A 10K race in the wall

Today, I participated in Varvetmilen, a ten-kilometer race that qualifies runners for Göteborgsvarvet. My condition at the start was less than ideal, coming off two weeks of a sore throat and cough and no training on top of that. That is, not in peak form. Yet, before this setback, my training had been rigorous and the performance coming with that promising. Any ambitious athlete want to see that training time put in count towards a good finishing time.

So despite not being at my best, I was eager (too eager) to push myself. Unfortunately, I hit a wall just 2 kilometers in when my heart rate spiked to 189 bpm. Still, I kept up the pace because I felt good and was moving fast. Although my pulse was alarmingly high, I reasoned it was not too bad since my body wasn’t worn out due to the training break I had had. After all, a high heart rate indicates that my body had been recovering well, or so I reasoned as I pushed on.

But as more runners began to pass me, I realized I had hit my limit. My position dropped from 133rd to 196th in the last 5 km. Feeling nauseous at the 8 km mark, I had to slow down even more. The frustration was mounting. An inner voice chided, ‘Is this your idea of a sprint finish?’ and despite the increasing discomfort I managed to pick up the pace just a bit in the final kilometer.

Crossing the finish line, my time was slower than my training goal of sub-38 minutes. However, performance should be regarded as relative, and despite hitting the wall, I didn’t give up and fought until the end. Additionally, this race taught me about the consequences of pushing too hard.

Reflecting on today’s race outcomes, I feel both proud and humble. But above all, I’m surprised that I managed to have an average heart rate of 184 bpm throughout the race, especially since my previous highest was 181 bpm, even if I’ve done max heart rate tests.

The worn-out saying should be referenced with caution, but it does seem fair to state that we commonly underestimate what we’re capable of achieving. Still, beware of hitting walls, as there seems to be little to gain but an increasing discomfort and a panicked heart rate.”

Table 1 - Splits from official results.

Split	Time Of Day	Time	Diff	min/km	km/h	Place
5K	11:19:16	00:19:05	19:05	03:49	15.72	133
Finish	11:39:45	00:39:35	20:30	04:06	14.63	196

At a finishing time of 39:35, I’ll be put in the first start group for Göteborgsvarvet, which can be considered a near to perfect outcome for this race concerning the seeding part, which was the main reason I participated it in. My principal goal is of course finishing Göteborgsvarvet below 01:25:00.