Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2020
JMAC and Mark both with PRs while essentially running solo. Way to go guys! Also kudos on being a NZ masters champ!
Flavio... ugg I have a pup and she would hate being cooped up with us all the time, I have no idea how your compatriots with pets will manage but I understand the necessity.
So far Iowa has a low count, but I'm not sure if that's our smaller & less dense population, lack of testing or what. I have a friend whose 4 year old essentially has no immune system, is on chemo and is living at a hospital, this is a super scary time for them, I really hope that Covid 19 doesn't strain the hospitals resources enough that it impacts him.
Anyway in happier news trails around here are drying up enough that they're just a blast to run on.
Rolling Run totals
Rolling Swim totals
My last swim was Monday, the gyms here closed for a month on Tuesday.
Weekly Bike stats
I should have spent more time on the bike but it was just about 10 degrees too cold to be outside and even netflix doesn't make long sessions bearable for me. In a way this feels like a recovery week just because my cross training was reduced so much.
Quality Sessions
R work : 200, 300, 400, 600, 600, 600 -- First time I've had trouble holding :40/200m. I missed on the 400 and the 600s were ... rough. Went 2:08, 8, 6. I actually took Wednesday totally off because my legs felt so trashed.
~27 minute trail tempo -- The trail wasn't dry, but I really wanted to run hills, mud with scenery instead of my usual 20 minute tempo on sidewalks and mentally it was great. I actually still had screws in the shoes from Winter and I think they helped =)
4x200R, 4x800I, 200-300-400 faster than R: This was a great workout. I overran the first couple reps and in trying to pull myself back missed the last one. Shockingly I ran the I mostly by feel ... and they came in between 3:00-3:02!!! A huge progression from the same workout 2 weeks ago where I was running 3:11-12 and it felt hard.
Anyway I missed a bunch of posts so I'm going to go back and read.
1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)
One thing you keep missing Mark is that this is confirmed cases being used. Given how far ahead we are in this, I’ve done a lot of research on it. Most data seems to point to 20% being asyptomatic throughout the entire length of the disease, and somewhere around 50% are asymptomatic while contagious. That’s very difficult to contain once it’s within your borders, unless you go full authoritarian like China. Again, you have some natural borders that help protect you and maybe it’ll go better, but it’s a very real possibility you guys look just like the rest of the world within 15 days.
Nope, not missing that. I'm a business valuation and strategy analyst remember, I deal in projections and statistics every day and equally important as those projections are the limitations and assumptions around them. It's no coincidence that our number of reported cases rose as we started testing more.
It's a ghost town around Auckland city already and we haven't even escalated (yet) to wider lockdowns. People have to some degree started doing that themselves here already because the social media hysteria is travelling faster than the virus is. Interestingly I see the US has just reported a reduction in day-on-day case numbers for the first time, around a week after many bigger cities went into widespread lockdown.
I'm just maintaining a degree of optimism that things might pan out differently here for structural reasons I've mentioned before. If those reasons turn out to be wrong, so be it. But I worked for NZ Post, I worked for Air NZ, I've got a bit of experience as to how things work differently when you're at the end of the network rather than in the middle. I know you all think I'm naive... really I'm just more about hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Because when we lose hope... that's when we're really in the sh!t.
If I was PM I'd probably go to Alert Level 3 now (which is one off a full lockdown) but if you look at what that entails (cancelling mass gatherings, people working from home, closing public venues etc.), people are actually doing most of it already. But you can do it and credibly tell people you're being proactive because the evidence of uncontained community transmission (which would trigger it) is still very limited but you're being careful anyway because of its ability to spread while people are asymptomatic and having seen what's happened elsewhere etc. etc.
Steve - yeah your mother should certainly be staying at home. I'm amazed that message hasn't gotten through. Even if she's not on social media it's been all over the news etc. The people who are at elevated risk should be taking no chances (hence why my parents have bunkered down).
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"
Me - on a happier note, I ran my time trial today and ran a PR! Came home in 1:15:28 on a USATF certified course, so fully legit. I’ll write a race report, perhaps the weirdest one I may have ever written given everything going on and what it required for me to both a) socially isolate and b) run something I felt was legit. But anyway, this may be the proudest I’ve ever been of a PR, with nobody pacing me or riding a bike with me, so it was an incredible mental grind.
This is awesome, massive congrats JMac.
I've run 5k and 10k TT's, but not in a long time, and certainly never a half. To get that done takes a staggering amount of mental fortitude (trust me, I just raced 25 laps on a track...), you should be beyond stoked with that. Brilliant stuff.
Did you take any gels? *jokes*
Jmac excellent.
I didn't see it on Strava so thought you gave up on the idea.
New Yorks air is too clean right now so we may have to disqualify you
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 "
What a bizarre life we're all getting to live right now.
M - 10 miles on Treadmill
Tu - 12.2 miles at tempo (3 mile w/u, 3x2 miles at tempo effort, c/d - outside and hilly so didn't hold the whole time, but good run)
W - 10 miles w/ the guy signed up for the half with
Th - 6 mile recovery on treadmill
F - 8.3 miles outside (2 sets of 150 m strides)
S - 17 miles on hilly course. Progressive long run Pfitz style. 7:47 pace...felt great.
Su - 7 miles on treadmill super easy
Total: 70.5 miles - biggest mileage week EVER
So, the irony of literally being in the best shape of my life ever, and not being able to race just makes me laugh.
Now to decide if I do the Indy Mini as a virtual run, or just go ahead and push to 2021. The thought of paying $79 for a medal and shirt for a race that I didn't actually race to go run on a weekend that I would run anyways really just feels odd to me.
Now that the race has been canned, as well as most of the other halfs in May, I'm not sure how to proceed because if my summer keeps its normal schedule, it's just gonna be miles each day without any focused training again until around August. So...I don't know what I'm doing at this point besides running a lot of focused and intense miles in hopes that life gets semi-normal in May, I can find a race of some distance, and then run my heart out to at least use this fitness.
If nothing else, I saw the start of an ab the other day which I've never seen before...
It might just be a rib
Still never seen one of those either.
Was 240 lbs in high school compared to the 170 now. 😁
Nice job on the weight loss Mrakers.
We have 48 hours before schools close and all businesses stop except essential services. I think they said for 4 weeks so no income for that time for me
Hot Weather Complainer
At least we can still run, solo only.
This is kind of hard to believe, even though it's been coming for weeks. I feel for those in Italy, New York or anywhere where you are confined to an apartment. I'm lucky enough to live in a big house with decent sized yard.
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 1:27:34
Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024
Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024
Yeah 4 weeks will stretch things for a lot of employers. I know mine will likely try and ride out the 4 weeks without cuts as we will have big-time opportunities during and following that as businesses try to get to grips with things, but if it looks like it may extend beyond that, who knows?
At least we can still run!
I will work from home. I am not really set up well, as I don't have a suitable chair, printer etc.
The spread will go exponential until:
- A substantial number of people have already had it
- Major lockdown occurs.
It is horrible having to lockdown. But hopefully it stops us being New York, Wuhan, France, Italy etc.
JMac - awesome you got a PR.
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
I will work from home. I am not really set up well, as I don't have a suitable chair, printer etc. The spread will go exponential until: - A substantial number of people have already had it - Major lockdown occurs. It is horrible having to lockdown. But hopefully it stops us being New York, Wuhan, France, Italy etc. JMac - awesome you got a PR.
A printer? The only thing I use our printer for these days is printing out concert tickets and there's not much danger I'll need it for that any time soon.
I find it quite good for printing documentation and marking parts.
Intl. correspondent
The thing with confirmed cases is that most countries are only testing people with symptoms.
And those got infected a week ago, so the number of confirmed cases shows how it was a week or 2 ago.
It’s important being careful but no panic is needed.
I agree with Mark, New Zealand has a lot of things going on that will help against the pandemic.
Italy was doomed from the start. Doctors are now reporting weird cases of pneumonia dating back to December.
It's known the virus jumped to humans at the end of October.
So Italy:
- Receives tons of tourists, but also a lot of businessmen from China. Is also a hub, meaning, a lot of people come here then go somewhere else soon after.
- Has a huge percentage of the population over 65 years old
- Has a lot of smokers, if I read correctly 26% of males, 20% of females
- Has a lot of pollution
- Has a lot of cohabitation between generations (23%)
- Is generally a more laid back country, less likely to follow the norms as compared to a Norwegian for instance.
- has a culture that is the opposite of social distancing.
In comparison, New Zealand:
- Also gets tourists, but a lot less
- is at the end of the network, mostly
- is a rich country full of resources
- is a lot more spread out in terms of population density
- COVID does not come from sheep
Eventually they will find the things that had direct correlation with the outbreak, but those could be some factors.
Jmac - fantastic, a HM time trial and a PR to boot. You know what that means right? Hehehehe
Zebano - awesome workouts. That one full of R pace must’ve felt great!
Rakers - you can always go out there and run a time trial. Never let excellent fitness go to waste if you can help it.
Watson is old school!
Watson you are right, a good chair is very much needed for working from home. I found that out quickly.
Also you need a space in your house that you will call "office". It should ideally be separated from the rest of the house and nobody should interrupt you while you're there. Once you finish work you move out of your "office", so that you know mentally to stop working.
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