Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2020 (Read 618 times)

Darkwave, Steve - I don’t think 3+3 @ goal HMP should be too aggressive if I’m reasonably well rested (the day after an off day).  Since I have a better base than a year ago when I raced a 10K at 6:23/mile and have been doing some faster work, it seems like I should be able to do 3 @ 6:45, take 3-4 minutes rest, and do 3 more @ 6:45, even untapered.  I took the workout from Greg McMillan, whose program Elizabeth uses/used, because I’ve never done much goal-pace running before a half, and it’s something he emphasizes.  He recommends 3+3 @ goal HMP with 2-3 minutes rest about 8 weeks before a half, then 4+4 with the same rest about 4 weeks before, then 6 to 8 with no rest about two weeks before.  I’m dialing down those workouts a little bit, as I take 3-4 minutes rest (walk 200M, jog 200M, however long that takes), and I’m planning on doing no more than 6 miles for the last one.  I think I might have been ok last time if I had started out slower and actually run 6:45 pace rather than 6:39 for the first 3.  That's the point of the workouts, anyway, to get me used to running steadily at the right pace.

I like McMillan in general, but I think that if you can hold 8 miles at your half-marathon pace in a training scenario, then you are underperforming on race day.

When I do tempo workouts, whatever pace I hold at tempo effort for 4 miles is what I can hold for 13.1 on race day.  A proper taper plus competition and a willingness to go to race-level effort get you to 13.1.   2x4 miles at half-marathon pace in a workout sounds brutal.

 

I like McMillan in general, but I think that if you can hold 8 miles at your half-marathon pace in a training scenario, then you are underperforming on race day.

 

When I do tempo workouts, whatever pace I hold at tempo effort for 4 miles is what I can hold for 13.1 on race day.  A proper taper plus competition and a willingness to go to race-level effort get you to 13.1.   2x4 miles at half-marathon pace in a workout sounds brutal.

Yeah, 8 @ HMP seems like way too much.  I've seen in several places that 6 @ HMP is useful, which is why I'm planning to do that as my final workout.  Don't know about 2x4 either, but I won't worry about that until I see how 2x3 done correctly feels.  My tempo-pace-to-half-pace experience has been different from yours.  The three times I've run 4- or 5-mile tempos before halfs, the half paces have been slower, but I've had other problems in each of them (cramps, lack of training post-injury, and cold, respectively).  It may also be that my tempos have been relatively faster because I only do one workout a week and am thus a little more rested.

Along the lines of my needing practice locking in a goal pace, I thought this Kickstarter for a product called Ghost Pacer looked interesting.  It’s a pair of glasses that projects an avatar running in front of you at whatever speed you select.  The most optimistic shipping date is July 2021, so I think I’ll wait until then and see what reviewers say rather than committing money now, but it might be useful.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/711258243/ghost-pacer-your-personal-holographic-workout-partner/description

A post on the other thread about weather reminds me the forecast for race day is out.  It's been quite stable for a few days so I think it's reliable now we're 5 days out.

And the verdict is...perfect forecast.  The range is 1-17(C), 33-62(F) with light winds.  I wouldn't want to race in 17C but with a start time of 8:30am I think I can expect about 5C at start time up to about 12-13C by the time I finish.

A post on the other thread about weather reminds me the forecast for race day is out. 

It was Darkwave's one, right?  I laughed pretty loud.

The 3 races I've had cancelled due to Covid have all had perfect weather on race day, so I'm reasonably confident the weather will probably be awful for my next race.

Flavio - Awesome job snagging that new 5k PR!

DWave - Good to read that you're having improvements after starting the supplements. Any prognosis for a "full" return?
Have you run enough in the Endorphin Pros to form a solid opinion of them?

Mark - Killer LR! Looking forward to seeing what you can do in a full.

Another piddly week from me - two in a row, now. I think I've figured out (mostly) what's causing some of my issues, though: something in my pelvis/hips is out of whack. There's no pain, but can lead to a weird "uncomfortable" sensation, and when running makes it feel like my quads are tight at their northernmost end and seems to restrict my range of motion. I'm working to get that sorted out, and I'm hoping that combined with cooler weather coming in tomorrow afternoon it'll help turn things around for me. Two sub-50 mile weeks in a row with only part of one workout between them gives me the feeling that my fitness is just gone, which I hope to prove wrong.

Watson - good pace, especially if wet and windy

Piwi - solid week. Your ho-hum method of posting a 42 minute 10k as just an afternoon run really shows what great shape your in.

James - shame about the workout but that's how it goes. Banking time is always dicey, a vibrating foam roller sounds interesting.

Mark - killer workout. I hope you get to race in two week!

Flavio - Congrats on the PR. I'm amazed how soon after the lockdown you're in such great shape. Also better pacing = sub 18....

DW - sounds awful. I'm glad you're upbeat about it and improving, even if only due to a placebo.

Steve - good week. It wasn't clear to me, when is the race? It sounded like you were running it last Saturday.

I had a really fun week

Mon - easy 6.4 w/ 9x10sec hill sprints

Tue - 10 mi w/ 7x800@CV on min jog - nailed it

Wed - eeasy 7.4 with 3 strides

Thur - 12.4 really easy. Ran with some ultra fanatics just to keep HR low and get in a few miles while kinda tapering. + 1.2 home from the auto mechanic.

Fri -  3.1 - 20 min easy + 4 strides + 500m open water swim in evening

Sat -  Sprint Triathlon!! + 1.8 mi WU, 2 mi CD, 2 mi w/ Puppy

Sun - a grueling / easy paced 5.8

55.3 miles running, 12.4mi biking, 1000m swimming.

So the triathlon... gah I have bike envy =)

The short version is the swim was on a shallow beach so I walk/jogged as much as I could and floundered my way through 500m in 10:27 (bleh, I'm capable of more but I just couldn't smooth out my stroke).

I hopped on the bike and aimed for a tempo type feeling where I could pass most people but the 15-20 people with super expensive bikes blew by me at 25+mph. I came in in 40:50 for 12.4 miles including the 200m sidewalk jog at the beginning and end (roughly 18.2mph) . I stayed much more under control than my first tri two  years ago.

On the run I had trouble finding my pace initially not due to jelly legs from the bike but inexplicably my feet were numb from the biking. I got through that and finished the first mile in 7, picked it up and kept passing people running 6:40 and 6:33 for the next two miles and finishing in 20:47 (my only other tri 2 years ago, the 5k was at 7:23 pace so this is a nice step forward). Only one person passed me on the run, and I felt like I was passing at least one person every 400m. Solid.

Overall I was 33/155 and 2nd in my age group. I think if I can just do a few more bike / run bricks and be totally used to that a sub 20 minute 5k is in play in the short term, but I don't plan to do any more Triathlons this year. Oh well.

Watson & JMac - You guys are right, of course. I know that I'm not actually losing fitness (certainly not building any either, though!), it's just that nagging, back-of-the-mind thought that's the product of an unexpected confluence of some recent stress leading to lesser motivation, this hip thing, and not running as much. Just getting back on a better sleep schedule and getting up in the morning will help me out quite a bit, I think.

In positive news, fall is approximately 8 hours away!