Started off really well aiming to run at under 11.15 pace and had to slow down several times as was under 11:00.
Go to the turn around point and past the water station and then just lost it, just wasn’t able to keep running. Several people who I was ahead of passed me and I couldn’t catch up with them. Spent the rest of the race with lots of intermittent walking, feeling very disappointed I couldn’t keep up the pace. Couldn’t see what the total time was on my watch so thought I must be well behind. Last hundred yards I sprinted but it was 10/10 effort.
Having said that I looked at my time and have knocked 5 minutes off last year!
Firstly congratulations on such a big improvement Ellie. 5 mins is huge. Sorry to hear the race didn’t go as planned, but that can happen. From what you’ve said it might be your head dictating your decisions and not your body.
What was the specific reason you decided to walk?
At that turnaround point in my own race I’m working extremely hard. 8 or 9/10 effort, my breathing is heavy, it’s feel uncomfortable, and my head says slow down or stop. But I know that’s a safety mechanism we have to protect our body and I know I can keep going.
My attention turns to form. “Relax. Run Tall. Keep your cadence going. Dig Deep”.
There’s no getting away from the fact in a race of this nature at that stage it’s hard, really hard, but more often that not we can keep going, we just need to believe that and push on. In that moment it’s not great fun, but the rewards are why we do it.
That feedback is all my own personal experience. So it might be in your case on this occasion your heart rate was too high and you did need to walk. A heart rate monitor may help in this situation as that reading would give you a better indication if you can keep going at the pace. Something to consider. Happy to discuss.
All that said, again well done on your PB, a 5 minute improvement is excellent and what you should also be able to take away from this is that further improvement is most definitely possible.
