MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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I have access to a coach and track sessions at work. A couple of the people I run with at the track reckon I have a 35min 10k in me, which given I'll be a Vet in May and my current PB is 39.35, I'd be very pleased with.
So I'm focusing on driving down my PB. As well as track sessions, core work and lots of riding bikes (of course!) it's been suggested that I run a few sacrifical races. ie: shoot off at a pace which I'll need to sustain for a 35 min overall but which I think I can't yet sustain - and see what happens.
Idea is, either I fall over, beast myself for the first half and then have to ease up for the second, or surprise myself and turn in a better time that I thought I could.
Has anyone used sacrifical races as a technique for improvement? I certainly don't take it easy at the moment, and the idea of racing and not completing is something I'll need to persuade myself to do.... but if it's effective then I'll give it a go
Any thoughts?
Yep, done it in a few XC races. Worst case scenario is you go off like a bullet and then finish the race just pootling, best case is you win. Nothing to lose as long as it IS just a training session and not a race you're trying to win/do well in.
Could set your training back if you are peaked and then spend it all in the wrong way. Believe me I've been there.
Set of on my HM last year at 1:22/23 pace and was OK past mile 10, just died in the last 2.5 to 3 miles but didn't get back on form for the rest of the season, don't underestimate how much running at 35 min pace will take out of you as a vet!
Done it a few times. Won a few races doing it, blown up spectacularly and crawled across the line in others. As you have said, try it out in races that don't matter (much) to you.
As for not finishing, if you are as competitive as I tend to be, not finishing is unlikely to be an option unless you have properly injured yourself - it's only 10k after all. More likely that you'll just not sustain your initial pace and slow down (a lot) to jog across the line.
I find that I need the competition of racing to be able to push myself hard, so in winter race season I'll race a couple of times a week at local races and count it as training.
I'm considering doing this in a 10k on Sunday. I'm no where near your pace but one of my aims for the year is to go sub-40. I lack the motivation to run quickly on training runs so I plan to use the odd race/park run to push myself.