Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2018 (Read 704 times)

    I finally managed a good week with 5 days and 41 miles logged. On Saturday I tripped (in the dark the risks are increasing...) and almost pulled my right hamstring... but on Sunday 10 slow miles and it was fine. Today I took a day off (too cold and rainy to risk with the leg...

     

    I will try to keep the miles up this week and next week I'll fly to Raleigh Durham on Sunday, Back on Saturday morning, to go to Orlando on the 12-15 of December. I will try to use the hotel gyms to get some running. After this crazy end of the year I will try to get a marathon training scheduled. Flavio, no rain coat after a while not only you realise your skin is water proof, but that you can almost breath under water...

     

    hope you all had a good weekend and started the week strong.

    Marco

    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:  

    ???

    JMac11


    RIP Milkman

      Corey - I realized I forgot to congratulate you on the 8K! I agree with Mark, weird distance but cool to have that tradition.

       

      Piwi - You should try to find a 10K or 15K. Everybody tries to get a half in but I think you can find out just as much about your fitness with a shorter race. My 10 milers (effectively a 15K) was perfect, plus you recover a lot more quickly. I would think a half marathon would take a week to recover from which is not ideal if you're really trying to peak for the marathon.

       

      Me - 38 miles this week, as I'm slowly building mileage back up. It's amazing how quickly your leg strength goes with just 10 days off. I was sore from 6 mile easy runs earlier this week! My plan is to up my mileage even more for my spring cycle. I realized I may only have a few marathons left in me and I want to really see what I'm capable of after my 2:46. I will (of course) be using Daniels 2Q again, except I will up my mileage to the 71-85 MPW plan. I was able to average 59 MPW for the 55-70 plan, so I'm hoping to average around 70 for this marathon, although that will be a tough task. I've never run 7 days a week as the rest days give me a mental boost , so I may be more likely to run doubles on my recovery days and stick to 6 days. I have the NYC Half 4 weeks before Boston, will be my major fitness test, although the course is often run into a headwind and the last 3 miles are pretty hilly, so I don't expect an amazing time. I will probably try to run another half sometime over the summer in order to get a shiny HM PR. I'll also try to get in a few shorter distance races as I start my cycle, as I like to know where my fitness is after taking this break so that I have a good gauge for the right paces for my workouts.

      5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

       

       

      CommanderKeen


      Cobra Commander Keen

        JMac - No injuries! The running has really helped my legs loosen up. I may start some reps next week, but nothing other than easy running and days off until then.
        Botswana is your goal spring marathon, right?
        I recommend keeping the rest day and going with some doubles if you need to in order to average 70 mpw.


        Piwi - Definitely glad to hear about the improved calf.


        CFarr - Congrats on the 8k.


        Just easy running from me since the race. Maybe a little more volume this week so long as I'm feeling good, but nothing crazy high and at most a few strides later in the week.
        Still no super-solid plans for next year, but I'm leaning toward the Chisholm Trail marathon in late March or the OKC Memorial in late April. Maybe a shorter local race or two that I haven't done before to make sure my paces are right and probably nothing longer than a 1/2 for the fall. Who knows, it all seems so far away right now.


        Super-surprised at how the latest game in the World Chess Championship just ended.


        Has anyone tried the Roll Recovery R8? It looks quite intriguing.

        5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

         

        Upcoming Races:

         

         

        Marky_Mark_17


          Marco - nice week and glad that trip did not amount to anything serious.

           

          Keen - I didn't realise you were a chess fan?  I used to play competitively at high school although I'd have to admit I really haven't played at all for 10 years or so.

           

          JMac - yeah I think the 7 days a week would be tough, even given that your mileage means your body is used to a lot of work.  That day off running (or 2, in my case) really helps freshen me up physically and mentally.

          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"

          JMac11


          RIP Milkman

            Decided to sign up for a 10K on January 5. Last year, this race was cancelled as temperatures dropped below 0 degrees at race time (Fahrenheit that is), so I'm hoping that doesn't occur this year! Anyway, this should give me a good idea of where my fitness is just a couple of weeks into my cycle. I do find it a struggle to balance training needs vs. racing. I feel like if you want the most out of your training, you should be racing infrequently as they aren't as helpful as a big workout that day, but you do need a check in here and there in order to a) test your fitness and b) remember what it's like to race.

            5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

             

             

            SteveChCh


            Hot Weather Complainer

              I agree JMac.  It can be tough getting the right balance between racing and training.  For me I like to have something not way out in the future to look forward to, but also tempered by the fact that racing even a shorter distance than a half, requires a mini-taper and decent recovery for me.  I think your plan is a good one, and I'd expect you to be very strong in a 10km even at that stage of the cycle, given what you've just done.

              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

              Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024

              Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024

              Marky_Mark_17


                A 10k is a pretty good tester tbh... long enough to give you a sense of fitness, but not so long it'll require major recovery afterwards.  I would say the toughest thing with a 10k that time of year will be getting cadence up and the legs turning over in the cold temps - particularly given your last races have been longer distances.  You should be lining up sub-36 I'd think though and maybe closer to 35:00.

                 

                At the moment I'm probably racing a little more frequently than I'd like, but I'll revisit that after the HM series finishes in April next year.  I love the series but it really does jam the calendar up.  On the plus side at least it keeps the summer months interesting because I may well get bored of training in warm conditions without some races to keep me interested.  Weirdly I have no problem with the training grind through winter though, I guess I just like cold, dark conditions haha.

                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"

                SteveChCh


                Hot Weather Complainer

                  I like coming out of winter and on the first remotely warm day you see a ton of people you never saw during winter...softies

                  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

                  Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024

                  Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024

                    Steve up here winter is the best time to run.

                     

                    Jmac I wouldnt run a half within 4 weeks of a marathon if thats what you mean.

                     

                    Corey/Mark nerd alert on the chess. You meant to say NBA Corey 

                    My daughter and her boyfriend are nerds and he plays chess in a club.

                    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 "      

                     

                    JMac11


                    RIP Milkman

                      Steve - I welcome all those people who come out of their winter hibernation in the spring. It makes the people watching while running much better. Seeing a bunch of young skinny dudes running around in the winter in tights gets real old, real fast. Bring on the crowds I say! Except the bros, nobody wants the bros.

                       

                      Piwi - I feel like you took a dig at me running a half 4 weeks before 

                       

                      Mark - your racing schedule is crazy, I don’t know how you keep up with it. I really like racing, but I only do it if I know I can run a great time, so that means I will at least have to mini-taper into it, which causes disruptions in my cycle. Time-wise, way too early to tell what type of shape I’m in given I just took a bunch of time off, but a sub 36 would be real nice. Tough to say if I can do it though given I won’t really have any speed workouts under my built and I will just have gone through a big buildup in mileage beforehand (trying to go from 36 miles this past week up to about 75 over the next 5 weeks, which is going to make me tired). We’ll see when we get there!

                      5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

                       

                       

                      SteveChCh


                      Hot Weather Complainer

                        JMac - Oh yeah, I agree it is good to see more people (I won't comment exactly what I'm thinking here...but I'm sure we're all thinking it).

                        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

                        Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024

                        Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024

                        JMac11


                        RIP Milkman

                          JMac - Oh yeah, I agree it is good to see more people (I won't comment exactly what I'm thinking here...but I'm sure we're all thinking it).

                           

                          I tried to put it as diplomatically as possible when I worded it that way . It’s okay, my wife says the same thing in the other direction, so I think we’re all happy when the weather warms up 

                          5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

                           

                           

                            In summer theres an old guy here who runs in only a tight pair of yellow golden budgie smugglers. Hes tanned up big time and really skinny. We call him Goldfinger 

                            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

                              Corey - I say you eat the same things as always the week before the marathon. Exactly the same. No disturbing of the peace.

                              Marco - except when it’s 5 degrees out and the rain drops are piercing through you haha. Yeah, I’m soft.

                              Jmac - If 0C is when water freezes, then is 0F when hell freezes over? Also, share some love for the bros, it’s all kinds of fun passing them in the first km of the races.

                              Keen/Mark - I do enjoy playing chess, in fact it’s my favorite past time on the smartphone. I’m not sure I’d like to watch someone playing chess though.

                              Steve - we can’t blame the softies, in winter at least here the sun rises at 7:30am and nobody likes to run in the cold dark. Except GoldFinger.

                              Piwi - you threw a nerd alert cause the guys were talking about a chess match, what will you say when you learn I spend 12 hours a day attached to a computer haha.

                              Also "Goldfinger" haha, haha, haha, haha. Please never change!

                              Jmac / Steve - MickJogger must be kicking himself to respond while reading your comments. Stop teasing him!

                              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

                                Piwi calls him Goldfinger - I hope he never find out he's actually Goldfist Big grin

                                HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)

                                 

                                2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!