It is in human nature to try to succeed, improve and compete. When I started running, it was all about getting round, making it pass the finish line. Now…well, let’s just say I have become more competitive. Not every race is a race though. When it comes to marathon training I use half-marathons as training runs to practice my pace rather than trying to run a personal best for the half-marathon itself.
As I have mentioned before, I am currently planning to run two other marathons this year so the competitiveness is sitting on a bench at the moment and I am focusing more on the endurance. Next year, I would like to run a half-marathon each month so the chase for PBs will be back on. The important thing is to remember what is the ultimate goal and understand and accept that we can’t always run a PB.
My best time for 10K for example is 54:33. If I do 10K as a training run, it will be around 58 minutes. And it is absolutely fine. The same goes for a half-marathon. I know I can do it under 2 hours but time around 02:05 is more realistic when I practice my pacing. The only distance I always push for is the 5K because it is short enough for me to recover quickly even if I push harder. Although I haven’t done any 5K races this year yet…I think it’s time to revisit Parkrun and beat the 25 minutes mark!
Eva Marasca 