My training plan called for a 5k time trial run and my coach gave me a goal of 15:45. I was a little nervous about this since my 5k PR was 16:09. I programmed my watch based on my planned splits: 5:05 for the first mile, 5:00 for the second, and 4:55 for the last 1.11.
I slept in that morning and by 2pm, it was 57° with a light wind from the south. A little cooler than the near record highs in the 80s I was used to earlier in the week but still warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt. I ran south for a little over 2 miles, a little over 15 min, then went a little further doing 5 stride outs. My plan was then to run south for half a mile (into the wind), turn around, and run the last 2.6 miles north with the wind at my back.
A few seconds after I started running I looked down at my watch and saw a pace in the upper 4 min range. I knew this was a bit fast but also knew I would lose some time at the turn around. By the time I reached the half mile turnaround, my watch showed 5:10. I was able to maintain it for the next half mile, finishing in 5:09. I was breathing really heavily though, wheezing every other breath.
I tried to increase my speed for the next mile but couldn’t do it, with the wheezing getting worse. I wanted to stop and catch my breath but told myself that if this was an actual race, I wouldn’t be able to do that. I finished that mile in 5:29, 24 seconds slower than I was planning.
I regained a little focus for the last 1.1 miles, thinking less about wanting to stop and just trying to go faster. I kept wheezing and breathing heavily though and ultimately only went a second faster, 5:28 average when I was supposed to run 4:55. After that, I cooled down for 18 min, covering 2.3 miles. By then I was cold and ready to go back inside.
I was pretty disappointed with my overall time of 16:44, being nearly a minute off the goal my coach set for me. I also knew it was on a flat surface (8 ft of elevation change) with light wind and otherwise pretty ideal weather. I’m not sure if the wheezing was from allergies after doing 8 hours of yard work (involving dry grass, leaves, sticks, and probably mold and poison ivy) a few days earlier. Or it could be a residual side effect from having COVID a couple weeks earlier (possibly, but hopefully not, a case of myocarditis). Another strange thing was that my watch showed a very low heart rate for how heavily I was breathing – average of 145bpm and maximum of 157bpm. I was wearing a chest strap heart rate monitor but when troubleshooting, my watch showed it had a low battery, so I don’t trust the results. Regardless, I am planning to speak with my coach to determine the plan for my half marathon race next week, and what information to glean from the time trial.
Garmin Heart Rate & Pace Chart
Joe Runs 