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

Jan26.2


    Happy New Year Sub 2:00ers! I hope everyone's year is off to a good start, whether you're running, resting or recovering.

     

    2ft - Good call on the 5k. Racing the 10k on Saturday will probably be more beneficial. Good luck with week 3!

     

    Zelanie - Your paces are about what I do, although I have a terrible time staying at a steady pace. I've read a lot about running by feel, and it makes sense to me. If the 8:45 felt do-able, I'd say you're ok. I like your idea of the 8:40-9:10 window, depending on what feels right that day.

     

    miele - McMillan has so many paces, it confuses the heck out of me! I've also heard that his paces assume pretty high mileage, like 70 mpw. I'm glad your 16 miler went well, now on to the taper!! Do they have runner tracking for your marathon? We didn't run a new half this weekend, as all the roads are still covered in ice, so we used our time from the half we did a couple weeks ago. Not our best, but oh well, it is what it is.

     

    Nathan - Excellent mileage for the year - congrats! I'm glad you got your run in, even if it was on the TM.

     

    docjen - Your mileage for the year rocks! I think it's been an epic running year for you - congrats! I don't have anything official on my schedule until the end of April, and that's a 10 miler in Denver. Feb, March, and April are heavy tennis months for my son, so my plan is to do maintenance mileage and watch lots of tennis. Hopefully I'll be able to run an unofficial half in each of the maintenance months.

     

    me -I ended the year at 1546.78. I don't know where the .78 came from... I just didn't have it in me to stay on the TM for 12 miles - 8 was plenty yesterday. It's still the most I've ever done, so I'll take it. I'd like to hit 1600 this year, and run a 13.1 at least once a month. I think I want to run the Long Beach marathon again in October, or maybe just the half - that one is still undecided. My main goal is to be less of a Type A, PR driven runner and try to really enjoy the races I do. Starting in May, I want to find a half to run each month, preferrably different ones than I've done before. I need to get it through my head that I can't PR everytime, and not let the clock time ruin the experience. So, when I start to get all pissy about my times, somebody slap me! Joking

    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

    Luke79


      Okay so I found a HM on 2/17 about 45 mins from my house.  I'm contemplating pulling the trigger.  I have the funds...I'm off that weekend...all that good stuff.  Lemme think.

       

       

       

       

       

       

      Jan26.2


        Luke - Do it!! Sound like the perfect situation, close by, you have the time off...I'd say it's one of those "here's your sign" things.

        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

        miele


        Godzilla

          Nathan-  Nice running!  Especially in Dec. since you were hit with illness.

           

          Zelanie-  You'll be well prepared for your HM after 15 weeks on that plan.  Just to give you and idea of my LT pace for comparison, my 10k pace is 7:48 and my LT pace is 8:00.  But, in all honesty, I feel I run the LTs a little too fast.  My HR is in the right zone but it just feels like a very hard effort.

           

          2ft-  I've been kinda sporadic with posting so if I don't get back online before your race...... Good Luck!!!  You'll be nice and fresh since you didn't race the 5K.  Any particular goal in mind?

           

          Jan-  No runner tracking in this race.  It's pretty bare-bones.  Water stops but no gels, gun time, etc.  I'm afraid I'll be lining up as close to the front as possible.   I hate doing that but without chip timing and with a sub-4 goal I don't want to start 1-2 minutes back.  As for McMillan, I've heard that his race predictions are based on 70mpw and therefore not accurate for most of us plebeians but that his training paces are pretty good even if you're not running that kind of mileage.  I've found that I can usually come very close to his training paces but I knew something was off with that 6:50 pace.  Smart using your HM time from earlier.  Those icy conditions are dangerous enough without trying to race.  You did well with 8 on the TM.  I don't know what happened to me the other day but I got on the TM for 8 and could barely make it to 4.  My head almost exploded.  So I stopped and went outside and felt great for the final 4.  Don't get pissy!  Cyber-slaps are particularly nasty.

           

          Luke-  What Jan said!  The stars are aligned!  Whatareyouwaitingfor!

           

          me-  Ran 3x1600s a couple of days ago.  It did not go well.  I hope what I read about not losing endurance over the 6 week period is true because I definitely have lost speed.  I was able to hit the first interval at 7:30, good but it got ugly after that.  Second one was 8, third was 8:20.  It's all good.  I'll have plenty of time to work on speed after my ultimate, final marathon.  Today I have 4.75 with some strides.  It looks like it'll be on the TM since it's storming outside.  Bummer. (yet happy to have the TM available)

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

           

                      

            Miele, thanks for the encouragement. I don't really have a goal for the 10K. It is a hilly course around Central Park, and this is the first of nine NYRR races I have to do in 2013 to get automatic entry in 2014 New York Marathon.

            New York Marathon entry fee is already in excess of $200, add to that the 9 races with entry fees, travel / parking, and that will be a very expensive marathon! But cheap when you compare with people who travel from all over the US and the World. And once it's done, it's done.

            Of the big marathons, I'd love to do London and Paris one day. Both are sensational courses, I would say the Paris has the edge, and is easier to get into, I believe.

            Had a great 10m general aerobic run this morning. 9:20 pace, AHR 140, temp 25 F.

            Personal bests (bold = this year): 5K - 23:27 / 5M - 38:42 / 10K - 49:31 (track) / 10M - 1:24:26 / HM - 1:51:17 / M - 3:58:58

            Next races: NYC Marathon, Nov 2014 

            npaden


              Ran my first Marathon Pace Tempo run on the Hanson Plan for my marathon.

               

              Felt really good, of course it was just a piddly 5 miles at marathon pace with 1 mile warmup and 1 mile cool down.  My MP Goal is 8:45 so that's what I was shooting for, ran a few seconds faster than that but really felt like I had a good rhythm going and my mile splits were pretty consistent anyway!

               

              Splits (GPS Interval)
               TypeDistance              Split settingsDurationTotal DurationPaceAvg HRMax HRNotes
              1 Manual 1 mi 9:33.26 9:33.26 9:34 146 156  
              2 Manual 1 mi 8:41.78 18:15.04 8:42 161 166  
              3 Manual 1 mi 8:40.22 26:55.26 8:41 162 167  
              4 Manual 1 mi 8:39.25 35:34.51 8:40 167 173  
              5 Manual 1 mi 8:38.47 44:12.98 8:39 169 173  
              6 Manual 1 mi 8:38.79 52:51.77 8:39 169 174  
              7 Manual 1 mi 9:50.53 1:02:42.3 9:51 157 169  
              8 Manual 0.05 mi 0:29.7 1:03:12 9:54 159 160

               

              HR was maybe a little higher than it should be, but I'm still on some antihistamine drugs and those always jack my HR a bit.  Ready to be completely over this cold/sinus thing and get completely on track.  I think I'm going to start following the plan now anyway barring any big set backs.

              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)

              Luke79


                Luke - Do it!! Sound like the perfect situation, close by, you have the time off...I'd say it's one of those "here's your sign" things.

                 

                Yeah, I'm just waiting for registration to open up at this point.  Can't believe it's not available yet.

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 

                Jan26.2


                  Miele - I think it's good for you to line up near the front, especially since it's gun timed. It would stink to come in at 4:01 because you were stuck behind someone in the first couple miles. I know the head-about-to-explode feeling on the TM, I've had it many times the past few weeks. Good call on finishing the run outside.

                   

                  2ft - 9 races!?! That's going to keep you busy, and get you well-prepared for NYC 2014. Nice 10 miler yesterday.

                   

                  Luke - Hopefully registration opens soon. Maybe they're waiting until 30 days out.

                   

                  Nathan  - Great job on the MP run - great splits! I'm excited to follow your progress on the Hanson plan. DH and I are thinking about using it if we do another fall marathon.

                   

                  me - Got a 10 miler in this morning. The temps were in the 30s and the winds weren't, so I headed out. After slipping, sliding, and falling for the first 4 miles I headed home and finished on the TM. I thought maybe the streets had thawed, or people might have cleared their sidewalks (since it's a freakin' law) but no such luck. I don't know that you could even call it running - more like jog, tip-toe, hop over ice, land on ice, fall on butt, start again. Oh well, it's done.

                  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

                  Zelanie


                    OK, I'm less than one full week into my plan and already thinking of scaling it back.  Can you guys say, "I told you so"?

                     

                    I think I have a mental block with the 10 mile LR distance.  I've run it once before but got an ab strain or something that made the last mile very challenging.  So I've been worried about this one since then.  So by today I was already throwing myself a bit of a pity party for how far I was going to have to run by mile 1.  Totally silly, I know, because I can run 8.5 and feel great and happy the whole way.

                     

                    But it occurred to me today during the run that there's no reason that I *need* to follow the LR build as written.  I'm probably at the point where I *could* follow the plan as written and have 15 very tough weeks ahead of me.  Or I could adapt it down, just a tad, and be challenged but feel strong.

                     

                    So as of now I think I'm going to just take a mile or so off the main LR of the week and not make up the miles on the other runs.  I ran 9 instead of 10 today (snap decision at mile 8.5) and have to say that I was back to feeling strong and happy for that last half mile.  Clearly a head game, but maybe it makes sense?

                    Jan26.2


                      Zelanie - Good for you! The plans are just a guideline, and I don't know many people who have ever followed one exactly as it was written. When I was training for my first half, I built my long runs slowly, adding just a mile every week. Some weeks I stayed where I was and didn't add. I think doing what works for you is the best way to get to the starting healthy and happy. My son did his first half this summer, and never ran more than 10 miles in training (and only twice). He finished strong and smiling.

                      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

                        Zelanie, what Jan said + 1. Use the TP as a guide, listen to your body, push a little but not too much, and you'll get great results

                         

                        Me: Saturday 10K race report: alarm set for 4:15, out of the house by 5pm. Drove to Jersey City to park and ride PATH and subway to get to the bib pick-up at NYRR offices on 89th Street. Arrived at about 6.45. Cold, I would say around 30-32, but with a windchill factor taking it down to mid to high 20. The streets and avenues in Manhattan funnel the wind, but once you get into Central Park, most of the wind disappears.

                        Having no particular goal, I set off pretty conservatively, and finished the first mile in 8:45. Warmed up and the density of runners reduced, I picked up the pace mile 2, but was still surprised to clock 8:03. Mile 3 contained a brute of a hill, but I cannot help making a big effort in hills, and clocked 8:18 for mile 3. Mile 4 started with a second hill just after the big one, and that one really slowed me down, as did the remaining ups and downs: 8:40. I was a little dispondant when I saw that mile time on the watch, but then I figured that if I could do the last two miles in 8:10, a sprint over the last 0.2 would actually bring me pretty close to my PR of 52:00. Morale was assisted by the first mile and a half of the 2.2 being pretty flat or even descending, but I knew also that the last 0.75 contained a couple of climbs. What the heck, I decided to go for it, and clocked 8:07 and 8:08 for miles 5 and 6. Ran the last quarter mile at 7:39, and finished at 51:54, a PR of 6 seconds, but I will take that with pleasure, considering that it was not an easy flat course, and my intention at the start was just a good workout.

                        Sunday: 14-mile LR. if you have problems running your LR slow enough, try doing it after a 10K race. Works wonders: average pace 10:20!

                        Personal bests (bold = this year): 5K - 23:27 / 5M - 38:42 / 10K - 49:31 (track) / 10M - 1:24:26 / HM - 1:51:17 / M - 3:58:58

                        Next races: NYC Marathon, Nov 2014 

                        Zelanie


                          2ft- Congratulations on your new PR! Sounds like quite an accomplishment with those hills. And running your LR the next day? Hard core!

                          doctorjen


                            2foot - congrats on a PR on a tough course mid-training!  And super congrats on pounding out the long run the next day.  I had to laugh at your how-to-slow-down-your-long-run advice!

                             

                            jan - " more like jog, tip-toe, hop over ice, land on ice, fall on butt, start again"  Oh my, that does not sound like fun.  Good call on retiring to the treadmill.  I'll help miele slap you if needed.  Well, probably not - I'm more of a passive-aggressive than aggressive-aggressive person :-P.  Regardless, I think enjoying some runs without worrying about a PR is a great idea.  

                             

                            Zelanie - what everyone else said about not being a slave to the schedule or the paces.  As for having a mental block about 10 miles, try breaking it up into chunks in your mind.  I ran 15 today, but I ran 6 with a friend first, and then had 9 to go, but I ran an out and back and thought of it as 4.5, because once I turned back every step would bring me closer to done.  So it was 6, 4.5, 4.5, instead of 15 and somehow mentally easier.  Also, now that I've run a lot of long runs, I still find it daunting to think of how long it's going to take me.  Somehow 15 miles sounds easier than 2 1/2 hours.  

                             

                            miele - I think that 3 x 1600 workout was hard.  I find the mile interval to be long enough that I have trouble pacing it, and holding the faster pace for that long hurts more.  I still think you'll be ok for your marathon.  And I agree with starting up front with no chip timing.  You don't want to get bogged down behind a bunch of slower runners.

                             

                            me - just finished week 3 of Pfitz 18/55.  I'm a little worried about this cycle.  Last time through my call schedule lined up much better than this time.  Week 14 we'll be visiting my mom in Phoenix and hopefully doing some hiking and sight-seeing around the Grand Canyon.  Week 15 I'll be back on inpatient medicine with 7 am starts for 7 days and phone call every night.  I'm also on inpatient starting tomorrow (week 4) but it seems less critical this far out.  At this point my grand plan is to just get through one run at a time.

                            I did 15 outside today.  Schedule called for 14, but I was feeling good so ran all the way to the end of the trail turn around making it 15 instead.  I ran the first 6 with a friend, and then 9 alone.  Finished week 3 with 54.7 miles.

                            miele


                            Godzilla

                              Nathan-  Nice MP run!  I can see where the antihistimine drugs would affect the HR.  DH came down with some weird, never-before-seen allergic reaction and has been taking Benadryl.  It's knocked him for a loop and I couldn't imagine him trying to run at this point.

                               

                              Luke-  Registration isn't open yet?  Strange unless it's a really small local race but even then.....it's only 5 weeks away.  I wonder what the holdup is.

                               

                              Jan-  Sorry the weather isn't cooperating there.  But it sounds like it almost never does.  Makes you really appreciate the good days.  On the bright side, it makes you a tougher runner?  (I'm trying to stay positive here).  Just don't break anything trying to run on ice.  That would be sad.

                               

                              Zelanie-  Don't worry about scaling back.  Sometimes things look doable on paper but then reality comes along and slaps you upside the head.   It's happened to me plenty of times.  At least you recognize the issue and address it instead of trying to force yourself to make the runs just because they're in the schedule.  On my LRs I tend to do like docjen in that I run to a halfway point and that's all I think about.  It's only 5 miles to the halfway point.  Once I'm there I turn around and every step takes me closer to home.  Also, if there's a new LR distance that's 1-2 miles longer than the previous LR, I think of it in terms of the previous distance first and foremost.  For instance, if I need to run a 16 miler which is 2 miles longer than my previous LR, I think about running 14 miles (which I know I can run) then when I hit the 14 mile mark I know all the rest is 'gravy'.  Gravy is goodness.   We all have little mental tricks that help.  You just gotta find what works for you.

                               

                              2ft-  Nice PR!!!  Congrats!  Not an easy course at all and you still got a PR.  One down, 8 more to go........I kind of like the idea of having to do that many races.  You would always have a challenge coming up.  I think I'd like to run London, too.  Paris doesn't appeal to me so much for some reason.  What about Berlin?  I hear that's a good course, too, and Berlin is a nice city.

                               

                              doc-  Truth be told, I'm a passive kind of person, too, but cyber-slaps don't really require me to physically assault someone so I can handle that.  I thought your schedule during your last training cycle was crazy (and I was so impressed with your tenacity) but this sounds worse.  Like you said, one run at a time.  Maybe, like your 14 miler turned 15 miler, you could add 1-2 miles on some runs when you're able just in case you have to skip a run because of your schedule.  That way you would get the overall mileage in or at least be close to it.

                               

                              me-  I'm going to go to the gym today.  I'm not really supposed to the week leading up to the marathon but it's only shoulders and I won't go back until after the race.  No running today.  I'm going to take it really easy this week.  Tomorrow I'll have 6 w/2@GMP,  Thursday 4 w/strides, Saturday 3 with some pickups.  Tonight is the Bama/Notre Dame game so we'll be watching that.  Roll Tide!

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

                               

                                          

                                Hi everyone - I am in need of some advice.  I have been planning on running a half on 2/17 and generally following Higdon's intermediate plan, with added miles thrown in.  Turns out the weather where I am (in Chicago) is going to be unseasonably warm this weekend, and so I've been considering upgrading my scheduled 10k race to a half marathon race and treating it as sort of a dress rehersal.  My longest run in the last month has been 10 miles - I ran 9 yesterday.

                                 

                                Any ideas on what pace I should be shooting for?  My last race was a 10k on Thanksgiving, which I ran on pretty low milage.  My pace was 8:39 / mile I think.  Since then I've increased my milesage into the 30s per week, and my tempo runs are generally in the 9:15 / mile range,  occasionally faster depending on how fresh my legs are.  I was hoping to do 9:15ish / mile for my half in February.  Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated - I've never run a half before.  Thanks!