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

Keen - Good luck in your 5K! Can't imagine conditions will be ideal though.

Steve - Hope it's just a niggle and comes back in a few days.

Rune - I do remember that! I guess I just didn't realize (more like didn't read) that you had a down week in the previous month which is why the numbers seemed so high. Keep up the good work. And yes, I'm following the full 18 weeks, so I think you'll be about 2 weeks ahead of me the entire way!

Mark - I ran in cooler conditions yesterday, it was only 85/30! Now you know why I have so much snark when you Kiwis complain about it being "so hot" when it's 25.

Steve - I hope that injury ends up being more of a niggle.

Rune - I don't really consider it "low" mileage, just not the mileage I had planned on. That hill is a monster - I was doing ~5:40-5:50/mi most of the way down (topping out under 5:20!), but on the way back my slowest was ~7:44/mi, usually around 6:40-ish.
It's a strange race from a pacing/strategy perspective, since usually going under mile race pace in the opening mile of a 5k would lead to a spectacular burn-out. Maybe that's a little like what Mark feels like during a regular race!

Mark - I'm using a Garmin Fenix 5X. It has a couple firmware-related issues that are minor annoyances, but nothing worth ditching it over.
And thanks! I think I may have hit another level of heat acclimation this week, so I'm hopeful about the race. I think I'm going to try running it off of feel & Stryd, just to see how that goes.

JMac - I just checked the forecast and it's supposed to be ~76*, dew point ~70*. Far from ideal overall, but probably about as good as I could hope for.

Matt - Thanks! Speedy PR, especially since it was XC and not roads. You're young, too, so you've got a lot of time to improve and chase down 15:59.

Training cycles will be fun for me to watch this summer/fall. It looks like Rune, JMac, & Brewing Runner (sub 3:20 thread) are all doing Daniels 2Q plans as well, but all starting a couple weeks ahead of me.

Jmac- No I appreciate the advice, maybe I should lay off on the 5k in November. If I were to run it, my training would start the first day I arrive at school, and I'm not sure if I want to have to worry about running workouts and stuff the first few weeks of school anyways. Right now the plan is to run whenever I can, probably before classes start, but school will always be my priority. Through running I have learned that goal oriented people find ways, so I'm convinced that I'll be able to find a way even around school. You're right though, I do need to take some time to meet people and make connections, especially considering I am out of state and know no one there haha

Mick- Yeah K-State is Division 1, and even though it has mostly local runners (not much recruiting), it is still very competitive. For reference, I ran a 2:01 800m this track season, and to secure a spot on the track team, I likely would have had to run closer to 1:56-57 on a fairly consistent basis. I'm guessing it is possible to be able to walk on sophomore or junior year, but I have to consider if it's even worth the time commitment or not.

Mark - I ran in cooler conditions yesterday, it was only 85/30! Now you know why I have so much snark when you Kiwis complain about it being "so hot" when it's 25.

Complaining about the weather is pretty much a national pastime here in NZ.  Mostly because not much else interesting happens!

Keen - I am using the Fenix 5S.  I have mostly been really happy with it albeit I haven't tried any of the beta firmware (Garmin stuff tends to have a few irritating bugs even in the final releases!).  I do find the GPS to be a bit more prone to getting wobbly when I'm running through tree-lined streets etc. though, vs. my last watch (Garmin FR235).  It seems a little odd considering the Fenix line are marketed for trail running and hiking rather than just being a pure running watch like the FR235.

Matt - wow, that's really competitive.  Part of me wishes I'd really given running some serious focus earlier on although I had no idea I was any good at it then.  But, I met my (now) wife and my best friend at university, and my job enables me to look after my family pretty well and have a pretty good lifestyle, which includes running, so I'm probably inclined to agree with JMac and Mick.  And there is absolutely no money in running in New Zealand, that's for sure!

I agree, at some point at Uni I realised there was no money in Running (especially for me, with a 800 mt in  2'06'' ....), so I decided to give up and study and work and put together a family... However, 15 years later I regretted giving up. The passion stays with you and, if you have it, you will be back... I am back now but it takes so much time to get back to have some fun...

Keep up the running is not so bad if you can find a balance and keep things in perspective (as Jmac suggested). Also I am convinced that I have the job and the lifestyle I have because of my running mentality (the grit to stick to a task, as they call it some times, is an everyday activity for a long distance runner; we do not know how to give up even when we realise we are not the best we give 100% of what we can - this is a good skill to have in business ...). I think running shapes a lot of what I do and who I am.

Said that, this week I am taking it easy enough, just getting miles in

Says the guy who has PRs for warm weather!

Mark - Where I run GPS is really good since it's wide-open country with no tall buildings or even trees that cover the roads. I've run the OKC marathon/half marathon twice with it now and I will say the tall buildings really mess with the GPS until you get clear of the buildings - I think that's pretty standard, though. One of the latest betas enabled the use of Galileo satellites, so maybe those will do better than just GPS/GLONASS.

Piwi - I didn't win, but I was only ~2.5 minutes behind the guys who did so I was practically breathing down their necks.

Watson - Nice callout! 

The race went pretty well. It was warm and humid, though not as bad as I thought it would be, with about a 10mph/16kph wind that was a tailwind for ~1k to the midpoint turn, then naturally a headwind back to that 1k/4k point. Yes, this race only has kilometers marked, something that only this timing company does around here.
People seeded themselves oddly well, except for the 6 year old who thought he could hang at sub-18 pace. One of the super-fast guys did something to his calf before the 1k point and hobbled back to the start - I ended up passing him on the way back at around the 4.5k point.

I ran just by effort / stryd and things felt really good to the turnaround, where I passed the only person I would - an 18:2x 5k guy who's coming back from a leg issue. Thing were a bit slower on the way back due to the wind (though the cooling effect was nice. About the 3k point I started having some GI issues. The closest porto-johns are at the start/finish and I was caught in an uncomfortable place between "running is the fastest way to get there" and "GI issues will probably go away/lessen if I stop running". I settled on a bit of a middle ground and backed off the effort a little and made a sudden right turn after finishing (19:07) to head to the porto-potties and all was well after that.

I'm a little bummed I didn't go sub-19, but I did get a PR out of it and I'm happy with my overall effort level. I keep eeking out small PRs (~1-2 sec/mi faster than previous), though typically in less favorable weather and on somewhat more difficult courses than before. Looking forward to some (eventual) big PRs!