Training: NW from the office 5K

Alternative clickbait title: Get Negative Splits On Every 5K Run Using This One Simple Trick!

Yep, it was another negative splits run today. (I say that like it happens often. 😂) The "trick" seems to be a combination of these two things:
  1. Don't warm up properly; your muscles will be tight to start (slow) but will warm up as you get into the run (faster)
  2. Choose a route that starts uphill and switches to downhill for the return leg (slow then fast)
I certainly didn't set out with the aim of getting negative splits, but after a disappointing slow first kilometre followed by a barely acceptable (but better) second kilometre, I can't help thoughts of the possibility creeping into my head. From that point on, I'm very eagerly listening to the updates. 😁

The perfect gradients for a negative splits 5K, methinks

Seems either my maths or my hearing was left wanting today mind, as I thought I'd calculated that my 3rd kilometre was slower than my 2nd. I pressed on regardless, as the 4th kilometre saw me coming down the highly exploitable Richardson Road. And the gentle drop from the City Library to Carliol Square in the 5th kilometre was just too tempting to pass up.

So, it was tight, but the last 3 kilometres were all between 5:10/km and 5:00/km. And, most importantly, each faster than the one before it. RESULT.

Before I forget, a quick update on Saturday's parkrun: it didn't happen. We had family round instead. South Shields will have to wait another couple of weeks, as I'll be marking another holiday in my parkrun calendar this coming weekend. 🙂

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