somewhere around 19:29 under ideal conditions is where I'm at. I thought I could withstand three 5ks in this span, but I think the results say differently. Time for a few weeks off from racing to prep for the 10k and then Lakefront.

I wouldn't focus on this too much. I think you are currently more of an endurance runner, which makes complete sense given your years of endurance training. One cycle of 5k/10k training is not enough to maximize your anaerobic effort. These changes take time. Over the decades, I have sometimes been better in the aerobic phase and other times in the anaerobic phase, but I don't think I have ever been equally good in both.

That's a very fair point. I probably am to hung up on the race equivalency chart and need to step back and realize at the end of the day I'm a long distance runner. The goal was for this cycle to give me that gentle push closer to 3 hours and I think it did what it was suppose to. I'm excited for the next cycle because I do like those long distance runs. Leg beaters not lung beaters.

I completely agree, you do seem to have a relatively low max-HR based on your workouts and races. These 5k efforts have definitely solidified that view. My max-HR doesn't fit the formula (220-age) either (in the opposite direction as you). My max should be 173 based on the formula, but in the last mile of a 5k, I will usually hit 185-188.

Yep, I think it solidifies how the 220-age is a good starting point (or average). But that there are definitely people on the low end of the spectrum (me) and the high end (you).

 

[cavepig]

You're just racing 5ks like we used to in Cross Country (way way way back for me), we usually had only 1 race a week, but then there were the middle season weeks we had 2-3 in a weeks time, although we were only 14-17 years old, our coach said it just trained us to race on tired legs which helped us later (did it? maybe I really have no idea)!! Congrats on your race! 5ks are tricky to race, I prefer the fun version at Disney these days! Your daughter dressed up is such a doll!

 

[DopeyBadger]

You're just racing 5ks like we used to in Cross Country (way way way back for me), we usually had only 1 race a week, but then there were the middle season weeks we had 2-3 in a weeks time, although we were only 14-17 years old, our coach said it just trained us to race on tired legs which helped us later (did it? maybe I really have no idea)!!

Yep that was the thought process going into it, but I guess I don't have the recovery of a 14-17 year old anymore.

Congrats on your race! 5ks are tricky to race, I prefer the fun version at Disney these days! Your daughter dressed up is such a doll!

Thanks! She always likes to be the royalty at the event!

 

[Declanb]

Happy to help and good luck on your 5k this week![/QUOTE]

Whoops, sorry about that! I misread the calendar!

Hi Billy,
just checking in at the end of the week - A more stable week this week
Day 1 was 6:19/Klm Vs 6:22
Day 2 5:49/ Klm Vs 5:56
Day 3 WU was 6:45 ish Tempo was 5:16 and compared to last week much closer to the pace (Fastest 5:01 slowest 5:31) with CD @ 6:50ish
Day 4 LR (Today instead of Saturday) was 5:41 Vs 5:43 and again pretty tight to pace compared to last week.
All in all a good week I thought and felt pretty even - better adjusted to the changed running style but still getting used to it, and still not settled to it but definately progressed since the start. Looking forward to Tuesday night now - also just realised that my Official 5K PB (proper chiped time) is 24:35 and that my 22:48 was just my best 5k time.. so here's hoping for a proper PB on Tuesday