Forums >Racing>Sub 2:00 Half Marathon thread
Super B****
Edith -- how did it go??
miele -- good weather feels like such a treat! And hey, if you suck in the beginning, the improvement will just feel all that much more awesome.
npaden -- sorry you didn't do as well as you hoped, but congratulations on coming in first in your division anyway.
Jan -- if you mean my pelvis, it doesn't seem to be related at all to what I'm doing. Sometimes it's weird when I'm sitting around doing nothing, sometimes it's when I'm running... no rhyme or reason whatsoever. It's good to hear you've found a training combo that's working well for you.
Zelanie -- I'm always tempted to go further than planned... well, hey, I'm already out here, might as well! It's hard to stop when everything feels good, but I want everything to KEEP feeling good.
me -- ran 8 yesterday, slower than I have been doing my easy runs. I did that on purpose because I wanted more time on my feet to see if I should register for a ten mile race this coming weekend. I did register, but I will be kind of annoyed with myself if I PR, because there's a 10K I want to do the following week, and I don't want to put out hard efforts like that two weeks in a row.
chasing the impossible
because i never shut up ... i blog
If you ask
2:35:48. 7th in AG, 157/295 overall, 28/98 F. A new PR! For this race, anyway.
This race is hhhhaaaarrrrddd. Extreme uphill climbs, sliding-down challenging downhills, very rocky paths (so many I was sick of rocks at the end), thorns, downed trees (at least 6), and the 128 "steps from hell."
I planned to run this race conservatively, but I really did push myself and was beat at the end. Unfortunately, I wore the wrong socks (bamboo running socks, not a good idea) and I had a huge blister on my big toe at about mile 5... And with the rocky paths, many roots, and challenging downhills (picture runners running/falling from tree to tree to get down large hills), the footwork required strong toes; I FELT the blister for over half the race. The weather was perfect, and the atmosphere with the runners was great.
I finished, feeling quite sick to my stomach (which I usually do after pushing myself), and pulled my shoes off right away to see my injured toe (blister had opened, it was VERY sore). My arms and legs have scratches, my muscles are sore, and I cannot wait to run this again next year.
Next race is a 5k on Aug. 28. Flat and fast. Should be "easy."
Godzilla
Nathan- Sorry your race didn't work out like you planned. Chalk it up to a bad day and power on. Congrats on the division win, though! I know it plays with your mind and confidence but bad days happen to good people.
Jan- I saw on the other thread where you had accomplished a 50 mile bike ride......fantastic! Was it a struggle towards the end or did it come fairly easily? Next up is the century, right? I ran into a herd of wild turkeys the other day (always makes me think of hector) but luckily they didn't attack. CIM is the race and I'm following the Hansons plan, or trying to at least.
Zelanie- The 8 miler went well, thanks. I did hear about the new date for Eugene........what were they thinking? I mean, it makes no sense to me. IMHO, the weather was perfect on the old day and now it could be hot. It's going to be a lot more crowded since they've combined it with some youth track and field competition (IIRC). I'm glad I wasn't planning on running it next year cuz I'd be upset. But fortunately it works out better for you (and hopefully a lot of other people). Excellent that you felt so good in your 8 miler that you considered running 10. Even better that you were sensible and stopped at 8.5
blue- Whatever you do, do not PR in the 10 mile race! That kinda cracked me up but I do understand the logic.
Edith- Congrats on a great race! That's almost 10 minutes off last year's time, right? Sounds like an epic race but I don't think you run any other kind. Except for Philly, that is. I've seen those bamboo socks but after hearing your issues I'm not tempted to try them. (I did get some injinji socks, though, which are fine so far). Heal up and get back out there!
me- SRD today and I'm feeling lazy. Monday I did something I've never done before. I (and DH) went to a local sports basement and ran with a group.....I know! I've never run with strangers before (unless you count actual races). It was kinda fun. DH was worried he'd be too slow but they said they have people of all levels and some run/walkers, too. He ended up running with a lady who signed up for her first HM and was quite intimidated by the prospect. The route was hillier than I'm used to which is fine but I ended up running only 3.5 miles with a couple of hill sprints thrown in. I was trying to take it easy since Tues I had intervals scheduled. I postponed that until Thurs. We might make a habit of joining the weekly run. All in all a good experience. The guy who led the run is an ultra runner and tri-athlete who also trains people.
10K: 47:12* / 13.1: 1:50:56 / 26.2: 3:53:48
Edith -- that sounds kind of fun... in a really twisted way. Glad you enjoyed it!!
miele -- good that you had a positive experience with the group run; I've found that they're either total disasters or completely awesome, so I'm happy for you that it was the latter.
me -- I've decided it would be really neat if my official finish time for the 10 miler would be 1:23:45. Not too fast (it's an 8:23 pace, I think), and it just looks so nice and linear! I don't think I can orchestrate that, though.
And my shins are being very bad today. I am displeased.
Edith- Sounds like a great race time there despite the abrasive stuff. Ouch on the blisters I watched a documentary this week called " volcanic sprint" I think and it was a sweet trail running movie or mountain running , but it got me inspired so maybe soon I am heading up to the trails ona cool morning .
Blue - Good to see you back and racing soon! I have had a couple neat times like that but 12345 would be awesome and unforgettable lol.
Miele - Group runs sound cool to me. Awkward at first I imagine but everyone is there running so how weird could it be? I think it would be nice to hear about other places to run locally and upcoming races etc.. It is making me want to join one now
Me - last week was my 2nd hill week and I felt it on sunday. It was supposed to be a 15.3 mile hilly run but I was so mentally gone I took a shortcut home and only made it 13.6 I had to walk so many times I didn't think it was worth it to keep going. My headphone wire caught on some bush when I ran by and ripped the cord off the earbud so I had only one headphone the last 45 mins or so. I was hot, dehydrated and just mentally done... I came home took a rest for an hour, ate food and went back out and ran a 5k, so I totaled 16.6 miles for the day but mentally I am still feeling it. Truly my worst running day in a year. Since then I been out twice on normal 6.8 mile runs, both went great and under 8 min paces. I finally hit the wall mentally and physically now. interesting experience. I will do normal runs this week totaling around 38 miles. Maybe another 17 miler on sunday but relaxed!!!!!!!!
5k = 19.48 10/1/13
10k = 45.28 4/16/13
Half Marathon = 1:38.53 Summer Sizzle 7/13/14
Operation Jack Marathon 12/26/12 4:39.11
Solo O Marathon 06/02/13 3:52:10
Operation Jack Marathon 12/26/13 3:40.34
Hi everyone! Sorry to have been gone so long - we were on vacation in the Adirondacks and as close to off-the-grid as I ever get LOL
I have to congratulate just about everyone here -the positive news and vibe is so strong - recovery from injury, epic races, all the long runs, hilly runs and PRs - It's great to be able to check in here and get the great running news. Everyone seems to be on schedule to hit their next race - kudos to those doing the right thing and keeping recovery at the forefront - taking it easy it smart - but hard.
For me I am training for another Boston half on the 15th of September - hoping for good weather - training has been going well - will hit a 13 miler tomorrow morning with our local group.
Hope you all enjoy the beautiful weather weekend - it's just fabulous here in Boston - a bit of fall in the air this morning -
Tara
Ready, go.
blue- How'd it go today? Did you get your 12345? Hope you had a good race.
Wolfy- That does sound like a bad run but you seem to have bounced back nicely. And only one bad run a year is pretty good, if you ask me. I'm curious to hear how 'relaxed' you take tomorrow's run. Do you have a 'relaxed' pace?
Tara- Welcome back to civilization! Although I'm sure being off the grid has its benefits, too. Enjoy the nice weather! It's been really nice here, too.
Jan- A friend of mine just got a road bike and also signed up for a 72 mile race. The race is in 3 weeks. I don't think she realizes yet that 72 miles is a long way to go. She's doing it with a group of friends so I'm hoping it's a relay. If it's not a relay, well, she's going to be hurting.
me- Just got back from a 6.25 mile run. Nice and overcast just the way I like it. There was an unusually large number of cyclists out today. Turns out there was a race of some sort. They were a pretty friendly bunch. Did I mention that before the group run last Monday we did a dynamic warmup? I'd never done one before and I was exhausted by the end of it. Sheesh.
Wolf -- some days are just sucky like that... but they make you appreciate the awesome days even more. Not to sound too clichéd, or anything, of course.
miele -- wait, what? Cyclists? Friendly?? (No, I'm not bitter at all. *sarcasm*)
me -- the 10 miler was today. I didn't get my awesome 1:23:45, I ran too fast!! Still didn't PR, thank goodness... official time was 1:22:43. Why couldn't I run a minute and two seconds slower?! It was good, I didn't feel like I was working overly hard at all. However, my ITB is pretty angry right now, and I can't have my knee hurting next weekend!!
Tara = Welcome back ! Where are the Adirondacks? Never heard of that. Good luck on your upcoming race. Gives you a solid month to get ready and you are already at 13 miles. I think you will smoke that one for sure. Especially with your quick feet. Any time/pace goals set yet?
Miele I have noticed a lot more cyclist groups out there this past week or so also. Is there a cycling season or something?? Its been raging hot here too so I know they were not waiting for "cool "weather. Who knows what goes on inside those funny helmets anyways Glad to see you putting in more miles and getting back to kicking butt. Hey what is a dynamic warm up?
Blue ! Nice time for a "slow race" lol. I have a hard time keeping my pace down during practice.... I give you kudos for saving something for next weekend. What do you have in mind for the 10k? Pr's, certain time, certain pace, surviving? LoL I think with the troubles you had the last couple weeks, your animal within will come out and push you to a new level Good luck
Me : 38.8 mile week. Feel a lot better today than last week!! I feel like I still have some juice in my legs. I guess my "resting" week worked lol I did my first 3 runs pretty steady pace in the high 7's pace. No sprints or fartlek type activity. Today was my long run day and I broke the 17.2miles into 2 runs. I ran my first 8.6miles this morning around 9:00am and it was fairly cool out (75ish) I actually Pr'd on that distance (67.24)back in April. Today got a ( 65.10) smoked it with a 7.34pace. Then I took about a 2 hour break, ate an omelet and some drinks. Headed back out and ran 8.6miles back home and it was HOT!!!! 96 degrees when I got home to check. I ended up run/walking most of the way to stay feeling ok. I was smiling and happy despite the dismal conditions. There were NO runners on the rail trail on my way back. LOL Maybe 4-5 people on bikes, other than that empty. Ended up with a 9.42 pace which I was pretty happy with considering it was my lazy run. Anyways happy to be right at the 40 mile a week mark. I will stay around this distance for another week or so then crank it up to 45 maybe? We will see. Have a great Sunday everyone... Hope your runs go well
Sounds like everyone is doing pretty well with their training right now.
Edith - sounds like you had a great time on your race, 2:35 with those trail conditions sounds pretty impressive to me.
Blue - so close on your time. I would have camped out at the finish line and waited to cross at 1:23:45! Was your 10K this weekend?
miele - I really liked the Hansons plan, hope it works out for you! Some of those midweek marathon pace runs can be challenging with the cumulative miles the put on you.
me - really good week this week after the disappointing race result. My highest mileage week since before the marathon with 53.3 miles and hit all my workouts even the dreaded 6 x 800m intervals at 5K pace. Did a 13 mile long run yesterday and 8 this evening on some country roads around here and was passed by a whopping 1 vehicle the entire 21 miles. And didn't get chased by a single dog! Pretty enjoyable, the 13 mile run was a new to me route and was really nice.
Hope everyone has a great week!
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)
I did it!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been messing with low HR training on and off for over a year now and have always wanted to run my 6 mile route at the house under a 10:00 avg pace at or below 136 avg HR which is my MAF number and also happens to be 70% of my max HR.
This morning I ran 6.09 miles, 9:56 avg pace, 136 avg HR!
Mile 4 is a little uphill and it was the highest avg HR. My audio cues are set for every 1/4 mile right now and I only heard one current HR number in the 140's and that was during mile 4.
Pretty pumped that I finally did it.
blue- I know! But I've never had a bad experience with a cyclist here. Must be the California air (although I think in the city they can be obnoxious). I would definitely have a negative opinion about them if I went through what you experienced. I was thinking along the same lines as Nathan.....you could've just stood there in front of the timing mats looking at your watch until it was time to zip across for your 12345. A missed opportunity there. Next time, right? Congrats on a great race! You kept things under control and now you'll be fresh to bust out a new 10k PR.
Wolfy- I don't know about a cycling season but it makes sense that there would be. A dynamic warm up is supposed to be so much better than static stretching in that it prevents injuries and warms you up without actually stretching out the muscle. Static stretching can actually weaken your stride. IIRC, that is. Legs swings, lunges, butt kicks, high knees, skipping, etc. Some of the exercises I do as drills before a track work out but others were new to me. YouTube it and there should be some videos. Nice running (and in the heat, too)! We hit about the same mileage this week.
Nathan- Well done on achieving yet another one of your goals! Mile-stones are great confidence boosters. Looking at the Hanson plan, the workout I seem to be most concerned about is the faster paced LR. And the tempo. And the intervals. Wait......Just joking. It's mainly the LRs and the tempo. This will be the first week which includes both so we'll see how it goes. Were you able to hit hit your paces pretty consistently throughout?
me- Finished the week at 39 miles. Still a little behind the schedule but not by too much. I'll probably end up a little behind this week, too, after which I'll be caught up mileage-wise for the rest of the plan. I hope. This week starts the 2 speed workouts which will continue till the end of the plan. Up till now it was just easing into the plan. Have a good week, everybody!
Good luck to blue in the 10k and Jan in the HM! Have fun!
Wow, I'm so far behind - again! I went back to work on Thursday (moment of silence please) and being back on a schedule isn't agreeing with me so much. First day of school is Tuesday, so Monday will be my last day of coherent thought until next summer! The new grade level (4th) was a good move, and my new teaching partners are a hoot. They have the same philosophy about work as I do - get in, get it done, and get out as quickly as possible! We're headed to Boulder for the half tomorrow. No expectations for this one - the course is hilly, the terrain changes frequently (loose gravel isn't the best surface for speed), and it's a popular race so the course stays pretty crowded. But, it's a beautiful course, we're running with my son, no Garmin...I'd say those are the ingredients for a perfect way to spend a Sunday morning!
I'll be back later to catch up with everyone!
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
Hi All,
Ran a 5K in Harlem yesterday at 24:44, which is not a PR for me, but I consider it a good pace by my standards, and a good sign for the Fall races. This was my 7th NYRR race - two to go before automatic entry for NY 2014!
I had ten days vacation to see the family in the UK, and I got in several 10m runs as well as a 15m long run. I feel the combination has been hugely beneficial.
I was a long time thinking about signing up for a Marathon this year (Philly again) but I generally don't do the same race twice (same for vacations), and I am quite motivated by the idea of reducing my PR in 5K, 10K and HM this fall.
I have read your most recent posts, but would be interested to know what you Fall goals are.
BlueRun, I will probably do the 10K on Roosevelt Island on Labor Day. I am presuming it is as flat as the proverbail pancake, so hoping to improve my 10K PR time - just by a small increment, plenty more races between here and December to peak.
Shoes: my favorite shoe is the Brooks Glycerin. A few months ago, I decided to try the ASICS Nimbus just to alternate and have an alternative should Brooks discontinue the Glycerin. Well, the ASICS does not match the Glycerin. EVery time I raqn in the Nimbus, I had a pain on the inside of the left ankle, which would last days after the run. Eliminated the Nimbus from the rotation, and it completely disappeared. I do use the Nimbus occasionally now for a shorter run, but that's all. Despite the Nimbus and the Glycerin being generally described as equivalents, the Nimbus doesn't work for me. Just convered now what I will do should Brooks stop or significantly change the Glycerin...
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