I push depending on my level of fitness. Fitter I am the more I push.
I push depending on my level of fitness. Fitter I am the more I push.
Yep, it's all about pacing. You've got to have the needle hovering around the red line, but you can't afford to go over it for any length of time. It's all to do with heart rate and lactate threshold and all that I suppose. You might beast yourself up a climb but then give yourself time to recover on the flat. With all the variations of gradient and terrain and your own strengths and weaknesses you certainly won't be running most fell races with 400 metre intensity all the way round.
I suppose where the Reverand's musing comes in is wondering whether there is any scope for beasting yourself just that little bit harder or little bit longer on that climb, or do you run the downhill for speed or recovery? But then that's another aspect of what makes fell running so absorbing.
Bottom line - if you finish not feeling knackered - you've definitely not run hard enough in the last mile!
I would always say that I have given my all in every race. Due to varying levels of fitness and illnesses and the results have probably reflected these correctly. Not being able to commit to conducting recce's of many routes I do find that I have to hold back slightly for the section of the race after the start section so that I do not get caught out at a later stage or on a particular element - this I have learnt from experience when I have bombed out due to doing too much at the start. This said I always complete a race and think 'If only I had .....' and this normally relates to try a little more on xx section or run a little further on a hill before walking or start running earlier towards the top of a climb and I make note of these for if I am able to do the race the following year.
Paul C.
... continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.
I can remember really going for it at Lords seat one year and being absolutely 'on the edge' all the way round and not really enjoying it at the time. Doing it another year I was deliberately taking it easy because I think it was Ennerdale the following weekend - I ran comfortably within myself up the forest track at the start and just felt stronger and stronger as the race went on as a result - I didn't beat my previous time but I was within about a minute of it and thoroughly enjoyed the race so I think for some of us its more about pacing and knowing when to run fast and when to hold back than going flat out all the time. Enjoying the race was and is more important to me than being a minute or so faster and perhaps being 100th instead of 110th.
I always cane it in races. Probably why I don't actually enjoy them as much as steady running.
2 or 3% from maximum in every race, my heart rate data from the garmin is quite scary h:w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t:
How much is that doggie in the window.........?:w00t:
it depends on who is in front and behind me!
The fell races I've been doing in recent years I tend to be running mainly to complete in the early stages (Wasdale, Ennerdale, Borrowdale), then I try and finish strong. I tend to feel like I need to know a route before I can properly race it. Also, even tho' I've been over in the lakes with CFR for ten years, Ive not really raced enough to know the people about me. If I run for my 'first claim' club (New Marske Harriers), say in XC events, I'm usually fairly sure I'm racing to my best because I'm often racing other individuals...more or less. Thers always occasions tho' when I do think..if only I'd 'dug-in' there more, or started my finish earlier. But 'hey ho'! No-one gets it 100% right!
I have on occasion finished races worrying that i'd done long lasting damage to myself, while on other occasions i lose interest after a while and take it easy, i sometimes struggle to motivate myself to run hard while other times it just feels right to really ruin myself