Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2018
Hot Weather Complainer
flavio, that sucks, hope it comes right quickly. I'm always very cautious about any achilles pain.
Not a good week for me. It's a daily wait to see if the pain in my calf goes and it's just hanging around. Doesn't hurt much to walk but I feel like attempting a run will lead to a decent lay off. Problem is, I don't know when to try it. Usually I'd do a very easy return to test it with easy run/walks but there is a race in 4 weeks...
Monday: 60 mins including 2 x (2,2,4) intervals. Was meant to be 3 sets but calf pain at end of second.
Tuesday: Weights
Wednesday: 50 mins stationary bike
Thursday: 50 mins stationary bike
Friday: Weights
Saturday: 50 mins stationary bike
Sunday: Weights
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
Keen - Congrats on the PR. Even small ones are worth celebrating.
I didn't post last week because I'm still just rehabbing. I feel twinges in my hamstring every two or three days, and I don't want to start back until they're gone for a while. In the meantime, my PT gave me several more exercises for my knee two weeks ago. I'm now doing 90 minutes or so, twice a day. After about four days of that, I had a sudden pain in my knee on a stepdown exercise, so I cut out that one and some others for a few days. I've gradually resumed some of them. I suppose my quads are gradually getting stronger, but for now they just feel tired most of the time.
Am trying to keep some aerobic shape by going to the pool 3 days a week for an hour or so of some combination of pool running and swimming. The swimming is better cardio than pool running, but it's made my shoulder sore, so I've done mostly the latter the last few times. Pool running, at least the way I do it, doesn't get my heart rate much over 110, but I'm surprisingly tired for the rest of the day, so it must be working something. Swimming & pool running are both pretty boring, but our city has a very nice indoor facility. I'm usually there when a bunch of competitive high schoolers are doing workouts, and their energy livens up the place. Makes for some nice scenery, too.
Am enjoying the World Cup. The Croatia-Russia match was much better than I expected. Rooting for Belgium the rest of the way..
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
James - the World Cup has been great viewing. Incredible to believe its the semi-finals and there is no sign of Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, the Netherlands, etc! Some great games too e.g. Belgium's comeback from 2-0 down against Japan and the Russia-Croatia game yesterday was very exciting. I can see how pool running would be really hard work without getting the HR up as you are basically fighting a whole lot of resistance from the water.
Matthew - nice week.
Mick - good to see you on the comeback trail - hope it's going well. I'm definitely feeling a bit tired today and a few little niggles lurking so probably back to 2 easy / 3 workouts this week I think. That 10km tempo on Saturday was pretty tough going albeit the fact I could hit that tempo at this point, on an undulating course, has me optimistic for my upcoming half. The 3:38/km avg is only just outside my HM PB pace (3:35/km) and I don't normally hit tempo blocks that long in training.
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"
Keen, a PR is a PR, no matter what it is worth celebrating (I do not use GPS or mobile phone when I run, so I am not used to technology and when I so that garmin I was impressed... interesting tool we had at the beginning of the millennium
Mark, wow that 10K tempo in the mix followed by a marathon sounds terrific, you are in great shape (of course you are tired, I don't think I could move if I would do anything close to that..)
Flavio,, Steve, hope you recover fast... I normally go easy for a week or so and add a 5-10 minutes of extra stretching focuses on them, but anybody has a different strategy and that is the one that usually works best .
Piwi, that Sunday morning run sounds strong, you also are in great shape!
I am finally over 40 miles this week after recovering from the HM (41, with a couple of fartlek and a long-ish run on Sunday of about 10 miles). tomorrow I will include some intervals, and I will officially start the HM plan. Hope to get some good training in.
enjoy your week
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:
???
Piwi, Mark and Marco - nice weeks.
The rest of you are light week slackers!...
...And so am I. A pretty bad week. Thursday had to be quite late due to life getting in the way, I was going to try to have 7km at tempo but could only manage 5km as I was getting mentally tired (it was late) and it was quite cold. The weekend had really bad weather, Saturday afternoon I just bailed as I was getting drenched after a few minutes. Sunday's MLR started ok, but then it turned really wet, so it just became a 10km run.
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
Lots of activity going on here, I'll have to come back and read through later, but running a bit behind today.
quick update from me on last weeks training I had another good week with record weekly mileage.
Weekly SummaryMonday, Jul 02, 2018 thru Sunday, Jul 08, 2018
PR's
1m 5:38 (2018)
5k 19:59 (2019)
HM 1:33:56 (2018)
FM 3:23:07 (2018)
RIP Milkman
Piwi - Please keep reminding us of it! It's always important to keep things in perspective. Also, great long run this week, and yes, you definitely do not have any injury credibility.
Mark - Great work as usual. I'm surprised you don't have scheduled down weeks. I've stuck to my usual 3 weeks up, 1 week down schedule, but now you're making me wonder whether that's even necessary. Probably will just for both my physical and mental health. Also down weeks give me a good opportunity to race as I can "taper" into them.
Flavio - Heal up! What shoes were you trying?
Matt - Good week, will be nice to see you build up.
MJ - Hopefully you find that Hanson works, I know most people do not like JD.
Steve - are you foam rolling, or anything else for recovery?
James - Hope you continue to heal up, try to stay sane.
Marco/Corey - Good weeks.
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Me - First full week of marathon training, overall things are going well. The weather finally broke this weekend, so my paces picked up considerably. My easy runs were naturally progressing to around 7:00/mile (my favorite kind of run!) which was nice, even during my Q session on Sunday. I've been so used to just slogging out easy runs at 7:50+ because of the heat, it was good to do something a touch faster naturally. It's like the weather gods gave me a slight glimpse into my fitness, only to take it back today when temps get back to 90 and dew point over 60. Piwi - dew point matters for us folks not in great climates like you!
My average weekly mileage over the last 12 weeks is now 46.5 miles / 75 KM. I feel like I've finally put that old foot injury aside and am back in great shape. Of course, I am constantly concerned an injury will come up out of nowhere, especially as I continue to increase mileage. Just gotta keep my fingers crossed.
Mark: Wow seems like you are on track for another PB. Fingers crossed!!! I assume that your physical predisposition and years of pounding on the hockey pitch have prepared your body well for this kind of hard work. I imagine most of us here would just fall apart!
Jmac: I loved JD but I think it puts too much strain on my body - at the moment. I might not have enough mileage on the legs (and they arent young anymore) to make it through a JD plan. My impression of Hansons half plan vs. JD: the tempo's aren't as fast, but the easy runs are a bit faster. I might be wrong - this is only the second week into Hansons plan. I might end up cursing it and injured just like with JD. But I decided to give it a shot after hearing Flavio mentioning it - and I think I am even a bigger whimp then him
Piwi: too bad your son doesnt want to continue with the boxing. Is that the one you take on local short runs? I hope you can convince him to join you to make up for the 60 minutes of hill work you used to get in while he was in class Who's idea was it to make that singlet with your name on it anyways??? Great idea!
Steve: I feel for you - had something similar and that cost me about 4 weeks of training and a 10-15% set back in goal pace. Big bummer, but I hope it wont be as bad for you! PT, foam rolling and mild stretching is keeping it at bay for me at the moment. I hope it is more like Piwi's calf strain, that miraculously disappeared after a day of rest.
HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)
2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!
Quick update... today I was supposed to do a quick and easy 4 miles, but I finally had the time (family on holiday, no kids at home) to run with the running club I joined last year for the first time in 2018, so I went. They do 2 sessions per week, one on Monday usually on a big field (something similar to an easy cross country), and one of Thursday on the track. Both fast intervals, and they always put in a twist. So I went (2 miles warm up) and tonight the idea was to run 10 X 600 meters on this field (not too hilly, but not fully flat and definitely not as responsive as the track or the road). We had signs on the field to indicate 400 and 600 meters; the twist was that a different hare was named for each 600 mt. The hare ran 600 mt., while everybody else stopped when the hare was done (indicated by the coach's whistle . Now, the funny thing of tonight's training was that I was the fastest (with another woman), so I essentially ran 2 or 3 600 meters and anywhere between 650 and 750 mt. for the reminder of the session. the only thing I know for sure is that I ran a regular 92'' per 400mt (a part for when I was the hare on the third 600mt. in which I managed 87'' on the 400.
About 1 mile cool down and I am home. I think I will have to adjust a bit the week, but it was fun! I am happy with tonight's session, especially considering that yesterday I spent the day moving stuff out and in the garage and cleaning everything (I was fairly tired on the upper body today...)
hope you are all starting a good week.
all the best
Marco - sounds like a fun track session!
JMac - great week and your mileage build has been good particularly given the hot and humid conditions you've had. Re the streak, I find something weirdly inspiring about going out to run in the cold and the dark at this time of year, especially on the weekends when the streets are super quiet. So the mental thing hasn't really been an issue, albeit physically I'm definitely feeling a few little niggles now. I guess at this point of training that's probably OK as I'll likely start to reduce mileage after this week.
MJ - I definitely think hockey helped. Running thankfully comes with a lot less bumps and bruises for the most part too haha.
CF - great week.
Watson - tough on the weather. We've had a couple of rotten days here but mostly I've avoided it, luckily. Long runs on a really wet day are just not fun at all.
Marco always fun running with others and i like the idea of a little competition.
Mick the runs are with my 20 year old who used to run with me when he was 13-15 yrs old and got quite fast. Hes wearing my " Piwikiwi " singlet which I drew up like that for my last marathon in Melbourne in 2014. This is the first time its been worn since then.
My 12 year old does the boxing fitness and hes very unathletic and would rather sit and play Fortnight on PS4 24/7.
I agree Mark has some superhuman strength ability for running !
Jmac nice week. All those miserable hot runs will pay off once the temps cool down as they have this week.
Cfarr nice week,
Watson I could say harden up but freezing rain in Wellington wind is nasty !
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 "
Piwi - it was not cold, just very, very wet. With strong wind, so the rain was coming at 45 degrees.
Steve - It almost sounds like it's time to give your calf a more serious rest to let it fully heal. Maybe even see a doctor and ask how long it needs to properly recover. I would not worry about the race and stick with very easy runs when you start up again. And intervals should be the last thing to try right now. Just my 2 cents, but we all want you back healthy in the near future.
Piwi - I know what you're saying about a weak upper body. I feel that way right now and think every day that I should do some light stuff to improve on that. And nice casual sub-90 HM in your training run!
Flavio - I've been at it with doing "manly" DIY stuff for a long time so I'll dive into pretty much anything right now. A lot of times it involves picking something apart and hoping and praying I can get it back together again . Hope you get your achilles figured out.
Mark - You're killing it with your consistency! And that tempo run on Saturday
Matt - Nice week to start mileage building and nice paces. Not sure what your max heart rate is but make sure you don't get stuck on running all your miles at medium pace. Even if you're very young your HR looks a bit high for me for what you are trying to do with your runs.
Mick - I changed the alternator on the car. It involved 4 bolts and 3 electrical wires. but they were all very hard to get to, and I had to do it from under the car. I also dropped a small wrench on my nose in the process but luckily I came out in one piece . Hope you get your calf figured out as well.
James - Hope you get your hammy/knee figured out. Trust the process and I bet you will be back soon.
Marco - Looking forward to seeing what your HM program will do for you. Remind me, what program are you using?
Watson - Sounds like you had some tough weather conditions. Nothing wrong with a down week when things don't work out.
Corey - Nice week!
I managed to reach my goal of 50 miles last week, but Sunday's run felt pretty hard after I accepted an invitation for a bike ride on Saturday. After 60 miles in the saddle I was knocked out and useless for the rest of the day (that bike ride is included in the table below). Sunday's run was not as bad as I thought it would be but my legs definitely felt tired towards the end of the m-pace segments. Judging by my HR I was very close to the same effort as during my marathon in March, just off by a beat or two at the end, and at a pace 12 seconds or so faster than the race, with 75 degree weather, sun, and strong winds. So right now that pace (7:30) is not sustainable for a full marathon, but I think it will get there soon. I try to target 7:25 pace for m-pace but didn't feel bad about letting it slip a little bit this week. On the calendar this week: two runs with substantial tempo segments so I see I better embrace that pace.
5k: 20:32 (1/17) | HM: 1:34:37 (2/18) | FM: 3:31:37 (3/18)
Getting back into it
Mark, Piwi, yesterday was fun! today I might take it easy though.
Rune, I am not using a particular training plan. I read "Advanced Marathoning", took the concepts and applied to the half marathon training I did last year, which comes from a "ultimate guide to half marathon" by the runner's world (I think). My idea is to follow the suggestion I got here (I think either Piwi or Mark or both) to consistently run over 40 miles per week and add some fast sessions in there. So I have 1 easy, 1 intervals (5-to-10 800 to 1200 mt. at 5k speed, but I may try something longer as well), 1 easy, 1 fartlek, 1 easy, 1 long (some times with HM pace in the middle for 4 to 6 miles), then 1 rest.