degrees C when the race started, about no wind and humidity.
The plan was to go out at a pace for the Olympic Qualifier and I passed the 1000 meter in 2.37 and the 2000 in 5.15, right on pace. Then at 3000 meter I was right at 7.55, exactly the same time as when I ran 13.09 back in 2001. But I was hurting pretty badly at this point, starting to lose touch with the leading group after the started to push the pace down to a 60-61 lap. Luckily I managed to get in touch again with that group and that probably saved much of the race. With 1000 to go the pace started to drop dramatically, up to 65 seconds lap on the leaders. If I had applied to brakes on and just rested at this point I probably would have had no chance on the Norwegian record and the change in rythm could have interferred with the even pace I was in. So I decided to keep on going, around the field to push it as even as possible. It proved a wise choice, as it gave just that little energy boost I needed at that time 🙂 The crowd really helped from there on and I was very, very pleased with the 13.08.27. And it was fun to see the front of those races after falling far back and behind during the last two years..
One thing is the time itself, another thing is seeing that the work you have applied works well. I have been even more focused on the core areas I believe in this year ; aerobic/high end aerobic drilling (the exact lactate parameters on almost each session) and throughout measuring of resting plus performance parameters to ensure a constant adaption while at the same time in balance. Sometimes tricky to do when you have to plan the training yourself, but very challenging as you find it to be more and more objective as you go along… That is also the main reason why I really do not have to race myself into shape and can do this kind of a race right off training – I can trigger those things much more controlled through that kind of “objective” designed trainingwork.
I took an easy jog this morning, will rest this afternoon plus just one session tomorrow. Then back on the treadmill on Monday to get a standarized endurance session. This will give me an idea of how well I have recovered after the race – and how many days I have to wait for more track work.
Back in Oslo 🙂
Marius