I was thinking the pain sets in about 1.25 miles and the real searing stuff at about 1.75 miles? Hang on from there till about 300 to go? I was thinking roads, not XC.
I was thinking the pain sets in about 1.25 miles and the real searing stuff at about 1.75 miles? Hang on from there till about 300 to go? I was thinking roads, not XC.
I try not to go out too fast the first mile; getting hard the second mile; last mile is tough (pace, pace, pain).
usually after about 4k I feel like I really want to just stop and lie down on the ground, but I don't, only a k to go.
Really for pretty much every distance, mile to marathon, I find that it starts to suck about 2/3 of the way through. That is the point where I first start to think, "I'm not gonna make it" (even though I always do). But maybe I'm being too conservative. I'm interested in how this works out for other people.
One big exception was this ridiculous uphill race that I ran. That one sucked the entire way.
I find that if I'm suffering a lot by 3200/2 miles, I'm going to have a terrible last mile. so generally I don't want it to get really painful until about 3 laps out. it's weird that I can go from feeling tired but not terrible to being on death's door so quickly, but that's how it works for me.
Hoping to PR: I was thinking the pain sets in about 1.25 miles and the real searing stuff at about 1.75 miles? Hang on from there till about 300 to go? I was thinking roads, not XC.
That fits my experience pretty well. Longer distance I agree with the other poster: the first two thirds or so shouldn't hurt. But if I'm in any kind of relative comfort at the halfway point of a 5k, I'm running a shitty time.
On the contrary, life is the greatest when you are giving your best effort and the pain is great, but it is only a sign that you are winning the struggle against your own body. Life is great when you're in that last mile and hurting but knowing you're doing something extraordinary, that is, pushing your limits.
It's probably because I started as a roadrunner when 10ks and even five-milers were more common, but I never hate life during a 5k. A 5k is a snap.
Years of blow-ups have made me more conservative at the 5k than any other distance besides the marathon. I'm going to agree with the earlier poster who said 4k into the race- I find that I can muster a solid finish at that point if it's not unbearable, but if I'm already cooked at the two-mile mark I usually fall apart the third mile. That being said, my times have been stuck for a while (in the 5k) so maybe it's time to be a bit more aggressive.
at least 12.25 laps, cus i got bawls b!tch
On the road (I've never run on track).
Mile 0.5: Wow -- this feels great!
Mile 1: sense of impending pain.
Mile 1.5: pain starts to sink in -- I can't believe I'm less than half-way
Mile 2: I don't think I can make it -- begin to fantasize about rolling an ankle
Mile 2.5: Eyes shut intermittently, counting footsteps, crying
Mile 3: The faster I run, the sooner it will end!
I pretty much hate it from the start, wanting to drop out right away and then spend about half of the race arguing with myself about stopping. Ironically, about half way through I feel much tougher and then it's just a manner of not giving in to the pain. So, the worst part for me it the start to about the mile - after that, I've pretty much accepted it and then get tough! ;-)
this is a very interesting question.
I usually start to want to drop out at the 2 mile. I've never gotten the hang of a 5k. I usually slow down substantially around 2 miles and then the finish comes suddenly and it's like I have forgotten to kick.
I might be weird or a longer distance person that barely speeds up from 10k pace to 5k pace, but I usually feel tired right from the first 400m of a 5K. Then, I just keep going and I never really hate life. I keep an even pace, no slowing or speeding up.
5k has never been my strongest distance, though. I like it either shorter or longer.
muddy girl wrote:
I pretty much hate it from the start, wanting to drop out right away and then spend about half of the race arguing with myself about stopping. Ironically, about half way through I feel much tougher and then it's just a manner of not giving in to the pain. So, the worst part for me it the start to about the mile - after that, I've pretty much accepted it and then get tough! ;-)
haha, I feel like that a lot also. In my last 5K in the first 400 meters I was thinking that I wished it was already the end of the race. :p
I am in my 40s now and I find that the 5K doesn't hurt as much as it used to, and I'm not sure why. I have noticed that the pace I can run for a 5K, 10K, and even 10 miles is getting frighteningly close to being he same thing. When i was a young pup with some speed in these legs, I would often let adrenaline get the better of me and blast the first mile of a 5K about 15-20 seconds too fast and then hate life for the next 2 miles. Now, I seem completely incapable of running the first mile too fast because, while my aerobic fitness is excellent, I can't generate the speed necessary to run a mile that fast. Therefore, my 5K races are starting to feel like the first half of a 10K.
Usually I freak out about 400m in. Worrying a lot by a half mile. Feel pretty good about things by a mile and a half, then realize it is just going to get worse.