Forums >Racing>5K before a half marathon?
Tiefsa
Hey folks,
Getting back into running again as I signed up for a half-marathon in September. Five years ago, I ran a half marathon in 1:35, but I think I could have been sub 1:30 if I didn't have a crappy last month of training. I ran a 5k a month before my half and that created some issues with my knees. I had to back off of the training then.
This time, I'm shooting for sub 1:30 again, but I'm just fishing for a bit of advice. Should I look into running a 5k, so long as I don't run it as hard (especially on the downhills), or should i just stick with a steady training approach? I ran that 5k leading up to the half in 18:15.
Also, I'm thinking I'd like to run one mile this week at 6:45 pace. Then the next week shoot for maybe 1 1/4 at 6:45 pace, and then gradually build this up until I'm running about 8 miles at this pace for a hard workout towards the end of my training. I'm in pretty awful shape right now, but I'm confident that if I'm consistent with my training, I'll round out into good shape in about three months.
Let me know if you have any advice.
Distinctively Juvenile
MoBramExam
The primary reason you fell short of 1:30:00 five years ago was not because of the 5K and a "crappy last month of training". You fell short because you started from scratch on a training plan about four months before your half.
The 1 @ 6:45, then 1.5 @ 6:45, etc. approach is "practice". To reach your HM potential, you need to "train".
You say that you are in pretty awful shape right now. Before beginning a formal HM training plan, you need to build a solid aerobic base while rebuilding your muscle and connective tissue strength. Your best bet is to smartly improve your running fitness over the next five months, run your HM at whatever fitness level you achieve, then take it from there. The fact you ran 1:35:00 on very little training would appear to indicate your potential is considerably faster than 1:30:00...in due time.
SMART Approach
Yes, run a few 5ks along the way. This strengthens you mentally for race day and shows what type of fitness you are in which can help you determine training paces. What you need to do more than anything now is just run and build your aerobic fitness.
Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery
Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training
Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique
www.smartapproachtraining.com
runktrun
Since you have 5+ months until race day, I don't think you should worry about pacing yet. Run consistently for the next month or so and focus on building mileage just a little bit. If you're running 3 x week now, add a day for a couple weeks, see how you feel. If you feel healthy and running is beginning to feel easier, lengthen one of those runs for a couple weeks. Remember to cut back on mileage every 4th week or so to allow your body to adapt.
If all goes well and you feel like you're getting back in shape, implement a half marathon specific plan in late June, or about 3 months out. At this point, you may want to race a 5k as a fitness test to establish a baseline. Use something like McMillan https://www.mcmillanrunning.com/ to plug in your 5k time to get a VERY ROUGH approximation of a possible HM time, assuming you put in the training. Say you run a 5k at the beginning of your training in 19:00. That equates to a 1:27 half. That means you could likely run 1:27 if you focus your training on that distance, NOT that you can automatically run that time now.
Only after a few months of consistent base training should you start to run workouts that are HM pace specific and faster. Rather than building HM pace .25mi at a time, start with 2 x 1mi at goal pace. Following week try 2 x 1.5mi at goal pace, plus a speed workout of something like 400s @ 3k pace (should feel faster than 5k but not all out). A good HM plan will work aerobic pace with long runs, HM pace with specific pace workouts, tempo pace at just faster than what you can hold for a HM, and VO2max "speed" workouts. Your training plan should include a couple 5ks or a 5k and a 10k. These would be in place of a tempo workout and will help you learn to push when it hurts.
Bottom line: don't start running 6:45 pace workouts right now. In fact, don't look at your pace for at least another month or so.
Not running for my health, but in spite of it.
Yeah, I suppose I should wait to worry about race pace until I'm a couple months into developing a base. My plan is to run four times a week for the first three months. I'm going to increase my mileage one mile per week. I want to run 3 miles four times this first week. After I see how my body is treating me, I might start looking at one run each week to be the longer run.
At what point in my training should my long run be around 10-12 miles. Should I be doing a 10-mile long run weekly when I'm about two months away from race day?