Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon 2021 Edition
Problem Child
Keen the Bowers Mansion 5k isn’t what I’d tell you to run for a pr 5k attempt. It might be possible though I just have a bias against a course with a long uphill finish. The Run to the beach ends on the beach for probably 1/4-1/2 mile and it’s 98% trail outside of that. freedom 5k could be a good one. It’s about an hour away and I’ve never run it. I’d expect it to be road. I hadn’t considered running one soonish, then again before marathon training.
Zeb I don’t think I could find someone faster to pace me. Maybe, but I’d be asking a kind of stranger (he is my age group and I follow him on Strava) to pace me to a PR attempt without knowing my abilities too much. Interestingly he is the guy who said he thought I could do a 3:15 at CIM one year about a week before taper started and I decided to go for it. I ended up going 3:13 and entered Chicago with that time.
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
RIP Milkman
Nice RR, Watson. I've only run one race in the last 18 months, and I'm coming around to the view that any race you finish uninjured and not walking is a good race.
Hear hear. It's been rough out here. I'm looking forward to my June "race" but even that is staggered start and 50 people. I can't wait to get back into a 200+ person race. Probably won't happen until the fall.
RP - what Keen said. VDOTs aren't a set it and forget it. You have to run test races / time trials at some point before phase IV to know what you're capable of. That's why I'm always doing rust busters.
Masters/Watson - I get it for shorter races, but it should be graded by distance. Nobody running a marathon at age 35 is a master. 5K? I think you become a master at age 30
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Jmac I'm 53 and feel like an 18 year old 😅
But seriously I agree 35 is around peak marathon performance especially when it comes to mental toughness.
RP you will surprise yourself in the 5k I reckon. Sub 19 all day long.
I can probably start weather watch tomorrow Thursday as my race is Saturday night.
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 "
Masters here is 35+ for everything.
But I agree with JMac, 5k vs. marathon is a totally different ball game.
Piwi - you are so chilled. I would've been on the weather watch like a week ago!
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: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr, 1:15:48
Up next: Runway5, 4 May
"CONSISTENCY IS KING"
I have to admit I was shocked to learn masters is 35. I was listening to a podcast (Citius Mag) where a "older" pro runner (Sara Vaughn) talked about chasing the Masters Steeplechase record because it's soft and she likes goals like that. I had always thought it was 45 which just shows how little I follow the sport.
1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)
Cobra Commander Keen
Flavio - I think I'm still more interested in burro racing. I'm much more of an endurance guy than a sprinter, and the burro may well be more cooperative than my wife...
RP - I was just doing a search for stuff in your general area without looking at particulars. Long uphill finishes and trail + beach don't sound like ideal courses at all for testing one's fitness.
I'm looking for a goal 5k after whatever cycle my soon-to-be coach puts me through. It looks like I'll have to go to Tulsa for this as there are hardly any races in the OKC area that I can find.
Three times this week we've had "bring gloves" weather (~45F/7.2C). Kinda crazy for mid-May, and it looks like the only thing next week that could save me from a rude awakening is that I could get rained on all next week.
5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22
Upcoming Races:
OKC Memorial 5k - April 27
Bun Run 5k - May 4
Keen - you glossed over my "ran your best time in the 15th month of the year" lame attempt at a joke. So now I'll just directly say it - your signature line is wrong
Piwi - smart man not checking the weather. I glance at it the week before. It's only accurate around 5 days out, and then very accurate 3 days out.
Mother of Cats
But the more you watch the weather, the more you can control it with your will.
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.
Hi all, figured I'd check in again. I haven't read through the thread since February (but will) and wanted to give a quick update.
After my last run mid-February my knee started hurting. I thought it maybe felt like some inside ligament thing but I wasn't sure, and I decided to give it a rest. I realize now that with a really busy work schedule and the disappointment over not being able to run again (just dawned on me how much I missed it my year off) I got into a real mental slump and I just shut off a lot of things, including this board.
Eventually the knee felt better and I decided I better do some good walking to strengthen things a bit before I would try any more running. So I did that, and started exploring the hills around here (and they are full of cool little streets and paths) with the dog. She was super happy to get more outside time again! And then the knee started hurting again Went to my sports doctor and after describing the symptoms and testing what would hurt or not, she's pretty sure it's a meniscus thing. Pretty minor but still something that needs to heal. So it's back to slow flat walking, swimming in the Bay, occasional bike rides, and easy strength work. Good news is that pools are open and somewhat accessible again so I will try to get more real workouts in there again.
So, I'm off running but I will try to check in here more often for motivation and banter.
5k: 20:32 (1/17) | HM: 1:34:37 (2/18) | FM: 3:31:37 (3/18)
Getting back into it
Rune - good luck with the knee.
Keen - see below.
Also I have a 5k Park Run race on Saturday. No aim time.
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
JMac - Totally missed that one, sorry! Looks like I accidentally kept part of the date from my last pr. Side note: I actually feel pretty darn good about that PR. I've really only had two failed races for speed work in the past couple months and still managed a small PR in about the same conditions as the last one (that had a history of workout prior). Plus, my HR and power were all lower for this one than the previous. I think I'm in a good spot.
Rune!!! I do hope you recover from those knee problems quickly and fully, and please hang around here!
Watson - Board updated again. Have fun!
Hot Weather Complainer
Rune - Great to see you here, not so great to hear how things are going with the knee. Have you had a second opinion? I got knee pain earlier this year and it felt so bad I had thoughts that I was done but it turned out to be quite minor once I saw the right physio.
Keen - You should be proud with that PR, brilliant effort. You use gloves at 7C? That is slightly too warm for me, although during the first 2km I would wish I have them. I broke them out for the first time this year this morning, albeit on a recovery run. It was -2C (28F) but will warm up quite fast - I wouldn't take gloves on a longer run or workout at -2 but it would be uncomfortable for a while.
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
But race week madness is so much fun!
Keen - you should absolutely be proud of that PR. As I said earlier, to hit that in a TT with very limited specific prep is excellent.
Steve / Keen - gloves for me is around 6-7C here in Auckland (41-43F), and more likely to need them on easy or long runs than workouts. It can get quite damp which makes the cold feel slightly worse than it actually is. Typically only in the middle of winter, or if I'm travelling to colder parts of the country. When I was in Wanaka it got below freezing overnight (we had to clear the ice off the car windscreen, oh the novelty!) and I certainly needed them down there.
Rune - bummer on the knee but great to see you here. A few of the guys I used to play hockey with had similar meniscus related niggles. Not a heap of fun!
JMac Thanks for the info about entering Phase 4. I never know how busy you are between here, running, work and dad life.
Keen Can you really count a time trail as a PR? You could probably knock 10 seconds off that if you were chasing someone down the whole time.
Dwave I thought the more frequently you check the weather the LESS control over it you have and the WORSE it g/ets?
piwi sub 19? yeah maybe at sea level. I'm thinking of aiming for a 19:30 since that is about 14 seconds faster than my current PR, and I'd rather have a "conservative" PR than have potential for a 19:25 and blow up aiming for a sub 19.
Masters is 35 years old? Sheesh I feel old and young at the same time. I guess I need to pencil in a 5k time trial. Maybe I can pick the day based on the weather. I'm not sure how I feel about running a 5k PR attempt at "O'dark thirty" mid week like Keen. I'll see how these back to back Phase 3 training days go before scheduling it. Oh and since I'm daddy daycare for a while I can't do it until probably mid to late June if it ISN'T a saturday/sunday attempt again.