Foulées de Malakoff: Not the Time I Wanted
I kickstarted 2019 with a 10 km race, Foulées de Malakoff, at the beginning of February. It was a Championnats de France 10 km qualifying race. If I could hit below 48 minutes, I would be qualified for the national championship at the end of the year.
Three Races, One Stubborn Pace
The 10 km race was supposed to be a part of my training for the upcoming semi-marathon of Rambouillet (17 March). I finished it in 48:36 and thus was not qualified for the 2019 Championnats de France 10 km.
Foulées de Malakoff was my third 10 km race. My first 10 km race was in March 2015, in Hong Kong, with a finishing time of 49 minutes. My second race was Les Foulées Cachanaises in May 2018, a month after my Albi Marathon. I finished it at barely below 49 minutes, a pace of 4:54 per km. Objectively, there was hardly any significant progress in my 10 km pace since 2015.
My disappointment was compounded by the fact that I actually finished the first 10 km of my semi-marathon of Saint Omer in October 2018 (semi for Championnats de France) in 47:41. That’s a pace of 4:46 per km. If I could beat my personal record for 10 km in a semi-marathon, how could I not finish faster in a 10 km race!
I have always known that I fare better in long runs than short runs. Personal experiences in ultra-trail races and the 2 marathon races I’ve run have shown me something. In short, I’m more like a camel than a horse. I don’t have the horsepower to rev up over a short distance. But I have the endurance to finish far. At times, I could even beat the horses which did not have the stamina to go far.
So, What Went Wrong?
That said, I’ve put in my share of speed workouts since joining the Orsay running club in Sep 2016. I’ve also focused on road running. So, what are the reasons for the stagnancy? My switch to a pair of light, but less-cushioned shoes (Adidas Adizero Adios 3) for the race? I did not train enough? I should spend more time training with the club, rather than training by myself? Was it because the training plan I followed was not suitable for me? Was it because I have reached a plateau in my performance after a late pickup in running? Should I have lost some weight?
Solo Runner, Team Excuses
I met up with my running coaches, and told them about my disappointment. They pointed out that I should have attended the group trainings instead of training by myself. For context, I’ve since switched to the leisure group from the competitive group. Group trainings are better as innate competitiveness and social pressure would push me to run harder, further and faster. Individual training does not motivate me to test my own limits.
I do agree that group training definitely has many benefits. Apart from those mentioned by the coaches, comradeship during the tough workouts will make these sessions more bearable. Moreover, group training will provide an opportunity to make friends in this country and improve my French. It will also let me participate in races as a group — which is definitely more fun!
So, why do I NOT attend the group training? Convenience. As a freelance teacher, I don’t have a fixed schedule. That means I may not be able to rush back in time for the 6.30pm weekday sessions. In addition, I’m free occasionally on certain mornings or afternoons. That lets me finish the workouts and get them out of the way. As for the Saturday 9:00 sessions, no other excuse — I’m just too lazy. All I want to do on a Saturday morning is to enjoy a leisure breakfast at my favourite local boulangerie.
Onward to Rambouillet
I will be attending the Rambouillet semi-marathon this Sunday with the running club. I’ve been training by myself (with Silviu at times) for the last 3 months. Admittedly, though, it hasn’t gone too smoothly. There was a week off due to a cold, and another week off resting my right knee. On top of that, bouts of depression from the 10 km disappointment made things worse.
Running has become deeply ingrained in the daily routine: easy run on Monday, workout on Tuesday, easy run on Wednesday, workout on Thursday… If I miss a run, I will feel guilty. Running has become more and more of an obligation. I keep asking myself: why am I putting myself through all the lung-bursting, leg-burning workouts? At a ripe old age of …, would an improvement of a few seconds, or a couple of minutes get me a gold medal?
That said, I still have to do a workout later today. It will be the last workout before the semi-marathon on Sunday. The next few days will be filled up with easy runs until Sunday. It should also be the only race for the first half of 2019. The two Championnats de France for which I am qualified (full and semi-marathons) will be held in October. I will have a few months to think about whether I would like to subject myself to the training torture again.