Are PB's a matter of luck? I mean (as Sally Gunnell would say), we all have good and bad days. Sometimes, infact, most of the time, no matter how hard you try, your run/race can be a total flop, even though you've trained your rear end off, eaten properly etc... Only to run like a donkey on the day!
The polar opposite can also be true though. last year I spent a week drinking and eating up to three days before the National 10k and managed to get a PB!
How do you regulate the quality of your racing? Was my performance enhanced by relaxation the week before, or was it the diesel like Spanish brandy I was consuming by the gallon?
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Comments
I know exactly what you mean. PBs are strange things and there are many exceptions to the rule of 'best preparation gets best results'.
My 10K PB came at Silverstone. I had run the Watford 10K the day before and had then stayed up into the early hours watching the end of the world snooker final! I had about 5 hours sleep, had a day at work, drove to the race and had just decided to take it easy. I ended up knocking a minute and a half of my PB.
In my experience, in the few days before the race, you can invariably get away with most aspects of bad preparation - eating the wrong stuff, lack of sleep, even a night on the booze (Snicks will tell you about this! ;-)). I think the only thing you can't get away with is not having done the training...that will always find you out in the end.
All personal conjecture of course, but reading this page, it seems to hold true for quite a few runners.
SY3
PS Hey Strider that's a pretty mean mugshot
SY3
Mental game plays an important part, on top of appropriate physical training.
Visualisation, rehearsal, mentally running through the event many times, avoiding negative self talk, building belief in your own ability are all important, whether you are attempting to win the World Championship or to break 60mins for a 10k.
Mumbo Jumbo? I don't think so!
Tell me I'm wrong
Gavin
I do think it's unrealistic to expect a PB for every race as there are so many things to consider such as the weather and the type of course and for women (can't comment for men as I've no experience)their menstrual cycle can be a influencing factor in how they run.
Finally, I also don't feel runners can compare times on different courses of the same distance. It's only possible to measure times for a distance over the same course and even then we're likely to experience different weather each time we run that course.
That's me finished! Happy Running!