Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2018
Keen - great year and really good to see you got the rewards as one of the most consistently hard-working guys on the thread too.
JMac - great year, as much as that last part of your marathon probably sucked it was 100% worth it to crush a PR like that. Big goals for 2019 so hoping you can smash another big year!
Me - I'll post my recap soon, but here's my weekly... legs actually felt worse on Sunday (tight calves after racing in spikes plus a bit of post-race fatigue) than they did on Saturday so I cut my LR a little short. No point overdoing at this stage particularly given it was around this time last year the ITB issues escalated!
M: weights
T: 11.2km track session
W: 12km easy
T: 8.1km incl. short efforts
F: 7.2km incl. Night of 5's 5000m (16:03)
S: 14km easy
Total: 66.6km (the Training of the Beast?)
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"
2018 in review
It's kind of ironic that my final race of the year was in exactly the same place as my very first run of the year - up at the track at AUT Millennium. That first run, as with most around the time, involved a bunch of ITB-related pain and misery - I'd broken my goal to 'not get injured' before the running year had even really begun. Running really sucked for a while there.
Luckily for me, that was the low point of the year and after two weeks off (well, snowboarding), I felt in remarkably good shape and I never really looked back.
Aside from the 'not getting injured' goal, the other three were:
After a hot, humid, slow race at Orewa with my first and hopefully last course error in mid-Feb, I ended up ticking off (1) at Coatesville in mid-March. A tough, hilly course and certainly not where I expected to do it, but 1:18:20 became 1:17:46 and then 1:16:08 at Waterfront just 3 weeks later. I was pretty proud of that Waterfront race as not only was it a PB, it also clinched the Auckland Half Marathon Series in what was a 'winner takes all' race against a couple of great rivals.
As usual I enjoyed training through the dark and cold of winter, logged some good consistent miles and had a solid race in Taupo in August, albeit I had hoped to be a little quicker (I still reckon it's because I forgot my gels). That wasn't as disappointing as managing to exactly equal my 10k PB at Auckland Road Race Championships a few weeks later, although I got that as well at National Road Race Championships 3 weeks later (34:08).
The highlight of the year for me was undoubtedly Dunedin Half Marathon / NZ Half Marathon Champs on September 8, one of those days I'll remember forever. A stunning crisp, clear morning and I had a race I'll never forget, hitting all 3 of those goals in the one race when I ran 1:15:40 (PB) and also won a National Half Marathon Championship silver medal for M35-49. There is absolutely no substitute for the feeling approaching the finish line that day, that feeling when you know you've really smashed a race and have a PB in the bag.
Wrapping up the year was:
And of course finishing the racing year last Friday with the Bays Night of 5's 5000m at Millennium where I ran 16:03 and can definitely see how sub-16 could be on the cards just from what I learnt in that race alone.
I honestly don’t know how this year could’ve gone much better and I’m pretty damn grateful to have got the results I did, including 4 PBs, 2 National Championship silver medals, a half marathon race win, and an AG win in the biggest race in NZ.
Looking ahead to next year, I think my goals will be similar. I'd really like to take that HM PB down again, in particular, and maybe a sub-34 10km too, but that'll be a mid-year decision as to whether I focus on National Road Champs (10k) or do the Mt. Maunganui Half Marathon in late August.
PBs:
5k: 16:24
5000m: 16:03
10k: 34:08
HM: 1:15:40
Mileage progression:
2016: 2,686km
2017: 3,612km
2018: 3,590km (est.)
2019 goals:
Mark - good week. And great 2018
My week was ok(ish). I couldn't make Tuesday due to life commitments, and Wednesday weather got in the way.
PRs: 5km 18:43 (Dec 2015), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:26:16 (Sep 2016), full 3:09:28 (Jun 2015)
40+ PRs: 5km 19:31 (Oct 2020), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:29:39 (Jun 2018), full 3:13:55 (Sep 2022)
2023 PRs (hope to beat in 2024): 5km 20:34, 10km 41:37, half 1:32:32, full 3:21:05
2024 PRs: 5km 20:25
2018 Review.
A very mediocre year. I had aims on 1:25:00 for the half, and didn't get close.
My year started pretty low with moving out of my (sold) house and into a rental whilst we were building. I then had some lights weeks due to exams.
My first race was in March, in a very social race (they had wine at the drink stations). It was meant to be half but they had to cut the course short due to one of the vineyards being unavailable (it was a very hot summer, so grapes came early). So it was really a 20km which I ran in 1:38. I started ok, but died second half kind of like the two marathon's I've ran. I was in better shape than the race, but was affected by it being very hot, drinking the day before, and it being a very slow course (lots of turns, long grass etc.).
I then had a holiday. And it was a good 5 week training period (ave around 45 miles with more quality than I've done in the past). I then raced the Half at Chch Marathon. This is a quick course, and conditions were very good. I just went under 1:30 which was my aim.
I then had another good two months of training (lots of 45-50 mile weeks). And I felt good going into the 5 Bridges Half Marathon in Lower Hutt - my workouts were quite a bit quicker than Christchurch so I thought 1:25:00 was a real shot. But the race went bad as:
1. I forgot my inhaler, so when halfway there I drove back and go it. Meaning I got to the race soon before the start.
2. I got a small warm-up. Then I was 50 metres from the start with about 2 minutes to go, then it started early.
3. I should have accepted a circa 15 second loss, but I panicked and ran way too fast the first 400 metres. I then progressively got slower as the race went on, the course should be a negative split, but I was positive split by about 2 minutes.
4. I forgot how deceptively slow a course it is. There's about 2km on grass plus a considerable wind, and some stairs.
Post then I trained little. As the house build reached the peak in terms of decisions, issues and stress. Of which we moved in late October - overall the house is really good with a few small issues that we need to get fixed.
My volume for the year will be about 2350km / 1461 miles
2017: 2720 km / 1690 miles
2016: 3313 km / 2059 miles
2015: 4022 miles / 2500 miles
So volume has been dropping since 2015! I only managed 16 weeks of 40+ miles.
My 2019 aims are:
- Have 40 weeks of 40+ miles.
- The above weeks to include 2 runs of some quality.
- To race far more regularly. 2017 I only raced two times, and 2018 I only raced 3 times.
P Kiwi - yeah nah must also be an Aussie thing because that's Ozzy Man Review's go to expression....Great game last night (or afternoon for you?). Paul George has to be in MVP talks by now. He catches fire every game.
Mark - nice race report, and again congrats on that blazing time. I've never run a track race but have always looked for a good one without any luck with logistics making it work out. And holy crap on last lap of 1:03! That tells me you're right now capable of sub 16. I'm very inspired reading through your year review also. Can't wait to see what you can accomplish next. I must catch up to you.
Watson - Can't imagine anyone could get any good training whilst building a house. I remember taking on a couple large (for me) renovation projects a while back and that alone distracted me for months. I like your goals for 2019.
I changed my mind yesterday on hills, and decided to get a short tempo in toward the back end of a long run. Started it after 8 miles easy pace, then 5k in 17:39 (roughly 5:42 ish pace), then another easy 3.9 miles or so back home to round off with 15 miles total. I don't know if that represents my current half capable pace, but I'd like to think it does.
JamesD
2018 in Review
I’m running enough again that I suppose a year in review post is appropriate. As a reminder since it’s been almost six months, I’m James, M56, Georgia, USA. PR from 11/17 is 1:31:53, but I think sub-1:30 was realistic then and may be again soon.
After my November 2017 half, I decided to gradually build a bigger base, as I’ve always run very low mileage because of chronic knee trouble. Between a vacation and a bad case of the flu, it took me until late January to get back, but for almost four months I averaged 34 mpw, well above my previous high, and I had started short tempo runs. During an easy run, my right hamstring began hurting increasingly severely. Wasn’t really tightness, just soreness. Since it didn’t get better and ached even when I wasn’t running, I pretty much stopped for three months. During that time I swam and did pool running 3x/week and leg-strengthening exercises almost every day. That's when I stopped posting here, as "I swam again this week" didn't seem like a very interesting post.
I started jogging again about four months ago and have gradually worked my way up to 35-40 miles/week, above my previous peak. It was all around 8:20/mile pace until five weeks ago when I started doing short tempo runs once a week. The glute/hamstring is definitely not 100% - it hurts sometimes during runs, and I can’t stretch my right leg nearly as much as my left - but I seem to be able to run with it ok, and it’s gradually getting less troublesome. Have not wanted to sprint yet, and I’m leery about testing it on significant hills, but last week I did a 3.5-mile tempo at just under 6:40 pace - not far off where I was in late 2017 - without too much soreness, so I’m optimistic I’ll be able to race on it eventually. Otherwise my legs feel good, and I'm recovering faster than I used to. I feel like I have more endurance than before, and it’s just a matter of how much and how quickly my speed improves.
After not missing a scheduled run since late August, I’ve missed the last four days with what may be a sinus infection. That’ll set me back a bit, but I should be ok in the next couple of days. I hope to get in racing shape in time for a March half. If I’m not ready by then, I’ll go for some shorter races, as it gets too hot around here for a half until October/November.
2018 total - around 1,200 miles
2019 goals - average over 30 mpw, <1:30 half
Post-1987 PRs: Half 1:30:14 (2019); 10K 39:35 (2019); 5K 19:12 (2017); Mile 5:37.3 (2020)
'24 Goals: consistency, age-graded PRs, half < 1:32
RIP Milkman
I fell behind here over the weekend!
Flavio - You may be the first person I've heard that looks at the 2Q plan and says "that doesn't seem so bad." His workouts are BRUTAL. I think that's the difference between Daniels and Pfitz. Pfitz does a lot of work to tire you out with MLRs, but I don't remember him having 3 workouts per week, unless you consider MLR a workout. Also, Daniels combines his mileage with his workouts. So it's not like you're just doing 3x2 mile repeats. Instead, you're warming up for 8 miles, and THEN doing 3x2 mile repeats. Trust me, I love the man and what he's done for my training, but I can't imagine anyone starting his plans and thinking "this isn't too bad." Of course, that's assuming you stick to the workouts as written and not just do the fast stuff without the associated warmups. I will say that his half marathon plan is really good as well if you're interested.
Mark - Great race. I love all the chatter around 5,000M vs 5KM. Anyway, I think Piwi is right that it's a touch faster, but who cares, count it. Also your race goes to show how using a watch on a track is useless. Finally, another great year. Getting to 1:14: would be a major accomplishment for next year. I think once you hit those sort of times (and honestly the times you're hitting now), you'll never look back as you get older and wonder "what could have been." I think one of the things I've learned from these boards is to get these times when you're young, because some of the older guys on this forum do wonder what could have been. I know I'm past my prime for 5K/10K, but I think you can still grab lifetime PRs at the half and full until about 40.
Watson - I've only seen this lower mileage version of you, I can't believe you ran 2500 miles just a few years back! I think if you can get back to 2000 miles for 2019, that would be amazing.
DJ - Looks like you still have a lot of speed! Are you on Strava?
James - Good to hear from you, was wondering how you were. Please stick around.
Me - Here's my week from last week. A bit strange because I had 3 big quality days and only 2 short recovery days, but my schedule is forcing it a bit with the holidays and working back from my upcoming 10K. Leg wise, I feel great. I don't have the walking zombie feeling I had at the start of my last cycle. I'm not sure if that's because I'm running in near perfect temps or it's because my body is used to it, but I'm definitely ready to start upping the mileage. My LT pace is about 5 seconds slower than where it was at the end of my last cycle, but I think that's to be expected given my time down after the marathon. I am having some issues with my right foot though: my metatarsalgia is starting to creep back in, and I feel like I sprained my right ankle. I had trouble with this ankle a couple of years ago, so I just hope it stays calm. This week will be a big test though, because I have 72 miles scheduled over the next 6 days, which would give me 92 over 7. That should fix all of my "I feel too fresh" concerns
Weekly SummaryMonday, Dec 17, 2018 thru Sunday, Dec 23, 2018
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Just to add on my "please stick around" to James, this is a shot out to JamieGu and Rune to check in with us on their injuries.
Jmac do you remember Turfy aka Rob Russell?
He Was on my strava for a while and on the old forum. Really fast 1.15 half etc. I hope he is still around.
I haven't run official track races but have done 2 5k time trials and 1 10k time trial which was a 36.44 and my best 10k/10000m to date. I took a photo of my watch as evidence . This was back in 2013.
DJ are you on Strava ? Pretty much h we all are. We can then pry more into your personal life hehe. OKC were a bit flat against Minnesota. Adam's got kicked in the balls yet again. WTF have you ever seen someone take so many shots to the gonads
Xmas day here. I got bored and ran a 10k to make room for lunch. Legs were good but they always are after a few days off.
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 "
Merry Xmas everyone. I did a hilly 13km at 5am before the festivities begin!
+1
Good to see you back James and hoping the others are lurking!
Congrats to everyone on such great years! I keep up on the few people I am following on strava, but other than that, I've been quite busy with school to check up on this regularly. My year in review:
January-May was track season, I ran mostly 800m and 400m. PR's of 54.0 400m split on a 4x4 relay, 2:01.9 800m in my final high school race with state qualification on the line (I didn't make it). Towards the end of the season I was struggling with some nagging foot pain (top of the foot) so I cut mileage a bit but still powered on through the end of the season. I also ran a 4:34 1600m PR which I ran as a time trial alone after the last race of the season. It's a shame my best performance of the season (at least in my opinion) came shortly after the season was finished. That 1600m gives me some hope of what I am truly capable of if I am able to train well without injury and peak at the right time.
A short 4 weeks after track season ended, I ran in Grandma's Marathon. This was a pretty dumb idea, as I had only 4 weeks to switch gears from the 800m to marathon, but I figured it'd be a fun challenge nonetheless. I was pretty concerned about my foot at this point but luckily, the pain subsided and I ran the few weeks leading up to the marathon pain free. I posted a race review of the marathon somewhere, but my goal was sub 3:00 and I cruised in at a 2:54:49. This came as a surprise to me and got me thinking about Boston.
Post marathon, I planned on taking a couple weeks off, but settled for 10 or so days. Not my brightest idea as my body really just needed some rest and time off running. When I came back, I felt fatigued and what used to be an easy 7:00 per mile pace suddenly felt pretty tough to keep up. I think this was a combination of the lack of recovery after the marathon as well as the job I was working (day camp, running around outside all day). The rest of the summer I didn't really do much and just was focused on feeling recovered again.
I went off to school this fall to Kansas State University and met a few guys on the running club there (it's pretty lax, not a team or anything). We ran a 5k together and I was fortunate enough to win with a 17:22 without much of a base or workouts. The rest of the fall through november, I struggled with sickness (took about 2 weeks or so to fully recover!) as well as some knee pain. It was the strangest thing, my knee felt a little stiff when running before I got sick, but it had gotten progressively better. Then when I started running again post-sickness, it hurt even more and I had to take more time off. I ran a disappointing turkey trot 8k in 29:45, when I had hoped to go sub 28:00. At this point I felt like I was getting sick again and decided to take some more time off for my sickness and knee.
I had been learning quite a bit about Lydiard during my time off and decided to start up my training towards my half marathon in January with that. Since then, I have been running the base phase of the Lydiard system (my ultimate goal is to peak for Boston, not the Rock 'n Roll HM in Phoenix in a month of so). I reached 45 ish miles for a couple weeks then my knee and foot started nagging again. Took a few days off and now back running again, hoping to be healthy the rest of the way to Boston. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
PR's: 800 - 2:01.9, 1600 - 4:34.4, 3 mile - 16:00, Full Marathon - 2:54:49
Goals: Break 1:20 HM, Break 2:45 FM, Break 34:00 10k, Break 16:00 5k
Upcoming Races:
Strava link
Matt good stuff I've been watching your runs on Strava. That was a great marathon time for a young guy on not much mileage. Hope the injuries come right.
I read on Strava Jmac is injured with PTT. That sucks. Hopefully you younger guys recover quicker than us older ones. Tendon injuries do take time.
I had tennis elbow about 5 years ago and it literally took me 2 years to completely heal.
Merry Xmas to the northern hemisphere. Already a day past for us down here. Got a few nice running prezzies. Just going to do a very easy 5 miles on the beach
Piwi - yeah I saw that too. I had some very minor PTT niggles which I ran through with just taping and icing so hopefully it is not serious.
Matt - that is a great FM time off low mileage so definitely improvement in there if the body holds together.
JMac - yeah we will see what next year holds. I feel like I still have improvement in me so who knows?! Out of curiosity I also checked my 5000m time on the AG calculator... 81.35%. I'd got damn close to 80% previously but never past it... although my new 5km PR is actually better at 81.85%. Probably also gives me some extra confidence that I can improve those HM and 10k times.
Me - got invited up for a long run with a group at Orewa this morning so switched my Sunday long run to today instead. It was a good group with Mark Boyce, Brad, Gene Rand, Steven Lett and a few others so lots of good running chatter too. Tough loop though with some big hills in there and I was really flagging the last 3km, although at 28km it was my longest run in a few months so probably not surprising.
Thanks guys. I hope it's closer to Mark's experience. It's amazing how sore it was on Monday after my long run, it felt like I actually sprained it. It was crazy sore for the first mile of my run on Monday, and then was fine for the final 6. However, it was very sore after the run and I told myself I would play it safe if it bothered me the next day (today). Given it hurt within the first mile, I decided to shut it down.
I'm hoping it's more of the acute version given how it came out of nowhere vs. something more biomechanical (although they're not fully independent). I did have something like this a few years ago and it required 4 weeks of complete rest. Plus, I've read absolute horror stories of how bad it can be, which is why I shut it down so quickly this time around. I have some hope, as it feels a tiny bit better now then it did yesterday. I'm definitely taking tomorrow off, and then seeing how it feels the rest of the week.
Piwi - I do hope age helps, but it's funny how we all view age. If it was the NBA and a 32 year old got injured, we'd be worried about how old he was and that it would take a while to heal. It's all relative!
Moral of the story: injuries suck.