I was trying to say that races are run just below your threshold to way above your threshold. A marathon is run just below your threshold (a heart rate a few beats per minute below your threshold), a half marathon at your threshold, or even just above, a 10k with your heart rate about four beats per minute above the threshold, and a 5k about eight beats a minute above the threshold. You were running at half marathon to 5k pace during the race, which was excellent: it’s hard to run really hard right from the start unless you warm up extremely well, which we didn’t, and unless you have recent 5k experience as it hurts so much to run that hard. To set your best possible time on a given day you really need to get used to running at that intensity.

Yes, you did great! Four months to the half and that new PR!