WHAT MAKES A PR?

WHAT MAKES A PR?

Many runners dedicate weeks, even months, to intense training in pursuit of a personal record (PR). Whether preparing for a marathon, half-marathon, or any goal race, the journey is often filled with grueling long runs, speed work, and sacrifices. Along the way, it’s easy to lose sight of why we started. So, let’s take a moment to reflect on what it takes to achieve a PR and what it truly feels like to reach that milestone.

A PR is never about the result.

Yes, we are training to cut our race time. But in the actual moments of the race, a PR is all about doing your best in every single kilometer of your run. It is about focusing your energy on whether you are meeting your pace, if your body is feeling as it should, and if your performance is correct at that point in the route. A PR is about excellence in every moment. The result will follow.

If you are truly aiming for a PR, then the race becomes a concentrated, moment-by-moment push toward your goal. Your mind must be focused on making the best of the present kilometer. Is your form correct? Is your breathing steady? Is your stride consistent? Is your mind relaxed? The moment your concentration goes to the end result, your focus is broken. So, forget what others think and focus on the run. Remove the anxiety of the time you committed to yourself or to others, what your friends will say, or the number of “likes” you will get on social media. You have to bring your mind and body to the present goal. You will have to be “in the zone.”

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A PR is painful.

Accept it. Prepare for it. A PR is not a race with smiles and conversations with your running buddies. A PR hurts, and you need to hold your ground. Note that this is a disciplined kind of pain, one that puts you on the brink of your capacity. This does not mean pushing your body to the point of injury, especially for those who are undertrained.

For a 21K race, you need to be comfortably tired at the halfway point. You need to be breathing hard at 14-16K. Your quads and calves will hurt. You will feel like you are in a never-ending tempo run. And you need to dig deep starting at 17-18K so that you can pour your heart and soul into making your legs go faster until you cross that finish line.

For a 42K race, you may hit the wall, and most likely earlier than you expected. Accept it. No matter how experienced you are, at KM 37-38, you may want to give up. You may feel intense pain, inexplicable exhaustion, and a great loss of willpower. So how will you prepare for this moment?

You see, if we pretend that intense pain will not happen in a PR race, we complain about it and act surprised when the pain comes. But that is a delusion. Pain is part of the game. When you accept it, then you can proactively plan for it. After all, while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

A PR is a smart race.

You will only excel if you execute a well-planned strategy in line with your training and your fitness level. Warm up properly, start slow, keep to your planned pace, know your uphill/downhill approach, get ready to manage your body temperature, etc.

A good PR shows even split times with only slight differences between the splits, preferably with a slightly negative split. Having a very fast first half means you went out too fast at the start and then “crashed and burned” in the second half. Having a “super negative” split can also mean you failed to exert the appropriate effort in the first half and that you could have done better.

My favorite example here is the marathon. Many runners I know, including experienced ones, run faster than expected in the first 10K as if the next 32K do not exist. Of course you feel wonderful in the first 10K! After all, you are at your healthiest and fittest. But trust me, your legs will pay for it at 30K. Remember, the marathon is not won in the first 10K. It is won in the last 10K.

A PR is a well-prepared race.

It is a product of months of effort, not just “heart” and “courage.” No one can “wing” a good PR. It comes with good training, enough recovery, a proper diet, and a planned strategy. You achieve the PR not on the day of the race, but in the months leading to it.

A PR, as with anything worthwhile in our lives, is the result of positive and consistent “deposits” toward a goal. And I guess this is now a shout-out to everyone bearing the heat of training, training in the rain because you have to, or eating properly despite temptations from friends and family: you are doing the right thing. Keep pushing. Don’t give up. Your efforts will give you immense joy, but not today. Wait for it, because it’s worth it.

A PR respects the race course.

Always remember that you are at the mercy of the race course and the conditions of the day. You cannot remove the flyovers or the hills, nor can you reroute the course to avoid traffic or pollution. These are all part of the game. You cannot change it if it rains, storms, or if the sky is mercilessly cloudless.

If you can, prepare for it by studying the course. Read information online or consult with those who have run the course in the past. It is about taking the “arena” of the game more seriously rather than just coming unprepared. But for things that we cannot control, like the weather, you will just need to accept the conditions of the game and play it well.

Lastly, a PR is a positive expression of excellence.

A PR is a happy and joyous experience, where you put the best of yourself into a run. A race born out of pressure and fear will never be your best one. A PR comes from the inner confidence achieved even before you show up at the starting line. It is a game that you want to win for its own sake.

In my experience, a PR always comes from a desire that is deeper than a faster finish time. That desire is the reason why we can push on despite pain and discomfort. Sometimes our reason for a PR is for the sheer pleasure of competition. But most of the time, a PR is about proving something to yourself. Even more powerful is when the race is run for others, for a loved one, or for a higher purpose.

A PR is all about showing the best of yourself in a race, regardless of the result.