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

flavio80


Intl. correspondent

    James - It seems that despite the hamstring issue you’ve been able to keep quite a good base, that’s great news.

     

    Steve - It’s good to hear the pain is decreasing a bit, it must be incredibly unnerving to be that long in pain. Here’s to better weeks ahead.

     

    Kiwis - I was reading on Let's run that Hoka One One changed its name to just Hoka (which is what everybody was calling them anyway).

    But in the thread they mentioned it's a Māori name and it was not pronounced Hoka 1-1 hah. I had to read up on it and indeed it was, so I read some more about the Māori language and it looks like it's slowly dying. Anyway all those weird names of places on the north island make a little more sense now.

     

    Keen - If you heeded my advice and had the açaí bowl yesterday today you're likely going to run 2h55 or lower. If you didn't then you will run 3h10. I'm sure RP had 2 bowls of açaí just in case. Anyway, best of luck to you guys and to our beloved grumpy Cal πŸ˜‚

     

    me - A better week, almost passing Piwi now. Running was flowing this week, I guess the strength training is paying off.

    Weekly for period: From: 29/11/2021 To 05/12/2021

    Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
    in m
    30/11 Morning Run 5.16 8.30 00:41:02 07:57 04:57 115
    02/12 Morning Run 8.83 14.21 01:08:46 07:47 04:50 138
    04/12 Morning Run 7.21 11.60 00:58:11 08:04 05:01 162
    05/12 Morning Run 5.22 8.41 00:41:26 07:56 04:56 137

    Total distance: 42.52km

    PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021

    Up next: no idea

    Tool to generate Strava weekly

      Flavio I didn't know that about Hoka. Sounds more Hawaiian to me.

      My 10k runs are turning onto 8s and 6s 

       

      RP absolutely smashed it congratulations.

       

      Hoping for a good result for Keen.

      55+ PBs 5k 18:36 June 3rd TT

      " If you don't use it you lose it,  but if you use it, it wears out.

      Somewhere in between is about right "      

       

      Marky_Mark_17


        I've started using Hoka's, gave the Rincon's a go as a potential substitute for the Saucony Kinvara (because the 12 was THAT horrible) and I've been pretty impressed so far.  The Rincon is their more lightweight shoe.  Very smooth ride but still pretty responsive.

         

        Flavio - the Maori language was dying 10 or so years ago but it's made a pretty big comeback.  Well done on beating Piwi!

         

        Steve - yeah plan A is just that for now.  I'm sure there'll be more spanners in the works!

        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"

          Actually Mark I ran 42.7kms last week so I smashed Flavio by 180m 

          55+ PBs 5k 18:36 June 3rd TT

          " If you don't use it you lose it,  but if you use it, it wears out.

          Somewhere in between is about right "      

           

          flavio80


          Intl. correspondent

            πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜Ž

             

            Actually Mark I ran 42.7kms last week so I smashed Flavio by 180m 

            PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021

            Up next: no idea

            Tool to generate Strava weekly

            Marky_Mark_17


              Actually Mark I ran 42.7kms last week so I smashed Flavio by 180m 

               

              Was it Kiwi-measured?

              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"

              Running Problem


              Problem Child

                Flavio I had Mexican food. It’s a secret I learned from darkwave. Chipotle gets championship, or in this case PRs.  Also wearing orange.

                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

                flavio80


                Intl. correspondent

                  Flavio I had Mexican food. It’s a secret I learned from darkwave. Chipotle gets championship, or in this case PRs.  Also wearing orange.

                   

                  Woah, imagine if you had had Açaí as well, you'd have beaten Jmac's PR!

                  PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021

                  Up next: no idea

                  Tool to generate Strava weekly

                  zebano


                    Flavio I had Mexican food. It’s a secret I learned from darkwave. Chipotle gets championship, or in this case PRs.  Also wearing orange.

                     

                     

                    Dude you ran amazingly yesterday. Big kudos to Chipotle but you'd have been faster in pink. There's a reason so many of the nike supershoes have been pink. Only the Endorphin Pros are orange and they are a pale imitation.

                     

                     

                    Actually Mark I ran 42.7kms last week so I smashed Flavio by 180m 

                     

                    When I use the word "smashed" it usually means something else. I think you managed to run as far as the CIM crew!

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

                    zebano


                      Alrighty, this isn't the vaunted CIM race report you've waited for but I had a successful race over the weekend! As I've mentioned before my club runs 20km / 12.4 miles every Thursday (Thorsday) starting at 4:30 or 5AM. Once a year we race it during daylight hours, codename Valhalla. I missed last year's Valhalla due to a freak blizzard shutting down the roads so I hadn't raced this in awhile. That said I did set a PR of 1:37:09 back in April so I had a natural target if my health was fine. Long story short, I've had a sinus infection since the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I spent 3 days last week... not running because my body decided it needed to purge itself. Thankfully Friday felt better and I had a great pizza and beer dinner (the same thing I had before my best workout of the season).

                       

                      The race course is pretty simple. 3 miles of running on the side of a highway with some elevation, 6.5 miles of very plain trail with only 3  hills, one of them small. Followed by crossing a rocky spillway climbing a short embankment and then hilly singletrack for 2.5 miles and a short .4 miles of flat road to finish. Overall it's not a very hilly course with between 600-900 feet of climb depending on your watch but the singletrac is technical, rolling, rooty and just really hard to move quickly on. It's a nasty way to end a 20k. Regardless, for everyone that's raced them at similar times a flat HM and this course always seem to endup +/-1 minute of each other depending on how well you run trail. I personally have been planning to use it as metric to say, yes you're finally in shape to take a real crack at a 90 min HM (one of my big 5 running goals of sub 5 mile, sub 20 5k, sub 40 10k, sub 90 HM and sub 3 M).

                       

                      Mile 1 starts with an unpleasant hill known as morning coffee where I just tried to run quick but controlled and after that decided that 170HR is supposed to be roughly the upper end of my LT range so I tried to keep the HR in the 160-170 range thinking that would allow me to run my best race regardless of illness. The top 25 or so runners quickly opened a gap before the top of the hill and I didn't really see them again. I slowly reeled in 2 runners who started too fast and sounded like they were already working then found myself 50m back of the first place female ("T"). I very slowly reeled her in finishing the first 5k in 22: 34 and got to the point we could chat. As we rolled off the road and onto the trail she gapped me again but Madman caught up to me and we had a nice little conversation that carried us over Opie road (the 10 km  mark) in 22:58 .  At this point a lady I'd never met ("L") passed us, passed T taking over  the female lead and opening a big gap on us. Coming off the quarter mile stretch of road and back onto trail Madman and I were no longer able to chat but my legs still felt good and I slowly picked up the effort, catching up to T and leaving both of them behind as we hit the equalizer (nastiest hill on the course).

                       

                      Post Opie road I had stopped looking at HR and just running by effort but I knew this was my favorite section of the course. Very non technical, just smooth trail winding in and out along the lakeshore so I tried to pick up my cadence and make some good time. I passed one guy who blew up so spectacularly he ran his first 10k in 40min and his second in over 70. To my surprise L came back into view and gave me some nice encouragement as I passed her. I tried to get her to run with me but it wasn't going to happen. I arrived at the start of the spillway after running 22:19 for the 3rd 5k. I skipped across the early dry stones and through the crick but slowed to a walk on the wet and slippery section. After that I did a short climb, power hiked the steps and tried to start running the technical stuff. I can't believe how slow I felt but the breathing was close to going out of control on the uphills so I just kept it as strong as I could and tried not to think about my PR slipping away. After clearing the first big segment of trail I got a huge mental boost going into double hill because I knew it was the last real challenge. I certainly didn't kill it but at the top I really picked up the effort moving super well as the last bit of trail is runnable downhill and then it dropped me on the road where I tried to really kick it in. With .25 miles to go my coach was jogging a cool down and came and ran with me until I finally hammered the last 100m. 1:32:28  a 4 min and 41 second PR!

                       

                       

                      Thought:

                      • Super happy with how this went 
                      • I can't believe how much easier a race environment is than running solo. It's much harder to think about how much you hurt when other people are around.
                      • Other than HR for the first ~4 miles I basically ran this by feel just glancing at splits as they came up
                      • Endorphin Speeds worked great for 10 miles but I had two scares on the technical section where I almost rolled my ankle, that said, they're far far more stable than the Pros and I think it was the right call.
                      • Pizza and beer s one hell of a pre-race meal.
                      • There was a really big gap between the sub 1:27 crowd and me I wonder what the trails would have been like with someone to chase but that's such a minimal consideration in face of a huge success. 
                      • My hamstring threatened to cause me grief for the first 7 miles and then something happened running the Equalizer and it didn't bug me again. This isn't the first time that I've noted hill running having a positive effect on my stride.
                      • If I wasn't sick I really think I'd be knocking on that 90 minute door but that's a goal for next year.

                       

                      I told myself I'm taking a week off but I already jogged 20 minutes with the pup yesterday. It's time to see the doctor about this never-ending sinus infection then just enjoy my running for a couple months while getting into the gym to lift heavy. I'm debating next years schedule but I'm strongly tempted to begin the year with triathlon in the spring before coming back to pure running in the summer. That felt like a good way to stay fit without burning out and my son wants to step up to the Olympic distance which will take a little bit more dedication to cycling on my part.

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

                      SteveChCh


                      Hot Weather Complainer

                        zebano - Nice race report and this sounds like a great race performance.  With your on-going sinus issues and what sounds like a crazy tough course in places, that is an amazing effort.  Sub 1:30 on an easier course is ready and waiting.

                        5km: 18:34 11/23 β”‚ 10km: 39:10 8/23 β”‚ HM: 1:26:48 9/23 β”‚ 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


                          Zebano - really enjoyed that RR and well done!  I agree with Steve... sub-1:30 on a decent flat road course is well within your grasp.  That course had some punishing hills, technical stuff and looking at the Strava, it had a LOT of turns too.

                           

                          Also, my preferred pre-race meal is a burger and fries (that dates back to National HM Champs in 2018), and I'm glad I'm not the only one that names hills!  There's a route I run from Takapuna to Devonport sometimes which has Cemetery hill, Sh!thead hill, Punisher, and Navy Hill.

                          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"

                          zebano


                            Zebano - really enjoyed that RR and well done!  I agree with Steve... sub-1:30 on a decent flat road course is well within your grasp.  That course had some punishing hills, technical stuff and looking at the Strava, it had a LOT of turns too.

                             

                            Also, my preferred pre-race meal is a burger and fries (that dates back to National HM Champs in 2018), and I'm glad I'm not the only one that names hills!  There's a route I run from Takapuna to Devonport sometimes which has Cemetery hill, Sh!thead hill, Punisher, and Navy Hill.

                             

                            Ohh you've got some fun names. FTFH might be my favorite hill name, "Taylor Swift" always makes me feel slightly dirty.  One of these days we're going to have to do a pre-race meal showdown. So far I've seen Burger & Fries, Pizza, Acai and Chipotle as contenders.

                             

                            I do think you guys are overrating the course difficulty. We have a surprisingly large sample size that says Thorsday time plus or minus 1 minute equals flat HM time which means I'd be counting on no sinus infection for a minute fourty.  Regardless, I'm pleased with this time so I'll table that sub-90 until next year.

                             

                             

                            Steve, I think I missed your sub 90 this year. Sorry about that, congratulations, I'm glad you got one awesome race in.

                             

                            RP, be sure to ping this thread when your RR is up since I don't check the sub-3 often. I still can't believe you ran 2:56. That's brilliant.

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

                              Zeb great job on the PB.

                              Let's be honest we are all waiting with anticipation for Keens race report. That will make some good reading.

                               

                              What benchpress is considered reasonable like say a 25 min 5k in running terms πŸ€”. Is your own bodyweight considered ok ?

                              I haven't tried a max one rep yet.

                              55+ PBs 5k 18:36 June 3rd TT

                              " If you don't use it you lose it,  but if you use it, it wears out.

                              Somewhere in between is about right "      

                               

                              Running Problem


                              Problem Child

                                 

                                Woah, imagine if you had had Açaí as well, you'd have beaten Jmac's PR!

                                 

                                I honestly wouldn't know what to do if I could do this. I'd probably laugh about it and say "that's like REALLY fucking fast. Like....for real." I'd go back to telling the people I run with "Slow down turbo. This ain't a race. Ain't nobody need to do 7:50s today. I'm all about that 8-8:30 pace."

                                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