Sub 2:00 Half Marathon thread (Read 2396 times)

npaden


    Hector - don't worry about your speed.  IMO the risk of hurting your foot doing speedwork FAR outweighs any benefit you will get from it this late in the ballgame.  Just think maintain fitness level and be rested and ready to go on race day.

    Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

    Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)


    You Rang?

      greetings all:

       

      I've been somewhat MIA from this thread. Too much business releated travel!   I've been running 35 to 40 miles a week and logging calories.  I feel like I've been stuck in a rut.  The scale is not moving up or down and my pace seems to be hovering between a 10:20 and 10:40 mm pace.  My goal half marathon isn't until September, however I feel if I don't mix things up now, I won't be in a position to put up a sub 2 hour performance then.

       

      Zelanie: You are wickid fast and after your ten miler, you know it!  I also know that  you, like me used to weight a whole lot more that you do now and have recently dropped a ton of weight.  As a point of comparison, Would you be so kind as to share your BMI?   I'm trying to figure out if I ought to change up the diet and get more restrictive in the calorie department in order to improve my running performance.  It makes sense to have less of me to haul around that I would do it faster, but how much is too little?   It seems like my mind & body is fighting me on losing more weight.

       

      Rick

      Rick 

      PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)

      hectortrojan


        Hector - don't worry about your speed.  IMO the risk of hurting your foot doing speedwork FAR outweighs any benefit you will get from it this late in the ballgame.  Just think maintain fitness level and be rested and ready to go on race day.

         

        Agree. I don't want to do something stupid right now which increase my foot pain.

        miele


        Godzilla

          Zelanie-  Good plan going out conservatively.  It worked great in your 10 mile race.  How is it you take such good pictures during your race? I look absolutely horrible.  I mean really horrible.  Your pic looks like it was taken at the start you look so fresh and ready to go.

           

          pc-  I wish I could bust out 8:05 for a HM but I think I'm pretty close to my potential so the improvements will be minimal.  That's OK as long as I see improvements every once in a while.  Sounds like you had a great run!  I've heard it's a good thing to run with faster people and I believe it to be true.  I'm a loner, though, so no one to push me but myself.  About your funk.  You needed a little break after your uber-awesome HM.  Now get back to it!

           

          Edith-  What a schedule!  If I were you, I'd go ahead and book the hotel for the marathon.  You don't want to be in a panic should the rooms sell out.  I couldn't post a pic, either, since I don't have a photobucket type account.  That's why I just changed the avatar.  I hope your sore throat is gone by the morning.   I had a marathon where I felt fine afterwards and I actually got a bit upset with myself.   I thought there was no way I could've run to my potential and feel so good.  I was going up the stairs, down the stairs, sitting, standing without any problem.  That's not right.

           

          hector-  What npaden said.  Don't push it now and risk hurting yourself out of the race.  And Happy Birthday!  How was the concert?  CIM is California International Marathon in Sacramento.  It's in Dec. and I've done it the past two years.  It's a great race.

           

          Lurch-  The dreaded 'plateau'.  My BIL recently lost a lot of weight (60+ lbs.)  and when he hit the plateau he didn't let it get him down but he tried switching things up.  Maybe do some short interval bursts?  I don't know how much you're eating now but don't go nuts and not eat enough to keep the engine running.

           

          Nathan- Hi!  How you doing?

           

          Jan-  Any word from the sports chiro?

           

          me-  I had a pretty good run today.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I decided to set the alarm and get to the track before school starts so I don't have to deal with the PE class.  3x1.5 mile intervals.  I was thinking of trying to hold a 8mm.  7:51, 7:53, 7:54.  I was quite pleased with myself.  Later I checked the HR and it was quite a bit lower than last time I ran mile intervals at pretty much the same pace.  It was colder so that might have made a difference (I'll be taking gloves next time).   So next time I'm thinking of trying for a little faster pace.  Just as I finished the PE class came onto to track.  Perfect timing!  I loved it.  9.2 miles altogether.

          10K: 47:12* / 13.1: 1:50:56 / 26.2: 3:53:48

           

                      

          Zelanie


            Lurch- My BMI is around 22.5 these days, down just a bit from when I got to goal last August.  (For those who don't know, two years ago it was 40.5.)  I definitely feel that I could lose a bit more and see some improvement in my running, on the other hand this is a level that seems pretty comfortable to maintain. Smile

             

            When I was losing and got stuck, I tried to use that as a time to really look closely at what I was doing.  Was I really being honest with myself about my portions?  And sometimes I would just change things up, like have a different breakfast, totally different snacks, or something like that just to get out of my rut.  The scale always started moving again, but sometimes it did take 4-5 weeks.  And 4-5 weeks of careful tracking, measuring everything, etc.  But over time, if I did the right things, I got results.

             

            miele- Maybe it was relief that I knew I was going to come in under goal?  I have only been in one race photo in the past, and in that one I looked like I was walking and texting, not crossing the line to PR a 5K.  So maybe you'll get a good photo in Eugene!

            gosling


              Nathan and Edith, thanks for the vote of confidence! I certainly don't think I have 2:00 in the bag, but if everything lines up on race day I might be able to pull in just under.

               

              Edith - Yay for a new pup! My first dog was a basset/beagle mix and she was the sweetest, silliest dog ever.

               

              Zelanie - You killed those 10 miles! You have a sub 1:55 race in you for sure! Also a huge congrats on the weight loss.

               

              Jan - So sorry you are injured. As you will see below I had my own crying bout at the thought of being unable to run - it's the worst. Hopefully you got some insight today about what the trouble is.

               

              Jen - Congrats on an awesome race and PR!

               

              miele - Awesome that you are braving CIM again. Just keep telling yourself that this time will be a different experience (weather-wise and otherwise!) and you'll show it who's boss once and for all. Those intervals are pretty impressive.

               

              pcaharrier - Sounds like an awesome run. Nothing like running with someone faster to bring out the best in you Wink

               

              Hector - Sorry your foot is still bothering you. Hopefully taking it easy will do the trick and it'll continue to improve.

               

              Me - I actually spent last night icing my groin and crying (not because it hurt, because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to run) and worrying I had bursitis. Saw my chiro today who thinks it's actually that my psoas muscle isn't firing due to some ongoing back issues I've been having - which makes sense because the psoas anchors to those vertebra. After a laser treatment and an adjustment I am feeling MUCH better. Still not 100%, but he didn't think I needed to take any time off because of it so my mileage shouldn't suffer.


              You Rang?

                Lurch- My BMI is around 22.5 these days, down just a bit from when I got to goal last August.  (For those who don't know, two years ago it was 40.5.)  I definitely feel that I could lose a bit more and see some improvement in my running, on the other hand this is a level that seems pretty comfortable to maintain. Smile

                 

                When I was losing and got stuck, I tried to use that as a time to really look closely at what I was doing.  Was I really being honest with myself about my portions?  And sometimes I would just change things up, like have a different breakfast, totally different snacks, or something like that just to get out of my rut.  The scale always started moving again, but sometimes it did take 4-5 weeks.  And 4-5 weeks of careful tracking, measuring everything, etc.  But over time, if I did the right things, I got results.

                 

                 

                 

                Thanks Zelanie.  My BMI is at 27.2, so I still have some to lose.  I guess its time to change up the diet.  Like you, I eat the same stuff over and over and over again.  Weight loss was relatively easy when I would log everything I was going to eat that day over breakfast.  I was making a deal with myself.  Maybe its a bit OCD of me, but it got 130 lbs off my body.  Maybe my body has adapted to the same run routine and the same food.  Thanks for sharing your BMI number.  The problem is that in order to get your BMI Zelanie, I'd need to lose another 40 lbs.  I'd have a different kind of sub 200.... sub 200 lbs.  At 6' 6" tall that seems kinda skinny.

                 

                Rick

                Rick 

                PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)

                hectortrojan


                  Miele – thanks for birthday wishes. Concert was great. It is amazing to witness how band was able to keep high intensity throughout! Good luck with your marathon race in December. Did you get your PR of 3:58:38 in that race? It is exciting that you are trying to go for sub 8 min/mile next time.

                   

                  Gosling – sorry to hear about your injury. I hope you feel better soon

                   

                  Me – we had a lot going on last week and wife (she is running 10k after 10 days) couldn’t run for a week. She ran 10k yesterday night and it took her more than 65 minutes and she was not excited about it.
                  Yesterday evening when I reached home, I was sure that I was not going to run today and would ride a stationary bike. But while having dinner, we watched parts of The Biggest Loser and it motivated me. So I decided to pack my running shoes thinking I have to run. Doesn’t matter even if it is for a couple of mile, I have to run. This morning I ran a little over 6 miles at 8 minutes/mile doing tempo run. I wanted to run for an hour, but around 45 minutes into the run I felt like I was going to fade soon so I stopped at 50 minutes. Not running for an hour was disappointing, but on the positive side I had a new PR for 10k on the treadmill at 8 minutes/mile. I am tired of complaining about my foot and I am not going to talk about it anymore.

                  Jan26.2


                    Nathan - That's excellent advice for Hector, and everyone else too!

                     

                    Lurch - I hope your business travels took you somewhere warm and fun! Your mileage has been great, in spite of all the traveling. Hang in there with the paces and weight loss. Seems like nothing is ever linear in those areas - I bet all of a sudden you'll see both your pace and pounds drop.

                     

                    Hector - That's a great run on a sore foot! Ok, that's a great run on a normal foot. Was your wife's lack of running for a week due to injury? If so, we may have to separate you two until after your races. Wink And, happy belated birthday!

                     

                    Miele - Awesome intervals!! I don't think your improvements are going to be  minimal - I think you're going to kick some ass on a regular basis! Great timing on beating the PE class too.

                     

                    Zelanie - Ya, what's up with the supermodel race pic? You look great. I usually look like crap in mine, and my feet are never doing what I think they're doing in my mind. Last race I even tried to consciously pick them up when I saw the phtographer. I didn't realize you had lost so much weight at one time - guess I assumed you've always been thin. Way to go!

                     

                    Me - I got in to the sports chiro yesterday, and he's awesome. I, however, am not. The thing causing my immediate pain is a re-strained hamstring and a newly strained hip flexor. How I managed to damage both sides of my body on a rest day, I'll never know. The root of all my left side injury evils is Lower Crossed Syndrome, which is a fancy name for lower body muscles that are tight when they should be lose, and weak when they should be strong. Ugh! Plus my right leg is longer than my lift, which causes my left hip to stick out further. He said it's the 'perfect storm' for nonstop issues on my left side. The good news - it can be worked on and improved, but probably never really fixed (at least not the leg length discrepency). My instructions are to do no more harm to my hammy and flexor. Meaning, if something hurts, stop doing it. He let me run 3 miles this morning, and although it was somewhat painful, at least I could run. I can do another 3 on Thurs., then I go back Thurs. afternoon to see where things are. At some point he'll do some adjustments to my hips to try and realign them a bit more.

                     

                    He said the main thing I have to have is patience (ya, right...), especially if I'm going to try and run through all of this. Shorter runs, slower runs, and NO HILLS OF ANY KIND right now. I told him I have a 10 mile race in 5 weeks, and he said we'll see what we can do to get me running that far without pain, but as far as it being a fast one, he said not to count on it. I liked the way he put this - he wants me to train only as much as will allow me to run some quality half marathons in the upcoming months, no more and no less. I may have to choose between completing the distance and not feeling like crap, or shooting for PRs and doing it in pain. Oh well, at least I ran today!

                    PR's: 5k - 23:33/ 10k - 48:30/ 5 mi. - 39:21/ 13.1 - 1:53/ 26.2 recent - 4:34

                     

                    Upcoming races: Resolution Run HM 1/1/13

                                                Phoenix R&R    HM 1/20/13

                    the kenyan


                      Congrats to everyone who has lost weight.  I was bone-thin up through college when I was in hardcore training mode, then after not doing anything for 7 years and having an even crappier diet, I *ahem* filled out a little.   I was amazed at what a difference it made going back to running and more home-cooked, healthier food.  Dropped my BMI from 30ish to 23.8 since last August....not as extreme as others here, but it's definitely neat when people notice the change and compliment you.  Having been skinny for most of my earlier life, I hadn't really had that perspective, but seeing what happens when I stop taking care of myself is good incentive to keep at it.

                       

                      Had a solid tempo effort today.....10 minute warmup - 30 minutes @ 8:16 pace  - 10 minute cooldown.  I was consciously trying to hold back from previous tempo efforts that I felt may have been too fast based on the charts.  Randomly threw down an 8:05 on the third mile, but was otherwise pretty consistent at around 8:20ish in that respect.  It was also pretty windy out there today.


                      You Rang?

                        Lurch - I hope your business travels took you somewhere warm and fun! Your mileage has been great, in spite of all the traveling. Hang in there with the paces and weight loss. Seems like nothing is ever linear in those areas - I bet all of a sudden you'll see both your pace and pounds drop.

                         

                        Thanks for the sentiment.  My travels took me to cold and un-fun:  New England.  Don't get me wrong.  New England can be warm and fun.  It's just that January and February isn't the time.  Miles are easy to get when you have the choice of an hour on a hotel treadmill or an hour in a hotel room watching CNN because it is snowing sideways outside.

                         

                        I've mixed up my diet looking to remove fat.  I think I've gotten to the point where quality of diet (as opposed to mere quantity) has become very important.  I've mixed up the food, looking to remove fat.

                         

                        Gosling:  I hope you get everything squared away down there.

                         

                        Hectortrojan:  six miles at an 8:00 mm pace?  Wow!  My treadmill speedwork session is 3 miles at an 8:00 mm pace and I feel like I'm gunna die at mile number one!

                         

                        Jan26.2 - I hope you get yourself straightened out.  Sounds like you are in good hands.

                         

                        Kenyan - Like Zelanie, my BMI was north of 40.  I've dropped it down to 27 and shed 130 lbs.  I've gone to the DMV to get a new drivers license so the TSA stops giving me grief.  The podium trolls in Boston and Miami would not let me on the plane because my drivers license photo didn't look like me and listed a weight well north of 300 lbs. California lists weight on the Drivers License.  As fun at it is getting praise for losing so much weight, I believe that losing more weight is the single biggest thing I can do to run faster.  I want to run faster, so its time to mix up the diet.

                         

                        Have a good week all!

                        Rick 

                        PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)

                        Zelanie


                          Gosling- Glad you're starting to feel better!

                           

                          Hector- Hope that your next runs and DW's next runs are better!

                           

                          Jan- Glad it sounds like you're going to be able to run through this!  Sorry that it involves some tradeoffs, but it sounds like you're on the right track.

                           

                          Lurch- I didn't set my goal weight until I was about 10 pounds away.  Even then, I think I changed it twice.  Because you never know until you get close how you're going to look and feel at different weights.  So no need to worry about losing 40 more just yet.  But maybe lose 5, then set about losing the next 5, etc.  Sounds cliche, but I think it's the only way.  Oh, and I was getting the doubletakes about my driver's license, too.  Good thing I just had to renew.

                           

                          I also posted this in the HM trainers group, but I have some questions about my workout for next week.  Theoretically, my plan has two tune-up races of 8-10K each.  But I ran a 10 mi. instead of a 10K last week, and have absolutely no intention of racing again before my HM.  Next week would theoretically be my next tune-up race, listed as the LT workout for the week.  So I need to substitute something.  Some options I'm kicking around:

                           

                          A. 8 with 6@HMP

                          B. 2 x 3@10K pace

                          C. 5 mile tempo

                           

                          Other thoughts?

                          Jan26.2


                            gosling - I like the way your chiro thinks as far as not taking time off. Hey, maybe we need to trade. My psoas is overworked and tight because my glutes are lazy. It sounds like yours is taking some time off, so maybe your glutes are doing double duty. Wink Anyway, I hope you feel better by now.

                            PR's: 5k - 23:33/ 10k - 48:30/ 5 mi. - 39:21/ 13.1 - 1:53/ 26.2 recent - 4:34

                             

                            Upcoming races: Resolution Run HM 1/1/13

                                                        Phoenix R&R    HM 1/20/13

                            EdithRevisited


                            If you ask

                              Miele - I registered for the Sept race as I want to be sure to get in. I'm not worried, too much, about booking the hotel because I'm okay if I'm in the area, within driving distance; I don't need to be right in town.  It sounds like you had a really great track workout.

                               

                              Lurch - when I started running, and then training for a half marathon, my weight stayed pretty much the same.   After that first half, I started running with a friend who really pushed my pace.   In 4 months I lost about 15 pounds and took 20 minutes off my half marathon time.  I'm a vegetarian, and I don't eat much junk food, so diet was never a big issue.  Good luck in your continued effort.  You are doing great!

                               

                              Hector - nice to see you got a nice run.   I understand that you are tired of complaining.  As I say to myself when something hurts, "shut up and run"' but be careful.   You don't want your injury to worsen.

                               

                              Jan - I have lazy glutes too!!  Haha.  My squats are embarrassing.  My Chiro is always working on something related to my running form, or lack there of. I changed my avatar (temporarily) to show Winston.  He is a cutie... Kind of a tank as he barrels into everything, but also easy-going and lovable.   My opinion, not that you asked, is to train the distance and not go for the PR.  I don't really do speed work to avoid injury, but my times have improved naturally.  Good luck!

                               

                              Me - sore throat still bothering me.  NyQuil is my friend.  I did run Monday, rested yesterday, and if I feel well enough,I will meet my bro for our weekly run.   I'm hoping I can do it.  Being sick and resting is just not fun.   Tomorrow night is a lady's night in nearby town where my running store is located.  20% off merchandise so I'm heading there to get my shoes.  I may just run there.

                              • Charlie Horse Half Marathon - May 25
                              • PA Grand Canyon Marathon - July 27
                              • Labor Pain 12 Hour Endurance - August 31 (50k...or more!)

                               

                              the kenyan


                                Z - if your goal is threshold, then that 10k pace workout looks pretty killer.   I'm also a big fan of goal pace runs though, so option A isn't bad either.  The more practice you have 'dialing in' to a set pace, the better.