1st half - 1 hr 50 sound reasonable? (Read 374 times)

Have been following a schedule provided by the half marathon organiser. Never ran more than 5 miles before, started in Feb, half is in 4 weeks. Have ran three 10k races in 53, then 48.40 then 48.24 (trail 10k up and down a big hill).

Planning a 10 mile run tomorrow in 90 mins to extend my long run from 8 mile. Planning 10 mile run next week and covering around 20 mile a week.

1 hour 50 looks achievable but worried what I don't know....half course is flat and there are pacers to assist.

all thoughts/comments welcome

Yes, reasonable. Just be careful about starting out too fast. If you don't get there this time, you will soon enough.

I'm no expert, but speaking from experience I'd go out more moderately.  Yes, in theory with a 48:24 10k you should be able to run a 1:50 in peak form.  However, if your long run is maxing out at 10 mi and you're only running 20mpw, I don't think you'll be able to pull off your maximum performance yet.  It took me 6 halfs and 35-40mpw to get my time down to what race predictors said I should be able to run based on my 10k time; my first performance was almost 20 minutes slower than predicted with similar training to what you've been doing.  Just my .02.

Agree with this. It might be doable if you didn't race those 10Ks all-out, but better to start off conservatively and finish strong on that kind of training IMHO. My 10K PR from last fall is 49:41 and I'm targeting sub-1:50 at my first half next week, but I've averaged just under 40 mpw for the last 12 weeks with a peak week at ~50 miles, a bunch of long runs over 13.1, and a lot of work at race pace.

Glad I posted now....I think my 10k on a flat would be about 47min now, however I don't have the mileage in my legs you guys have. I will look at a 9mpm pace on my next three long runs and evaluate/come back...

1:50 might be fine then While I wouldn't go adding any crazy workouts to your schedule at this point, it would probably be fine to try a short tempo run around 8:23 pace, which is what you'd need to average for a 1:50 half, or drop in a mile or two at that pace toward the end of an otherwise easy long run just to see if it seems like it could be sustainable or not.

You don't have enough running base for the time predictors to extrapolate from your 10K to 21K (half). You'll fade way more at 10mi than they predict. I believe halfway in that distance for you will be around mile 8 - 9, this is where you'll shift from one set of legs to another.

That's not meant to be negative. The staple of half marathon training is the 8-11mi stead-state-medium-effort run, and you don't have a lot of those in your legs at this time.

Remember for a half marathon that you're running 2x10K. You know that feeling of "...just a few more steps, hold on, hold on..." you have at the end of your 10Ks? You need to make that happen after 21KM in the half, so adjust your effort (pace) accordingly.

I'd suggest you segment the half into 5mi + 5mi + 5km. At the end of the first 5mi, you should be able to feel confident you can run another 5mi at the same effort, if not dial it back. Then the final 5km is either survive or thrive.

10.1 in 1hr 35. Fairly steady on a hilly windy course with a convenience break..

Could have gone on with same pace and therfore I am now reasonably confident I can break 2 hours (allowing for a flatter/faster course, two more weeks of training and race motivation).

Definitley felt different after 7 miles and the slower pace really helped to get in a groove.

Thats 22 miles this week, 24 next with 11 miles on Sunday, hopefully get a sports massage in the week too

Sounds like great advice. Firmly grounded now folks and will let the next three long runs advise me on where I might be at. Looking at some of your data has made me feel very inadequate indeed :-)

It's a sickness Paul. Be careful hanging around here too much, you might catch it too  I somehow think you still could have 1 hr 50 min in you. You won't really know until you try. Please keep us updated, of course now I am curious how it will go!

Just went back and looked at races and logs.  Back in 2012 I did my first training plan (advanced 10K), which was an 8 week plan that peaked at 40mpw with long run of 10 miles.  2 weeks before my target 10k race I ran my 2nd half (1st one was 6 months before in 2:14:18 - I had a slight injury).  Since that 1st 1/2 I had only run 5Ks and 1 5 mile race, with best 5K time of 23:16 (3 weeks before 1/2).  My 1/2 time was 1:48:34.  I believe my average weekly mileage was around 35mpw and my 10 mile runs (3) were in the 90 minute range.

If the books I've read are correct, your body will need 10-14 days to incorporate changes in training.  I believe someone said in these groups that there isn't much you can do in the last 2 weeks to improve your performance, but you can completely mess it up trying.  So, you need to treat the taper with respect.  At this point, most of the hay is in the barn and any longer runs should be done no closer the 10 days before the race.  Get some moderate, shorter paced runs in the early in the week before the race and try to relax (if you figure out how, let me know )

You should do well.  Good Luck!