Terrible first xc race

Put it out of your mind. Get mentally and physically ready for the next one.

I'm right where you are. I can't figure out what is going on with me either. Several people suggested over reaching and under recovered. Maybe that's what's going on with you to.

I'm guessing you're female?

Sounds like it could very well be anemia. It's something that all runners need to be vigilant about, but especially the girls, and especially if you're training harder than ever before.

Get yourself tested, it shouldn't be hard.

http://runnersconnect.net/running-nutrition-articles/iron-deficiency-in-runners/

Your 5K PR is 21:30 and you usually run the first mile in 6:15? That's just crazy. Hell if you're PR really is 21:30 then 6:45 is quite a bit faster than your PR pace.

My first races are always my worst races. The grass is too high, the course is long, and I'm just not in my groove of racing at the beginning of the year.

THink of it this way: You've been training for and dreaming of this race for the whole summer. You had high expectations. But running is hard. It takes mental willpower.

Over my last 4 meets (hs), I have dropped 3 minutes off of my first meet to the one last Saturday. You will improve. You will find your stride

So you run 21:30 by running 6:15 then what--7:00, 7:00, and 1:15 last 200? Or do you slow down progressively? That's a whack way to run.

Sounds like you feel fine in training, so doubtful that you're overtraining. Any other symptoms besides a crappy race? You're probably still in relatively early stages of speed work, so you'll start to see pretty dramatic progress over the next month. Keep the faith.

I was tested for it over the summer so I don't have it unless I could've developed it since.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. Of course I slow down progressively why would just I in the last .1? My splits are usually something like 6:15, 6:50, 7:45 I think.

do more tempos, as your splits indicate you cannot hold anything close to 6:15 pace. Get more sleep. You may have done some hard workouts that week. Things will improve.

kellyanne wrote:

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. Of course I slow down progressively why would just I in the last .1? My splits are usually something like 6:15, 6:50, 7:45 I think.

Unless there are some serious hills involved, that's one wild & crazy way to run a 21:30 5k.

Sounds like you could really benefit from doing workouts with longish pickups and short rest. Things like 3-4 x 1M in 6:40 with 1 minute standing rest or 200m jog.

I'm guessing you have the tools to break 21 already, and you're probably not that far from breaking 20 once you get the right kinds of workouts in.

As for the the one bad race, as long as you're confident there isn't an illness or injury involved, probably best to just put it behind you ahd focus on your goals.

Good luck with your season!

Yeah it is and i'm proud of that. I've went from running in the 27s to the 21s with running for less than a year and having raced about 6 times . I know that there a lot of people better than me and that's okay. I think there is something wrong with YOU if you feel the need to belittle random people you don't know on the internet.

Yes, I think I am in a lot better shape now than when I ran my PR. Thanks so much for the advice and encouragement!

Just listen to the good advice you've been given and not to the occasional loser who has to put somebody else down to make his pathetic life seem more meaningful.

What I want to know is, where was god? Where was he? huh?

Thank you for writin this:

be nice wrote:

Just listen to the good advice you've been given and not to the occasional loser who has to put somebody else down to make his pathetic life seem more meaningful.

If she's running college xc, going out in 6:15 isn't very unusual, even for those in the back of the pack. In general, the women go out very fast, even the ones who will not be breaking 21 min. for 5k. I ran a big college invite this weekend and virtually the whole field was through the mile in 6:15-30. In Div. 1, everyone is through in 6 min. So, even though it's smart to run even pace, if she hasn't broken 21:30 yet, and wants to average 6:45, she will be all alone in last if she goes out at that pace. Of course, if she had confidence, she would know she could more up and pass a lot of people by running even pace, but she's already said that she hasn't been running very long and likely isn't that experience or confidence in her pacing.

That being said, kellyanne should try not to panic if she goes out in 6:45 next time and really make an effort not to automatically slow down the second mile. By then, she will have caught a few women and should feel strong the final mile, strong enough to keep her pace. Also, she seems like she is lacking in endurance - tempo runs would help that (but I'm sure her coach knows that).

My advice? Don't panic. Try to go out a bit slower than usual (not 6:15, but 6:40 or 6:45) and work on passing people the next two miles as you keepe the same pace, because they all will slow down.

sonoflag wrote:

Put it out of your mind. Get mentally and physically ready for the next one.

This ^

You'll have good days and you'll have bad days. Don't over think it.

True, true :)