Forums > General Running > Improving Half Marathon time
I don't think we've talked since I started doing heart rate training a couple months ago. It seems to be working well and last week at the Little Rock Half Marathon I chopped about 2-1/2 minutes off my Thunder Road time and finished with a new PR at 1:33:09 (7:07 pace).
What I've been doing is running a lot of slow runs at about 70% of my maximum heart rate then running a race each week plus one or two other runs at 85-95% of my max heart rate. Nothing overly complicated. You know when we've run together in the past how fast I would go, but now I've really put the brakes on for those easy runs and it's been paying off with faster race times. My pace for the easy runs lately has been in the 10- to 11-minute range, which I wouldn't have even considered a few months ago, but it allows me to really take it easy on the easy days, and that prepares me for the hard days.
Richard Hefner My Blog (Old-Runner.com) Past Race Results (Athlinks)
I do think I'd enjoy a 10K more with what running I can put in, but here are only 3-4 10k's locally that I know of. Don't want to drive for a short 10K race. The only 10 K I ran in my life was a bit miserable as it was a hot day, and it felt like a 5K only twice as long. I was asking about workouts because I think I am doing other things that need to be done for a Half marathon except maybe a midweek longer run. Also, I just made a commitment a while ago to get under 1:40 for the HM before I'd run a marathon (as arbitrary as any other goal, nothing special about that 1:40 time except maybe it's my BQ pace in 3 months ), so all this second guessing about going backwards.
I do think I'd enjoy a 10K more with what running I can put in, but here are only 3-4 10k's locally that I know of. Don't want to drive for a short 10K race. The only 10 K I ran in my life was a bit miserable as it was a hot day, and it felt like a 5K only twice as long.
I was asking about workouts because I think I am doing other things that need to be done for a Half marathon except maybe a midweek longer run.
Also, I just made a commitment a while ago to get under 1:40 for the HM before I'd run a marathon (as arbitrary as any other goal, nothing special about that 1:40 time except maybe it's my BQ pace in 3 months ), so all this second guessing about going backwards.
By the way, I did not mean to discourage you. I was just presenting another option because you seemed a little burned/bummed.
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