Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2020
3 months til Masters
Hey all!
Mark (and the rest of the NZ guys/ladies) if the islands can get Covid-19 free, I'm thinking there will be an increased demand for NZ products as people will feel comfortable buying things coming out of there. When we do track sessions during the Spring, we often do them at 5 am cause almost all tracks are tied up all afternoon/night with school/university runners cause all sports are school based, not club. we will get 20-30 guys doing them. Currently they are all canceled, but fortunately we can still get on a few of the tracks because there are open areas and the schools have been cool with people running. Usually if i go during the afternoon i'm the only one there which is nice. PS What track session did you do?
Jmac-Nice half. Been listening to some Podcasts out of NYC and the discussion of how little people are out except for the parks sounds a bit distopian.
Keen- I'm cancelling my planned marathon training and going to 1 workout a week likely and cranking up even more easy miles cause pretty much everything is going to be canceled til fall and the earliest. Even if G'ma's Marathon is run, I likely can't do it cause i'll have a new born at home and I can't isolate for 14 days after coming back from Duluth. So come and get me on mileage!
James-Getting in hills is good and way to get moving on Thursday.
Mrakers- Solid mileage. I would look at some strength and mobility exercises to try to keep those injuries at bay. just my 2 cents.
DW-12 miler including a hill workout. Rough and impressive.
Piwi-Nice 10k worth of quicker running on 3/25. Way to get some turnover.
My week- I have been sick with bronchitis all week. I got it from my dad 2 weeks ago, but started feeling it overnight last Sunday. he started feeling it last week thursday. and hit me a few days later. He went through the covid testing (he's 67) and was negative and tested positive for bronchitis (bacterial), so i have been on antibiotics all week with the same symptoms. Got enough miles to crack the green in the running game (70 ish). Original plan was to be up near 90 but kept adjusting down all week with my coach since I just felt like crap.
To keep things interesting and with no races, we are doing a inter squad (east vs west) with stava segments. We pick a segment on each side of the river and you have a week to drop as fast as a time that you can and then we have 3 age groups. We are cross country scoring it with the best 3 times in each age group. So that will be fun to get through the summer. Since you have a week to do it, we are all running different times. So with 2 segments (a two miler and a 1 miler this week) plus 3 age groups, there are plenty of scoring opportunities for the 20-30 guys and gals. You can take a crack at each segment as well. We had someone drop a 4:41 in the middle of a 10 miler and a 10:40 in a 20 mile run (two different guys). so when you see me talking about segments that is what that is about.
Day, date, plan, actual, time. notes....
2023 Goals
Marathon Sub 2:37 (CIM) 2:41:18
10k Sub 35:00 (Victory 10k 34:19)
5k Sub 16:00 (Hot Dash 5k in March (16:48), Brian Kraft in May (16:20), Twilight 5000 in July and August (16:20/16:25 Both heat index 102-103F)
Sub 1:16 Half Marathon City of Lakes Half Marathon 1:15:47)
Sub 56:30 in 10 mile (Twin Cities 10 mile, Canceled due to weather, 56:35 as a workout)
2024 Goals
Sub 2:37 Marathon
Sub 1:15 Half
Sub 34 10k
Sub 16 5k
Dp nice week. Must be scary having cold symptoms in these times.
Virtual races and the like are the way to go. I joined the Strava april 5 and 10k challenge to try and motivate me.
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 "
Mrakers, Mark and Piwi - nice weeks.
Darkwave - good luck on your recovery.
Dps - nice week. Although given your sickness, maybe you should have cut back more?
My weeks are still just running 3 minutes with 1 minute walks, of five sets, three times a week. For my rehab sessions I'm warming up with three sets of the run/walk. Hamstring is pretty good, my achilles has been playing up but is better than a few weeks ago.
I have an online physio appointment tomorrow (in our lock down, physios are closed). I'm hoping for a green light for 20 minutes continuous running.
I am still working, but from home. It's going ok.
For those not working, and not injured, you can get in lots of volume (assuming you're allowed out, you're not overly stressed by the situation etc.). I remember when I had a week off work in marathon training, that week was roughly 75 miles / 120km, and it felt easier than a working week of roughly 65 miles / 104 km.
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
Hot Weather Complainer
Set those Strava activities to private, Pravda are watching
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/120670004/coronavirus-auckland-cyclists-and-runners-flout-lockdown-rules
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
Set those Strava activities to private, Pravda are watching https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/120670004/coronavirus-auckland-cyclists-and-runners-flout-lockdown-rules
There was a bit of banter on Facebook messenger this morning on this exact subject - a few local running mates including the particular runner mentioned!! I locked my Strava profile down a little after that. It's some second-rate journalist (and let's be fair, in NZ that is a pretty damning indictment) trying to stir up a bit of trouble. I'd love to know why that is an 'essential service'.
The general consensus was that cyclists riding 40km one-way from East Coast Bays to Farro in Orakei (when there's a perfectly good Farro in... East Coast Bays) was probably a much bigger issue. Let's be honest - cyclists go a lot further and there's a lot more things that can go wrong with a bike versus a pair of running shoes. It's also a lot harder to walk home carrying a bike!
DPS - nice week, tough on the bronchitis though. Hope you're over it soon. It's definitely tough with no races to shoot for right now.
Watson - positive on the rehab front, good stuff.
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"
It would be good if they made some specific rules, right now it is your can drive a little way to exercise, don't go too far etc. If they had rules around maximum drive to exercise, maximum distance from home etc. then it would be much clearer.
With my current distance, I'm pretty safe
Intl. correspondent
Darkwave - we can get a great workout with bodyweight exercises, but body weight does not necessarily mean no equipment.
The average home will not have a pull up bar nor a mast strong enough for stuff like human flags.
I agree though it’s not the same as having weights around. Especially for deadlifts and squats.
I wish I had thought about the treadmill before running outside got banned. I just never thought it would get to that.
Piwi - so you’re a runner now huh?
Mark - you most likely could go for the super difficult variations in body weight training (human flag, planche, walk on your hands).
There’s no such a thing for the weighted deadlifts at your level though as I suppose pistol squats are too easy for someone like you.
Dps - it’s super cool that you can still run at that state. Get better!
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
Lots going on here!
Flavio -- The stairs aren't working, that's a shame. If you don't want to do Yoga, you could consider running:https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/02/16/man-runs-marathon-apartment-china-fights-coronavirus-exercise/
James -- awesome, someone else looking to run a mile! Seems like the a great thing to train for during the lockdowns. How much does one taper for a mile?
MRakers - solid week, I hope the knee is ok.
Darkwave - 2 solid weeks. My understanding is albuterol inhalers are extremely effective with the Corona Virus symptoms but the combination asthma + corona can't be good. I almost bought a used power cage a couple years back and now I'm really regretting that I didn't.
Piwiw - awesome tempo
DPS - is your club the source of the "Strava Wars" PDF that's going around? That hit my club last week and we're considering trying it. There's just some debate on geographic boundaries. Get healthy!
Steve - Did you see this one? https://triathlonmagazine.ca/news/ironman-new-zealand-champ-joe-skipper-criticized-for-325-km-ride/
Thankfully Iowa is doing alright so far but I'm expecting a huge spike soon based on what my doctor friends are saying. Thankfully our population density isn't that high so we have some natural advantages over places like NYC. Even when the clay trail near my house was busy last week, I was still able to hop in the grass and maintain 6' clearance. I had more trouble on the track when two old women showed up to walk. I was clearly doing a workout and they insisted on walking in lane 2 (actually they started in lane 1 and I had to say something ugg).
I opted to become a RealRunner last week. I really miss the pool, it's just a great recovery exercise and I notice my back tightens up a bit without it. I have a lot less love for the bicycle and basically decided after Monday's 30 minute trainer session to just do a few running doubles instead of cycling... Now I just have to be sure I don't get injured.
Monday -- 45 min EZ run + 4 hill sprints, 30 min cycle
Tuesday -- 6x[:50 fast, 1:40 float] legs were super heavy and I struggled to get up to pace during the fast portions. I'm getting much better at recovering at 7:30/mi. Going into a workout with heavy legs was a problem all week.
Wednesday - 30 min EZ AM - 25 min EZ w/ 4 strides PM ... mostly just to breakup the looong workday.
Thur - 10 mile progression (from 8:30 -> 6:59 / mile) in 2 parts because the right hamstring got tight at mile 6. I stopped to chat w/ a friend from a nice safe distance and then continued on.
Friday - 35min EZ AM, 40 PM (w 4 strides). Once again, breaking up the workday is nice.
Saturday - 5x800 in 2:59-3:01, 4x200 at faster than mile effort (37, 35, 36, 35). I also drove to the track which is unusual for me so this totaled another 10 miles.
Sunday -- 40 min EZ
52 miles and my legs are right on that borderline of:" Hey you're in the middle of a training block did you expect to feel good?" and "O Crap you did way too much. "
My biggest problem is that my kid's are drifting off of school schedule and I'm staying up playing games with them but still getting up at 5:30 as normal. I need to reprioritize a solid 8 hours of sleep / night.
1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)
RIP Milkman
Best part of the article:
You must stay local, that doesn't mean wandering off for 5 or 6 miles [about 8 to 9.7km], it's stay in your neighbourhood, stay close to home."
He quoted in miles! You guys really are in an epidemic
I will get to everyone's week later today.
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Stayed off my feet on Saturday and just iced the knee and watched Kid's Baking Championship...I'm gonna be fat at the end of this virus.
Sunday, was on my feet a lot. Got my 10k steps in for the day between walking 1 mile early in the morning, and then working in the garage all day. But, it was all light stuff. No run. Continued to ice through the evening.
Woke up this morning and did 9 easy miles around 8:25 pace on average. The last two miles just fell into comfortable pace at 8:05 or so. Best news is that the pain is not there like it was Saturday. It's still a touch tight and from time to time, I can just feel it tensing up, but it's actually the best it's felt since Wednesday when it flared up.
Still watching it closely...but felt good to be able to run this morning without having to limp, change my stride, or worry.
Cobra Commander Keen
Flavio - Hang in there!
James, MRakers, Zebano - Nice weeks.
DWave - Glad to hear that your back is improving like it is, and great that you have the weights/exercise equipment handy to keep up with things.
DPS - Good luck getting over that bronchitis and avoiding anything more serious. Sounds like you have a good running plan going forward. Only partially saying that because it's essentially what I'm doing! Trying to build up lots and lots of easy miles with probably just one workout per week to keep from getting stuck in "easy" mode.
JMac - What were the names of those Japanese clothing companies you told me about a while back? Somehow I lost my note of what those were.
I'm feeling like I'm back! Good week last week, lots of doubles. My Ronnestad workout was slower than I would have liked, but my legs are feeling more loose/faster now than they were then, so that's good. My favorite LRS has started a virtual race series, complete with prizes. 5k last weekend, 10k this coming weekend, HM two weeks after that (middle week is a make-up for the first two races). I figure I'll use these as my workouts for the week, but that might dictate a mid-week LR to make that doable. Who knows what my motivation for this will be when the time comes, but I'm considering running the original OKC marathon route as a LR in about a month. Fill up the hydration vest and start early to avoid a bit of the inevitable heat.
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
JamesD
I was going to ask the board that. Following the general principle of tapering more for a longer race than a shorter race and the second general principle of my tapering relatively more than most people because I run fewer miles, my answer is "a little, but mainly in the last few days." I figure I need at least one trial run of a mile before I race my slightly faster friend (who has already done two solo trials), so I'm doing that two weeks before race day and probably will run a little less than normal at the end of that week. In general, when I was aiming for a half, I was running 40-45 mpw with a long run & one longish workout each week, usually 4-5 miles tempo or 5x1200. Now I've shortened the workouts to 10 180-meter hills or 8x400 or 2.5 miles slightly faster than tempo, and I'm doing two of them some weeks, replacing a long run. I expect I'll be around 35-40 mpw until race week. As of now, I expect race week to be as follows:
Sun - 2.5 miles slightly faster than tempo, maybe 6-7 total (may do hill sprints instead if I don't do them the previous midweek);
Mon - 7+ recovery (my typical recovery run)
Tues - off
Weds - 4x200 sharpening, maybe 4-5 total
Thurs - 3-5 easy (may switch Weds & Thurs)
Fri - off
Sat - mile race.plus several recovery miles afterwards
What are your plans? Comments from others are welcome too.
Post-1987 PRs: Half 1:30:14 (2019); 10K 39:35 (2019); 5K 19:12 (2017); Mile 5:37.3 (2020)
'24 Goals: consistency, age-graded PRs, half < 1:32
James Ive never run a mile time trial but it looks to be a cool challenge.
Keen nice 5k no Lady Gaga for you.
Mrakers good you are rid of that niggle.
Zebano I like 8 hours sleep too. I can nap in the afternoon because Im stuck at home.
Watson good that you are on your way back. Yes its easy to get volume in now with no work.
Mark/Steve they just emphasized on the news exercise local. I thought this might happen. Ive seen some facebook shaming of surfing and fishing etc. I did 4 x 3km loops around my neighbourhood this morning.
Mark i did the Les Mills body balance yesterday on TV. I mostly enjoyed the relaxation bit at the end where the instructor almost hypnotizes us. .
Flavio yes right now Im a runner
This morning I decided to try a 5 x 1000 VO2max workout, something I havent done for months/years.
after the 3rd one I felt pretty shit so bailed. Thought it must be my lack of base but I checked my splits when i got home
3.31, 3.28, 3.29 which was was too fast. I should be at about 3.45/km right now. Next time I will need to get a better grasp on pace. It was dark and I couldnt see too well so was trying to go by feel.
I was going to ask the board that. Following the general principle of tapering more for a longer race than a shorter race and the second general principle of my tapering relatively more than most people because I run fewer miles, my answer is "a little, but mainly in the last few days." I figure I need at least one trial run of a mile before I race my slightly faster friend (who has already done two solo trials), so I'm doing that two weeks before race day and probably will run a little less than normal at the end of that week. In general, when I was aiming for a half, I was running 40-45 mpw with a long run & one longish workout each week, usually 4-5 miles tempo or 5x1200. Now I've shortened the workouts to 10 180-meter hills or 8x400 or 2.5 miles slightly faster than tempo, and I'm doing two of them some weeks, replacing a long run. I expect I'll be around 35-40 mpw until race week. As of now, I expect race week to be as follows: Sun - 2.5 miles slightly faster than tempo, maybe 6-7 total (may do hill sprints instead if I don't do them the previous midweek); Mon - 7+ recovery (my typical recovery run) Tues - off Weds - 4x200 sharpening, maybe 4-5 total Thurs - 3-5 easy (may switch Weds & Thurs) Fri - off Sat - mile race.plus several recovery miles afterwards What are your plans? Comments from others are welcome too.
James, I'm totally playing the taper by ear. I was training for a mile on the 22nd so I'll probably do a TT near then (I actually think the 24rd will work better). I find your comment about tapering more because you run less interesting. I usually go the other way because when you're lower mileage first you have less mileage to peel back and second a few miles is a bigger percent of what you're used to.
My schedule has been a 2 week cycle w/ 6 quality sessions:
* 1 90min + Long run
* 1 alternation roughly 3k pace / ~ M pace recoveries totaling 15 minutes.
* 1 tempo run, usually just 20 minutes but I did a hilly/trail tempo instead last cycle
* 1 set of mile paced intervals (think JD R stuff - I'm doing 4x600 next time)
* 1 workout that mixes VO2 and mile effort.
* 1 workout whatever I feel like (usually more R stuff -- was supposed to be a couple local races)
* 4-6 strides most other days
I have one more 2 week cycle of this with the "you choose" workout probably being a TT mile just to practice and remember how much lap 3 sucks and specifically practice starting at a pace that feels too slow (I have a habit of running miles at something like 77, 83, 83, 77 and I'd like to even that out a bit).
For the taper I'm tentatively thinking I'll do my last workout on Saturday, and then either the quick taper of
???
3 days out - 40 min ez + 6-8 strides or 4xmin on/off working from 5k down to mile/800 pace depending on how the legs feel
2 days before - off
day before - 20 min + 4 strides or hill sprints
Race day
All I know is that I love to cruise some 200s @ 3k effort a few days before a 5k and I also know I race really poorly if I take the day before off so I usually try to take my day off two days out and get some faster than race pace work in just before that. My only question is if I want to race Wednesday or stretch out the recovery a couple more days and maybe absorb a bit more of the training. If I race right on the 22nd 3 days out would be the day after my last big workout... probably foolish.
I had a buddy offer to pace me and I'm trying to decide on if I should take him up on it... He said he's fast enough he can run in lane 3-4 and keep up with me or run 6' ahead of me... both of which seem strange. The bigger question is how aggressive should I be. I've been able to hold :40/200 pace through 400m no problem but my 600s have been a bit dicey (as slow as 2:08, hit pace once, most around 2:05). Oh well, I usually try to race by feel, but if I'm going to have a pacer, I feel I need to give him a target time.
Anyway I'm probably overthinking this, the joy is it's just me, my spikes and a track. If I feel crappy, I can easily just delay a couple of days.