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

darkwave


Mother of Cats

     

    Darkwave thanks for your race report which are always well written. 1.27 is very solid. My eye sight is deteriorating making it hard to see my GPS data even with only 2 data fields showing. I guess your vision is ok up close but not at distance ?

     

    I don't look at my watch when I run - just race off of effort.  So I didn't know what my splits were, but I could feel my effort getting a bit too hot early on.

     

     

    The women's half marathon was set in the Adios Pro, so they clearly work for some people.

     

    Oh, they unquestionably do - many people run fast in them.   And I can't really say I would have run faster in another shoe - maybe I would have run slower.  But they felt AWFUL.   I guess I just don't have a world record gait....

     

    Interestingly, a friend who is a bit faster than me messaged me to say she had the same experience in them.  Wore them in a workout and they felt OK, so she tried them in a half-marathon, which she ended up dropping out of with muscle pain due to the shoes feeling off.  Like me, she strikes further back on her foot.

     

    I think I'm selling them on eBay - they're very hard to find, so I should be able to get most of my money back even selling them as a slightly used pair (they have 31 miles on them).

     

    Zebano  - congrats on the course PR!

     

    Cfarr - some good steady work there!

     

    Watson - take care of that PF!

    Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

     

    And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.

      Watson PF now too ! You are having some bad luck. I found a weights bar under our couch and was considering doing squats. I've not done weights before so do you think it helps with running?

       

      Cfar nice week and glad your vaccines are under way.

       

      Zebano good week and happy Easter to you too. Piwi junior only runs about once per week. He probably would run about 22 min 5k right now. I do focus on hitting 80km per week. There should be a couple of recovery runs at 5.30 km pace. This morning was actually 5.40 km pace. I was tired from a workout yesterday which I may have run too hard.

       

      Darkwave I think you mentioned before racing by feel. I'm too scared to try although it would be a good experiment.  I always thought I was good at running by feel but racing I'm scared that when its hurting I would drop off pace too easily.

      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 "      

       

        Darkwave: I enjoyed the read! Didn’t know what those waffles are. And you only need the glasses to drive not to run? I am a heal striker so will avoid the Adios Pro for sure - they are priced at 230 here in Switzerland.

         

        Keen: you are really Hightech with both foodpods and the HR armband. I don’t pay enough attention to the HR but isn’t that partially redundant with the power data? I think you have a super low HR if I recall correctly - does the armband connect to your Garmin watch? How do you charge it?

         

        Flávio: Good to know that you are working for what the future will look like. Just surprised that the US prices would hold since this system seems to be open to all talent pools around the globe (thinking of India and China as a reflex). 5 bucks a month isn’t anything even some 30yrs ago. Inequality used to be one of the top searches on google. Get well but I saw that back ache wasn’t a big deal?

         

        me - I stopped running for a week then went back for some 800 repeats and immediately after I felt my patella tendon got sore. It’s hurting now when I get up or walk up the stairs. Too much too soon I guess. Will take it easy for a few days and do some strength training.

        HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)

         

        2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!

        Marky_Mark_17


          Piwi - another nice week.  What half were you thinking of in May?  Huntly?

           

          Flavio - good week and congrats again on the 5km PR.  Sounds like you are suffering a bit now, but with two recent PB's in the bag I'm sure that will ease things!

           

          Darkwave - nice RR, and well done on hitting the upper end of the range you were targeting for the race - especially after a less than ideal start to the day!  It's so impressive that you can race by feel - I might be able to manage that over a 5k or even a 10k but wouldn't be brave enough to try it for a HM.  Interesting to hear your views on the Adidas shoes, I only know one person here that has them (everyone else opts for VFs or occasionally the Saucony Endorphin Pro).  I've never been a big Adidas fan but I'm even less inclined to try them now as I am definitely not a forefoot striker.

           

          Watson - bummer on the PF.  Hope it's nothing serious.

           

          Corey - good luck building the mileage back up.

           

          Zebano - honestly, I just like the track.  It's a really nice place to run a workout up there, with basically grass/park/tree surrounds.  Anyway that was a solid week, a lot of crosstraining in there too, well done.

          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

            watson - ugh, that sucks.  Hope it disappears quickly.

             

            darkwave - Nice race and report.  Great you got to see your parents too.  Really impressive that you can make a quick adjustment during the race to avert disaster.

             

            James - Nice week.  That mileage is getting up there even with the soreness.

             

            Mark - Nice week.  It has been unseasonably warm!  Running in Coromandel was a bit of a grind at times, but possibly more related to the less than healthy lifestyle I live on holidays.  Got back to 30 degrees yesterday.  30 in April!  Crazy.  86F for our backwards friends.  I'd also forgotten that most footpaths in the north island are concrete rather than asphalt.  I had knee trouble after a few months in Melbourne over a decade ago and put it down to the concrete so I moved to parks where possible.

             

            piwi - Another solid week.  Excited about your racing prospects!

             

            flavio - dammit, that sucks but I agree with darkwave that it's a good thing you got your races in with no issues.

             

            cfarr - Great to see you building back up.

             

            me - Another "light" week as I build into the race as tempo run this weekend.  My mileage is going to build up quite quickly now, especially the long run.  I think I'm glad with how things have worked out, and I won't be doing the full this weekend as originally planned.  It's going to be pretty warm all week with 24C (75F) on race day.  I'm sure it will be cooler than that at 8am for the start but would have hit that by the end of the full.  I think I'd be nervous about even racing the half in that forecasted weather.  One last whinge about moving the race from June to April....

             

            Weekly for period: From: 29/03/2021 To 04/04/2021

            Date Name Distance
            in km
            Duration Avg Pace
            per km
            Elevation Gain
            in m
            29/03/2021 Warm up 0.46 00:02:36 05:39 0
            29/03/2021 70 mins easy pace 15.04 01:11:32 04:45 20
            31/03/2021 Warm up 0.53 00:03:05 05:49 0
            31/03/2021 16km incl. 6 x (3 mins @ 4:20/km, 2 mins @ 5:00) 16.03 01:13:50 04:36 8
            01/04/2021 Recovery 8.91 00:46:52 05:16 18
            02/04/2021 Warm up 0.51 00:02:44 05:22 0
            02/04/2021 Easy 30 mins 6.52 00:30:49 04:44 2
            03/04/2021 Warm up 0.50 00:02:51 05:42 0
            03/04/2021 Holiday cruise in Whangamata incl. 2 x 4km @ MP 20.03 01:34:41 04:44 24
            04/04/2021 Recovery jog 7.36 00:42:30 05:46 12

            Total distance: 75.88km

            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

              Steve I saw you were up in Whangamata. Its nice up there.

              Pretty warm still here too. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

               

              Mick heal up!

               

              Mark its the We run the night half on May 16th. 4 laps of Marine Parade but starts at 6pm 

              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 "      

               

              Marky_Mark_17


                Steve - I know a ton of runners coming down from Auckland for the full at Christchurch.  A lot of them like Nick Moore, Simon Mace and Ewan Sinclair, will be gunning for times in the mid-2:30's or faster.  Apparently Alice Mason, who has won most of the major NZ marathons at some point, is gunning for sub-2:30.  Temps look a bit on the warm side, the early start may partly mitigate that but I definitely noticed the impact of the daylight savings changeover on my long run on Sunday.   I still think it was a dumb idea of them to move to the same date as Waterfront and maybe they will opt for something later again next year.  Anyways it will be good for you to enjoy a bit of race day atmosphere.  Also good week!  Hope you enjoyed the Whangamata trip too.  Nice area to get away to!  They are running a full marathon up there in a few weeks - although you have to catch the ferry partway through I believe!

                 

                Piwi - that looks like a fun event, I know a mate that has done it previously.  Could be nice evening temps at that time of year too even if it is a 4-lapper.

                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

                  Darkwave - Indeed, I’m pushing myself too hard as is usual when I don’t have a coach to pull me back.

                  In fact I barely celebrated my PRs, I should probably celebrate more considering how long it might be until I set these again.

                   

                  Piwi - I’ve read on the internet about a new invention, contact lens, it seems it makes people see again. It might be just an internet story though….

                   

                  Zeb - No, I’m done with weighted dead lifts for a long while now. In fact I’m done with weighted exercises seeing as we sold the kettlebells this morning.

                  I saw strength work on your weekly, that made me smile

                   

                  Darkwave - some shoes just don’t work. I remember purchasing a pair of Nike Vomeros a few years ago, they felt like walking on clouds on the store.

                  But as soon as I made my first few steps running in them it was a disaster, so jelly. I think I threw it in the garbage.

                   

                  Mick - Some companies pay people by their contribution to the company. I like those companies.

                  Other companies pay their their people by the place they live (which is blind luck) regardless of their contribution to the company. I despise those companies.

                  The opening of the markets does open up a big pond of talent at a lower price range, but the competition for talent in the software development world is huge and fierce.

                  Everybody just wants to be lawyers and doctors it seems, nobody’s left to develop software.

                  Also, take it easy man (do as I say not as I do LOL)

                   

                  Steve - this coach is getting you on a very consistent ride. That’s where a coach pays back hugely, they prevent us from running into the ground.

                   

                  me - Whelp, first place in the challenge is a fellow Italian who's running an average of 16.2km a day (10 miles a day in murican units).

                  I wish I could pull a Keen now and just easy run a marathon 

                  As it is I'm 28km behind and it's unlikely I can contend for the title unless the top guy takes a couple of days off until the end of the month.

                  I know there are other top runners there who are still to show their faces. This is going to be interesting.

                  I wonder if I can manage to run 400km during the whole month.

                  Back issues are still lingering as niggles. I still have hope they will go away and let me do my thing.

                  Just a few weeks back I was running 90km with 2 heavy workouts and a long run, it seems reasonable to me that when healthy I should be able to run 100km of easy runs in a week.

                  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

                    CFarr, losing to a guy in a cowboy hat ?? Was he also wearing Jorts?? 

                    CFarr - did you go with the Cajun Fries?? I used to love those, but lately I've found them too salty or too heavily spiced.

                     

                     Zebano lol nice photo, but definitely not the same guy I battled against, no sorts just some sweats and much older.  No on the Cajun fries was sharing with the wife and she can't do spicy.

                    Nice week of training too

                    PR's

                    1m  5:38 (2018)

                    5k    19:59 (2019)

                    HM  1:33:56 (2018)

                    FM  3:23:07 (2018)

                      DW

                      I got a chance to read your race report very well written.  Interesting the way they started to I watched the video. I haven't raced in a bit over a year so I haven't had a chance to experience any covid race protocol.  Hope by the time I race again we will be back to "normal"

                      PR's

                      1m  5:38 (2018)

                      5k    19:59 (2019)

                      HM  1:33:56 (2018)

                      FM  3:23:07 (2018)

                        Flavio thanks for the contact lens sarcasm . Actually I didn't realize they can make them for close up and distance combined.

                        I'm sure you can pump out 1 week over 100kms for the challenge but if you feel you are close to injury then probably don't do it.

                        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 "      

                         

                        CommanderKeen


                        Cobra Commander Keen

                          Saturday, 4/3 I ran the OK Runner Classic 15k in 1:01:09 watch time, which I think was good for 5th or 6th overall. Oddly, I can't find results posted to the race website. I'm a bit disappointed in this as many of the local super-fast (2:30 or better for the marathon) runners showed up, primarily for the 5k or 10k.


                          The morning was quite sunny, with a temperature just under 50F/10C and a ~15mph/25kph wind from the SE (the course ran primarily E/W).


                          All three of the day's races (5k, 10k, 15k) started at the same time - the two shorter races heading west immediately for an out-and-back, while the 15k race started heading east for 2.5k before returning to the start/finish and proceeding with the 10k course.


                          After a couple miles warm-up (legs felt heavy) I chatted with a couple runners I recognized, including one who I had passed after the first few miles (and beat by ~1:40, more on this later) of my HM a couple weeks prior.


                          Off the line I was in 8th place or so, but quickly settled into what felt like a good rhythm and ended up moving up to (what I'm pretty sure was) 4th or 5th place as we first angled into the wind, then across the wind as the path followed a bend in the Red River (ok, fine, the "Oklahoma River" for just the portion it flows through OKC). The lead runners were all together at this point, which included an "old guy" in my town who I simply can't seem to catch up with in running distance.

                          Hitting the first turnaround I see that the guy I passed in the HM (who is wearing a singlet from the hosting LRS, OK Runner with "Yee Yee" printed veritcally on the back) is maybe 10 seconds behind me. I also see several other people I ran with during that HM and the 8 miler the previous weekend.

                          We angle across and then with the wind on our way back to the start/finish without any further changes in position.

                          First 5k 19:53 (3:55, 4:03, 3:59, 4:00, 3:54)


                          Still feeling good at this point. The first km after the start/finish is right with the wind, and off and on I can hear footsteps close behind me. That km closed a little quicker than I wanted even with the tailwind (3:52), so I backed off the effort a touch for the next km. That one passed in 4:01, which I was quite happy with. Through here I'm meeting a steady stream of the back of the 5k pack, and before long the leaders of the 10k.

                          The next km was 4:05 - it would seem that I eased off the gas just a little too much. I try speeding back up and simply can't. My legs start feeling tired/heavy, and it seems like I'm running against the wind (which I absolutely shouldn't be at this point, though looking at the data afterwards Stryd says I was). I take part of a gel here (central governor theory-based), get passed by Yee Yee guy, and there's not even a thought of being able to latch on to him. I start struggling some mentally, but just tell myself that I just need to get to the turnaround and things will shape up (how, I don't know).


                          Second 5k 20:26 (3:52, 4:01, 4:05, 4:11, 4:17)


                          Somehow I do feel a little better within 500m or so of turning around (with the exception of 30-45 seconds with the beginnings of a side stitch), but certainly not back to where I'd like to be. I'm meeting more and more 15k runners, and have a steady stream of back of the pack 10kers to move by. Around the 12k mark (as I learned afterwards) my HRM recorded me hitting 190bpm, my highest since the seond 5k I ever ran (195bpm by chest strap). This doesn't exactly look like cadence lock (using an armband oHRM) and later kms do have peaks in the upper 180bpm range, so I think it may have been legitimate.

                          Yee Yee guy continues to pull away from me like it's his job and I practically lose sight of him between undulations in the terrain and the 10k runners we're passing. I'm pushing as hard as I fell I can, trying to tick off mental landmarks to tell myself that I'm getting closer and closer. The final km seems to both pass by very slowly and very quickly. I cross both mats, pause my watch, and give thanks that the race is over (Yee Yee guy finished in ~59:45).


                          While I'm happy that I stuck with it when things got tough, I am somewhat disappointed in my time - going in to the race I had no doubts about running sub-60 minutes.
                          Perhaps my fitness just isn't where I thought, or I didn't properly adjust for the windy conditions. In any case, I have a couple weeks before a 5k - if he shows up I'll be looking to favorably settle the score between myself and Mr. Yee Yee.

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

                           

                          Upcoming Races:

                           

                           

                          watsonc123


                            I forgot to mention I also tweaked my back on Saturday doing barbell Romanian deadlifts.

                             

                            Keen - nice RR.  Maybe you should have ran the first 5km slightly slower?

                            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

                            CommanderKeen


                            Cobra Commander Keen

                              Flavio - I hate hearing about your back problems - hopefully you get that resolved quickly. I occasionally have some myself (a reminder of a basketball injury when I was ~16), but usually not anything like what you're dealing with.


                              DWave - Looking forward to reading that RR when I have a breather.


                              Zebano - Nice week across all the disciplines.


                              MJ - I do like collecting data, even if it's just for review after runs - I hardly look at my watch most runs.
                              The armband connects wirelessly (ANT+ or Bluetooth) to my watch and takes the place of the built-in OHR sensor. Charging it is just popping it into a cradle and connecting that to any usb port.
                              Armbands are my favorite because wrist HR has plenty of issues in my experience (particularly cadence lock when it's cold or when I'm going down a steep hill) and chest straps tend to have problems with static from a shirt causing massively high readings.


                              Steve - Nice week. Looking forward to the race/tempo?

                               

                              I'm kind of looking forward to just logging some extra easy miles for a while after I get this next race over with!
                              I've got a bit of a hitch or pinched nerve between my shoulder blades from sleeping wrong last week. Plenty of icing it helped with working it out some yesterday, so I may be able to avoid going to the chiropractor for this.


                              CIM registration opened up late this morning and the website went down for a while. After much refreshing (which I know did precious little for reducing traffic to the webservers) I did get to register! I'm an extra step or two closer to hiring a coach for this as well. 
                              Now, who has advice on travelling there, where to stay, etc.? Also, any advice on telling my wife I signed myself up for a marathon halfway across the country? Perhaps I can bill this as a kid-less trip to wine country...

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

                               

                              Upcoming Races:

                               

                               

                              Running Problem


                              Problem Child

                                keen did you get to keep the finish line "tape" after you crossed? I think it along with the photo of you crossing it (FLOATING!!!!! JEALOUS!!) would be a cool trophy/display case thing.

                                Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                                VDOT 53.37 

                                5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22