Forums >General Running>half advice/encouragement please!
Yea, I really trained hard for a half last october and november. So although, my training has not been great the last two months I think I'm still in good enough shape to do close to a 2:30.
Another question, I have been using jelly beans starting around mile 4 and then every couple miles after that. Lately they have been giving me a stomach ache. I hate to try anything new now, but was thinking that I might not want to do the jelly beans race day.
Pace Prophet
Training pace is mostly irrelevant. How many miles per week have you been running since October? Have you run any shorter races (5k, 10k), and if so, when were they and what were your times? Are you pushing hard on your training runs, or taking it easy?
If 11:45 is an easy pace for you, and you're running at least 30mpw, 2:20 or even 2:15 is a reasonable goal. If 11:45 is pushing it as hard as you can manage for 10 miles, and you're running 15mpw, aiming at 2:30 will result in a deathmarch.
I ran 43.5 miles so far in January, December 46, November I ran 70 because my half was supposed to be December 9. I can run 3 miles in right around 32 minutes and average around 10:30 pace. So I think 11:30-11:45 pace for race day is reasonable. Last November/beginning of December I did a 10k and 12k and didn't worry as much about my time as pacing myself around 11 minutes/mile.
SMART Approach
You have lost some fitness from October no doubt. It concerns me that you said you had some struggles on your 10 mile training run. Long training runs for your level are suppose to be a comfortable pace. Unless you went all out on it which would not be recommended so close to this race. I will lay out.
1. You are not in ideal condition for optimum performance for you
2. It is your FIRST half marathon so maybe you should not be so focused on a specific race time
3. Any time will be a PR. Start conservatively, finish strong and take your race time - please try to avoid a miserable 1st experience in your half. As stated many times in this thread, too fast of a start can lead to a death march if you are not fit and are an inexperienced half marathoner.
4. Take a little pressure off yourself. Go out at 2:45 pace. If feeling great with 3-4 miles left pick up the pace. You will feel so much better about your first experience if you can knock off and pass dozens of runners the last couple miles vs. watching others go by you the last couple miles. Think about it. You will feel so much better about your race whether your time is 2:45 or 2:36 if you can maintain or increase pace last few miles. You got a PR either way.
You can do this, but relax, be smart and enjoy the experience. Next half, train hard and then set a goal.
Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery
Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training
Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique
www.smartapproachtraining.com
If you are going to try something new do it now on a test run and not on race day! Race nerves and stress about a new distance can do a number on your gut so if jelly beans are working moderately ok then stick with them, otherwise you may be in a world of hurt. Remember that anything with a high sugar content like gu or jelly beans must be taken with water to minimize gastric discomfort. Good luck and as others have commented moderate your speed at the beginning of the race.
"Shut up Legs!" Jens Voigt
So I must have the worst luck of any first time half marathoner. My race for next weekend was just cancelled. So all this stress for nothing. Ugh.
Oh gosh, what a bummer! You seem to have bad luck with races getting canceled!
In general, you will develop better as a runner if instead of setting your pace to the distance (running short distances fast and longer ones more slowly) you run all your training runs, of whatever distance, at an easy pace with the exception of one faster run per week, which could just be a faster pace or could be fartlek, strides, or intervals; and race your races all-out. Also you will do better with longer runs if you run more miles per week. Even considering your highest mileage month you're running only about 10-15 miles/week. You won't enjoy your long runs if they account for most of your weekly mileage, and it's a greater injury risk as well. The recommended ratio is that your longest run should account for less than half your weekly mileage. (Actually it's best to have it even less, 25-35%, but it looks like you're only running 3x/week, and that makes such ratios hard. If you're running only twice a week it's very hard to improve at all.)
That makes a lot of sense! I’m going to take a month of so to work on improving speed. I only run 3x a week. I really try to do a couple days strength training and yoga one day. So 3 runs is really only I can fit in. I need to find a good half training plan with 3x a week running. At my peak week of training I ran 24 miles and 50% came from the long run. I honestly don’t have time to run longer than 5-6 miles on the weekdays.
aren't there repeat tests you can do to see where your training is at before your half.
I too would rather speed up than slow down. but if you're in 230 shape I would run with that group.
300m- 37 sec.