Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2018
Piwi - haha I've kinda ditched the cycle shorts now. Running shorts are cooler in summer and leggings are warmer in winter. They are still an OK option in between seasons though.
We have quite a lot of MAMILs around Auckland city area and also around Albany and Greenhithe where I live. In large groups they are famous for cycling 3km and then taking up most of the tables at a cafe for the next hour.
JMac - yeah I've had enough occasional interjections with cyclists on the Tamaki drive footpath to realise that Central Park could be a real battle in this regard.
Marco - sounds like a very tough day but glad you're OK. As Watson and Flavio have said, take it easy for a little while. I definitely think there is a lot to be said for training in similar conditions to the race. I don't run in the evenings often, but when I do I notice my HR behaves very differently to my usual morning runs.
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"
Marco: congratulations for making it through. Sounds like you weren't too far off the 4hrs when it hit you. I honestly don't know how that feels but I second Piwi in that it takes big balls to finish. I hope you didnt take away any long lasting injuries - that course seems like a constant up and down. Sounds a bit like what Jaime endured in Boston. But honestly why dont they do that race in June or September. As a night run it will get really cold....crazy Lux.
Thanks for the RR and hope you recover quickly!
HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)
2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!
Cobra Commander Keen
Piwi - I do run early - usually hitting the roads about 45-60 minutes before sunrise. Running really stuck with me when I switched from going out at night to the morning, even though I was far from a morning person at the time. Aside from it being the coolest part of the day in spring/summer, it's the only way to fit a run in right now.
Marco - Congrats on the finish, and good luck with the recovery.
Loving the MAMIL talk.
5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22
Upcoming Races:
OKC Memorial 5k - April 27
Bun Run 5k - May 4
Hot Weather Complainer
Great work Marco, hopefully there's no long term impact.
I found Central Park a great place to run although it was in the middle of a work day (the day after the marathon 2016 so I got to run down the finishing chute which was great fun - lots of finishers from the previous day were back taking photos next to the national flags).
I love running early but rarely manage to actually do it. At this time of year when it's dark even when I finish and pretty cold it can be a struggle to get up and moving but it's a great feeling when I do. For some reason when I tick off the kilometres I get a sense of satisfaction..."I've done 10km already while the people in these houses haven't even woken up"
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
JamesD
Marco - Congratulations on finishing. As others have said, be very careful over the next couple of weeks. You may want to consider replacing some of your runs with easy crosstraining for a while rather than jumping back into full-time running right away. I like swimming to get the blood flowing, work muscles, and provide at least some aerobic benefit.
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
Im definitely a morning runner. Im in a habit of bed at 9pm and wake 4-5am and then run for an hour. If I leave it till later I feel real sluggish.
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 "
Thanks all for the welcome back to the community from the bad race. I am happy this was not the main goal of the year cause it definitely did not go well. But this experience will not put me off running or improving my marathon, it will be a learning point.
I agree with Mark, Mick and others in that the biggest mistake I made was probably not training in similar condition (evening and course). I am a morning person, running in the evening is so different. Even just the fact that you start with hot and you close with cold whether, while I am used to the other way around impacts, or the physiology or running at different times...
Lucky, I didn't take home any permanent damage or injury (or at least it doesn't look like for now...) Today I can walk normally, and run slowly (but I won't run). I will take it easy in the coming weeks. James, swimming sounds like a very good idea. I'll try that
Flavio, I agree in principle, some times it is just better to give up. And in a similar conditions, at home, I would have probably dropped out instead of finishing like I did. But I was away from home, travelled to get the job done and I wanted the medal (a big circle with a fox on it, which seems a sad dog, so much that my wife when she saw it said: "poor doggy, look how sad he is... did you force him to run that marathon as well???"
Now that I have the "dog" at home, I can start planning (not training yet) for the real goal of the year, getting my HM time below 90'!
It sounds like the best strategy for that would still be to increase the mileage to over 50 on average, if not more, for a few weeks. Then, once I am accustomed to that average, start including tempo and VOmax trainings. Maybe some 5K (parkrun?) in a couple of months... The first race I can go is in September. I will look if I can find a 10k between July and August.
After September I am still thinking abut Dublin Marathon, but I am not sure yet as it seems close to the HM...
I have the book suggested (Advanced marathoning) and I am using the recovery to read it in my spare time this week.
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:
???
My preferred running time is around the middle of the day, so a work lunchtime run. But if warm, then evening. My actual time varies depending on what happens, last 7 days have been 7:00am, 3:00pm, 2:30pm, 7:45pm, 7:30pm, off, and 5:30am.
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
I wish I could be that flexible, I really need to have a routine to stick at it. I'm sure there will be a time in my life when I have no choice but to mix it up. I plan most of my day around my run, work hours, eating, bathroom etc. I wonder if everything would go haywire if I had to do it at a different time each run.
Marco thats good that you are reading Advanced Marathoning. The up to 55 miles per week would be a nice half marathon type plan too. The up to 70 mpw is a bit more hardcore and requires you to be comfortable at over 50 mpw when you start the plan. I would do the 70 mpw plan next time I run a full.
Meeting a mate for a lunchtime hill run today. Was nice to have a bit of a sleep in for once !
RIP Milkman
Piwi - Can't wait to see you train for a full!
Marco - Congrats on the run, not much else to add in addition to what others have said.
Running Times - 100% a nigh time runner, although I guess if I didn't have a job, I would run in the middle of the day. I don't know how anyone gets up at 5 am to go running. I've been up around 6 am this week and even though I could get a run in before work, I have felt so lazy that I just went into work early. I'm sometimes amazed I can run races given my aversion to running in the morning, but I think it's because I get up 2 hours before any race which gives my body time to adjust.
Me - Trying to figure out my schedule for the next 14 days before my 5K race. I do think it's important to "taper" for a 5K, although very differently than one would for a marathon. I'm going to only run about 90 minutes for my long run instead of the 120 I've been doing, I'll get my final big workout in this Saturday (6x1200, kill me now), and start reducing miles in the 7 days prior to the race. I do want to get two more workouts in during the final 10 days or so, so I'll go for 5x1200 about 8 days out, which I hope will be enough time to recover, and then a final 3x1mi at threshold about 4 days out, which is the workout I do before every single race distance from 5K to marathon. What do you guys think of that 5x1200 8 days out? Should I reduce it further, or given it's shorter than the 6x1200, it acts as a "taper" of sorts.
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
JMac - for a 5k, in my opinion you do benefit from a small taper so that the legs are fresh and sharp but you want to also keep some workouts in there to maintain speed. I think what you've got actually sounds more or less perfect. 5x1200 8 days out should be fine for recovery, and 3x1mi in race week is a great option combined with lower mileage in race week. I'd seriously consider taking a full day off running 2 or 3 days before the race, and doing a shorter run with some strides the day prior.
Running times - I've been a morning runner since I started - typically 5:30-6am start. There are multiple reasons for that - beating the traffic to get into work early, I enjoy the quiet and solitude at that time, cooler temps in summer, and on the weekend getting it done early means I can spend the rest of the day with the family. I've always been wired to be a morning person which probably helps too. I find with evening runs my HR and perceived effort always seem way off.
On that note JMac, I suspect 5am NZT corresponds to more like 6:30am NYC time! I know from my brother the working day there for him (he's a lawyer) typically doesn't start until ~9:30-10am whereas in NZ it's more like 8:30.
Jmac Ive heard VO2max takes 10 days to benefit you ? I might be remembering wrong. Personally the more you can get used to 5k burn the better in my opinion.
Mark, I am glad to see that there are early morning runners around. I do need to check my HR in the evening, but I guess that added problems to an already very problematic marathon and, with the rest, created what I went through.
Piwi, I noticed your comment about the energy gel and thought about it a bit more. I do not think I had problems with the energy planning during the race (used my normal approach). However, thinking about it, it didn't work as usual. I think the main problem was that, while when running in the morning I do not have consumed any calories before the race (or very few), with a race in the evening I arrived to the starting line with less calories on board. I was actually hungrier and had the feeling of not having enough in my tank.
I guess another effect of the difference between morning and afternoon.
A good thing (and probably reason for the recent events) is that I lost weight and I can now start a new cycle of training in a better shape (still a bit over what I'd like to be, but I can work on it with Mileage).
How did you late run go Piwi? Enjoyed the sleep in (I am trying to sleep in as well, but my brain is wired to wake me up and I wake up at 5:15/30 am anyway...)
JMac, I am not sure if I would call a 5X1200 8 days out taper, but in theory you will have the time to recover, so if you are used to, why not... I agree with Mark on the day off though.
me: On the positive, this is the first time the I feel fully ok after less than one week (strange given the outcome... but maybe my brain gave up during the race considering what happened and actually saved me from damaging my body... maybe muscular memory of bad experiences I had in my past running life??? I am not sure...). I will keep it easy for another couple of weeks and I'll assess. In the meantime I'll study and plan for the HM in September.
I am still thinking about the full marathon in Dublin, it is 40 days after the HM (which I would really like to run with a PB and possibly a sub90...). I think it will be possible to recover, but I am not sure whether it is something I should avoid... it will probably result in a less than perfect preparation for the FM, but it will be a good goal bringing me to the fall and probably a good marathon (flat) to run after Lux...) I'll think about it since I have more time than usual in the morning due to short or no running...
Marco its great to see you are still fully motivated to run another marathon. Fueling would have been tough. I think the best way to prepare for a night race is run at night especially some long runs and have a huge meal at breakfast on the morning of the race.
My midday run was good and I have been forcing myself to do some 4pm runs while waiting for my son. Ive been using those for doubles after running earlier.
Im pretty sure my week is done as I have a kayakfishing comp tomorrow. I took some motivation from Mark and Jmac to increase some quality so I added some fast kms within my longer run today. I actually find this takes away the monotony of longer runs as well as using different muscle groups so you dont feel kinda heavy and fatigued.
My running mate got his 1st sub 20 today at the local Parkrun and took 1st place so Im stoked for him.
Weekly SummaryMonday, May 14, 2018 thru Sunday, May 20, 2018