"I'm the same way, I don't think it's that uncommon. It's amazing how hard race pace feels during the middle of a heavy training week when you're wearing trainers and running solo."
Amen!
"I'm the same way, I don't think it's that uncommon. It's amazing how hard race pace feels during the middle of a heavy training week when you're wearing trainers and running solo."
Amen!
Be very glad you're not a headcase who can't stand the pressure on race day.
You can only "empty the tank" so many times in a season, and it shouldn't happen very frequently at all in your training... maybe one truly all-out effort in practice every 2-3 weeks or so. The kind of effort/motivation to truly perform at your max is for the race, rarely the practice. That being said, you still have to practice WELL and CONSISTENTLY and do the little things all the time, without slacking... just without hitting PRs in practice either. In my experience with 400m and 800m training I could usually only go 3/4 distance (ie., a 300 or a 600) at race pace in practice OR I could go full race distance but not at race pace. It's just too hard to get "up" in practice, and too stressful on your body and brain to do very frequently.
So? So does Meb. So do several of my friends. And?
uhhhhhh wrote:
When doing the standard 10x400 workouts @ mile pace, 5x800 @ 2 mile pace etc. I am running these pretty hard but the pace is way off of what I can race in a mile or 2 mile. And it feels like I'm running at least 90%! Opposite of most people who practice way better than they race, I seem to race a lot better than I practice! What gives?
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It is a very simple conclusion.
You run like a pussy in workouts.
Same situation here... 2 weeks ago I did 5x800 with 2-2.5 min rest (the workout you said), and was running hard to only hit 3:15s. A week later I ran 11:58 for the 3200.
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I was the same in HS. It pissed off my teammates, because they thought I was dogging it in practice. In fact, I was able to "get up" for the competition. I recently began running again. I trained at a pace a full minute slower than what I ran my first race at. I attribute it to two factors. The first is adrenaline from the fact that it is a competition. The other factor is that you have people who are running ahead of you, behind you, passing you and being passed by you. This all makes you run a better pace.