Forums >Racing>Sub-90 Minutes for the Half Marathon (2012)
1:24:52 Yay, me! Huge debt to Chris (beat) for pulling me through first 8 miles in smooth even pace!
1:24:52
Yay, me!
Huge debt to Chris (beat) for pulling me through first 8 miles in smooth even pace!
Speech, speech!
I'd like to thank the hills that punish me daily, and my wife for putting up with this nonsense.
Seriously, though, went out a bit ambitious. I knew that beat would turn out nice even miles, so I hung with him as long as I could, even though I knew he'd eventually drop me and that it was ultimately maybe unsustainable. I just usually have such a problem with uneven pacing, that I thought it worth it, and if everything broke right maybe I could hang on longer. Well, things went great for 8 miles (49:20 or so), even through 10 was okay (1:03:30), but quickly unraveled with calf cramps after that. Even had to stop twice to work em out in the last mile. My limp-sprint must have looked pretty amusing, but got it done to get in under 1:25. Happy, but I know there's more for me.
But Och! I backward cast my e'e, On prospects drear! An' forward, tho' I canna see, I guess an' fear!
Awesome race Kevin!! Yay, you!
So I guess...put me down for another one. Gary Bjorkland Half June 16th.
How do you keep your feet on the ground, when you know you were born to fly?
break'n three
Thanks. And you got it.
To go a full 5 minutes and change under a target goal time is indeed something else !! Well done !!
I dont sweat. I ooze liquid awesome.
Nice.
A few weeks back I looked at your log and got to say this is confirmation, not a surprise. Keep at it. You'll easily go faster.
Got Hills?
Thanks, Kevin! and Congratulations on a gutsy race! You running stride-for-stride with me helped keep my focus. It was a great day for a race, but I was pretty mutch on the edge of the fastest I could run myself. I did slow down toward the end too - couldn't take as much advantage in the big down hill as I planned.
-Chris
"Not to touch the Earth, not to see the Sun, nothing left to do but run, run, run..."
I wouldn't discount that, Brendan. It's good that you are able to identify that maybe your trying to jam too much progress into too short of a time. I was thinking about that workout this morning. Really, 4 mi. at 6:34 pace is hard. I think I did something like that a few months after running 90-minutes for the HM. It was hard. So, I think you are on a great path, just maybe take a little of the pressure off yourself. If you don't run a 90 in two months or in 2012, you can always get it next year. Look at Candice S.: she missed in in 2011 and then went under 89 at the beginning of this year. As my friend would say "Where's the fire?"(But he's kind of a lazy dude). One more thing. I wonder if wearing the HRM kind of fouled you up. Maybe you put the thing on, got the race jitters, saw a high heart rate, and couldn't relax enough to execute well.
I wouldn't discount that, Brendan.
It's good that you are able to identify that maybe your trying to jam too much progress into too short of a time. I was thinking about that workout this morning. Really, 4 mi. at 6:34 pace is hard. I think I did something like that a few months after running 90-minutes for the HM. It was hard. So, I think you are on a great path, just maybe take a little of the pressure off yourself. If you don't run a 90 in two months or in 2012, you can always get it next year. Look at Candice S.: she missed in in 2011 and then went under 89 at the beginning of this year. As my friend would say "Where's the fire?"(But he's kind of a lazy dude).
One more thing. I wonder if wearing the HRM kind of fouled you up. Maybe you put the thing on, got the race jitters, saw a high heart rate, and couldn't relax enough to execute well.
Getting a bit worried now - did a very easy 45 mins yesterday (not in my log yestersday) and my heart rate averaged at 160 !!!. I was running at 8 min mile pace on a nice day with fresh legs - it was at least 10 beats a minute too high... Felt quite lethargic towards the end which is unusual as I am one of those runners who traditionally struggles a bit early in the easy runs before finding my form and finishing strong and relaxed - this was not like that at all...
I am getting my bloods checked as I have had high iron legvels in the past but if it;'s not that I'm stumped...
Thoughts???
2012 Goals:
Sub 90 minute Half Marathon - (1.44 disaster in March)
Sub 19 minute 5km
Sub 40 mins 10km - (42.08 in early May on tough course)
Break 1,000 miles for the year for the first time ever...
Finish a marathon - time not important
Getting a bit worried now - did a very easy 45 mins yesterday (not in my log yestersday) and my heart rate averaged at 160 !!!. I was running at 8 min mile pace on a nice day with fresh legs - it was at least 10 beats a minute too high... Felt quite lethargic towards the end which is unusual as I am one of those runners who traditionally struggles a bit early in the easy runs before finding my form and finishing strong and relaxed - this was not like that at all... I am getting my bloods checked as I have had high iron legvels in the past but if it;'s not that I'm stumped... Thoughts???
My instinct is -- and I feel strongly about this -- that the heart rate monitor is really fouling up your training.
Honest question: If you got rid of it, could you still train? I think this is a perfect time in your training to kiss that thing goodbye. Your fitness is good (6:34 x 4 didn't feel crazy) and your HM time (1:44) is way off your fitness level. Even if you "lost" some short term success as you adjusted to HRM-free training, you would still improve your race times in the long-term, I think.
What do you think, though?
Next up: Chris UK, Frinskey Half Marathon, UK, 4/8
Good luck this weekend, Chris!
Next up: Chris UK, Frinskey Half Marathon, UK, 4/8 Good luck this weekend, Chris!
Hi Kevin - i probably should have posted this earlier but I have been living in hope. Sorry to say there is no way I will be in 1:30 form this weekend. I was in great form on January 1st (40:28 for 10K) and hoping to build on that. Sadly, 2 weeks later I picked up a virus that I have only just got clear from. In trying to keep some semblence of fitness I trained on weakened muscles and now have IT Band problems (that's a new one for me).
My training has been very patchy and every time I try to build up my knee breaks down. My current position is that I have hardly trained this week in the hope that my knee will repair sufficiently for me to attempt the distance. I will try a 5 miler either late tomorrow or early Saturday to gauge the reaction and depending on that trial will make a decision whether to race or not.
I have another HM booked in May and also one in October. Realistically, for me, October remains my best chance - as long as I can get plenty of training miles in. Sorry to disappoint.
2013
3000 miles
Sub 19:00 for 5K 05-03-13 Clee Prom 5K - 19:00:66 that was bloody close!
Sub-40:00 for 10K 17-03-13 Gainsborough 10K - 39:43
Sub 88:00 for HM
No worries. Good luck getting healthy and building back up. We'll look for you down the road...
Just thought I would update you on my race as although I didn't get under 90 (as I expected I would not) I did do much better than I could have hoped given my lack of training. During my trial 5 mile run on Thursday I had some calf/shin issues in my non-injured leg (go figure) but my IT band held up OK. I decided I would do a one mile trial the next day wearing heel lifts (which I did) and shin/calf felt a lot better. So, I decided no run on Saturday, do the race on Sunday and hope my knee/IT would hold out. I haven't managed to run 13 miles since I did my IT band in on February 1st.
My plan was to be cautious and start at 7:30 pace and hope that I could tough it out to the end. That WAS the plan but as soon as the gun went off it was forgotten. I had spoken to one of my MV60 rivals before the race and told him I would not be hunting him down today. Lo and behold he soon disappeared from view at the start but I kept a fairly constant pace (below my intended) without it feeling too uncomfortable but nevertheless expecting my lack of mileage to start letting me down at any moment. By mile 10 I started to catch glimpses of him up ahead and (exactly) at the 12 mile marker I caught him. By this time I was blowing pretty hard but I kept the pressure on and despite never really getting away I crossed the line 10 seconds ahead to take the MV60 win in 1:31:27. I have little doubt that my time would have been much slower if I had not had that friendly rivalry to spur me on.
Also goes to show there is more to racing than beating an arbitrary time - BUT I STILL WANT TO BEAT THAT 90!!
Just thought I would update you on my race as although I didn't get under 90 (as I expected I would not) I did do much better than I could have hoped given my lack of training. During my trial 5 mile run on Thursday I had some calf/shin issues in my non-injured leg (go figure) but my IT band held up OK. I decided I would do a one mile trial the next day wearing heel lifts (which I did) and shin/calf felt a lot better. So, I decided no run on Saturday, do the race on Sunday and hope my knee/IT would hold out. I haven't managed to run 13 miles since I did my IT band in on February 1st. My plan was to be cautious and start at 7:30 pace and hope that I could tough it out to the end. That WAS the plan but as soon as the gun went off it was forgotten. I had spoken to one of my MV60 rivals before the race and told him I would not be hunting him down today. Lo and behold he soon disappeared from view at the start but I kept a fairly constant pace (below my intended) without it feeling too uncomfortable but nevertheless expecting my lack of mileage to start letting me down at any moment. By mile 10 I started to catch glimpses of him up ahead and (exactly) at the 12 mile marker I caught him. By this time I was blowing pretty hard but I kept the pressure on and despite never really getting away I crossed the line 10 seconds ahead to take the MV60 win in 1:31:27. I have little doubt that my time would have been much slower if I had not had that friendly rivalry to spur me on. Also goes to show there is more to racing than beating an arbitrary time - BUT I STILL WANT TO BEAT THAT 90!!
Awesome !! Well done Chris .!
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