Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2020
You really don't want windy in Wairarapa in October!
I'd be more worried if it was a point to point course. On a loop course, you just have to accept that one direction will be fun and another will be miserable - particularly when it's a two-lapper which will make for shorter upwind stretches. I think it helps having dealt with exactly that at Christchurch HM last year - it's not ideal but it's also not insurmountable.
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"
Heavy wind is bad sideways too. Which would make 75% of Wairarapa hard.
I once ran a half in the Hutt Valley in gale winds, it would have been worth 7-8 minutes.
I flew up to Rotorua this morning. Done too much walking, resting as much as I can now.
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
Heavy wind is bad sideways too. Which would make 75% of Wairarapa hard. I once ran a half in the Hutt Valley in gale winds, it would have been worth 7-8 minutes. I flew up to Rotorua this morning. Done too much walking, resting as much as I can now.
Yes well I suppose there's a chance it might snow too.
Yeah, but Wairarapa has very strong winds in October. When I ran it, weather was really good, although for 3:30+ runners got heavy rain.
The Wairarapa is really nice. It just gets strong spring winds.
Aim is 1:35:45 tomorrow. Did some maths on the course, and came back with that!
What's your go to out of town night before takeaway meal when running a half ? You want to eat healthy but takeaways is takeaways.
My last half was a foot long tuna sub from Subway. I quite like getting a chinese takeaways which is rice dominant with veges.
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 "
Mmmm Bop
I’m starting to think that you’re a glass half empty kind of guy.
5k - 17:53 (4/19) 10k - 37:53 (11/18) Half - 1:23:18 (4/19) Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)
What's your go to out of town night before takeaway meal when running a half ? You want to eat healthy but takeaways is takeaways. My last half was a foot long tuna sub from Subway. I quite like getting a chinese takeaways which is rice dominant with veges.
I’m a big fan of the tuna Subway...but a FOOT long? That’s just being greedy...I usually go for a 6” tuna on hearty Italian bread.
C'mon Mikkey the 1 foot is for real men 😂
If you live in the bottom part of the North Island in NZ and you run, you know the wind well.
Burger and fries.
A decent burger, that is - not just Macca’s. This has been proven by a number of PB’s. Actually to be fair Macca’s did the job for a couple of PB’s too.
But seriously snow is a possibility. The final of the national (field) hockey competition got snowed out in Wellington in late September one year.
Mother of Cats
What the hell is going on with all the imperial terms? I thought this thread used the metric system....
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.
I've been partial to really low quality sushi... i.e. the stuff you can buy at grocery stores. I've also played it safe and just gone with Subway (6" chicken teriyaki with as many veggies as they'll put on there).
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
Watson - In my area some races are actually going on. Just on the other side of OKC there was a "virtual Boston" put on with a newly certified course and everything. Killer hills around the lake they used for the course, so certainly it wasn't ideal for speed. I do have a half on the 4th - technically that's about 2 hours on the highway away, but still. So far as impromptu races go that would be possible to set something up, but I'm in a bit of a dead zone so far as paces go - I'm faster than most around here, but the people who are faster than I am are MUCH faster - at most there might be 1-2 people near my pace for any given distance.
Piwi - I usually keep things boring and simple for supper before a race and go with spaghetti (or about any pasta with a tomato-based sauce). I've yet to find a race location that doesn't have some little mom and pop Italian place nearby. For lunch the day before I like the DWave method - Chipotle. Usually a rice bowl or two (double rice, no beans) with a bit of pork or steak.
Running seems to be holding steady, and perhaps improving a bit. So long as I get a good crack out of my low back/hips (usually done immediately before getting out of bed and putting any real load on the muscles) things hold up well. Maybe a little discomfort during the run, but mostly ok. Oh! How I long for the days of knocking out easy 11 milers every morning without thinking about it...
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
Chipotle sounds nice. Hopefully they open in NZ soon.
I guess if Mark can run a PB on a big Mac for a half it proves that for distances up to a half it doesn't really matter too much what you eat the night before
I think for a marathon you wouldn't want to rely on a big mac getting you through the last 6 miles.
I love pasta too and Sushi. I guess I just love food.