Forums >Racing>Sub 2:00 Half Marathon thread
Super B****
I really should check in here more often, it's hard to keep up with everyone!
Me, I have a problem more pressing than a slow first mile right now; I am supremely talented and somehow managed to bruise my foot WHILE ASLEEP. That was a week ago. I actually ran a race on Sunday, and I achieved my goal there, but it was so freaking cold that I was numb so I wouldn't have known if my foot hurt. But now it does. It seems stupid to run on it when I can't even walk normally, so I'm trying to get an appointment with a sports MD ASAP to find out what's wrong -- I have three and a half weeks to go, I don't have time for this!!
chasing the impossible
because i never shut up ... i blog
Zelanie - maybe I need to get more mileages on weekdays as well. For couple of months or so, I do my long runs on Saturdays and I am so tired after those runs that I hardly do anything else for rest of the day. You got great interval run. I did interval run today as well and it felt great!
Me – ran 2 minute intervals on TM today – did 7 of those. First one was at 8.9 mph and the last one was at 9.5 mph. max HR for this workout was 6 bpm below actual max HR which means I could try for 9.6 mph for last 2 minutes during my next interval training.
Temps are warming up here in northern MN, it was 2 degrees, ABOVE ZERO this morning!! "Heat Wave' predicted for the next few days!! Unbelievable, and wouldn't you know it?? I have my business trip, .
Anyway, high for today was about 12 degrees but I wimped out and went to the health club. Roads are still too icy and we had some snow.
Ran in my new ACIS road shoes on the TM, 10.1 miles, 1:32, intervals, finished the last two miles at 2% grade, tough at the end there but made it, YAY!! Love the 'could have run another 2 miles' feeling but got hungry, and bored.
Feet, knee and achilles feeling tired but good.
Can't wait to run my trails and get some hill repeats in northern AZ!! and at 7,000+ ft!! Love it!!
Registered for a HM on 17th; paved, in and out course, ugh! But scenic .
bluerrun: that's so strange the way you bruised your foot, and then you raced!! feeling your pain, been there (with knee), hope it heals well to run your race in a few weeks!! Would be curious to know about the diagnosis.......
Speaking of LRs during the week, I got home unexpectedly early today so I decided to take advantage of the daylight and get my weekly LR in. Ordinarily I wouldn't do a back to back after last night's hard workout, but I know I have a busy weekend coming up.
So- my first 12 miler is in the books! 9:53 pace, so more what I should be running my LRs at, I think. I definitely faded a bit the last few but all the miles were within my McMillan range.
Bluerun- Hope you are able to get in and see somebody and figure out what's wrong with your foot!
Hector- That's kind of me if I run my LRs on the weekend. I would spend the whole day either planning for them, running them, or recovering from them. So the last 3 weeks I've only had one easy run left by the weekend. Luckily my LRs aren't so long since I'm just training for a half!
az- nice run!
Bluerun, I can empathize with not having time for something related to a foot. My PF is back in a big way and I could only run a mile this morning before I had to stop. I know what this means. I'm going to have to ride the bike for a week, and then it will be midweek next week, when I'm supposed to taper. The race is on 2/17 so this pretty much sucks.
I think I'll get my sub 2:00 next time if I can't run much more before the HM. Stupid PF. GO AWAY!
az2mntrail – great job getting 10+ miles on TM
Zelanie – what is your longest run on your HM training? Great job in getting 12 miles under 10 min/mile!
me – didn’t feel like running much and ended up getting 4 miles on TM this morning
Héctor, the plan goes up to 15 once, I think, but I'm about a mile below what the plan calls for at this point, so I will probably get up to 14 depending on how things go.
hector - 40 miles in one week on the TM!! Now that's what I call mental toughness training.
pcharrier - Way to get those cold miles in. I'd probably run in 20 below zero temps if it meant getting away from the in-laws for a couple hours.
az3mntrail - Lol on the more miles than degrees club! Welcome to the club. The second level is when the wind speeds exceed both.
nathan - Sorry about your wife - I've heard shingles are extremely painful. Hopefully she'll be ok to run the half.
PineGroveDave - Which half are you considering?
Leigh - Good luck on April 6th. Flat can definitely help with a new PR.
amn77 - Welcome! I'd say if your next half is flat, that 1:59:59 should be yours.
Edith - That's hilarious about you running down the other runner! When I picture it I see you in a cheetah suit. Good call on skipping the icy run - no sense getting hurt when you're doing so well on your mileage.
docjen - Did you decide to do the trail race? If so, good luck!!
bluerun - How's the foot? Have you been able to get in to see a doc yet?
Zelanie - Congrats on getting that 12 miler under your belt. It's nice you could get your LR out of the way before the weekend. I'm off during the summer, and I love not having to wait until Sat or Sun to get it done.
Luke - It stinks that your PF came back. I hope it doesn't hang around too long this time.
2ft - What's up with your Achilles? Hopefully it's just an irritation and nothing serious. Which May marathon are you looking at?
miele - Yoohoo...where are you hiding?
me - This morning at 5 a.m. it was 42 degrees outside!! It was an awesome 5 miler. I think I'm finally totally over the flu, since this week my runs haven't felt like slog fests. I did 8 on Sunday, and towards the end I was fading fast. Took Monday off, and my run yesterday and today were so much better. I'm up to 2 miles in my Altras, and loving them. It's hard to change back into my other shoes, but I don't want to screw up this transition by being impatient like I usually am. We're supposed to get a crap ton of snow this weekend, so I'm hoping for at least two more outdoor runs before it hits. Since our next race isn't until the end of April, I'm not getting too upset about the length or frequency of my runs right now. Looking back at my training journal made me realize that I've been doing heavy duty mileage since last March - almost a year without any real breaks. We started marathon training in March, and starting in August, have run a half each month, with a full and a half in Oct. No wonder I'm tired!
PR's: 5k - 23:33/ 10k - 48:30/ 5 mi. - 39:21/ 13.1 - 1:53/ 26.2 recent - 4:34
Upcoming races: Resolution Run HM 1/1/13
Phoenix R&R HM 1/20/13
Live Free & Run
Zelanie - Great time on your 12-miler!
az2mntrail - I can related. Whle its not as cold here in NH as it is in MN, we're still at single digitis on the plus side. But they're calling for 12-24 inches of snow starting tonight so I'm just focusing on lifting through the weekend.
Me - Got an 8.5 miler yesterday but battles some numbness in my right foot, middle toe. I think its a combination of new-too-small-shoes and the cold weather. But I will be looking mor einto this matter as I don't want to injure myself or hinder my running times.
PRs
1-Mile - 6:18 on 4-4-2015
5K - 21:48 on 10-31-2015
10K - 47:57 on 10-24-2015
HM - 1:52:36 on 3-25-2017
FULL - 4:41:12 on 1-11-2015
Upcoming Races
Tanger Outlet 5K
Disney World 19.3 Challenge
Race the Runways 10K
Yeah, I saw a doctor... the X rays didn't show anything, which I could have told her (and did). I've had nine fractures, and zero of them have shown up on X rays. So now I get to be all stressed out until Monday, when I am getting an MRI. It's either a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal or peroneal tendinitis. I'm betting on the second one, because if I have a fractured foot right now, I also have an insanely high level of pain tolerance because it does not feel broken.
But it does hurt. Enough that I haven't run since Monday, and won't until after the MRI, so I'm not happy. I AM going to do this half even if I have to crawl it, because if I miss it AGAIN, I swear I am going to end up either in jail or on a psych ward.
Jan26.2 – I was able to get 7 miles on the road on Saturday. I am sure that you 5 miler at 5 am would have been awesome. I hardly run on the street, but ran about 2-3 times last months when weather was cold and those were my fastest easy runs! Its great that you are over the flu. Goo job in listening to your body and resting the next day when you fad at the end of your 8 miler. It is amazing that you have been running this constantly over last year.
LeighDS – hopefully you figure the toe issue out soon. I had toes issue when I started running on trails. I like my shoes to be loose and I font wear them tight, but because of that my feet were moving forward on downhill on trails so I started wearing them tight on trails and things are fine since then
Me – ran 9 miles on TM today
Switched my week around a little bit to run a local 2 mile race again this weekend.
Didn't do any kind of taper or anything so no idea how I will do, but it should be fun to see how I do anyway.
The course record for the fat boy division on this one is 14:31 so I'm going to have to improve from last months 14:55 to beat it. I'm pretty sure I could if I did a taper and really focused on it, but I'm still trying to follow my marathon training plan so this is just for fun. Who knows, maybe I'll pull it off.
My streak is now up to 37 days and 252.2 miles for an average of 6.8 miles a day.
DocJen - good luck on your trail race this weekend, don't fall and hurt yourself whatever you do!
Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)
Current PR's: Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)
Edith - I knew I could count on you! I do think you're right - I'm concerned this job is going to meeting me to death, so playing in the woods with a bunch of other nuts for a few hours definitely sounds pretty darn fabulous. I like the image of you in a cheetah suit chasing high school girls, too!
Jan - 42 degrees! My weather is generally much, much better than yours, but that's warmer that it's been here even in a while! I think you need a break, too. I'm thinking to take some easy time after my April marathon. I'd like to run something in the fall, but I want some down time of running a decent amount of miles, but not caring about speed work and having the freedom to switch around to whatever sounds good on a given day.
nathan - Racing 2 miles sounds kinda painful. I've discovered I don't like to run fast all that much. I think you have 14:30 in you, though!
me - so some fool signed me up for a trail race tomorrow, and it rained yesterday, so it's going to be a muddy one. I'm definitely taking it easy and will walk whenever necessary (I found going downhill in the mud to be not much fun, although uphill doesn't bother me too much!) I'll also drop to the 10 mile if I'm having too much trouble. There are 177 runners signed up for the 50K, and I'm looking forward to watching some of them, too. Last year a woman broke 5 hours in the 50K, setting a new course record and winning by a big margin. Super impressive for a trail race with lots of elevation change.
If you ask
Amn77 - Hello! What half are you running in April? If you're starting at 7 miles, you seem to be off to a great start!
Leigh - Hello! It is so beneficial to start slowly. There's nothing worse than bonking at the end, and I think as the body warms up, your body naturally speeds up. Too tight shoes will certainly numb your feet. My running shoes are a half size bigger than my regular shoes. Have you gone to a decent running store to find the right shoes? also, wool socks are great for cold running.
Pinegrovedave - you're so close!!! What a have you been doing to shave off that minute??
nathan - oh your poor wife!! I hope she gets better quickly! Your mileage is awesome. The only thing I would change is to find a trail! Heehee. You are gonna KILL that 14:31! Good luck!
Az2 - I see we disagree about drjen and trail running. I think she is an experienced and smart enough runner to handle the terrain. Nice work on the two-a-day!!
Harrier - there is not too much that will keep me from a run, but if I can switch a day and avoid the ice, I will. I'm training for a marathon and don't want to risk an injury. Trust me, the snow will get me out running a trail faster than a warm summer day! Nice ten miler. Great pace!
Hector - 40 mile/week on tm? Ugh. But nice work!
Zelanie - oh the mental workouts are often so much harder than the physical, but also important. Great job seeing it through! Congratulations on that 12. Yay!
Bluerun - I hope your foot is okay. Please be careful not to injure it more. It will only make recovery even LONGER.
Luke - be careful with that foot! There will always be another half to run so don't push it.
Jan - the next time I find some "prey" I will visualize myself as a cheetah and go! Haha. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. You certainly have been running a lot so I think you can rest assured that you will be ready in April.
Docjen - Ooooooooh, have fun tomorrow! I can't wait to hear about it. Just treat it as a fun time in the woods and it will be great. Leave the watch at home and go! My trail half times range from 2:17 to 2:47, depending on the technicality of the course. And I find that trail runners in my pace ( mid pack) are very encouraging to Each other. Go You!
me - last week, after my speed run on Tuesday, I struggled on the hills on the trails on Wednesday. So this week I rested on Tuesday and had a great 6 mike trail run on Wednesday. Then a nice 6 miler yesterday. I decided to rest again today because we are having an informal 5 mile trail race tomorrow. I want to tackle the hills with fresh legs. Probably in the mud and snow. So I will do my long run on Sunday.
To those racing this weekend, God speed. To those running, have fun!
Zelanie - Way to go on getting that 12-miler under your belt! Running that one at 9:53 tends to make me think that even if you don't go all the way up to 15 like the plan calls for, you'll still be good to go on race day.
Luke - That really sucks about your injury (and I assume you mean Plantar fasciitis). Since you're this close to race day, I don't know that you have to give up all hope for breaking 2:00. I'm guessing that you'd only be missing a handful of hard workouts before your taper. Others would probably know better than I would, but it seems like if you think you're back to 100% the week before the race you might be able to give it a go.
Jan - Actually, my in-laws and I get along fine. They live out in the country so it's still nice to get out and enjoy the outdoors and the occasional encounter with wildlife.
npaden - Congrats on keeping up the streak and good luck with the race! Two miles . . . reminds me of HS track and field.
Jen - Good luck with the trail race and watch out for that mud! The last race I did was out on the trails and I can't think of a better way to get in your 20 miler training run.
Edith - And after the mustache-icicles run last Saturday some measly wind and rain kept me in bed this morning. It was only supposed to be 6 easy miles today so I'm not that torn up about missing it.. Have fun with your muddy, snowy trail race tomorrow!
I had a good strength/speed session on Tuesday doing 4 x 1.5 miles @ 12:30 with 1/2 recovery. I did the first one way too fast but was able to keep all the other at or below the right pace. Wednesday was just 5 miles easy, but I threw in some strides on the way back. Yesterday was my half marathon pace tempo run (1 mile warmup, 6 miles @ 8:30/mil, 2 miles cooldown) and I was able to do the whole thing at or below goal HMP. I still feel like I have a little trouble reining myself in and hitting that 8:30; I'm hoping there will be a pace group when I race that might counteract that. Tomorrow will be cumulative fatigue time when I go for a 12 mile long run.