I recorded my previous PB at the Kirkstall Harriers Time Trial Handicap Series 2012/13, which is a very tough 5k course. Ever since I recorded that PB in November 2012 aged 27, I have planned to run a race at the John Carr 5k Series. The John Carr 5k is regarded as a 'net downhill' race which means it is a huge PB course and it's actually regarded as one of the fastest 5k's in the country, particularly in the north of England.
I felt I was on such good form during the Kirkstall Harriers Time Trials, running 17:48, 18:08 and 18:15 (If I remember correctly) that I really felt I was at my peak in the shorter distances, I felt really confident I could get close to 16:00 something minutes and possibly get a sub 17. I heard about the John Carr Series and I actually entered the whole series, which was due to take place just after my marathon season finished in spring of 2013.
I was on red hot form going into the marathon season and was excited about the John Carr Series, but much to my disappointment I got injured with the painful Achilles Tendiopathy during the marathon season and it was so painful and my achilles was so tender, I had no choice but to drop out.
In 2014 I hoped to give the John Carr Series a shot, but again I suffered an injury, to my IT Band this time so I decided not to enter, I probably could have ran but my injury was causing me a lot of pain and I probably lost a bit of desire for the shorter distances around that time with all the marathon training I was doing.
Since then I haven't ran many 5k races. I have ran 5k loads and loads of times in training but I think I have only ran two Parkrun 5k's in the last two years. One of them I ran it as a fun run with my friend and to be honest, up until I saw some of the new PB's my fellow club member's have been achieving for 5k, my PB of 17:48 I was pretty content with, but not anymore.
I never really thought much of the John Carr Series until after I had ran the Leeds Half Marathon about three weeks ago and all my fellow Kirkstall Harriers' were all getting excited about the John Carr Series and I saw some of the PB's they were getting and I thought to myself 'I want a bit of that'. So I decided the get in on the act and I entered Race 3, which was the last of the series and I smashed (kind of) my PB to earn a new PB of 17:43, which is now my second PB as a 30 year old athlete, my other was 2:15:04 at Spen 20 in March (20 miles - see blog here).
I added a new goal to my 'Sporting Ambitions' (see picture below) which was to 'smash my 5k PB of 17:48. Okay, so I did smash my PB, I beat it, a PB which stood for over 2 years (when I was 27, although it was only a couple of weeks before I turned 28), but I can't help but feel disappointed and somewhat frustrated with myself.
The John Carr 5k is very flat and I mean very flat, then there is a long downhill stretch to the finish, it really is a super PB course. I feel frustrated because the Richard Joyce of the night of my 17:48 PB in November 2012 (on a tough course) would have no doubt in my mind got a sub 17:00 PB on this course, I really believe that. I don't feel I performed near my ability of that Richard Joyce at this race last Wednesday. I was confident going into the race I could run close to 17:00, but it just didn't seem to happen from me right from the start.
I don't know whether I have slightly slowed down since I was 27, 28 in the shorter distances or whether it's just the fact that I haven't been out on any short intensity training runs or any 5k training runs lately? I don't know if it's because deep down I don't have the same desire to push myself to my limits as I did a couple of years ago? I don't know if it is because my legs aren't fresh anymore after all the intense sports I've competed in over the years and the hard training the last three or four years? I don't know if it is just simply that I haven't ran many 5k races in the last two or three years? Or it could be the fact that my legs are tired and are trained to longer distances such as the half and full marathons? After all, I have just finished my marathon season.
Whatever the reason, I want to try to work it out, so that means I am going to make an effort to do more 5k training and test myself out at a couple of Parkrun 5k's this year. Parkruns have always been hard for me to take part in. I ran my first in 2008 and I think I have only ran about 9 or 10 in total, which isn't very many compared with most amateur and recreational runners of this day and age.
Parkruns are held every Saturday all over the world, most towns and cities have one (search Parkrun on Google) and my local race is the Hyde Park 5k, which is the only Parkrun course I have taken part in.
I usually work Saturday's so it's not often I get the opportunity to run it and if it is my weekend off work, naturally I do like to go out drinking the Friday night, so maybe that is something I will sacrifice a few times this year so I can run, I've done it before, it's whether I really have the desire to stay in on the Friday night and get up mega early to run at 9am. I see them all running round Hyde Park every Saturday morning when I'm going to work on the 56 bus and I'm think 'that could be me'. I really enjoy watching runners as I'm going past on the bus, watching from the top deck.
The Hyde Park 5k is a pretty reasonable course and a PB is definitely possible, I don't think the course is that tough but it definitely isn't flat and it would be tough to get near 17:43 I feel for me, so I may try a few other Parkruns out over the next year or two, see if there are any flattish courses to try and get a PB. My course PB for the Hyde Park 5k is 18:28 when I earned in 2011 or 2012, not long after I had joined Kirkstall Harriers, at the time it was the second fastest Kirkstall Harriers time of all time at Hyde Park 5k, I'm pretty sure it won't be now though.
So, yeah I guess that one of my hopes for this year is to try and run more 5k's, even in training and see if I can get some momentum going and maybe see about running some Parkruns, as I do believe I am naturally quite fast at the 5k distance but if I don't put in the work, I won't reach anymore of my potential in the shorter distances, which is a shame because I feel my peak is coming to its end in the short distances, I felt that at the Leeds Golden Mile in 2014 (although I was carrying an injury from football). I did win actually win my first ever 5k race way back in 2007 when I was 22. I won the Leeds Tree-Athlon at the very tough Temple Newsam course, in a time of 20:23 (see blog here).
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