Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2018
RIP Milkman
Speaking of being sick, looks like I just got my cold. I don't understand, are we actually contagious through the Internet???
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Uggghhhh. Might explain why that LR felt hard. On the bright side, at least it's now and not race week.
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: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr, 1:15:48
Up next: Runway5, 4 May
"CONSISTENCY IS KING"
Hot Weather Complainer
bro - Great effort. Very inspiring reading a race report like that.
Mark - Congrats on the race. I didn't think you knew what the pain cave was??
Had a solid enough week:
Monday: 50 mins "easy" in the Titirangi hills 10.49km @ 5:10mins/km
Tuesday: Weights
Wednesday: 50 mins stationary bike (legs felt more smashed from Monday than my hardest race)
Thursday: 60 mins easy 12.54km @ 4:54mins/km (legs still weak - this hurt more than it should)
Friday Weights
Saturday 90 mins easy 19.83km @ 4:47mins/km
Sunday Weights
Last night I did 15km @ easy pace and was shocked to see my watch said 4:43mins/km pace. A nice feeling after feeling so unfit last Monday trying to negotiate some hills. "The Stick" turned up on Saturday and hopefully along with taking it easy for a few weeks it will have my calf ready to ramp up training. My target race is 4 weeks away but I really don't think I'll be ready by then (to attempt sub 90 anyway) without risking another injury by ramping things up faster than I should. That leaves the Canterbury Half-Marathon in 9 weeks which is more realistic. This will be my last shot to be a qualified member of "Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2018". There is the risk that it will be a warm day, and I don't cope well with that but it is what is.
It's also the second race in the inaugural Canterbury Half-Marathon series (I guess copying Auckland's idea) but there are only 3 races, and your best 2 times are combined into a marathon time, so at least this would get me on the board for that, although my 38th in the first race suggests I will need a lot of people not to do a second race to improve that placing.
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 1:27:34
Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024
Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024
Just looking at my Garmin page, I notice my heart rate has gone from around 143bpm in the cold of winter for my long easy run, to 172bpm on Saturday for a similar run. Either my watch isn't working properly or the heat really does mess with me. I felt okay on Saturday but certainly not as good as on the nice cool, crisp days of winter.
Steve - oh, this one hurt. The other two times I seriously considered tapping out were the infamous Taupo 2016 half (cold plus wet plus stomach cramps) and the marathon last year (I mentally argued with myself for a good 4km about whether or not I should just flag it, by that stage I only had 2km to go!).
Funny you mention high HR - I got mine up to 192bpm on Saturday (basically my max) which I think was a combo of heat plus effort (hills) plus dealing with a cold. Even in my PB HM race I only maxed in the mid-180's. If you had to deal with the wind that would've pushed it up too. But 30bpm seems like a big difference (season makes a difference for me, but only ~5-10bpm) and I'd suggest it could well be cadence lock at that level.
That HM looks like it could be a pretty quick course as long as the lakeside paths are all sealed. You do take a risk on temps at that time of year but it could go either way. The only other thing with a multi-lapper is you might find by lap 2-3 you are catching the slower runners. If the marshalling is good that shouldn't be an issue but for what looks like a new race I wouldn't bank on it. There's only two races in NZ I've done where I thought the marshalling was legitimately really good - one being Dunedin (it bloody needed it too) and the other being Coatesville (they have armed forces staff doing it!).
Mark - Solid effort to keep it going and even pass the rivals if you were in that much pain.
The race at Pegasus is run by the same people who ran the South Island half which was also a multi-lapper and that was mostly okay. Lake Hood is less developed than Pegasus so I imagine the paths will be nice. The weather could kill but there's a decent chance it could still be cool at 9:30am.
Also just got challenged to join my new company team for the Corporate 5km in 4 weeks - our Christchurch office takes on Wellington and looking at the times from last year, I've got a shot to bring the title to Christchurch...the best last year was 20:45 - I've never done a 5km race but I did 20:13 tempo in a 22km long run about 6 weeks ago. I doubt I'll train specifically for it but if I get some speed done in the next 4 weeks then surely I can beat the incumbent, allowing for him to have spent another year training.
Steve - I'll likely do that event in Auckland with a team from work. I won last year, although like any Auckland race it's a bit of luck as to who turns up - the winning time has been anywhere between the high 15:00's (when Ciaran Faherty showed up) and low 17:00's in the last few years. We actually should've won the team prize for best accounting firm but one of the chips didn't register so we were robbed. The Christchurch course I think is in Hagley Park so it should be fairly quick. The Auckland one is in the Domain and has a bit on grass and a small hill (that you have to do twice) so it's not a mega-quick course (it's also a 2-lapper so the second lap can require a bit of weaving).
The Christchurch winner last year was in the 15s, so fast. If I get around 20 as I would expect, I'll barely crack the top 40...but as long as I come first at my company I'll be happy.
So one thing just occurred to me, and this might all be coincidences and I might be crazy (and I might even have aired this theory here before). But I think that me taking gels and running at HM or tempo effort does not mix well. I now have a whole bunch of data points that suggest it's not a good idea, including yesterday. I just wish I had been more diligent about noting when exactly I've been taking gels, so I have to rely somewhat on memory here. But I took a gel before my sucky workout yesterday (that had other bad factors mixed in), took one during my HM race in August (and that race sucked, although also with kind of warm temps and a headwind the second half). On the other had, I did not take a gel halfway through my HM race in February, and that race went well. This does not seem to be an issue at M-pace or slower though.
I think I need to experiment some with this next cycle to see if I can replicate the bad workouts (although I really don't want to).
5k: 20:32 (1/17) | HM: 1:34:37 (2/18) | FM: 3:31:37 (3/18)
Getting back into it
Steve - Yeah if someone like Dan Balchin, Evan Elder or Oska Baynes turns up it's typically all over for us mortals! For reasons I don't understand, Wellington and Christchurch both seem to have much deeper running scenes than Auckland (particularly Wellington).
Intl. correspondent
I've signed up for a 3K this Sunday Oct14th, it should be fun!
I'm also eyeing the state athletics master championship Oct 20th. You can run up to 3 races. All races happen on the same day.
The 400m is at 9:40am, I wonder if I can run sub 65.
Then the 1500m is at 10:40am, I'd hope for a sub 5:10
Finally, the 800m is at 3pm, where I'd be hoping for a sub 2:40.
PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021
Up next: some 800m race (or time trials) / Also place in the top 20% in a trail race
Tool to generate Strava weekly
Keen funny that your light week is still 70 miles !
Bro very nice job. Hopefully you have overcome a mental hurdle. Im sure you can go much quicker now you have this experience behind you.
Jmac sounds like fuelling and general fatigue but the end is nigh and you have made it to taper.
Rune at least gels arent really needed for halfs so try and cut them out. Thanks for the 400s advice. Yes if you have some info I should read it as Im just winging it right now.
Steve 20.13 in a 22km run is excellent. I reckon you can go sub 19.
Flavio that sounds like alot of fun. Im sure you will go sub 2.40 800m. I used to do 6 reps at 2.40 not that long ago and your short distance speed is as good as mine.
Im having a rest day today after feeling a bit burnt. Not surprising after 8 low weeks then 2 x 80km weeks
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 "
Rune at least gels arent really needed for halfs so try and cut them out.
Yes but I still like them
Great race Bro! thanks for the report, I am still trying to figure out the full marathon (with a PR of 4:15 at the moment...) I'll try again next year in May, and I will take some inspiration from this post
Flavio, that sounds like fun! I'd really like to do some track races but I have not figured out how they work here in Northern Ireland. For now I think there will be a few cross-country options, but I am not sure I will want to participate...
I am taking it easy at the moment, with just a ew miles per day and trying to figure out my next moves. I think I will plan a 24 weeks marathon training with HM in the middles starting in November, and till then spice up a bit things with speed intervals and 5 K park runs. But i am not sure yet
PRs since re-started in 2013:
5km: 19:43 (Belfast park run Sep-16) | 10km: 40:16 (Belfast Lagan side 10K Sep-18)
HM: 1:30:09 (Belfast city Half Marathon, September-18) | FM: 3:25:05 (official chip time Belfast city Marathon, May-19, marathon was 0.3/4 longer, original time 3:27:20 for 26.5/6...)
Upcoming races:
???
Steve - Weather plays a huge role in pace/HR, just see my bitching all summer long
Rune - I definitely could not take gels at anything approach HMP. Even at MP, it's a bit tricky for my stomach. I don't have issues of getting nauseous, but I get crazy stitches if my body revolts whatever I'm trying to give it. Even water at 5K/10K pace would give me fits. You definitely don't need gels in a half, so no need to train your body to get used to it. Just practice taking gels during your M paced work. I'm actually running in a half marathon this weekend specifically so I can practice my gel and fluid plan for the marathon. So in the half, I will do something like gel at 3 and 9, with gatorade at mile 6. This will mimic my plan of taking gels and gatorade at every 3 mile interval during the marathon.
Flavio - 3K, that sounds fun! They definitely don't have those in the states. What's the goal? Also, I watched a long John Oliver segment on Brazil last night, thought it was funny after you and Mark brought it up. You guys have some crazy elections! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsZ3p9gOkpY
Piwi - The best advice on speed is definitely to start with 200s. Daniels generally limits this type of work to just 5% of your total weekly mileage. Your just starting up 50 mile weeks again, so I wouldn't jump right into 2.5 miles of R work, but I think 2 miles of it is perfect. I would start with something like 16x200, with 200 meter recoveries. Then, progress to alternating 200s and 400s, with recovery as long as the rep. Then, progress to 8x400. You shouldn't feel as beat up as you do, but that's probably because you jumped right into the hardest workout.