Pardo Unlocked / The Chase
The Chase
Sub-20, live. Am I getting closer, or is this an elaborate waste of time? Updated every Split.
4:37 still to find.
A fortnight where life won. A funeral, a heatwave, and a deload that quietly became do-nothing. The number's held at 24:36, and now it's back to the real work, with a reunion race in September giving the whole thing a deadline.
Some perspective, because a number means nothing in a vacuum. For a man of 43, benchmark data puts 24:36 at bang-on intermediate. Sub-20 lands the far side of advanced, a whisker short of what they politely call elite. A normal bloke chasing a nearly-elite number, on purpose. That is the whole point.
| 5k standard | Time at 43 |
|---|---|
| Beginner | ~33:55 |
| Novice | ~28:21 |
| Intermediate | ~24:16 24:36, right here |
| Advanced | ~21:15 |
| Elite | ~19:02 19:59 lands just shy |
5k standards for age 43, interpolated from the 40 and 45 age bands. Source: Running Level.
Two hard weeks, and you kept turning up when you had every excuse not to. That counts more than the sessions you missed. Now we rebuild properly. Deload done, bed before midnight, then Tuesday intervals and Friday tempo. September's handed us a reason and a deadline. Time to earn the number back. Ted
Brutal fortnight, if I'm honest. Life came for me and mostly won. But I kept showing up, and the log proved I did more than I felt. And now there's Dave and Gilbo and a triathlon in September, and a sub-20 I might have run once and can't prove. Suddenly this isn't just a number. It's a score to settle. I believe more than ever.
A triathlon in September, eighteen years on. A finish-line 5K, two old mates to beat, and a sub-20 I might have run once and can't prove.
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