Corey great finish to your week.

Mark theres a bit of a thread on letsrun on the result of your virtual 5k race. I spoke to a guy yesterday who is part of that coaching group and he reckons it was run on their legit 1.2km loop in Tauranga.

Since there is a dearth of race reports of late, I'm going to take the liberty of writing a self-indulgent race preview...because I can.  I might also find it interesting to look back after the race.

Christchurch Virtual Half-Marathon, May 31 - Race Preview

The Christchurch Marathon was cancelled on March 19, just before the start of the lock down.  I felt they may have jumped the gun, especially in not even looking at a postponement.  In 2011, on February 22, a large earthquake wiped out most of the CBD where the race is run.  Continual large aftershocks meant people were not sleeping and always on edge, not very focused on running.  By mid-March, they had announced a revised course on the outskirts of the city and the race went ahead.  That situation was far more serious.  Anyway, rant over.

This has always been my favourite race, with a fast flat course and it is the first race I ever ran.  In 2016, I went under 1:30 for the second time and broke my PR which was set in the same race in 2004.  I had to miss 2018 (wedding in Australia) and 2019 (spent a month in the USA in May - too hard to train for a goal race).  I replaced it in these years with the Auckland Waterfront Half-Marathon which ended in complete disaster in 2018 on the back of truncated training due to an injury, and a bad day in 2019 had me finishing in 1:30.49 on the back of a good training block.

In June 2019 I damaged my glute which didn't feel serious but eventually took around 3 months to recover from.  I remember talking to a guy at work in August and he asked how my running was going, I said I'd given up on a race in 2019 and was targeting Christchurch 2020, with enough time to build a large base and consistency I didn't have in 2018 or 2019.

From June - September 2019, my training log tells the story.

A very frustrating time, but once it started to come right, I was able to increase mileage quite quickly.  During this time I was trying to run for 10 minutes before increasing to 15, 20 etc.  Once I realised this wasn't working I just took 4 full weeks off, apart from the stationary bike.  There were still hiccups for a few weeks after this but then I started to feel better quite quickly.

From these numbers, you can see that the build up was fast and I started to get some good consistent weeks.  I was targeting a 10km in February so I started adding some speed work from late November.  Tempo pace was feeling quite comfortable, Vo2 Max as always felt really hard when first introduced.

Week 5 included the 10km on February 2 - this was held in Hagley Park on what turned out to be a very hot and windy day.  It was 28 degrees at 8am (eventually reached 37 degrees) and with a lot of the race on grass, I struggled a little to finish in 42:23.  That performance probably reflects a much better time in easier conditions but it was good to get some racing in.

Again, some good consistent weeks.  By the end of March, all races were cancelled and I spent a week or 2 with little motivation for the speed sessions but eventually decided I would go ahead with the plan to race on May 31, the day of the Christchurch Marathon.  I also ran a pair on shoes into the ground which almost ran me into the ground (sorry JMac).

I increased the amount of quality during April and May, and these sessions went really well.  Highlights included tempo sessions of 2x4km and 2x5km - my pace held at around 4:08/km and felt good.  Vo2 Max sessions included the likes of 6x1km with speeds around 3:40/km - 3:50/km.  Obviously not comfortable, but I didn't feel near death.  The weekend sessions with a tempo component were more of a struggle, I found it tough to hold race pace on tired legs.

So how do I rank this training block?  It is comfortably better than 2018 and 2019.  In 2017 I did Christchurch half in 1:30.29 and my training wasn't as deep or consistent.  The only comparable training block is 2016 leading into what is my current PR.  My memory may be rose coloured, but it was basically perfect.  I don't recall any especially bad sessions but I would say that it wasn't as deep as this year - I have far more 2+ hour long runs behind me this year than I did in 2016.  I should also note that I have made a concerted effort to run my easy pace slower - given I have stayed injury free, I think this has helped.  I could still go slower though.

Predictions

Given all that info, what should I be targeting?  I don't know how good I am at time trials so I will disregard that aspect for now.  The course I have settled on requires 8 laps in Hagley Park which is at least as fast as the usual course.  The speed training has proven I can hold race pace for long periods and I should have the stamina as a result of all the long runs and consistent weeks.  So I should be confident of going close to my best.  On that note, let's shoot for the stars:

A Goal:              Sub 1:29

B Goal:              PR (sub 1:29.25)

C Goal:              Sub 1:30 (for the first time since joining the yearly sub 1:30 thread).

I guess this leaves open the option of a slightly off day meaning I miss all goals and call it a failure, but I think all goals are realistic.

I plan on starting at 8am on May 31, NZ time.  The forecast is good.  I hope not too many people decide to use Hagley Park at that time as the paths are narrow in some places.  Interested in the thoughts of others!  Congratulations if you read this far.

Steve - your training has been good.  I agree that 60s difference between 'A' and 'C' is very small.

Steve - back yourself.  You have a lot of good training behind you - as you've noted - and it's been really consistent too.  The weather forecast looks excellent (OF COURSE IT DOES).  That 2x5km workout you dropped a week or two ago was ahead of pace, most of your HMP work has actually been a few seconds ahead of where you needed it to be.

(side note: I must not be on Strava often at the time you log your runs because I seem to miss them a lot!  Must change settings)

I agree with what others have said that there is not much difference between your A and C goals.  In a TT, mentally I wouldn't give yourself the option - it's PR or bust!

I agree with what others have said that there is not much difference between your A and C goals.  In a TT, mentally I wouldn't give yourself the option - it's PR or bust!

This is a great point (thanks James and watson too).  I guess the gap is small because I want to keep them realistic but don't want the C goal to be something I wouldn't feel at least some happiness about.  And missing out on 1:30 again would not make me happy.  Breaking 1:30 but not getting a PR would also not make me happy but give me some small consolation.  So scrap the goals - PR or bust!

Yep, I’ve got my South Island Half entry rolled over from last year and that will be next. I’ve tentatively reserved a room in Queenstown for the half too.

Steven Adams is great. Guy is super effective as a tough defender. Did you know his sister is a Olympic shot-putter ?

James - Running on soft surfaces is great for not only building those leg muscles but staying injury free. Good luck with the 5k!

DWave -- that's unfortunate your trails are so crowded. I was worried here for awhile but I've figured out non-peak hours like 2PM are fine. I certainly wouldn't run outside in a mask, so good luck with your mental health if you take to the treadmill.

DPS - superb mileage week in and week out.

Steve -- Good luck with the TT. I say stream it, but I won't commit to watching all of it. You really need to get a goPro so we can ride along. Given your longer tempo workouts @ 4:08/km I think you should be targeting that as race pace i.e. 1:27 as a  A++ stretch goal. < 1:28 as an A-goal. Stellar training btw.

MRakers - take care of that achilles before it gets worse.