I generally sit in the camp of “save the race for race day.” In other words, don’t race workouts and conserve those all-out efforts for race day. However, I do think that there’s a time and a place to bring out that race mentality. There is a certain stimulus (both mental and physical) that is only accessible through pushing oneself to the limit.
When I had about 10 days until my first 5k of the year, I wanted to race in practice. Not because my ego needed a boost (although that is a nice little bonus), but because I hadn’t experienced the feeling of kicking off of completely toasted legs since last summer. I needed a reminder that my legs can be on fire and still find another gear. My body and my mind had to get on the same page that “spent” doesn’t mean “done”, especially not in a race.
So, ten days out from my race, I started the workout with a 5k paced mile and ended it with an all-out 400. While these types of workouts can’t be completed too often, having one or two throughout a training block is a great stimulus to sharpen up for race day. Watch the video below to see how this workout went.
