Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2020
DPS - yeah, one thing we are good at here is food production. Apparently we produce enough food for 40 million people (that's 8x our population). With the tourism sector basically destroyed for the foreseeable future, we will be relying on primary product exports as the main economic driver.
JMac - funnily that was the exact thing I picked up on too - I was like 'cool, he said miles, that's further than km haha'.
Mrakers - good to hear the body is feeling better.
Zebano - the risk is that there are generally more cases out there than what is reported (since not everyone gets tested). But lower population density will help.
James/Zebano - I don't taper much for short races. For a goal 5k maybe a 3-4 day taper but keep some strides or short intervals in there to keep your legs sharp.
Keen - nice week! Funny, this morning was the first morning I really felt like I was 'back' after 10,000m champs the weekend before last. Just got in a bit of a funk and had an injury niggle that flared up, but this morning felt great. I'll probably get all grumpy on Saturday because I should've been racing though haha.
Piwi - that was a pretty sharp workout even if you did overcook it early on
I think the main thing with exercise is just don't take the p!ss. There's nothing wrong going a bit further if you are an experienced runner and won't get into trouble. But cyclists going the entire way across the city is a bit nuts - what if you get a flat tire or have some sort of mechanical failure?
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"
Mark I agree and cycling seems dangerous although without the traffic probably much safer than usual.
To be honest even though I failed that workout it was a nice surprise to see I can still run 3.30/km and gives me some confidence for the future once I have a base.
Zebano do you watch Nick Symonds on YouTube?
He did a comparison on the track with spikes vs next %
And obviously spikes were much better at the faster speeds especially around the corners. He got about 3 secs lap difference over 1 400m hardout lap.
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 "
Hot Weather Complainer
I decided it was time to get back to proper training yesterday with a 3x(2,2,4) Vo2 Max session (1 minute rest). I felt good after a lighter week last week but towards the end of the second set I was gone and talked myself into being okay with 2 sets. But 30 seconds into my rest after the second 4 minute interval I decided to just have a crack and only give up if I really couldn't keep going. I got through with only a slight fade, so it was a really good lesson that when I think I'm done, maybe I'm not.
I'm still thinking about a time trial which I guess will need to be from home. Out and back will be the best option as I can put a turnaround at 10.6km and finish where I started, rather than have a random finish if I do laps. Still 2 months away so a lot will change I expect.
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
JamesD
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... ...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... ...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.
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...
...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...
...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.
I've read a few times over the years that low-mileage runners need a longer and more substantial (in percentage terms) taper than high-mileage ones do, at least for full or half marathons. I assume the same is true for shorter races. That also seems consistent with my observation that I'm recovering a lot faster now that I'm averaging 40ish mpw than I did when I was averaging 15-20 mpw - I expect that 40-mpw me needs less of a taper than 15-mpw me did, but that I still need more of a taper than, say, Mark would.
I've had bad races the few times I've run the day before a race, even just strides. Might be a coincidence, but all of my good races (and a couple of bad ones too) have come after a day of rest. Not sure whether I want to do 4 200s the Wednesday before my Saturday trial and a few easy miles on Thursday or vice versa. The "number of days to benefit from a workout" table that JMac posted a few weeks ago and that I've found generally accurate says that runners see benefits from a speed workout within 1-3 days, but the accompanying article notes that older runners can take longer than average to benefit, so I might have a better chance of getting a little benefit if I do them on Wednesday.
Good that your buddy is willing to pace you. Seems like that would be worth several seconds/mile (and I still can't understand how JMac could solo a half PR), and it could also help even out your pacing. Having someone six feet ahead would seem perfect for me - close enough that you feel like you're with them, but not so close that you risk tripping. As for pace, you might want to take your time trial mile and tell him to shoot for that minus five seconds. If you're too close, he'll feel it and can speed up a little.
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 as I said I haven't read anything similar but it's really interesting that you race well off of an off day while I prefer a higher muscle tension. The chart of how long it takes to benefit from a workout is a great thing to reference. I think I'll rejigger some of my schedule.and make sure I get the Tempo stuff and VO2 stuff in early. That said the residual fatigue of a 4x600 is real too. Huh, maybe this is why people pay for coaches.
Piwi - I'd only ever watched one Symonds video (on periodization), thanks for the reference! I don't have any Next% so it's an easy choice to go with the spikes =) I'll probably end up going down a youtube rabbit hole now.
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
Personal running observation: The day after a workout I typically feel really good, and on top of that my pace is typically faster than usual on my easy run for no increase in effort.
Does this happen to anyone else? And, could I perhaps exploit this for a race? Perhaps just a couple T miles or 800-1,000m intervals (both with plenty of rest) the day before. Nothing strenuous, but perhaps just enough to get the legs really primed?
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
RIP Milkman
Grandma's marathon was cancelled, so I'm going to take Mark's advice and focus on 5K/10K training. They're my softest PRs, plus they're a lot easier to run time trials. So marathon training is officially done for me. I'll be hanging out in here a lot more.
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
It's really good that people are still training.
Online physio yesterday went well. I am upgraded to single leg Swiss ball curls, plus adding weight to the single leg Romanian deadlifts. Also going to 4 * (5 minutes run and 1 minutes walk), I had been 5 * (3 + 1).
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
Watson - good news, those swiss ball leg curls are a classic hamstring strengthening exercise, I remember doing those when I was rehabbing my knee injury.
JMac- doh Having said that, 5k and 10k are definitely do-able as TT's. Given your bad weather luck with 5k races last time around, it might actually help that you can choose the day you run it on!
Over here, Wellington Marathon (early July) has suspended entries but hasn't cancelled/postponed yet. Some of the club/community-run September/October events have already pulled the pin too - presumably to avoid spending money they might not recoup.
Keen - my legs are normally a little tired the day after a workout. Having said that, I normally include a short run (4-5 miles) with some short, sharp efforts the day before a race. I've always thought this worked well but I have no idea whether that's just habit!
Personal running observation: The day after a workout I typically feel really good, and on top of that my pace is typically faster than usual on my easy run for no increase in effort. Does this happen to anyone else? And, could I perhaps exploit this for a race? Perhaps just a couple T miles or 800-1,000m intervals (both with plenty of rest) the day before. Nothing strenuous, but perhaps just enough to get the legs really primed?
My easy run pace is usually at its slowest (in the 8:40s/mile) the day after interval workouts or short hills or long tempos. It's not as slow (often 8:30s) after long runs, and the day after last week's short (2.5-mile) tempo-or-slightly-faster run, my pace was below 8:20 at the same effort. Just because my easy pace is faster at a given effort doesn't mean that my race pace would be, though.
Zebano yeah I'm watching loads of shoe reviews on YouTube
Keen I seem to remember something about getting muscle tension in your legs. The day after I do hills I feel like flat runs are super easy. Keep it short and I think it helps.
Jmac bummer but at least we can claim you as ours now in the shorter distance thread
Plenty of people walking on the beach and still a few surfers out.
My son made a video on improvising for surfing at home.
Hes the guy on the couch etc
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=ltVenKy3ypE
Piwi - Running Events pulled the pin on the Tauranga Marathon for this year. Rob (the owner) told me it was coming, basically it's a fairly break-even proposition anyway and with Rotorua and Hawkes Bay ending up in the same week it was just too risky for them to go ahead. It's a shame but at least it helps to rationalise the calendar a bit.
The Hawkes Bay Marathon guys are still dorks, though.
I suspect we will need to be at zero non-recovered cases for any mass gathering events to happen. Fingers crossed...
Mark well at least that simplifies your choices
Rotorua is a cool event from my experience of 3 half marathons there.
I'd say zero community transmission is the more likely trigger but it might not be that different.