I was one minute off my season’s best today, why do we perform so variably?
There’s probably lots of reasons but here is where I think my minute went.
1. Not trying hard enough – 10 secs, heart rate was pretty high
2. Track session on Thursday and Bike intervals on friday ie no taper – 35 secs
3. Wore trainers – 10 secs.
4. Hydration, caffeine, etc etc – 5 secs
It’s pretty obvious that I wasn’t going for a PB because of my buildup. I wrote this post to illustrate how your preparations may well cause you to perform way below what you expect. But the performance is not necessarily a problem; I had a training goal in mind, and so I achieved that. I was actually pretty pleased with my leg’s ability to hold a decent pace for 5k.
If you ARE going for a PB then you can see too how your build up and race-day preparation is key. It is vital you do it properly. The slower you normally do the 5k in, the BIGGER the difference a proper build-up may well make.
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With 20 years of testing Garmin wearables and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, I provide expert insights into fitness tech, helping athletes and casual users make informed choices.
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