Sub 1:30 Half Marathon 2021 Edition (Read 448 times)

SteveChCh


Hot Weather Complainer

    Thanks all for the kind words and empathy.  It's great to have a community of people who understand what a big deal it is!

     

    James -  Nice race report and very good time.  Also great to see no mention of hamstring pain.

     

    Zebano - Nice week and race.  Agree with Watson, need more detail!  It sounds very tough weather and climb wise.

    5km: 18:34 11/23 │ 10km: 39:10 8/23 │ HM: 1:26:48 9/23 │ M: 3:34:49 6/23

     

    2024 Races:

    Motorway Half Marathon February 25, 2024 1:29:55

    Christchurch Half-Marathon April 21, 2024

    Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024

    Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024

    zebano


       

       

      Zebano - can you clarify your race?  It was 6.8 miles or 15.6 (3 * 5.2) with 2500 feet elevation?  That's some serious hills.

       

      3 loops of 5.2 miles each with ~830 feet of elevation per loop. We were debating how many hills it had beforehand but the clear answer is 2 very big climbs per loop. There are really 4 noticeable hills per lap but compared to the 2 big ones, the other two barely register. The strava elevation profile is pretty clear on that. I really didn't feel I lost much time powerhiking the uphills as most people did, it was the fact that I couldn't find my groove on the steep technical downhills that really killed me (both my back and quads were feeling the pounding). By the time I hit the second loop's second creek crossing I was ready to just lay down in the stream. I usually pride myself on being a bit fearless and flying down the downhills but I've found some stuff lately that just exceeds my capacity to lean into it.

      1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)

      watsonc123


        Zebano - thanks.  You raced ok.  Do you have similar races to compare to, that means you're disappointed?  Trail races cannot really be compared to road, 2500m elevation is fairly significant.

        PRs: 5km 18:43 (Dec 2015), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:26:16 (Sep 2016), full 3:09:28 (Jun 2015)

         

        40+ PRs: 5km 19:31 (Oct 2020), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:29:39 (Jun 2018), full 3:13:55 (Sep 2022)

         

        2023 PRs (hope to beat in 2024): 5km 20:34, 10km 41:37, half 1:32:32, full 3:21:05

         

        2024 PRs: 5km 20:25

        zebano


          Watson, My disappointment is really based on two things.

           

          1. Who I lost to. I know the top 4, they're all in better shape than I am. Whatever. 2 of the people who finished in 5-8 are people I usually beat both on roads and on trails.

          2. I was in good shape in 2020, but didn't feel ready to PR a 5k like I do now and my club took a field (strava link) trip to run an extremely similar route. I was considerably faster. Humidity was much kinder that day however it wasn't a race.

           

          Personally I suspect it's just the fact that I was pushing the miles. I've only averaged 39mpw for the past half year (44 over the past year) so back to back 60 mile weeks is a significant jump and my body just didn't have the energy it usually does.

           

          p.s. 2500 feet not meters. Meters would be absurd for a Midwesterner like me.

          1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)

          watsonc123


            Metres was a typo, I meant feet.

            PRs: 5km 18:43 (Dec 2015), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:26:16 (Sep 2016), full 3:09:28 (Jun 2015)

             

            40+ PRs: 5km 19:31 (Oct 2020), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:29:39 (Jun 2018), full 3:13:55 (Sep 2022)

             

            2023 PRs (hope to beat in 2024): 5km 20:34, 10km 41:37, half 1:32:32, full 3:21:05

             

            2024 PRs: 5km 20:25

            Marky_Mark_17


              Zebano - that does make a lot of sense.  I find I can survive one week that is much bigger than normal, but if you put them back to back, then that really takes a toll.

               

              Also, hear what you're saying about it being frustrating getting pipped by people that you know you can (and normally would) beat.  But that particular rabbit hole can be quite deep so try to write this off as a bad day and move on.

               

              NZ - Running Events came out yesterday and said that they'll be on board with running races as soon as the Government permits, following the rules that have been signalled that require proof of vaccination to participate in large events.  They're optimistic of running a race or two before Xmas so I'm still hopeful I might get to do Omaha HM.

               

              Reaction on their facebook page was overwhelmingly positive, with only a small percentage of people criticising them for this stance.  The reality is that this system is the only way events are going to go ahead in the short term so event organisers have got no choice, and neither do we if we want to enter - get vaccinated or miss out.  Either we have this system or we don't have races for 6 months plus - it's that simple.

               

              It's kind of amusing that a couple of people said 'disappointing you've taken this position, I'm not getting vaccinated so I won't be supporting your events'.  Uh, yeah, no shit.

               

              As an event organiser, you can either run events on this basis and alienate a small number of anti-vaxxers, or shut down for 6 months plus.  Kind of a no-brainer really.

              3,000m: 9:07.7 (Nov-21) | 5,000m: 15:39 (Dec-19) | 10,000m: 32:34 (Mar-20)  

              10km: 33:15 (Sep-19) | HM: 1:09:41 (May-21)* | FM: 2:41:41 (Oct-20)

              * Net downhill course

              Last race: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

              Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

              "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

              SteveChCh


              Hot Weather Complainer

                Mark - I'm not a huge fan of what is essentially going to be a mandate but so be it.  I've brought my second dose forward now there's no race this weekend.  You were okay with yours right?

                 

                On my run this morning I was thinking there's now a high chance of Dunedin and Queenstown not going ahead, and even Selwyn if it's able to run at level 2.  We're about to see a spread throughout the country so regional level 3 lockdowns are highly possible until vaccination levels hit some magical number so I have to get used to the idea that there may not be a race this year.  I guess I'll keep training for a half for a few more weeks.  Some of the tougher workouts are really hard to focus on though.

                 

                The vaccine passports won't be ready for ages given what I know about the IT talent at the Ministry of Health - no idea why they're doing it in house.  Apparently their demo involved showing how to login to a web portal and an app "might happen later".  Dear Lord.

                5km: 18:34 11/23 │ 10km: 39:10 8/23 │ HM: 1:26:48 9/23 │ M: 3:34:49 6/23

                 

                2024 Races:

                Motorway Half Marathon February 25, 2024 1:29:55

                Christchurch Half-Marathon April 21, 2024

                Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024

                Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024

                watsonc123


                  Are you sure Ministry of Health are developing in house?  Most government departments do very little in house development.  And as per your perspective, I don't have huge faith in their development skills.  I would have thought they could have integrated with a SaaS product possibly?

                  PRs: 5km 18:43 (Dec 2015), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:26:16 (Sep 2016), full 3:09:28 (Jun 2015)

                   

                  40+ PRs: 5km 19:31 (Oct 2020), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:29:39 (Jun 2018), full 3:13:55 (Sep 2022)

                   

                  2023 PRs (hope to beat in 2024): 5km 20:34, 10km 41:37, half 1:32:32, full 3:21:05

                   

                  2024 PRs: 5km 20:25

                  SteveChCh


                  Hot Weather Complainer

                    That was the impression I got from the update yesterday (admittedly I read about it and heard second hand) along with someone I know at MOH who does software testing.

                     

                    The certificate itself should be extremely basic to link to RealMe accounts, assuming they have a half decently designed database.  And putting an app on top of that, if all it needs to do is display the certificate of the logged in account should only be a few days dev.

                     

                    The obvious question I have, is why wasn't this thought about as soon as it was clear effective vaccines would be available (nearly a year ago) or at least when our first vaccines were given (6 months ago?).  Everything could have been in place months ago and we could already be using the certificates for events.

                    5km: 18:34 11/23 │ 10km: 39:10 8/23 │ HM: 1:26:48 9/23 │ M: 3:34:49 6/23

                     

                    2024 Races:

                    Motorway Half Marathon February 25, 2024 1:29:55

                    Christchurch Half-Marathon April 21, 2024

                    Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024

                    Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024

                    Marky_Mark_17


                       

                      The obvious question I have, is why wasn't this thought about as soon as it was clear effective vaccines would be available (nearly a year ago) or at least when our first vaccines were given (6 months ago?).  Everything could have been in place months ago and we could already be using the certificates for events.

                       

                      I know the answer to this one.  It's the same as the answer to 'why didn't we get vaccines sooner', and 'why do we persist with having MIQ in the middle of our biggest city'.

                      3,000m: 9:07.7 (Nov-21) | 5,000m: 15:39 (Dec-19) | 10,000m: 32:34 (Mar-20)  

                      10km: 33:15 (Sep-19) | HM: 1:09:41 (May-21)* | FM: 2:41:41 (Oct-20)

                      * Net downhill course

                      Last race: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

                      Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

                      "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

                      watsonc123


                         

                        ...and 'why do we persist with having MIQ in the middle of our biggest city'.

                         

                        Official reason is that the major airport is there, and there's plenty of hotels to convert to MIQ facilities.  Unofficial reason is that the rest of New Zealand does not like Auckland.

                        PRs: 5km 18:43 (Dec 2015), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:26:16 (Sep 2016), full 3:09:28 (Jun 2015)

                         

                        40+ PRs: 5km 19:31 (Oct 2020), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:29:39 (Jun 2018), full 3:13:55 (Sep 2022)

                         

                        2023 PRs (hope to beat in 2024): 5km 20:34, 10km 41:37, half 1:32:32, full 3:21:05

                         

                        2024 PRs: 5km 20:25

                        zebano


                          Sounds like good-ish news. With any luck Steve and Mark can finally race! Given how many world records are falling lately, while it could be the shoes I do wonder if the longer training blocks that Covid basically mandated are just better for fitness than racing a lot as we are wont to do.

                           

                          Steve you've got to play the second dose by ear IMO. Some people are unaffected, some people take 2 days. I personally was fine for 12 hours then it hit and I more or less slept for 24 hours but was fine after that.

                          1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)

                          CommanderKeen


                          Cobra Commander Keen

                            Zebano - Score on the shoes! I've tried ordering some speeds on sale, but, alas! my size seems to always be sold out. I did pick up an extra pair of pros (v1) for not much more, so I can rotate a pair of them in the workout mix when my current speeds are done.
                            That looks like a massively tough race in and of itself, even before factoring in the weather conditions.


                            Mark - Definite score on the pro v2. I'm really betting you'll enjoy those. Great week, and congrats on your biggest month of the year.


                            DWave - Sounds like a good decision regarding the full - no sense in putting yourself through the stress of a marathon if you know things aren't lining up as you'd like. Looking forward to seeing how you perform in those HMs.


                            James - Congrats over the awesome race! That AG is incredible. Plans on having a go at breaking that grown-up PR later in the year?


                            Steve - I am sorry the race was cancelled, and for all the other nonsense you (and the other Kiwis) are putting up with.


                            Trying a quick catch-up (including update of the race chart) after several days away. Hopefully I didn't miss anything major.

                            My race didn't turn out anywhere near how I wanted. No rain, not much cloud cover, and started off warmer than forecasted as well. The winner (1:19) was way out in front within the first mile, so the rest of us never saw him until the finish once he cleared the first turn.
                            One guy passed me for 2nd place around mile 2, I passed him around mile 6. Just before mile 7 I had a short port-o-john break during which he passed me again, and I could only make up 1/3-1/2 of the lost time by the end.
                            While I held back some from the start, it wasn't nearly enough and the temp/humidity just destroyed me. Surely one of these days I'll learn. Just to be safe, though, I think you all should remind me next year "No harder than marathon effort for the first 7-8 miles" unless the weather is oddly cool. 
                            I had a couple moments (mile 8, mile 9.5) during which something in my head just screamed "WALK". Somehow I managed to not, and the feeling that I really should walk passed within 30-60 seconds and things were better after that.

                             

                            Weekly for period: From: 09/27/2021 To 10/03/2021

                            Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
                            in ft
                            09/27 9E, 20 min HMe 13.15 21.17 01:41:18 07:42 04:47 551
                            09/27 Runch 5.10 8.21 00:44:35 08:45 05:26 194
                            09/28 6 deer (6 strides), 5 raccoons, & 2 owls 10.05 16.17 01:26:47 08:38 05:22 423
                            09/29 Stealthy like a ninja 12.05 19.39 01:39:59 08:18 05:09 482
                            09/30 5 deer (5 strides), 1 loud rabbit, & some spicy sky fractals 9.15 14.73 01:14:30 08:09 05:03 436
                            10/01 1 owl 7.05 11.34 00:59:53 08:30 05:17 279
                            10/02 Warming up a bit 3.15 5.08 00:25:07 07:58 04:57 98
                            10/02 Wurst Race Half 13.13 21.12 01:30:20 06:53 04:17 495
                            10/02 Nope. Enough of this nonsense. 1.65 2.66 00:15:46 09:33 05:56 72
                            10/03 3 hawks & 3 rabbits 5.25 8.45 00:43:44 08:20 05:11 174

                            Total distance: 79.76mi

                            5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

                             

                            Upcoming Races:

                             

                             

                            watsonc123


                              Keen - nice week.  You had no taper for your race, which would also be a factor.

                              PRs: 5km 18:43 (Dec 2015), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:26:16 (Sep 2016), full 3:09:28 (Jun 2015)

                               

                              40+ PRs: 5km 19:31 (Oct 2020), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:29:39 (Jun 2018), full 3:13:55 (Sep 2022)

                               

                              2023 PRs (hope to beat in 2024): 5km 20:34, 10km 41:37, half 1:32:32, full 3:21:05

                               

                              2024 PRs: 5km 20:25

                              Running Problem


                              Problem Child

                                Zeb

                                Race report here.

                                Reno River Run 10K | A post by Scott Cunningham on Strava

                                 

                                Less profane language than normal. Maybe I'm getting too "dad" for my own good. My mind was almost 90% focused on the race.

                                Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                                VDOT 53.37 

                                5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22