Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2020
Cobra Commander Keen
Piwi - Kudos on the Capt. America shirt.
Flavio - Airports in Italy are certainly still running, because there's a guy in Tulsa who tested positive for the virus. A guy who just got back from a trip to Italy...
Zebano - Thanks for the input. I do enjoy the training - likely more than the actual races. And even if I was training for HM or shorter races (or no races at all) I'd still run 70+ mpw. I like the idea of paring down Strava contacts. I need to do that again.
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
I have always been bigger. In high school at 5'11 was up to 240ish. I'm 6'0 and would sit between 195-205 year round. I ran a lot, but it was slow and easy and meaningless a lot of times. In the summer, my busy schedule kept me from being as active and that was the high end. I wouldn't run as much. 25-30 mpw.
The past three years though I've been more disciplined in the summer and that has made a big difference. I just wouldn't run quality miles. I mean, I know no mile is necessarily a junk mile. But everything was done at 8:50 pace or so. Long runs. Easy runs. Recovery runs. Sometimes I would throw in intervals if I had a 5k coming up, but I just ran a little bit and never saw improvement.
Focusing on the diet has been huge for me. I'm checking into beets. Flanagan uses a lot of beets in her recipes. I've never been a fan of beets, but haven't really given them a fair shot. The only recipe I have ever really had the chance to eat it with is when I travel to Haiti. They do a beet and potato salad. But it's mayonnaise based, and mayo is one of the few things I don't like.
Made the superhero muffins last night, so I'm gonna see how those treat me this week.
MRakers - You're taking the Pfitz dive! Congratulations. Also that weight loss is really impressive, how did you run 50mpw at 200lbs? My goto postrun snack is .... pickles! I love pickles and they're low cal and salty which has the side effect of killing off my chip cravings. I've told myself I should convert to eating beats for the supposed increased blood flow but since my Grandma died I haven't found anyone who makes beets that taste right to me.
Mrakers - I've been reading the beetjuice literature lately and it certainly looks promising. My main question is can you use the whole beetroot? or have the studies only been done on the juice? What's the conversion ratio? I've also seen that some people take beet juice 2-3 hours before a race but I'm unclear on why you wouldn't just take a daily supplement. Thanks for pointing out that Shalane uses them in her recipes, that might be a nice way to introduce them to my diet.
Solid vegetables, although they’re not generally used in such studies, can be effective, too; beetroot and spinach contain about 250 mg of nitrate per 3.5 ounces of produce.
From the washington posts' summary of beet juice https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/beet-juice-gains-traction-as-an-evidence-based-aid-for-athletes/2019/03/22/8e93b1cc-45a2-11e9-90f0-0ccfeec87a61_story.html
1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)
Zebano thanks I added you to my Strava I'm Andrew from Papamoa.
The coronavirus joke photo was inspired by a mate who sent me a whole lot of images of people with ridiculous oxygen type tanks on etc.
Flavio can you add in units as well kms or miles just so the Americans don't think we run 4 min mile pace 😁
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 "
Don't worry piwi, we 'Muricans see that 4 min/mi pace ignore the units and assume you're cheatin by riding your bike. It's a distrustful place over here. Actually I had a lady I follow turn her garmin on for a plane ride and uploaded it to strava as a run.... grrrr
Zebano yes I often see cyclists or people who jump in their cars and dont turn their GPS off getting some nice Crowns at 2 min/km pace.
Only Mark actually can run that fast
One of the local coaches sells this beet stuff https://www.everfit.co.nz/Store/Category/ENDURObeet
I had a slice of beetroot in my burger on friday nestled between cheese and mayonaise
Intl. correspondent
Rakers - I’m impressed, you must have some very caloric foods around. Kudos on the weight loss, that’s some very good genetics + young age still.
I snack on almonds, they’re caloric but very efficient with hunger management.
Re: beets I’ve done baked chips, just slice then thin like ruffles and bake them. Also beet juice
Zebano / Rakers - Beets are cool, but so are other foods. A varied diet is key for a good immune system.
Zebano - I totally flag activities like that , but only when they’re in my way when I want to conquer a Strava segment.
Have you guys considered going fishetarian instead?
Anyway, if you do go vegetarian make sure to top up in vitamin B12 + any other vitamins a good nutritionist recommends.
Meat has important nutrients not found in plants.
FYI, there’s a responsible way of consuming meat which is to purchase local from local farms.
At least in major cities that is a very convenient endeavour and a good compromise.
Piwi - added the units there.
PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021
Up next: some 800m race (or time trials) / Also place in the top 20% in a trail race
Tool to generate Strava weekly
Zebano - added you on Strava. Nice workouts last week.
Mrakers - you're way more disciplined than I am when it comes to food. I don't eat badly but I definitely do use 90-100km/week as a justification for eating junk food. There is an awesome donut place near us so Sunday is officially donut day now (my 3 year old is an enthusiastic participant).
Piwi - haha I don't run a lot of km's with a 2 at the start! Maybe on the track with a bit of GPS assistance haha. Tough day for Zane Robertson in LA. Pace was pretty hot early and he blew up.
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: Runway5 / National 5k Champs, 16:22, National Masters AG Champ!
Up next: Still working on that...
"CONSISTENCY IS KING"
To be clear, I still really enjoy food a lot. My wife and I just transitioned tomorrow cutting a lot of blatantly unhealthy food out and eating more lean meats and veggies. Fish is common but we eat a ton of baked and grilled chicken. I also eat beans with almost every meal.
As we transitioned to this eating style I just felt more full and less snacks because real food holds you over more than processed stuff obviously. There are still splurges.
After my run Saturday I celebrated with an excellent greasy burger and a triple layer blackberry preserves cake with buttercream frosting from a local bakery.
I’m also trying to feel good at the beach in two weeks so that motivates the discipline. My dad also had five bypasses at 48 years old. My grandpa had 3 in his 50s. I want to avoid that as much as I can on my end.
But I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy terrible food occasionally. Now as I increase calories up to 2600+ per day, I’m trying to be proactive that it’s fruits and veggies and not chips and cookies...because I want it to be chips and cookies.
RIP Milkman
James - I don't know why, but pet-hostile room gave me a very good chuckle.
Kiwis - at least the northern US has some warm weather coming, which hopefully will slow the spread of the virus. You guys: best of luck going into winter.
Flavio - looks Italy is locking down the whole country. Good luck out there. I like the idea of bartering with cigarettes.
Stocking Up - I see people stocking up on water. I'm so confused: do they think the virus is going to come up through their pipes?
Pescetarian (or fishetarian) - I try my best to follow this approach, but I can't help myself with running: the more miles you run, the harder it is to maintain any sort of diet. The caloric needs at 80+ MPW are very difficult to get done. Sometimes, you just need a pint of ice cream. I tell myself oh just eat fruit, but it literally does nothing to calm my hunger down.
Me - I've mostly recovered from the flu, although the lungs will need a few more days. We'll see about the NYC Half. NYRR claims it's still going on, but the city may force their hand this weekend and force them to cancel it. If so, I may try to find something to run next weekend instead out in the suburbs. I'm not going the rest of this cycle with zero races (since Boston may get cancelled). I do think the flu knocked down my potential a bit for the half. Sub 1:14 is too aggressive and I don't want to go out at that pace unless I get a tailwind. I do want to shoot for sub 1:15 if the lungs cooperate though.
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
JMac - the water thing is so confusing to me as well. It's not like the stuff coming out of the taps suddenly became unsafe to drink. To make it worse here in NZ, Auckland has had its driest summer on record, and there are people on tank water (like me) who have been buying drinking water to reduce drain on their tank supply given there's around a 3 week lead time to get a water tanker delivery at the moment. So all these idiots stockpiling water are making it harder for people who actually need it (we're not too bad, but there are some people who are really struggling).
Christchurch Marathon actually posted on Facebook last night that they are planning to go ahead and are following the Ministry of Health guidelines. That's fine at this stage unless the guidelines change. Two of the bigger races in NZ are coming up soon: Waterfront HM (early April) and Rotorua Marathon (early May) - if they go ahead it'll be very surprising if Christchurch doesn't.
I doubt the organisers of Southern Lakes HM (capacity: 500) will care too much about the whole thing given it's a small race in a fairly remote mountain location!
Mrakers - sounds like an excellent post-run feed anyways. On the topic of burgers, I've actually discovered that my optimum pre-race dinner for a half marathon is a decent burger and fries. Well, it worked for my last two HM PB's (plus my 5,000m) anyways.
Pescetarian - can't do it. I like chicken and beef too much (chicken is also an excellent source of lean protein). Also no-one in our house is good at cooking fish and my wife is very sensitive to smells and odors.
Problem Child
JMac are you going to blame Corona Virus for missing out on the moose mug? "I coulda been a contenda....if everything wasn''t canceled."
I have a 5k this weekend. not to excited about it, or running, at the moment. Probably going all out for a sub 19 because it seems REALLY hard and HOPEFULLY will bring some positive vibes my way.
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
Brewing - good luck for the 5k.
The water stockpiling is a little strange for coronavirus. The water supply is pretty well treated for decease anyhow, the only way there'd be an issue is the staff working for the water supply get so sick that they cannot even keep the water running.
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
Mother of Cats
Diet stuff: I run best on a diet that includes a lot of red meat, and ideally with a fair amount of fat. Could not do pescatarian, let alone vegetarian. (I was actually raised in a mostly vegetarian home, and struggled with energy and academics until I started regularly eating more meat. Soy just does horrible stuff to me.)
Jmac - v. sorry about the poor timing with the flu.
I also share the skepticism about the hoarding of water. And seriously, you don't need that much hand sanitizer - just wash your hands.
I am happy that perhaps this virus will force a shift in perspective - a culture of "stay at home when you are sick."
My week:
24 miles, 14 "miles" of pool-running, and 2500 yards of swimmingM: 7 "miles" pool-running. T: 7 "miles" pool-running.W: Yoga and 1000 yards of swimmingTh: 2 miles (9:11), upperbody weights/coreF: 2 miles (9:20), yoga, 2 miles (8:46), 1000 yards swimming.Sa: 4.5 miles (8:37), upper body weights and core, 3.5 miles (8:50).Su: 4 miles (9:09), 2 miles (8:40), yoga, 4 miles (8:43), drills. Later 500 yards swimming.
Shut stuff down until I had an ortho rule out a sacral stress fracture, then started PT and also visited the chiropractor, who adjusted a rotated sacrum into place. Things have been improving rapidly since then, though I still have some pain and tightness. The pain and tightness comes and goes, and appears to have a nerve component to it - for example, my hamstrings start burning whenever I lie on my side (even with a pillow between the legs), but are fine if I lie on my back. Sitting sucks. Chiro thought that the rotated sacrum was pressing on the nerves at S1. Makes sense, and matches my experience with previous bouts of stuff like this (one leg going wonky combined with tight hamstrings and pain that moves all over).
Running is improving, though. I felt awful the first few runs, and then figured out that if I was careful about my head carriage, the hamstring pain/stiffness greatly improved. I'm hopeful that if things keep trending this way, I'll be able to return to fast running next week.
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.
Dark wave sounds like a tricky one good luck.
Mark I didn't know Zane was racing. I will check it although I hate it when they pull out.
Brew I think if you dont run sub 19 then rule 85 should apply that states anybody on here who doesnt run a sub 20 5k must dress as lady Gaga for their next run.
We eat alot of fish although I haven't been out for 4 weeks so have been buying it.
My wife and eldest son and one daughter are vegetarian now. In fact my son is coming round tonight to cook us vegetarian burgers.
I managed a sub 20 today within my morning run.