I wonder if your HM time is from BEFORE the cycle starts, if by the end of the cycle it will prepare you to run that MP?  (Just speculating)  I plan to race a 15k in a month and then a HM 4 weeks before the marathon to help narrow down my GMP.  In the meantime, I've been trying to use the 8:30 pace.

This is exactly what I'm thinking. And it makes sense, given the Hansons' approach. So, you race a HM at the start of the cycle, and it equates to an 8:30 GMP. You then train around that pace in the Hansons program. That increases your fitness at shorter distances, as a byproduct. You race a half near the end of the cycle (like a tune up race in Pfitz), and you PR, which produces a GMP of, say, 8:15. BUT you haven't trained at that 8:15 pace. You've spent all your time building to support the 8:30 pace. So that's the pace you should race at--not the new 8:15 pace. Is that how you are thinking about it?

I just finished reading book, but think there is a section they say they don't like you doing races before the strength workouts start. I think reason being you could still change your goal up to when you start strength workouts. Week 7 was what it said if memory serves me.

 

This is exactly what I'm thinking. And it makes sense, given the Hansons' approach. So, you race a HM at the start of the cycle, and it equates to an 8:30 GMP. You then train around that pace in the Hansons program. That increases your fitness at shorter distances, as a byproduct. You race a half near the end of the cycle (like a tune up race in Pfitz), and you PR, which produces a GMP of, say, 8:15. BUT you haven't trained at that 8:15 pace. You've spent all your time building to support the 8:30 pace. So that's the pace you should race at--not the new 8:15 pace. Is that how you are thinking about it?

Akalei, I would do both but use the first one as a PR effort and rhe second one as either an MP or tempo run or easy.

Dreamn - I would vote "skip it".  Remember the goal.

Do the half Akalei, just don't race one of them and then you can be a Half Fanatic .  But yeah, I don't see why you can't do both, as long as both aren't all out efforts.

 

My turn for a question.  Last year, I won an AG award in a 10k.  They invited me back "to defend my title" (lol) but it's 1 week before the Richmond Marathon.  Decline?

 

It's unseasonably warm around here and I can't wait to get off work for a run!

I never knew there was such a thing as the Half Fanatics, but now I'm intrigued!

As for your back-to-back race weekend conundrum, which race is more mportant to you?  OR, kind of alternatively, do you feel like you can do full effort two weekends in a row?  Obviously you can handle 6 miles the weekend before Richmond, but defending your title means some serious effort!

Thanks for the input, everyone.  I think I'm gonna go for the Oakland half, as well.  I could use a race shirt/medal from Cali!

Hi Donuts!  Look what happens we a miss a day...way too far behind to catch up!  Thank you all for the well wishes for the weekend.  I will admit that I threw a big, spoiled brat baby fit this morning over the weather (when I looked at my weather app and realized I would be running the final 10K at around the same time in a few days and it was 66 degrees with 94% humidity).  Thankfully, DH told me to suck it up and quit whining and I am feeling better now.  I am just going to do the best I can and if I don't make my goal, well, there is always next time.  I briefly contemplating just "running" it for fun and stopping for pics and stuff, but I know myself better than that....it's just not me!  Even if I said that was my plan, I wouldn't stick to it.  Another poster on RA sent me a message (he knew my info from the FE thread) and we have very similar training/times/goals so I think we are going to at least start running together and see what happens.  Ok, back to running.  Did 6 miles this morning, the first 3.5 with DH @10:15ish and then 2 @ GMP (9:09 and 9:06).  I felt pretty good during the run but my hip is pretty irritated now.  Definitely need to foam roll and stretch tonight.

Akalei:  I haven't run 1/2s back to back but I definitely would.  I would, as the others said, race the first and just run the second.

Dreamn:  If the marathon is your goal race, I would skip the 10K altogether.  I think it would be very tough to go back and run it "easily" because adrenaline would probably get the best of you and defending the title would suddenly become a good idea (at least, that's what would happen to me!).  So, I wouldn't want to jeopardize all the marathon training, ya know?

Other donuts:  Sorry I don't have time for full personals, but again, thanks so much for the all the well wishes and advice...you guys rock!  We leave Friday and after that, I am not sure how much I will be able to post for the week (we are there for a full 7 night vacay) because for some reason, my I-phone will let me read the forums but I can't post.  Anyone had that problem?  I can hit reply, type something, but then there isn't a submit button!

 

 

I never knew there was such a thing as the Half Fanatics, but now I'm intrigued!

As for your back-to-back race weekend conundrum, which race is more mportant to you?  OR, kind of alternatively, do you feel like you can do full effort two weekends in a row?  Obviously you can handle 6 miles the weekend before Richmond, but defending your title means some serious effort!

 

Thanks for the input, everyone.  I think I'm gonna go for the Oakland half, as well.  I could use a race shirt/medal from Cali!

Akalei- I'm a half fanatic  I did 3 back to back half marathons in 3 back to back weekends and set 3 successive PRs.  I say go for it.  I did not get injured.

Onemile- Go for the run while sick but don't freak out if your paces aren't the best...that's what I would do.

Me- Graston on calves today.

I went to see a sports RD and found out that I have an RMR of 1550/day and need to be eating 2000 calories per day while training.  Basically, I'm causing my body to FREAK OUT by eating 1200/day- 1400/day out of sheer laziness and because that is what I have always eaten.  hopefully this leads to getting to be a lean mean running machine!