From the Endurance Nation forums: Someone asked why she couldn’t seem to get any faster in her “tests” (specifically, a 5K time trial or running race), when hitting the training paces seems easier and easier as the training cycle proceeds. She asked, “Thoughts?” My response:
Here’s a thought … you need a breakthrough performance to give you the confidence that you actually can race hard/fast. The way to do that is: DON’T follow your pace while running in the test. It is probably acting as a rein, not a whip for you. Instead, pay attention to how you are feeling while you are running. This is something you probably are already doing, whether you know it or not. For example, you probably are really locked in by now about how running at Threshold Pace (TP) feels.
Specifically:
- Start out for the first 3-5 minutes of the test running at that TP feeling. Research shows the fastest time trials are those in which you do the first 15% at about 15% less than the effort level you intend to hit for the whole. TP by definition is the pace you can hold for an hour of running, so it is easier than the pace you should be able to do for 22-25 minutes. But it is a good place to start such a time trial.
- Then, increase by micro steps the internal sense of how hard you are working. The biggest mistake people make in a time trial or a race is trying to maintain the same feel or Perceived Exertion (RPE) over the entire distance. Doing it this way means you will inevitably slow down. No, it’s got to feel progressively harder from beginning to end. Since you started at an easier RPE then you know you can be doing by the end, you’ve got some room left in the envelope you are pushing. Use it.
- Trust your training. You may have noticed that your HR at a given pace has been getting lower and lower. This is a sure sign you are becoming more fit, and can run faster than you did in the first test. If you want, you can use that HR info to act as a whip during the test. You should be starting out @ 88-92% of your max HR, and aiming to work that to up over 95% by the end. Again, the idea is to slowly increase it, not get to a number and hold it there.
Key point: start slower than you think you should, and aim to finish harder than you think you can. You’ve trained to be able to accomplish that. Now prove it to yourself. Second key point: this works for a race of any distance, from 100 m to an Ironman.