To recap my tryst with the TCS 10K. I started seriously running the event in 2012, and the performances are as follows:
2012 - 48:12 (Debut)
2013 - 42:27 (Personal Best)
2014 - 44:xx (Cramped up at 6K)
2015 - Did not run, (41:54 in Bengaluru 10K Challenge)
2016 - 40:35
In my book, the 10K training involves demanding speed work, and didn't work well with the rest of my long run training plan. I like to run a 40K distance every month. My training didn't go very well in 2014, and that resulted in a sub-par peformance for that year. I had an injury in my hip/gluteals later that year, and skipped running the event in 2015. On that note, this year's event was very much looked forward to.
Training:
I started training with the Pacemakers group from the beginning of March (I had been putting in regular miles through February). I joined a training group that was slower to my liking. (The next faster group was beyond my capacity). I managed to stay with the group finding ways to keep myself faster (like running the 2nd track for intervals). About six weeks to the race, myself, Brojen (baba) and Sameer broke away from the group, and set ourselves a slightly faster pace. On any given week, one of us would struggle, but we managed to stick together and pull it through.
Coach also put us through a very demanding phase where very few people in the overall group met coach's target or expectations. I flunked a couple of workouts during this phase, but got the critical mass to keep me together. Otherwise, the three of us were doing fairly well, when we ran as a group.
Peaking:
Three weeks to the race, I started intense build up to the race. This involved extra sessions in the gym, and swimming sessions. I have a pool 5km from my home. It worked very well for me to run to the pool, swim and run back home. On tired days, I would bike to the pool. I could feel the peaking as I was nearing the race.
Preparation:
Being our home course, we did a fair bit of training runs on the race route. We knew the race route like the back our palm, every turn, and every single bit of incline and decline. This helped me to prepare a pacing plan with accurate detail. In the week leading to the race, I was raring to go, and couldn't wait for the race day.
RaceDay:
With the plan on hand, the first stretch was run hard, half the time holding myself back. The next two kms being downhill was also run very well. As I was in the fourth km, I wanted to have the gel. (I usually have one gel, half before the start and half midway for the 10K race.). Having just missed a water stop, I slowed down to a walk to force the gel down. I was too tired by this time, and couldn't have managed the gel otherwise. For some reason, the gel was still sticky and I needed to gulp down water. Thankfully, I got a bottle of water very soon after, but had to force a walk to gulp the water down. I kept it very short this time.
Luckily for me, I had gotten through half the course by this time, and I just had to hold on to my dear self for the rest of the race. I'd remember that I slowed down atleast two times after feeling tired and looking down at HR (in that sequence). I also had a few people ahead of me to zone in on and track.
After a small uphill stretch inside Cubbon Park, that was run easy, I started the final sprint. With this stretch as long as a kilometer and a half, I had to hang on to my dear life, without pushing my elevated heart rate even higher. I was hoping for a sub-40 timing as I sighted the digital clock at the finish. I sprinted as fast I could with time slipping away. As I remember, I passed quite a few people in this sprint.
Looking Back:
Looking at the splits, the 5th km is an aberration with both the walk breaks thrown in. Adjusting for the gradual incline, I could have covered this in 4:00-4:05 which means I might have lost 20 seconds on the same.
However, from this point onwards, I held myself to the best pace I could. A pleasant surprise for me is that I ran the finishing sprint quite well pushing HR to 192. I usually peak at 185-186 for the toughest of intervals in training.
Given the effort put into peaking, (with all that swimming and strength training), I was feeling fine form till about Friday. I was very confident of a 39ish performance. On Saturday I had a good relaxed swimming session. However, I had to take my daughter to the pool in the evening, and there were a couple of instances that I got dunked into the water (by my lovely little daughter). I was coughing after I returned. Driving towards the race, I wasn't feeling as good as the days earlier. In the raceday euphoria, I forgot all that, and put in my best effort.
My plan was to try and sustain a 3:55 pace holding myself for the first stretch at a slower pace. While I thought I held myself, the 1st km was clocked much faster than I had anticipated. I stuck to my plan for the rest of the race, except for those walk breaks, of course.
The 2nd gel might have been unnecessary, but I had my reasons. I could have lost about 20 seconds in the whole episode. Given the raceday conditions (I didn't see anybody complaining about the heat, though it was warm), my par for the course would have been 40:15. I'd give myself another minute if I was feeling better.
I would have been much happier if I had broken 40 minutes, but that I guess will have to wait for another day. Overall, it was a great race, including the training that I put into it. More importantly, a short lean period at work allowed me to put in all that extra effort.
2012 - 48:12 (Debut)
2013 - 42:27 (Personal Best)
2014 - 44:xx (Cramped up at 6K)
2015 - Did not run, (41:54 in Bengaluru 10K Challenge)
2016 - 40:35
In my book, the 10K training involves demanding speed work, and didn't work well with the rest of my long run training plan. I like to run a 40K distance every month. My training didn't go very well in 2014, and that resulted in a sub-par peformance for that year. I had an injury in my hip/gluteals later that year, and skipped running the event in 2015. On that note, this year's event was very much looked forward to.
Training:
I started training with the Pacemakers group from the beginning of March (I had been putting in regular miles through February). I joined a training group that was slower to my liking. (The next faster group was beyond my capacity). I managed to stay with the group finding ways to keep myself faster (like running the 2nd track for intervals). About six weeks to the race, myself, Brojen (baba) and Sameer broke away from the group, and set ourselves a slightly faster pace. On any given week, one of us would struggle, but we managed to stick together and pull it through.
Coach also put us through a very demanding phase where very few people in the overall group met coach's target or expectations. I flunked a couple of workouts during this phase, but got the critical mass to keep me together. Otherwise, the three of us were doing fairly well, when we ran as a group.
Peaking:
Three weeks to the race, I started intense build up to the race. This involved extra sessions in the gym, and swimming sessions. I have a pool 5km from my home. It worked very well for me to run to the pool, swim and run back home. On tired days, I would bike to the pool. I could feel the peaking as I was nearing the race.
Preparation:
Being our home course, we did a fair bit of training runs on the race route. We knew the race route like the back our palm, every turn, and every single bit of incline and decline. This helped me to prepare a pacing plan with accurate detail. In the week leading to the race, I was raring to go, and couldn't wait for the race day.
RaceDay:
With the plan on hand, the first stretch was run hard, half the time holding myself back. The next two kms being downhill was also run very well. As I was in the fourth km, I wanted to have the gel. (I usually have one gel, half before the start and half midway for the 10K race.). Having just missed a water stop, I slowed down to a walk to force the gel down. I was too tired by this time, and couldn't have managed the gel otherwise. For some reason, the gel was still sticky and I needed to gulp down water. Thankfully, I got a bottle of water very soon after, but had to force a walk to gulp the water down. I kept it very short this time.
Luckily for me, I had gotten through half the course by this time, and I just had to hold on to my dear self for the rest of the race. I'd remember that I slowed down atleast two times after feeling tired and looking down at HR (in that sequence). I also had a few people ahead of me to zone in on and track.
After a small uphill stretch inside Cubbon Park, that was run easy, I started the final sprint. With this stretch as long as a kilometer and a half, I had to hang on to my dear life, without pushing my elevated heart rate even higher. I was hoping for a sub-40 timing as I sighted the digital clock at the finish. I sprinted as fast I could with time slipping away. As I remember, I passed quite a few people in this sprint.
 |
| PC: Saravanakumar / RRS |
Looking Back:
 |
| Time lost in 5th km. 9th km was expectedly slow |
 |
| Very good finishing sprint, as I held back myself till the library |
My plan was to try and sustain a 3:55 pace holding myself for the first stretch at a slower pace. While I thought I held myself, the 1st km was clocked much faster than I had anticipated. I stuck to my plan for the rest of the race, except for those walk breaks, of course.
The 2nd gel might have been unnecessary, but I had my reasons. I could have lost about 20 seconds in the whole episode. Given the raceday conditions (I didn't see anybody complaining about the heat, though it was warm), my par for the course would have been 40:15. I'd give myself another minute if I was feeling better.
I would have been much happier if I had broken 40 minutes, but that I guess will have to wait for another day. Overall, it was a great race, including the training that I put into it. More importantly, a short lean period at work allowed me to put in all that extra effort.
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