Sub 1:30 Half Marathon 2021 Edition (Read 448 times)

CommanderKeen


Cobra Commander Keen

    Should I just update the front page and mark all of the races in NZ as having been "Kiwi'd"? It really freakin' sucks for you guys having all these races postponed and/or cancelled. I can't imagine day-to-day stuff being really smooth, either.


    So much purse swinging here that I thought I must have accidentally checked the marathon thread first...


    JMac!!!! - Congrats on the PR!


    James - You're keeping up a decent amount of activity, which is always good. Pool running certainly seems to help DWave out a good bit.


    Flavio - I have a pull-up bar I could send you. It's in nearly new condition, too!
    What are the odds on the fight? Can I lay down a wager in bitcoin?


    Mark - Pretty nice week. I missed the actual race, but was quite excited to her the HM record went down. But then I heard that she also "broke" the 10k WR in route, and I went immediately to "skeptical".


    Piwi - Very consistent runs this past week. Any "friendly" weights competitions with the son?


    Watson - Good week, and I like that LR.


    Steve - Oof, rough go at sea! At least when you blacked out you fell into the boat, rather than off it.


    DWave - Good week considering. I hate that you're running in to these issues. I truly hope that you get this resolved and that it (and everything else) stays resolved.


    Zebano - Great week, and I'm looking forward to seeing that 8k result.


    Hey, everyone! Remember that time when Steve got sick, tossed his cookies, and broke his jaw while falling overboard on a pleasure cruise and they had to turn the whole ship around before they even left the harbour?? I remember... Man, that story gets better every time I tell it! Next time I might even be the guy who dove overboard to rescue you. 

     

    I had a good week overall, and felt pretty incredible for my Wednesday workout (which was somewhat balanced out by a relatively weak performance this morning). Good LR with just one stop in mile 9. LRs have really been giving me some extra confidence compared to previous cycles, thought I have some doozies coming up. This weekend is what my coach is calling "the big one" - 20 w/ 15 at marathon effort. I'll probably use this one as a dress rehearsal (though I think I'll wait to try out the fancy Asics shoes) and will likely craft some new-ish 10 mile loop route to help out with a water stop halfway.

     

    Weekly for period: From: 10/18/2021 To 10/24/2021

    Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
    in ft
    10/18 31 geese & 3 rabbits 12.05 19.40 01:42:07 08:28 05:16 407
    10/18 Simultaneously the minimum and maximal viable double 3.55 5.72 00:30:30 08:35 05:20 92
    10/19 Chasing the moon, then giving up and going home 10.05 16.18 01:24:51 08:27 05:15 492
    10/20 10x 3 min hard, 3 min easy 15.10 24.30 01:51:22 07:23 04:35 495
    10/20 Runchable 5.05 8.13 00:44:05 08:44 05:25 190
    10/21 1 rabbit 9.10 14.64 01:19:55 08:47 05:28 420
    10/22 1 great horned owl 12.40 19.96 01:45:06 08:29 05:16 551
    10/22 Lunch Run 5.87 9.44 00:47:48 08:09 05:04 0
    10/23 1 deer (1 stride) & 1 really awesome green and orange flaming meteor or piece of space junk 22.11 35.57 03:05:33 08:24 05:13 768
    10/24 5 deer (5 strides) & 1 hawk 5.05 8.13 00:45:32 09:01 05:36 236

    Total distance: 100.35mi

    5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

     

    Upcoming Races:

     

     

    CommanderKeen


    Cobra Commander Keen

      This isn't the first time I've updated the first page and it gets posted on whatever the current one is. Weird.

      5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

       

      Upcoming Races:

       

       

      JMac11


      RIP Milkman

        Thanks everyone! Just posted the race report over in sub 3. Sucks that all your races are cancelled, this group may be pretty dry over the rest of the year unfortunately. Here's to 2022

        5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

         

         

          Great report Jmac. The guy who let you use the toilet 🚻 was gold !

           

          Keen great week once again for you. The guy near me has run 9 weeks in a row over 100 miles now.

          I'm still ahead of my son in strength but he's catching. I'm more into doing lighter weights and more reps rather than tearing up my muscles and putting on too much muscle.

           

          DW sorry about your ongoing issues. I'm not a fan of pills and supplements but then maybe that's because I've never really needed them. I barely take a headache pill once a year.

           

          Zeb nice week and I'm looking forward to the 8k

          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 "      

           

          zebano


            Keen - since you're touching the first page, LHF is cancelled =(

             

            JMac - heck of a race; Always celebrate a PR. Do you think the hot miles in the first half costed you in the back half or given the conditions was that the right way to race it?

            1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)

            Marky_Mark_17


              JMac - great RR and well done on the PB.  Big ups to that guy that let you use his bathroom, what a legend!  That bridge climb is pretty similar to Auckland's Harbour Bridge in terms of elevation gain... it's a grind for sure and the second time would've been hard going, albeit it sounds like the rest of the course was relatively flat apart from one speed bump.  To be fair I'd say that's worth more like 30 seconds... possibly a bit more.  Take it from me, there are probably only 3-4 flat half marathon courses in this entire country so I have a reasonable idea what a hill costs.

               

              And while that round time might niggle a bit (TBH I actually quite like it)... bear in mind that when I ran Kerikeri Half a couple years ago, the guy that won ran 1:10:01.  So it could've been way worse!

               

              Keen - excellent work.  I've done a similar LR as a rehearsal for my marathons... it's an excellent gauge of where things are at.  I would actually recommend trying out the race shoes (or equivalent) on it though.

               

              I think there's a reasonable prospect Steve will get his Selwyn race in tbh, certainly keeping fingers crossed for him.

               

              Zebano - very nice week.  Bust on the headlamp though.

               

              Gidey - yeah I jumped to the obvious skepticism but maybe that is unfounded based on what Darkwave and Flavio have pointed out.

              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: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

              Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

              "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

              CommanderKeen


              Cobra Commander Keen

                I think I need a new title: Keen, Thread Overlord and Supreme Race Canceller


                Mark - I've transitioned my endorphin speeds to treadmill-only duty, and figure I'll use a pair of endorphin pros for the big LR. I picked up a second pair of them for cheap a while back (speeds just weren't available in my size) so I'm using those for some workouts and I'll use either the new pair of them or the Asics for my marathon, so it'll be a close equivalent either way.


                Steve - Definitely rooting that Selwyn goes ahead!

                5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

                 

                Upcoming Races:

                 

                 

                Marky_Mark_17


                  Keen - I picked up a pair of the Pro 1's cheaply which I'm planning to use as a workout shoe once my current pair of post-race VF's are done.  One of the other advantages of carbon fibre shoes is that your legs don't seem to get nearly as beat up, so you can still be feeling pretty good the day after a 20-miler with race pace efforts.

                  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: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

                  Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

                  "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

                  SteveChCh


                  Hot Weather Complainer

                    JMac - Great race report and race itself.  Another shout out to the guy who let you use his bathroom.  I can understand why the 1 second will haunt you...but it does give you a barrier to break with a full taper and a faster course.  To PR mid cycle on a course with some tough climbs is amazing, and you should try and forget about the 1 second.

                     

                    Selwyn - Still looks more likely than not, with 12 days to go.  Fingers crossed.

                     

                    Keen - Massive week!  Good luck for the big one.

                     

                    darkwave - That really sucks and puts my little incident in perspective.  Hope you manage to sort it out asap.

                     

                    zebano - Nice week with some very solid workouts.  Looking forward to the PR.

                     

                    Mark - Good week.  Sucks about all these races but I guess it gives you a chance to think longer term.  Always impressed with the elevation in your standards runs and workouts.

                     

                    piwi - Doesn't look pathetic to me...that's the mileage I was doing when I got my current half PR...which is surely ready for a takedown.

                     

                    me - Solid week with good workouts.  Feeling pretty good about a race, with one long tempo left tomorrow before I taper.  I seem to have recovered okay from Sunday, still with a very sore neck and jaw and what feels like extreme fatigue so I'll be careful on my workout tomorrow.  It actually feels like I have a very sore throat but all the damage is external.

                     

                    Weekly for period: From: 18/10/2021 To 24/10/2021

                    Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
                    in m
                    18/10 Warm up 0.28 0.46 00:02:47 09:56 06:03 0
                    18/10 70 mins easy pace 9.04 14.54 01:10:17 07:46 04:50 21
                    20/10 Warm up 0.28 0.46 00:02:38 09:24 05:43 0
                    20/10 16km incl. 5 x 500m, 4 x 400m, 3 x 300m, 2 x 200m, 1 x 100m @ 3:45-50/km with 1 minute recoveries 10.10 16.25 01:15:36 07:29 04:39 16
                    21/10 Recovery 6.62 10.65 00:56:07 08:29 05:16 21
                    22/10 Warm up 0.29 0.47 00:02:49 09:43 06:00 0
                    22/10 Easy 8km 5.13 8.26 00:40:18 07:51 04:53 12
                    23/10 Warm up 0.30 0.48 00:02:53 09:37 06:00 0
                    23/10 22km incl. 8 x (1km HMP, 1km easy) 13.73 22.09 01:41:19 07:23 04:35 24
                    24/10 Kaikōura Recovery 5.04 8.11 00:44:57 08:55 05:33 35

                    Total distance: 81.75km

                    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

                    Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024

                    Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024

                    JMac11


                    RIP Milkman

                      Thanks everyone! I always wonder whether I'd be faster with a dedicated cycle, mainly because I just don't see myself running 80 MPW to train for a half. It's worth giving it a try this spring though: dedicate more time to VO2 and go in with a full taper.

                       

                      Mark - does look very similar for your Harbour Bridge. The first time over was relatively easy around the 5-6 mile mark. It's amazing how the same bridge that was relatively easy can destroy you the second time through. It goes to show not all elevation profiles are the same: a bridge at the start of a half marathon would do nothing, but one near the end can really hurt your race.

                       

                      New Zealand - Whenever I have free time, I've been using Microsoft Flight Simulator a lot (I'll probably really get into in December when I take a lot of time off from running). I flew out of Queenstown which made me think of Steve: how can you run a race there? It's the damn mountains!

                       

                      Zebano - I think my half pace really was somewhere around 5:35-5:40 if the bridge didn't get me. I also realized after I did have a slight tailwind, which makes the times make even more sense. If I could race it again, I'd run it exactly the same way. I never bank miles (most of the guys on here know I'm a big negative split guy), but I don't see how you negative split a course with a bridge at mile 11.

                      5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

                       

                       

                      watsonc123


                        Keen - you're missing from the front page, my race

                         

                        Wairarapa Half Marathon

                        7 Nov

                        Aim TBC

                        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

                        Marky_Mark_17


                          JMac - yeah, I think you're right on that.  I vividly remember running Dunedin HM in 2019 when it was NZ HM Champs.  The course that year had a horrific hill just before the 2km mark, around 40m of climbing, some on gravel and probably close to a 10% grade in places.  Upon seeing my km split come in over 4:00, I immediately wrote off the chances of a PB, but in the end - with the rest of the course being largely flat - I ended up PBing by well over a minute.  Those long grinding climbs are the worst, particularly late in a race... the shorter ones you can often power through even if they're a little steeper.

                           

                          Steve - nice week and hopefully you're feeling better now.

                           

                          edit: my Nike Dragonfly spikes just arrived.  I'm excited to give them a go, maybe on my Sat track session.  One of the local clubs (Owairaka) is running some 5000m group TT's in the next little while so I may get to "race" in them too.  There's one this Sat (which I'll probably skip) but hopefully next time around.

                          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: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

                          Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

                          "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

                          flavio80


                          Intl. correspondent

                            Zeb - I’m curious about the 8k time trial. I’m thinking you can break 32 for sure.

                             

                            Keen - I guess the odds of that fight will vary depending on whether weapons are allowed heh

                            LOL at you casually running 3h05 in a long run.

                             

                            Jmac - Kudos again on this fantastic PR. Absolutely celebrate it the whole week. PRs are rare.

                             

                            me - well I solved the pull up issue by signing up for a local gym. It's got all the equipment I need for my functional training including the pull up bar. It might also come in handy on rainy days to get a one hour run in their treadmills.

                            You don't need to put a mask during the training session which is nice.

                            I figured with my training session lasting only 20-25 minutes I greatly reduce my risk of covid.

                            And it's a monthly payment so if a new lockdown comes in I don't lose much $$$.

                            And I can finally do deadlifts with a proper bar and weights instead of gallons full of water hanging in a broom.

                            PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021

                            Up next: no idea

                            Tool to generate Strava weekly

                            zebano


                              Flavio, how many broom handles have you broken so far?

                               

                               

                              JMac / Mark - I remember whining about a 40 foot hill in the 12th mile of a HM, that thing was monsterous. Kudos to you guys for crushing much bigger bridges.

                               

                              I'm starting to worry about weather for Saturday. The temps should be great but I cannot remember the last day that wasn't windy with gusts over 20mph.

                              1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)

                              Marky_Mark_17


                                Flavio - good news on the gym.  Re COVID... in 2 or 3 years time we will probably all have had it.  For anyone who's vaccinated it'll probably only be very minor and soon forgotten about.  Having proper equipment will be great for your deadlifts etc.  Luckily my wife has a few pieces of gear at home which I've been able to use while my gym has been shut.

                                 

                                JMac - Queenstown is actually a remarkably flat course, all things considered.  There's a few little climbs but mostly it follows trails around the river and lakeside which is how it dodges the hills.  Anyways the airport approach is pretty unique, especially the western approach which comes in over the lake.  They get the occasional weather disrupt there due to snow but it's not the most-disrupted airport in the country by a long shot (Wellington would probably have that honour).

                                 

                                Zebano - can't change the weather.  Even if it's not ideal, there's nothing you can do about it except adjust your race plan and expectations.  I hope it clears up for you though.

                                 

                                Re hills, Auckland has 50-odd dormant volcanic cones.  They're everywhere.  That has probably shaped my view on the matter.

                                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: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

                                Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

                                "CONSISTENCY IS KING"