Goal of sub 1:40 half. (Read 3802 times)

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Hi Guys,

 

Anybody out there still aiming for 21k in 100 challenge? If so, would be very interested to hear your story and share insights while going through this journey.

 

I am not new to running, but still a baby though. I'm now well in my 3rd year of running, finished more then 10 races on various surfaces, one of which has been a marathon, for which I was well under prepared. (I ran it in 5:15:05).

My favorite race has been and still is the half. A perfect combination for endurance and speed, a long distance, but not too long that it allows you enough time for thorough preparation.

 

My PB stands at 1:44:32, although the race best (official) has been 1:45:16 (chip time). I have been struggling (at least mentally) in pursuit of that 1:39:59 since the beginning of 2016, but still have a lot of progress to get there. I have gradually got lower and lower, as my first half was ran in ~1:58.

Let me mention also that my 10k best is 45:59 (this April).

The next race I have enrolled in is the local Marathon Race (October 9th), where I Will try yet again to go under 100 min.

 

I usually used to do majority of my runs in steady state pace, but recently I started to mix the trainings to get additional benefits

 

I currently run a good 40KM / week, but I will definitely step it up a notch as we move forward. The aim is to have a long run per week, one tempo / goal pace run and some speed work. I presume this would total to about 50-60 km / week. I have scheduled an appointment to get tested for VO2 Max, Heart rate zones etc.

 

What are your thoughts here? Is heart rate training a good approach? What other tips would you have for me?

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking on this thread for some time, silently cheering you on and taking in all of your advice on reaching the goal of sub 100 minutes for the half.

This past weekend, I just achieved the goal myself although I thought I was a long way off of this goal. After going out in what I thought was too hard in my first km, I held on for the whole race for a 1:35:59 finish. It was a smaller race so it also landed me second among women. I was over the moon! My last HM before this was about a year and a half ago where I clocked in at 2:02:32. Woohoo!

If anyone cares, I'll offer my advice on achieving the goal. I don't claim to be any sort of running expert but here's my two cents:

1. Practice fueling - you really want to know how your stomach is going to handle gels on the run if you plan to take them. I was surprised to learn that not all are made equal and some taste a lot like salty death goo.
2. Put in the mileage (safely) - you might surprise yourself on race day... but not that much
3. Trust your training - I always get restless in a taper but one more workout might hurt more than it can help. When you're about 2 weeks out from the race, the hard work is already done!
4. It's a mental sport - it's amazing how much staying mentally strong can keep those legs rolling in the race. Read success stories, get inspired in any way you can, and just keep your head in the game.

Good luck to all of you and I look forward to reading about your attempts!

1:40:01! Wow, I'd certainly still count that one! Congrats on the goal and on beating the pacer!!

I will try to break the 100 minutes in 2018. I plan to run 3-4 half races next year. And the last one will be on Oct 28th. I hope to being able to break the 100min then.

My very first HM was a week ago and I ran it in 1:53. I had some reserves left in the tank but actually had been suffering from PT and didn't want to overdo it.

So currently I have no further runs planed and hope to be back on track by mid December.

13 minutes off my current PR in just a year is a lot. But I will work hard to earn it. Go big or go home