Forums >Racing>Sub-90 Minutes for the Half Marathon (2011)
If you are well enough trained, 18:25 in a 5K makes 1:30 a piece of cake. I still haven't even gotten close to sub 19.
Many, many good points made here. Your recent 5K time is a great indicator of a possible sub-90. But, unless something is missing from your log, you've never run more than 10 miles in a day, never mind all at once. You should.
There is plenty of time before your race to get in a couple of 12-15 mile runs without doing any damage. This will do a few things for you, the most important of which in my view is the mental breaching of the 13.1 mile threshold. This run(s) will tell you a lot, including how it feels; how your pace degrades, if at all; and whether "issues" arise that never have before, like blisters, chafing, or GI problems. These will all be nice to know about before race day.
You might also accomplish another goal on a long run of slowing your pace to a true easy pace. I sort of blindly accepted the "run lots" advice a while back to see how it would work for me. It has worked very well, both in terms of PRs and in terms of running within my limits. I run a lot of miles pretty slowly. But when I race I'm frequently running faster than I've ever run for the distance. And with less difficulty. It works well. For me.
The only other point that is important for me is that any given race integrates with my running as a whole. No single race is an end in itself. I am not setting out to check "Half Marathon", "Marathon", "Sub-20" or "Mount Washington" off a bucket list. I don't see any one race as THE race that I would put everything into including the chance that I might injure myself so badly I'd never run again. I want a race to be one point on a continuum of improvement. So a goal not met is not a failure per se, it is an opportunity to learn, adjust and improve. Running lots and running slowly helps develop my leg strength and resistance to injury. It works for me.
I recently ran with a guy who for the past two years has had his heart set on going sub-3:00 in his first marathon. Twice he withdrew from training, injured from running too fast. He definitely has the talent. He did many things right this time. And he got to the starting line fairly healthy. And dropped out before mile 22. All his eggs in one basket. All or nothing. Fast or nothing. I did not beat my PR, which was one of my goals, but I came within two minutes and had my second fastest marathon ever. I did finish. I ran the next day uninjured. And I (perhaps foolishly) was able to race a 10 miler four days later. I'm sure I've overdrawn my two cents, but I hope you get the idea.
Tief, good job on the 5K. That's moving pretty fast.
Though my longest runs still aren't that long, (11.5 so far, and working on it, still plan to get a few 12-15s in), I do feel like I get a lot out of them, and I think you might too - especially as jpd suggests, getting the feel for different things that come up at longer distances.
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
Was that 5K actually a 5K or more like 2.9 miles? Did you wear a Garmin?
Agree. For what its worth, I ran a 37:59 10k, a week later did a 1:24:20 HM, then about 3 weeks after that ran a 18:17 5k. All while training about 30 miles/week. If you've done any distance work above 10 miles, <1:30 should be a walk in the park.
Tiefsa
Here's my race report
You have to scroll down a bit on the article after the 5k tips.
Yeah - I know I need to do some longer runs. I plan on doing a couple then next two weeks. I am not going to run for more time than 1:20 or for more than 12 miles because I want the race to be the day where I run the longest and farthest I ever have.
I probably will run an 11 mile run twice before race day. I do have one problem though. My right knee isn't agreeing with some of the work I am doing. That is part of the reason for the lower mileage.
Just because I ran a 18:25 5k doesn't mean much to me as far as the half marathon. I could always run faster in shorter races. An example would be in college I could run under 1:55 in the 800 meters, but for CC my 8k time was never better than 26:40.
Distinctively Juvenile
Teif- I didn't bother to go look up the actual percentages, but, they're something like this below. Which explains that your 800m is fast because you have alot of fast twitch muscle fiber and you had a developed Anaerobic endurance when you were in college. The comparison between a 800m to a 8k is an apple to an orange. The 5k to a 21.1K is like comparing a Honeydew Apple to a Granny Smith Apple.
800 Meters - 50% Aerobic 50% Anaerobic
5k - 95% Aerobic
8k - 98% Aerobic
21.1k - 100% Aerobic.
Teif- I didn't bother to go look up the actual percentages, but, they're something like this below. Which explains that your 800m is fast because you have alot of fast twitch muscle fiber and you had a developed Anaerobic endurance when you were in college. The comparison between a 800m to a 8k is an apple to an orange. The 5k to a 21.1K is like comparing a Honeydew Apple to a Granny Smith Apple. 800 Meters - 50% Aerobic 50% Anaerobic 5k - 95% Aerobic 8k - 98% Aerobic 21.1k - 100% Aerobic.
Thanks for the comparison. That gives me some confidence going forward.
Oh - and the course was legit. I ran it a few times with my Garmin and it was anywhere from 3.14 to 3.09
Just finally did a good long run. 11.2 miles in 1:20:48 according to my Garmin. I think I'm ready.
Well, I’ll be. It’s August.The only summer attempt will be Tief, in a week and a half. Good luck, man. 2011 will be the year I learned that helter-skelter doesn’t work, that training and the body operate according to certain principles. When you break them, you break the body and spoil the training. Anyways, I don’t think it’s realistic for me to run a 1:29 this Fall, but I remain your humble correspondent and list-keeper. Pluswise(*), you never know. My friend Steve used to play guitar. His mom always said “Who knows...” He is now a CPA and doing quite well for himself. Of course, the most exciting story of the thread is JimHowe's comeback. He's quietly run a 1:34:00 and a 1:34:56 this year. He's run well below 1:30 recent years, so it should be interesting to see how he does in November. ___________________*R2E
"If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus
Thanks. Definitely getting there.
I'll say.
Heh. Thanks Nads. Just hoping I can put all the pieces together for a good race come Oct. It's been a fun/educational running year so far, just want to keep building.
SMART Approach
Doing FOX CITIES HALF MARATHON in Appleton, WI on Sept. 18. Will try hard to get to 1:30 but don't think I have enough fitness at this point. I won't leave anything out on course though.
Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery
Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training
Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique
www.smartapproachtraining.com
Check.
Anyways, I don’t think it’s realistic for me to run a 1:29 this Fall, but I remain your humble correspondent and list-keeper.
Go Nads!
E.J.Greater Lowell Road RunnersCry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.
My Half Marathon is Saturday. Any advice going forward? This will be my first one and also will be the longest I have ever ran.
Here is my race plan. It's a pretty flat course, so I don't have to plan for any strategy due to changes in elevation. I want to start out the first mile at about seven minute pace. After the first mile, I want to lock onto 6:50 pace. At mile 7, I want to try and pick it up a bit for miles 7, 8, and 9. The last three, I hope I am under my goal pace, and I will try to stay relaxed and fast and hang in there. Sound good?