Down to Business

In my last training week wrap I was left pondering how to fill my race schedule. After much deliberation I finally have a plan for the next 3 months...

So here it is:

5km - 2 weeks away
Goal = Sub 25 minutes

5km - 4 weeks away
Goal = PB by at least 1 second!
I am not expecting to do any major improvements in two weeks but as it is a "virtual race" and I can pick my course and conditions I will aim to improve my previous 5km time if even by only a second.

10km - 8 weeks away
Sub 50 minutes

Half Marathon - 14 weeks away
Sub 1 hour 50 minutes

First up is the 5km and I have to admit I am completely lost as how to run a 5km race. The only 5km race I have ever done was with a client (who still hasn't forgiven me to this day for it... I may have promised we would "run/walk" but on the day she was ROCKIN it so we ran it all). So how do you pace for 5km?!!?! This is what I am thinking:

1-2km warm up (pre-race)

1st km = Just below race pace
2nd -4th km = race pace
5th km = Flog it home. . .give everything and anything that is left in the tank!

Any advice? I don't want to get to the end of the race and feel like I could have given more earlier on but I also don't want to go out too hard and not be able to maintain race pace as a result.

Even though I am loving the speed work and shorter distance training at the moment I am completely duanted by this distance for racing. I am either going to love it or hate it and I am expecting it may take me a couple of races to feel confident at pacing it like I do in a 10km - 21km distances.

So its down to business now. I have 4 races planned and I am hoping to PB in all of them. . . Game on!