I had a workout the other day that shocked me. It was 6-8x1k at VO2Max pace, and I fully expected it to test me mentally and physically. In the past, kilometer repeats have been my kryptonite, so this workout had me nervous and prepared for the worst. A rep one onset of “extreme struggle” is exactly what I envisioned. However, after rep four, I felt confident that I could make it through 8. You’ll have to watch the video below for all the details and splits, but I will say that it felt kind of easy.
The tendency going into a workout, especially one with a very specific pace range, is to hope for it to feel smooth and doable on the day. Not because I don’t want to work hard, but because that means my fitness is a little better than my coach or I expected. However, taking this same mentality into race day can be a detriment to performance. The reason for that is simple: a workout has a specified pace and running faster (usually) isn’t advised, but a race is an all-out effort. Regardless of goal time or early pace, a race should never feel easy (okay, never is a stretch–a prelim or incredible tactical race might, but those are rare exceptions). There are ample opportunities in a race to push the pace, make a move, or cover others’ moves if it’s feeling a little too doable. Getting to the end of a workout feeling like I could do more is amazing, but finishing a race knowing I had more in the tank is a let-down.
Races are tests; they are attempts to see the maximum of what I’m capable of. Workouts are sub-maximal sessions to prepare me for those race moments. So while I can hope that a workout feels easy, I should always hope that a race feels hard. Because that hard-as-ever maximal-effort feeling means that I’m truly testing myself. Watch the video below to see how I faired in this race preparation workout.
