Week 9: Thursday - time trial
Heavy sigh
Me, 8 weeks ago:
I don’t do training plans.
Me, right now:
Think I’m gonna abandon this training plan.
I actually started this run thinking: finally, permission to just go and run non-stop at a decent clip. Not being artificially slow, no stop/start nonsense or hills or whatever. This might be fun!
Oh how fucking wrong I was.
2 mile time trial
Figured out a 2 mile route which involves crossing basically no roads. Good.
Coach Ben said:
Since you haven’t tapered for this time trial, you might not feel completely fresh. We suggest beginning at 4:40/km and accelerating if you’re feeling strong.
Riiiight.
Listen, Ben. I never feel fresh any more. But let’s get the stats over and done with before I vent.
Runna wanted:
- 1km at conversational pace “no faster than 5:45/km”
- 120s walking rest
- 3.22km time trial @ 4:40/km
I managed:
- 1km in 6:19/km, albeit this includes 30-odd seconds waiting at the level crosing
- 120s walking
- 3.22km @ 5:00/km
Great, a full twenty seconds per kilometre worse than … well … I mean, how do I put this? Ever since I saw the result my mind has been swirling with negativity.
It’s 20s/km worse than Runna wanted. Did I just fail, and I could’ve gone faster? Certainly didn’t feel that way, and the stats show my heart rate for the 3.22km portion was considerably higher than it has been for any other recent run.
It’s 20s/km worse than Runna thought I could do (I mean christ, it even suggested starting at 4:40 and accelerating). Runna is my coach, and I feel like I’ve let my coach down. But! That feeling rapidly alternates with: hang on, is Runna a pile of shit? Have I wasted a hundred quid on something that’s just throwing silly workouts and unrealistic expectations at me?
Anyway. Strava thinks there was negative wind chill?
I feel like every recent session that has involved any kind of speed requirement, the only time I succeed is in 200m short bursts. Maybe 400m. Even after it readjusted my goals to be more modest, what Runna thinks of as conversational pace is actually a bit quick. And most depressing of all, as I think I mentioned last time, I feel like I’m slower than I was before I started this whole thing.
I do remember the first few weeks making me feel great, like there was noticeable progress. I vividly recall doing that Parkrun in Seattle - jetlagged, hungover, and 2.5km uphill and doing way way better than I ever expected. But the successes and positives are getting further away in the past, I can’t remember enjoying … any run at all, since then? That’s possibly hyperbole due to how miserable I am, but certainly right now nothing is standing out which contradicts it.
Conversational pace and long runs feel slower than I was comfortably running pre-plan. Intervals and hills and stuff are chores I’ve been putting up with because everyone - everyone - says they’re beneficial. And today, “go run fast for 2 miles” … was not fast. I mean, I say that. Had it not been part of a plan, had there not been Runna looming over me saying “this should be 4:40/km” then I probably would’ve been happy with 5:00/km in freezing fog. But it is part of a plan, in fact it is quite literally not going according to plan. And so I’m wondering why I’m even bothering.
At least the sun trying to burn off the fog looked nice.
