Sweet (sub) 16

I finally managed to break the 16 minute barrier last Saturday at parkrun. The official time was 15:53 although my watch read 15:51 when I crossed the finish line.

I understand that parkrun is not an official 5k distance and is not recognised in the UK rankings but I guess when you have completed a large number of events it kind of makes sense to start thinking about improving those times, official or not.

I have never been one for parading PBs since that’s not my real motivation for running. I actually believe PBs are really never a true reflection of one’s ability and potential. If anything I think they act as a hindrance. As a blocker. We get obsessed with the time and forget about the process, about the actual running.

The quest for PBs also make us think in terms of what we think is possible. In my case after a couple of years flirting with sub16 one could start thinking and theorising that it’s not possible. I had the same situation when I first managed sub 2.45 in a marathon after a couple of very close efforts. People around you may start, inadvertently, creating a negative aura about the prospects when you know full well the reasons for not achieving that specific arbitrary time based target are circumstantial and almost irrelevant.

More often than not you are already in shape to achieve that time only that there are several other variables that need to converge, one of them being you actually targeting it specifically with the mental focus that may require and the actual structuring of your approach (taper, specific sessions the weeks before, etc.).

In my case I never really targeted sub 16 since I believed it would naturally happen at some point if I continued to mind my own business and continue to train the way I do.

I started taking part in parkrun in 2009 just about when I had managed to lose the extra 14kg I had gained in my late university and early professional years. My first few runs were unregistered at the Wimbledon parkrun in about 20 minutes. I finally registered and clocked a 19:26 early in the year.

After spending the summer of 2009 taking part in a few 10k races I actually managed to get my parkrun time down to 18:10

The reason I then didn't record a single parkrun in 2010 was the aftermath of crashing BIG at my first marathon race. I think that whole experience deserves its own blog entry just to explain the kind of hell I went through just to finish. What that experience did, however, was put me off running for some time and it actually took me over 12 months to get back on the horse.

When I got back to regular parkrunning I had this idea of almost racing every effort. I’m not entirely sure why that was so important. I really can’t remember my thought process there but it didn't take me long to realise how unproductive that was and started enjoying my runs a lot more.

As I improved my overall fitness and level of performance in marathon training I started using parkrun as a good opportunity to help me with some of my training runs. I would then use it, and still do, as a day for running 2x5000 or even 3x5000 at a threshold intensity or even as a culminating 5000 at marathon pace after running for 90' just to recreate a bit race conditions. Running at marathon pace when tired and a little empty.

I went from racing almost every time to rarely doing it. The only few times I would go flat out at parkrun would be the week before my target marathon to gain a bit of confidence, see where I am in terms of speed and, why not, get a PB if possible.

That meant that very quickly I got to sub 17 minutes where I’ve stayed for the last 5 years. Admittedly I went from very high 16 to very low 16 in a couple of years but it has taken me another 3 years to finally clock that sub 16.

Last September before Berlin I put n a similar effort but unfortunately the course that day measured a little long so I got a 16:08 instead but the pace was roughly the same as this last weekend. So what I am saying is that I have been sub 16 in running ability for almost a year but haven't had the opportunity and all the right elements to get it done.

Now that the “barrier” of sub16 is no longer there I can continue to focus on improving by training better and focusing more on the process again. None of that several attempts at a PB just because it’s so close.

In fact, I believe it wouldn't take much to PB again and take off a few seconds off that 15:53 mainly because it was a little windy on Saturday and I noticed it when running against the wind. Perhaps worth a handful of seconds. I was also not that fresh as I felt I was still recovering from a demanding session the Tuesday before.

I still think getting a sub 2.35 at my next marathon would be a “better” or more difficult achievement but I am very happy to clock a sub16 considering I don’t have an athletics background and only broke 20 minutes for the distance 9 years ago.

And one more thought. As I was waiting at the barbers to get a haircut I happened to flick through a running magazine there was on the table by the waiting area. I had to take a couple of pictures just so I can comment on these two “pieces”:

• Fast finishes don’t equate to finish times.

When you read through the logic of this recommendation and I cant help but get a little angry at how stupid the comment is. It comes to say that only because runners at the slower side of the spectrum finish a little quicker than their average pace, that, therefore becomes the right running strategy. Do not bother running negative splits only because the majority of people don’t achieve it.

This point neglects so many aspects of running it’s just laughable. Starting the the obvious… just because more runners run a certain way it doesn't make it right. It just explains what happened. It doesn't suddenly make it a rule of physiology and sports performance.

Also, to start drawing conclusions on pace and running strategy from one of the hottest London marathons on record is just plain stupid. Of course the fastest runners struggled to stay on pace and runners with more margin found that they didn't deviate so much from their average pace. The faster runners have less margin for error and when dealing with heat they will crash and burn way more than slower runners.

• Adding a few layers to your training can give you a boost on race day.

Irresponsible the least. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I read this. I would not recommend to any runner adding extra layers when training just so they acclimatise to the heat better. That can really end in disaster. I understand what they are trying to say but this is suggesting to add layers unnecessarily. If one is running a race in hot conditions the best thing to do is still run the race but take it easy and adapt to the conditions rather than hope that only because we’ve done a couple of runs with an extra t shirt on we can suddenly perform as if we were Kenyans.

Sorry about the rant but sometimes I wonder what kind of responsibility some of these magazines think they have when blurting out this sort of advice so casually.