Sub 2:00 Half Marathon thread (Read 2396 times)

EdithRevisited


If you ask

    Kenyan - it seems that anywhere one runs in Utah would be great.  Of course, this is from someone from the tri-state area so in my dreams, the entire western US is nirvana for runners.

     

    Miele - feel free to use "happy hill".  I love hills with names.  In many of the trail races I do, the race director has one hill called "Mt. WHATDAFUG".  HAha.  It's a hard hill.  When running hills, I often think about either a) how great is is to pass people during races on hills bc I trained and they didn't, or b) how much my butt appreciates the hills.  Sorry you had a lousy run, but the pizza sounds delightful.  Good job in finishing despite the suffering.

     

    Gosling - sorry I can't help with the shoes. My running shoes are 1/2 size bigger than my reg shoes, and I love the feel of the soft, cushy new running shoe.

     

    Bluerun - yeah, I'm clueless on injuries so it took a while to diagnose my fracture.  My brother loves his calf compression sleeves.  I'm sure they are having some positive effect on your shins.

     

    Me -  I certainly had one of the greatest days of racing in my life!!!  It was not the distance or the time but little things throughout the day.  I ran a 15k trail race on a sunny, 50 degree Saturday. I was, once again, the FIRST name chosen to carry a raw egg during the race, thus guaranteeing me at least $70 worth of Godiva chocolates.   I put the egg in my spi-belt and planned to run a comfortably hard pace, as one never knows exactly how hard the hills will be.  I think I maintained a steady pace (I don't pay attention to the watch pace on the trails), and only walked up the extremely challenging hills.  At around mile 7 my left hamstring started to "sing" a little on the inclines but I ignored it and pushed through.  Finished the race with a strong sprint to the finish. We stayed for the awards so I could turn in my egg.  Out of the 8 people carrying eggs, I finished 4th so I won $140 worth of Godivas...THEN my name was chosen to receive a door prize, thus getting another $70 worth of chocolate...THEN, i was called to collect my piggy bank award because I had placed 5th in my AG.  Was I surprised!!  My brother placed 4th in his AG, so with the chocolate, piggy banks, finisher's mug, race shirt, and post race pretzels we returned to the car and headed home.   In summary, I finished in 1:40, 5th in AG, and 170 out of 600 runners.  And a cheese hoagie for dinner.  Smile

    • Charlie Horse Half Marathon - May 25
    • PA Grand Canyon Marathon - July 27
    • Labor Pain 12 Hour Endurance - August 31 (50k...or more!)

     

    npaden


      Edith, sounds like a great race.  I'm a chocoholic so the prizes sound really good to me!  I need to find some trail races and start running in them!

       

      I had another milestone this morning when I stepped on the scale, I broke 200lbs!  Scale showed 199.0!  I might still be slightly dehydrated from yesterdays run, but I think I should be good to go on sub 200 for a while.  I've been posting some 200.4's and 200.6's the last week or so it's not like I was down 5lbs overnight.  I'm down over 40lbs in the last two years.

       

      I now weigh less than I did when I was a sophomore in college 24 years ago!

      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)

      pcaharrier


        gosling - Where do you usually shop for shoes? I had never bought a pair at a specialty running store until a month or so ago and now I'm really glad I did.  They put me in shoes that I think are exactly right for me.

         

        Edith - Great race report and congrats on all the swag! Just don't eat all that chocolate in one sitting. Big grin

         

        Zelanie - "just 12, but still..." Stuff like that is why some people think we runners are crazy.  Sounds like you strung together some good quality runs.  Given your recent race, it sounds like you're gearing up for a really good HM later this month.

         

        stever - Glad to hear that your scare turned out not to be serious.  Hopefully the stress test confirms that you have nothing to worry about.  Good luck with your training in the mean time.

         

        miele - The app definitely helped with the 12 intervals, but since I only had 6x800 this morning, I left it behind.  Sorry to hear that you didn't get in all your HMP miles, but at least you finished out the run (and that's nothing to sneeze at).

         

        Jan - Glad to hear that you got good news from the sports chiro.  It sounds like your runs are going better now too.  Hopefully you can get the whole thing resolved and get back to your normal workout schedule.

         

        npaden - Nice pics and way to go on both the peak mileage week and the weight loss!

         

        Last week began my experiment with running six days per week, but I have to put that on hold since I have a wedding to go to this Saturday (and the driving distance makes it an all-day affair).  I'm going to try to keep my mileage up by extending my easy runs and my long run.  Still experimenting with the RunKeeper app with a little more success (but the GPS still had me starting in the park across the street on one of my runs).  I ran 10 on Saturday and actually came in a little bit quicker than last week's run, but I felt like the pace was more even over the whole run instead of just picking up near the end.  This morning I did 6x800 @ 10k pace (3:46 per interval) and that went pretty well: I kept all the intervals at or under the target (even with all the wet spots to dodge on the track).  I know the 10k and shorter distances can be more "painful" distances to race, but I feel like I'm adding speed and will be well-prepared by the time my race rolls around near the end of May.

        npaden


          pcaharrier - I've been using runkeeper for 2 years now.  It seems pretty accurate on the GPS, but it will get lost occasionally in heavily wooded areas and if you have a lot of turnarounds or curves it can sometimes take the shortcut across a house or cross country.  The key to getting it started out at the right spot is making sure that the signal shows green with all 3 bars before you get started.  Sometimes I'm in a hurry and just walk out the door and hit start and it will start me out somewhere nearby instead of where I'm at as it locks in on me.  It usually can get a lock within 5 or 10 seconds so not really a big deal usually.  The only place I've had that it really struggled was downtown San Antonio along the river walk.  The tall buildings really threw it for a loop and it had a hard time getting locked in, I would have to walk around to an opening and then still it would take a couple minutes to get it locked in.

          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)

          pcaharrier


            pcaharrier - I've been using runkeeper for 2 years now.  It seems pretty accurate on the GPS, but it will get lost occasionally in heavily wooded areas and if you have a lot of turnarounds or curves it can sometimes take the shortcut across a house or cross country.  The key to getting it started out at the right spot is making sure that the signal shows green with all 3 bars before you get started.  Sometimes I'm in a hurry and just walk out the door and hit start and it will start me out somewhere nearby instead of where I'm at as it locks in on me.  It usually can get a lock within 5 or 10 seconds so not really a big deal usually.  The only place I've had that it really struggled was downtown San Antonio along the river walk.  The tall buildings really threw it for a loop and it had a hard time getting locked in, I would have to walk around to an opening and then still it would take a couple minutes to get it locked in.

             

            Thanks for the tips!  I had been pretty much just walking out the door and hitting the road (and most of my routes are out-and-back, so that probably didn't help), but I'll try to give the app more of a chance to locate me before I start tomorrow's run.

            Jan26.2


              Wow! I missed a lot in a couple days.

               

              docjen - I hope your 20 miler went well yesterday, and the weather cooperated until you were finished. Your vacation sounds really nice. I have every confidence in you that you're going to BQ. You're such a strong runner, and you really can kick it in during a race. What you described (trochanteric bursitis) sounds exactly like my symptoms, although now there isn't any one spot that hurts to press on. Maybe it's resolving finally? I just might keep my appt. with the sports doc just to be sure.

               

              Kenyan - Hope you're having a good time in Moab, and are finding some nice places to run.

               

              Edith -  Talk about the best race day every!!! Congrats to you for all of it - the prizes, and the great finish time. You've got some serious chocolate eating to do. I don't know how you managed to carry the egg all that way without breaking it. I'd have dropped it putting it into my belt.

               

              gosling - I hope the blister is gone by now. How did your run go on Sunday? Are the new shoes still feeling good?

               

              TwoFoot - Good to hear from you! I'm glad your issues are improving and you're back to putting in some miles. Your vacation sounds really nice. Nothing wrong with revising your goals, and your revisions sound good.

               

              bluerun - Yay for quiet shins! I hope their silence indicates that they're healed. I've read a lot about Alter G treadmills, and think it would be fun to try one out, but we don't have them around here (yet). How strange was it running at reduced gravity?

               

              Zelanie - How much longer until your half? How's the last of the training coming along?

               

              Nathan - Congrats on breaking the 200 mark! Congrats on your continued streak too. Good luck in the half this Saturday.

               

              miele - I hope your legs are feeling normal again. I concur with the others - you've been hitting it pretty hard lately, and now that you've got that bad run out of the way, on to better things! I've never tried truffle oil - when I think of truffles I picture those little chocolate things. Now if they have oil in them, I'm there!

               

              pcaharrier - You've had some great runs. I hope the six day a week running agrees with you. I was doing that prior to the RnR Phoenix, and other than tired legs most of the time, did ok with it.

               

              Me - I'm back to every-other-day runs, and for the most part they're feeling pretty good. Did 5 on Sunday, then 5 this morning. This has been the least painful in a couple weeks, so I'm definitely encouraged. I go back to the chiro on Thurs. for another hip adjustment. My 10 mile "race" the end of the month is looking less and less like it's going to be a race, and more like a nice 10 mile jaunt. Oh well, it was a just for fun thing anyway, and I'll be happy to just be able to cover the distance.

              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

              hectortrojan


                Miele – do you use Kinvaras for everyday training? It’s a good thing that in spite of feeling like stopping multiple times and running slow, you finished your 14 miler! Good call in listening o your body and taking a rest day the next day.

                 

                 

                Jan26.2 – I’m glad that your 4 miler was better than yesterday’s run and you are feeling better. You are up to 5 miles on your alternate days now. Good to see you improving.

                 

                Doctorjen – it is interesting that you saw maroon 5 concert as well! If I was into men, I might have crush on Adam Levine too! It is amazing the amount of miles you put on week by week basis and 40 miles on a random week is not enough for you. I hope you had fun on 20 miler on Monday

                 

                EdithRevisited – good job in getting 9.5 miles on Wednesday. you earned a lot of chocolate by racing! Congratulation in getting 5 in your AG and 170 out of 600! That is impressive.

                 

                Gosling – sorry to hear about your blister. I hope you feel better soon

                 

                Two-Foot-Shuffle – it is a good thing that you are flexible and shuffle your goals. I hope you achieve them.

                 

                Bluerun – good job in getting a 7 miler

                 

                Npaden – your guess was very accurate! Posted about my race below. 18 miles at 9.31 is impressive! Congratulations in crossing 70 miles for the week! a steak of 88 days is very impressive. Good luck with your HM next Saturday. The way you are training, I am sure that you will get PR. Congratulation in achieving your target weight! You has so many achievement this week – that is awesome

                 

                Pcaharrier –good job in getting 10 milers and doing an interval training

                 

                Me – we had an amazing times at the race. Saw ultra runner champions Jorge Maravilla and Dean Karnazes at the race. Dean Karnazes lives half an hour away from the race and of course he ran to come to the race

                 

                My race went well. My plan was to run at 8.30 for the first 7 miles as first half of the race was easier – first 7 mile had only one hill with 100 feet climb on 3rd mile, first 6 miles were on the road, and 1st mile on trail was flat. I was able to run first 7 miles around 8:30 pace.

                 

                I studied the course and saw the split on garmin for people who finished in sub 2 hours previous years. So I knew that mile 8 and mile 12 would be the toughest climb. I was feeling pretty good after first 7 miles and knew what effort should I maintain so that I don’t burn out before the finish line. Last 7 miles were on single track trail and fortunately it was not congested. There were little a little over 450 half marathoners in the race. First few minutes in mile 8, I was not thinking about passing anyone, but I felt I was running a bit slower than I would like at that point. So I started passing few runners. The trail was very narrow and there was not enough room to pass, but runners were kind enough to open a passing lane when I asked. I felt very good throughout and it got very excited passing runners. Only one runner passed me in around mile 10 in the last half of the race. After a couple of minutes in the mile 13th, I was still feeling good and I told myself, why the heck I am keeping the same effort and not taking off. So I took off, passed a couple more runners and it felt great! My official finishing time is 01:51:40

                 

                My wife, her dad and a friend of mine ran 10k. They were running together for first 5 miles until my friend decided that he was feeling good and he took off. My father in law ran with my wife all the way! He could have run faster than my wife, but he participated because he wanted to do it with us. Also it was his first 10k. I wish I could be as fit as he is in my 60s.

                 

                My brother, one friend of ours and my friend’s wife came to cheer us. We all went for breakfast after the race and we had great times.

                Here is my splits (I need to change HRM battery as you can see from my HR data):

                 

                <colgroup span="12"></colgroup> <tfoot> </tfoot>

                Split

                Time

                Moving Time

                Distance

                Elevation Gain

                Elevation Loss

                Avg Pace

                Avg Moving Pace

                Best Pace

                Avg HR

                Max HR

                Calories

                Summary 1:51:46.6 1:51:30.0 13.00 1,212 1,295 8:36 8:35 5:01 163 220 1,276
                1 8:29.1 8:29 1.00 0 100 8:29 8:29 7:06 167 220 13
                2 8:28.0 8:27 1.00 28 17 8:28 8:27 6:31 175 210 115
                3 8:29.3 8:29 1.00 40 0 8:29 8:29 7:31 174 196 118
                4 8:29.2 8:29 1.00 123 68 8:29 8:29 6:58 176 201 118
                5 8:29.1 8:29 1.00 54 102 8:29 8:29 7:16 186 211 118
                6 8:27.3 8:29 1.00 36 50 8:27 8:29 7:29 179 212 116
                7 8:26.1 8:26 1.00 78 111 8:26 8:26 6:53 152 170 93
                8 8:55.5 8:55 1.00 255 98 8:56 8:55 6:34 160 172 116
                9 8:14.0 8:12 1.00 90 191 8:14 8:12 6:46 141 165 105
                10 8:42.1 8:42 1.00 110 83 8:42 8:42 6:57 142 165 95
                11 9:06.3 9:06 1.00 123 107 9:06 9:06 6:54 153 172 105
                12 9:49.3 9:36 1.00 238 230 9:50 9:36 6:41 156 173 108
                13 7:36.4 7:36 1.00 38 138 7:36 7:36 5:01 161 188 55
                14 :04.9 :05 0.00 0 0 16:48 17:00 6:05 171
                npaden


                  Congrats Hector!  Great to see all the hard work pay off!  Looks like you gave it everything you had.

                  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)

                  JVazz29


                    EdithRevisited:  "I certainly had one of the greatest days of racing in my life!!!"

                     

                    Ahh, the MT PENN MUDFEST!!  I ran it also, and judging by your time we probaby were grouped together at some point, you finished 2 minutes ahead of me.  We may have crossed the finish closer together had I not completely overturned and tweaked my ankle...not on any one of the zillion rocks or roots, but by stepping in a pothole.  Yes.  A pothole.  Ha.  I actually ran better afterwards, but the initial shock of it took some shaking off.   The shirt and finisher mug were pretty awesome!  Not too mention the tickets for the concession and post-race spread were pretty sweet too.  I totally stuffed my mug with caramels and twizzlers since I wasn't as lucky as you!  Nice haul!!  and congrats on the AG placement!

                     

                    It was definitely a fun run.

                     

                    And looking at your future runs, you may again smoke me at the Quadzilla.  Not sure if you did last year's; it was brutal, but because the directors seem to pride themselves on the idea that few runners return from the following year, I had to do it again and not feel like a wuss.

                    EdithRevisited


                    If you ask

                      Jvazz - a guy turned his ankle right in front of me around mile 7 or 8.  Maybe that was you?  I passed another guy limping almost right after that so one of them had to be you!  I, too, filled my mug with caramels.  They are always a treat!  I did run Quadzilla last year.  It was the hardest, yet most beautiful, trail run I've ever done.  So I am returning this year to suffer.  I'm not real strong on hills so its a major challenge.  Congrats on doing so well at Mudfest!

                       

                      Hector - Way to FREAKING GO!!!!   Awesome race!  (I notice you ran a positive split but its all good).  Your time is incredible!   Nice to see how great you did after all off that hard work.  How's the foot feeling?   Congrats to your wife, father-in-law, and friend.  It seems you had a really great day!

                       

                      jan - I had the egg next to a GU for cushion.  It worked well.  I'm happy that your running is improving, and your hip is feeling better.   Sometimes the races we run without trying turn into some of the best.   I'm sure you will easilly cover the 10 miles by race day.

                       

                      Harrier - good luck with running six days per week.  I run five and sometimes it's a challenge to do that!

                       

                      Paden - CONGRATULATIONS!  I am happy to tell you that you are the biggest loser!   What a great accomplishment.  Yes, find some trails. I love how the mentality of trail running is so different from road running; I love them both.

                       

                      Me -  ran 6 miles on Monday, starting at a comfortable 9:45 pace.   Was running for comfort so was nice to see me naturally go to an 8:30 pace.  Pushed the last mile to a sub 8 pace.   Rest day today because weds are always challenging runs.   Right now I'm off to eat some of the chocolate hidden in my closet. Wink

                      • Charlie Horse Half Marathon - May 25
                      • PA Grand Canyon Marathon - July 27
                      • Labor Pain 12 Hour Endurance - August 31 (50k...or more!)

                       

                      gosling


                        miele - We are twinsies. I'm an 8.5 street shoe also and was wearing 9.5 Kinvaras. Apparently that wasn't big enough for LRs as my new ones are a 10.

                         

                        bluerun - They didn't have the Virratas! I was bummed, but it's probably a good thing as I shouldn't be changing up my shoes this close to the race anyway. I may go over to the other running store nearby and try them there just for fun. Glad the compression sleeves seem to be doing the trick!

                         

                        Edith - I'm jealous of all your chocolate! Sounds like an awesome race, too - congrats on the AG placement! One of my goals is to place in my AG at some point, even in a really small race, ha! I ran a couple early on in a small town outside NYC and with my current times, I would have placed, so I figure if I find a small enough race it'll happen!

                         

                        npaden - Huge congrats on the weight loss. It must feel great to reach such a big milestone!

                         

                        pcaharrier - I usually shop at a specialty local running store the first time I buy a new brand to try on, etc. I've been really lucky to always live really close to places well-staffed with knowledgable help. I had trouble with the RunKeeper app too. Usually the GPS would be right on, but occasionally I'd zoom in on the map data and realize my run "line" was spiking out in a few places, messing up my mileage and splits. It drove me nuts and I guess I complained about it enough because my husband bought me a Garmin.

                         

                        Jan - So glad you've had some better runs! That must feel very encouraging. I bet you'll do better than you think with the 10 miler.

                         

                        hector - Sounds like you had a great race, and with an awesome finish time to boot! Congratulations. How does your foot feel this week?

                         

                        Me - Blister is close to healed, finally. I went out Sunday planning 6 slow miles, but I felt great so made it a progressive run instead starting at 9:45 and ending the 5th mile with 8:22. What happened to mile #6? Well, it started POURING on me...and that's how I got my blister to begin with so no way was I going run further than I had to with soggy feet. I took a shortcut home and got out of my wet socks ASAP. Anyway, it felt SO great to finally have a good run where I felt strong. With all my slower miles and splitting mileage last week I was just feeling pretty weak and sluggish. My last 12 miler is this week, and I'm glad. Starting to feel a little burned out as we've had a lot going on in addition to holding my peak mileage for 6 weeks...definitely looking forward to taper at this point.

                        gosling


                          Oh, and I did end up returning the Kinvara 2s and getting another pair of 3s, just a half size bigger than I was wearing. The guys at the store said a lot of people found the forefoot wider on the 2s, but I actually felt the opposite and the 2s felt a lot softer than I was used to. I think mostly I got nervous to change it up from something I know works, since I'll wear this new pair for my race.

                          bluerun


                          Super B****

                            Edith -- sounds like a great day!  Anything that involves chocolate, especially free chocolate, must be wonderful, right?

                             

                            Jan -- I've actually been running on an AlterG for about a year now, so I'm already used to it.  But the first time, it felt really weird, because you can feel your feet hitting the treadmill belt but there's no real impact, if that makes any sense.  I really, really love the AlterG, though.  There's no way I would be able to run even half the mileage I do now without it... not if I want to stay in one piece, anyway.  Glad to hear that you're feeling somewhat better.

                             

                            hector -- great job!!  Congratulations.  (Is that what happens when you need to charge the HRM battery?  My HR stats always look like that...)

                             

                            gosling -- I always say it's a good thing when something gets in the way of my buying shoes I don't even need... yet I somehow wind up buying them later on anyway.  I have no idea how this happens.  Glad your blister has healed!

                             

                            me -- I'm pondering a trail 10K this weekend... only because I realized that I've run at least one race a month since August, and I don't have anything on my calendar until the half in May.  It would just be for fun, though; I haven't run on trails in a while.

                            chasing the impossible

                             

                            because i never shut up ... i blog

                            hectortrojan


                              Wow! It is overwhelming the way I feel about reading your responses. I am glad that I am part of this forum.

                               

                              EdithRevisited – my foot is feeling fine. I did not bother me at all during the race. Great 6 miler! It is awesome that you started with 9:45 and ended last mile with sub 7. I find it amazing that how much some women love chocolate. On days when my wife has good work out or she has a hard day or she is happy, she would have dark chocolate and wine. Basically she keeps finding reason to eat dark chocolate and wine. I like milk chocolate and still am not able to enjoy eating dark chocolate!

                               

                              Gosling – thanks for asking about my foot. It feels fine and it did not bother me at all during the race. Glad to know that your blister is almost healed. It is interesting how different people have different views about the same things. You had to hurry up because it rained and because it gives you blister. I love running when it is raining. I run outside only on Saturdays and hope for rain on Saturdays some time. let me know your experience with Kinvara. I wanna give Kinvara a try some day

                               

                              Bluerun – I don’t think HRM spikes up initially when battery is weak. I think when we start running we often do not apply enough liquid on HRM’s electrodes so conductivity is not good and that is why we get inaccurate results initially. But later in the workout when we start sweating, conductivity gets better and that is why it starts working the way it is supposed to. The reason I mentioned that it is time to change battery of my HRM is because it showed average HR of 140 in around mile 10. There is no way I was running around 140 bpm at that time. It is either battery is weak or HRM was not functioning properly. Good luck with your 10k trail.


                              CT JEFF

                                Hector, great run and story.

                                 

                                This Saturday I took another step closer to my sub 2:00 half.

                                I ran a 1/4 Marathon race 6.55miles. My Gun time was 60:43, which I know, isnt sub 2:00 even if i was able to maintain for another 6.55miles. But, it was my farthest "race".

                                 

                                Next race is a 10K end of April, then a FM end of May. Yep, 1/4 to Full. Then, the next week, I am doing my first 1/2. I really dont know how I will do on my first 1/2 (race). The short time between races has me worried about my time, but Im still gonna do both. I am setting my goals really low for the FM. 5:00. Its being billed as "the Toughest Marathon in the East" because they have about 2.5 miles of 5% grade in the final 4 miles of the marathon. Met a guy at this weekend's race who said its a horrible ending. He recommended speed-walking Prospect Hill.

                                 

                                Anyway- its fun to read up on all of your races and training. Im planning on putting in 40 miles per week in April. Schedules are getting tight, but if I can keep shaving a little time off each mile, it makes it easier to fit the miles in. Ive also been working on losing weight, so that has helped with the pace times. Id really like to do my 2nd 1/2 in October, but not sure about my schedule that far out just yet.

                                RUN SAFE.     Barefoot 1st: 6/9/13. PR: 5k=22:50 10k=47:46 HM 1:51. FM 4:28 Oct 2015 joined RUN 169!