Many a time we go to a race/event with a goal timing in mind but end up not achieving it, forget achieving, we end up far away from the mark. Ever analyzed and found out the real reason rather than blaming the weather, terrain, support blah blah. This blog tries to list potential reasons for this underperformance by recreational runners at races. Unrealistic Targets The first and foremost reason for not achieving the target is that the target set is way too ambitious for your current form. You cannot set a target based on your past records. Like they rattle out in mutual fund advertisements, "Past performance is no guarantee for similar returns in the future," you cannot base your current target on age-old PRs. You certainly have gotten older now and your fitness level definitely has changed. A realistic assessment of your "current fitness" with a shorter distance time trial could be a starting point if you are looking to race in one discipline. A 5k time trial in ...