If you've never detonated...

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larkim Sep 2016 9:56am, 20 Sep 2016 958 posts	0 larkim ...how do you know you've ever given your best? (Having never detonated, I was wondering how close I've ever come to really being at maximal performance in a race. Is this a rational thought process?)
chunkywizard Sep 2016 11:30am, 20 Sep 2016 3,451 posts	0 chunkywizard I've never detonated but I have drastically slowed down in the latter part of a race. I think that's a good indication that you went out more aggressively than you should. I practised at parkrun. you get one chance a week to try stuff like going out at quicker than PB pace, progressive runs, even splits etc. You then can work out, what works, what doesn't and what your max performance is.
becca7 Sep 2016 11:50am, 20 Sep 2016 6,894 posts	0 becca7 This was my best. Small deterioration in pace towards the end but if there had been more than that, especially detonation, it would have been because I messed the earlier part of the race up.
Nelly Sep 2016 11:54am, 20 Sep 2016 3,488 posts	0 Nelly I don't think you need to detonate to know whether you've given your best, there's other indicators that could be used:- - heart rate. There's plenty of guidance around on what %-age of max HR is generally sustainable over different distances. Also, look at your HR trace over the duration of the race for any anomalies. - finishing pace vs effort. If you can't sustain the same pace in the last 10% of the race, or even if your loosing a few seconds a mile, then I'd suggest you're close to your best (on that given day). - experience. Once you have done a few "flat out" races, you know how you feel at the various race distances.
larkim Sep 2016 12:13pm, 20 Sep 2016 959 posts	0 larkim I'm fairly sure I have got close to my best. There's just always the nagging doubt that you "could do better". I agree that HR and mild pace deterioration are good indicators, but "what if" my max average 171 for a half "could have been" 173, and "what if" I'd pushed on for an extra 15s through miles 6-10 etc etc. I'm frankly delighted that I've not detonated, and for the sake of the cash spent on race entries, hope I don't on any race day.
Velociraptor Sep 2016 12:39pm, 20 Sep 2016 34,525 posts	0 Velociraptor If I get to the end of a race and think, "I'm glad that's finished," rather than, "Pfft, I could go round again," that'll do for me as evidence that I've done my best. If I don't slow down in the last few miles but need to get horizontal once I'm over the line, I know I've paced it right. Detonation is either a learning experience or, in a target race, a big fail.
The Teaboy Sep 2016 12:52pm, 20 Sep 2016 14,653 posts	0 The Teaboy 5k is good for detonation. If you run your last k too fast, you didn't detonate. Very easy to go off far too fast and pop big-style. As pretty much every 10-year old does every week at Parkrun!
Daz Love Sep 2016 7:32pm, 20 Sep 2016 382 posts	0 Daz Love Could normally tell on the finish line if you have given all! I run a 5k parkrun and pretty much fell over the line once! (Still my PB!) Run the same pace a few months later but got quicker every mile with the final .1 the quickest. After I kept thinking I could have done more and I was 2 seconds from the PB!