Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2019 (Read 641 times)

    Pulford got 10.3kms Mark. Don't they wheel measure it ? Surely an athletics nz event should be accurate you would think.

    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 "      

     

    watsonc123


      Seems a bit strange Auckland would be long.  Mark is right in that Wellington was 10.0-10.1km on GPS, and most likely truly 10.0km.

      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

      Marky_Mark_17


        I reckon it used to be 10km, then some smartass race director added the s-bend in which pushed it over 10km, and they never adjusted the course to balance it out. A number of (experienced) runners saying it’s long, with GPS to back it up, is a bit different to one person having a grumble.

        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: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

        Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

        "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

          I must congratulate with everybody on the forum, you are doing great!!!

           

          Flavio, James, Paul, and Piwi nice week

          DPS, Watson, and Mark great races!

           

          I am not in great shape, but finally I managed to get a good week in

          M  - rest

          T   - intervals (5X1200mt aimed for 4'30'' with the last two in 4'35-7, recovery 400mt jog)

          W  - tempo run (8 miles with 3.5 miles  at 10K pace (4'/Km) and 1.5 miles at half marathon pace (4'15''/Km)

          T   - 4.5 miles recovery run

          F   - 6 miles slow with some hills

          S   - 11 miles at 8/8:10 per mile

          S   - 13.5 miles at 8/8:10 per mile

           

          Next Sunday I have the laganSide 10k, original target su 40, but I am not too convinced I will manage... what do you think? times in the interval doesn't suggest a great fitness and I did have a bad cycle of training this summer...

           

          I will do intervals on Tuesday and then taper a bit with lower miles in the second part of the week.

          PRs since re-started in 2013:

          5km: 19:43 (Belfast park run Sep-16) | 10km: 40:16 (Belfast Lagan side 10K Sep-18) 

          HM: 1:30:09 (Belfast city Half Marathon, September-18) | FM: 3:25:05 (official chip time Belfast city Marathon, May-19, marathon was 0.3/4 longer, original time 3:27:20 for 26.5/6...)

           

          Upcoming races:  

          ???

          JMac11


          RIP Milkman

            Talking about measuring courses is like sending out the bat signal: I knew something was amiss and had to check in on RA.

             

            Honestly Mark, I think you and some of the other fast runners should be pushing for NZ to start getting their courses certified. It’s a joke that you have “championship” races that aren’t certified. Otherwise, you’re all just guessing whether your PRs are legit, or whether you ran a long course.

             

            I’m not suggesting this should be done for all races, or even most. But how can you have races in your national championships that aren’t certified? Just pay someone to do it. The great thing about certifying is that you only have to do it once every 10 years or so to maintain certification status. Even here, there are much smaller 5Ks that are certified (all 3 of the ones I ran this summer were, and they are charity races with only 400 people in them).

             

            I’d encourage you to get a group of the top guys together to write to the race directors. If not, I think you should at least figure out why they aren’t willing to shell out the few hundred dollars it costs to get it certified.

            5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

             

             

            CommanderKeen


            Cobra Commander Keen

              Watson - Nice job grabbing the PR. Even out the pacing a touch and you're already lined up for another one!


              DPS - Awesome job in crushing your goal in that half. I'd love to have that PR by my name right about now.


              Piwi - Look at you racking up the kilometers! How're you feeling after that LR?


              Mark - Great result as well, especially with that momentum-sucking "S" curve in there.


              Flavio - Are you mourning something with the blacked out avatar?
              Nice week, and I think you made a good call on postponing the 5k attempt. I couldn't imagine doing nothing but mile pace stuff for that long!


              Certified courses - I'm with JMac, it blows my mind that so many NZ courses aren't certified, especially for a championship-level race. Even the 5k course in my hometown (population ~300, the course gets used exactly once per year) is certified. It's rare to find any courses around here that aren't certified - about the only ones that aren't are ultras, in which it's typically understood that the course may give you some "bonus miles" - and even then there are even trail ultras in the area that have officially certified courses.


              5 weeks in a row now of 70+ miles. My HR was super-low for the paces I've run all week. It has been slightly cooler lately than the week prior, but not by much, and I'm not feeling overly fatigued so I'm not sure of the cause of the low HR.

              I'm registered for a 5k this weekend (kinda hilly, looks like decent temps but with an equally decent chance of rain), but so is the rest of the family. I think DW may end up dropping down to the 1 mile to push DD3 in the stroller while running with DD2. That leaves DD1 and myself doing the 5k. I'm not sure if DD1 will want to run the race by herself (it's a loop course in a park, and quite safe), in which case I'd finish the 5k then turn around to find her, or if we'll run it together. Or maybe I'd end up pushing DD3 in the stroller - at this level of race (and with the super-fast, competitive one across town the same day) I might could actually win while pushing the stroller. Of course if it rains I don't know that any of the rest of the family will be up for a run.
              All this to say that I might end up taking this as a bit of a down week. I'll probably do my LR Wednesday morning, then if I'm going to take a down week I'll probably cut out a few miles Friday, then not do much more than the 5k and a warm-up/cool-down on Saturday.

               

              Monday, Aug 19, 2019 thru Sunday, Aug 25, 2019

              <tfoot> </tfoot>
              Day Miles Pace Description HR Link
              Mon 12.7 7:33 5x 1.2k + 3x 1.2k @ CP. 1:12 rec between intervals, 6 min between sets 154 (79%) strava
              Tue 10.5 8:20 2 deer (2 strides), and moonlit miles 134 (68%) strava
              Wed 11.1 8:25 5 deer (5 strides) 136 (69%) strava
              Thu 13.2 7:33 2x 15 min T + 10 min T. 3 minute recoveries. 144 (73%) strava
              Fri 11.1 8:09 1 owl and watching the thunderstorm on the horizon getting closer 134 (68%) strava
              Sat 17.3 8:03 Remington, without the hills this time 134 (68%) strava
                75.9 7:58

              5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

               

              Upcoming Races:

               

               

              watsonc123


                Keen - great week.

                 

                I think the Auckland 10k is certified?  Did they get the turn around wrong this year?  The more laps there are the more the error accumulates.

                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

                  Marco how did the 3.5 mile at 10k pace feel ? I did 7kms at just under 4 min/km last week and felt like I could have kept it going. That's probably how you need to feel.

                   

                  Mark interestingly the Tauranga half marathon is certified I read on their site so that's a start!

                   

                  Keen thanks yes the 29km run was my longest for ages. I wasn't planning it but my mates were running long so I just went with it. Felt fine at 8 min mile pace. I was a bit fatigued for the rest of the day. Imagine winning the 5k with a stroller that would be an achievement 

                   

                  Jmac how is Tanzania? Just after you left there was a news item on a Kiwi couple who got lured into a false taxi in Tanzania and violently threatened and robbed. Enjoy your holiday on that note 

                  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 "      

                   

                    Mark: no podium no prize? Great work there, hope you are able to recover for your race!

                     

                    General: so apparently Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is involved in that sex scandal. Everytime he appears on the newspaper I ask myself who he reminds me of. And today, after a long time it finally dawned on me: hes like the older (&heavier) brother of Piwi. They even share the same first name. Cant be coincidence.

                     

                    Me: second day of pt and feel great. Havent really worked out in ages but fitness is slowly coming back thanks to some easy runs...gonna take a while, its a pitty.

                    HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)

                     

                    2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!

                    Marky_Mark_17


                      Watson- the course is certainly measured.  I suspect they might be remeasuring it after last weekend!  There's nothing that would throw the GPS out there - no tall trees or buildings.  Maybe they just got the turnaround wrong as you suggest.

                       

                      Keen - another very impressive week (and props for the consistency).

                       

                      Marco - nice week and good to see you back.  I'd say on those intervals you might be a bit behind 40 but you never know, maybe try to hit 4:00 for the first km and then see how it feels and adjust from there.

                       

                      JMac - weirdly I did wonder if that post would be the equivalent of a bat signal!

                       

                      I've got no doubt all the official championship courses were measured or certified at some point, I just don't think they're necessarily that diligent about re-checking them every year.  But yeah agreed, it's niggly when you're that close to a PB... having said that the wind probably cost 20-30 seconds and maybe the course length some more on top of that.  Bear in mind all these courses are eligible for national records too so there's really no excuse for not checking them thoroughly.

                      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: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

                      Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

                      "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

                      Marky_Mark_17


                        Taper Madness, part 10(a)

                         

                        The weather forecast for Dunedin on Sunday is looking good at this stage - ~8C, sunny, little wind.  It also looks pretty good on Saturday and Monday so even if the weather moves through faster or slower than expected conditions should be good.  Should be nice after having absolute rubbish weather to contend with at my last 2 races, it might actually even be fun out there!  Last year was near-perfect race weather and a repeat of that would be nice.

                        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: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

                        Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

                        "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

                        watsonc123


                          A little late posting my week.  Very light due to work travel plus the taper.

                           

                          <tfoot> </tfoot>
                          Day Miles Pace Description Link
                          Mon 5.0 8:22 Evening Run strava
                          Tue 5.0 7:54 Morning Run - Treadmill Mild Tempo 3.0-7.0km strava
                          Thu 5.0 8:48 Evening Run strava
                          Sat 1.6 8:00 Warmup strava
                          Sat 6.2 6:30 Wellington Road Champs 10k strava
                          Sat 1.7 8:29 Cool down strava
                            24.5 7:55  

                           

                           

                          RR: Wellington Road 10km Champs. 

                          40:28, being 75th out of 107 men, and 32nd out of 41 men aged 35-49

                           

                          Morning was taken up with my oldest soccer. With me being the ref for the second half. It probably involves running about 2km of the race morning which ideally wouldn't happen. It was quite windy, cool and a little wet in the morning, so I got a bit cold.

                           

                          We then went home, and had lunch (pancakes cooked by my wife). We then left about 65 minutes before my youngest race in the under 10's 1km race. We got a little lost on the way and took a wrong turn, but arrived without about 20 minutes before my youngest (8 year old girl) raced. She did a little warmup, and ran 4:49 for the 1km (start 1:15pm), finished 8th out of 14 (I think) for the under 10 girls.

                           

                          I talked to Thomas from our club who won the first race, which was the under 20's 7.5km. He stated that most of the better under 20's had skipped the race, and were racing in the Dunedin half-marathon (which Mark is in).

                           

                          I was racing the 10km at 2:45pm. My 'A' aim was 39:59, with a 'B' aim of beating my PR of 40:39 (set in 2015 during marathon training). I've raced only 3-4 previous 10km races, which have either been heavy winds or bad pacing (starting too quick).

                           

                          My watch battery arrived on the Saturday morning, but didn't have time to replace it. So was racing 'old' style with just a regular stop watch. On Sunday I realied that I neeed a T5 screwdriver, which I don't have, so I've ordered that now (luckily it's a NZ site rather than overseas). So hopefully I'll have GPS back in a week.

                           

                          The race is 10km, men running in the open (20-34), masters 35-49 (me) and masters 50-59. There's also the women open (20-34)
                          and masters woman 35-49 (incl. the wife).

                           

                          The course is a 1.25km out, on a road that is straight enough, with a rise of about 16 metres. It's roughly the first third slighly uphill, the second third more or less flat, and the last third slighly uphill. Then go back downhill. And do this four times. The only difference is that the start is about 35 metres in front of the turn around, and the finish about 35 metres behind the turn around. So the laps are 2.465, 2.5, 2.5 and 2.535 km long.

                           

                          There's a mild wind, which is opposite to the gradient. So tail wind on the uphill, head wind on the downhill. Temperature is 13 Celcius, the road is almost entirely in the shade. So weather conditions are 9 out of 10.

                           

                          I do best with negative splits. So I'm hoping for 10:10-10:20 for the first lap, and then slightly speed up.

                           

                          Lap 1: 9:47

                           

                          We line up, and we're off. I start the first minute pretty easy, and am near the back. I then speed up slightly and start overtaking people - in hindsight I should have kept the up hill of the first lap really easy.

                           

                          On the first uphill I overtake 5-10 people. I cannot remember the first up hill time, it felt pretty easy. I then turn for downhill. This is a little quicker as it's slightly downhill. First lap done in 9:47. I feel good, and then starting thinking of sub 39!

                           

                          Lap 2: 10:07

                           

                          The next uphill I notice it's a bit harder. Not a huge deal, but definitely harder. I worry now that even though the lap is slightly longer, my pace dropped. This is not a good sign. On my way up I see the quicker guys running down, there's about 8 out of them including Brian from our club who's close/is the best masters runner in Wellington. Then the downhill. Through at 19:54, so 10:07 for the lap. Being slower is a bad sign for me - I realize some people can start a bit quick, slow down, and then quicken up the last half, but I'm not one of those people.

                           

                          Lap 3: 10:10

                           

                          The next uphill is quite tough. It's only a slight slope, but it is noticeable. I have a few people pass me, and I pass a few. I don't remember the uphill turn around time, but I know I'm a little slow. The quicker guys go past downhill.  Brian has slightly dropped off the group now. I go downhill, I found the first minute downhill was re-gathering my legs from the slight up hill. I'm pretty sore sight now. On the downhill, I notice a man hole cover and realize it's about 1 minute from the finish. Through lap 3 at 30:04 - it's going to take something special for sub 40.

                           

                          Lap 3: 10:24

                           

                          The final uphill I run as fast as I can, which is not really that quick, but it's what I can do. This was a tough up hill. The quicker guys are finishing around 32 minutes, so thankfully I don't get lapped.

                           

                          I hit the turn around at 35:22 - there's no way I can do sub 40 now. I'm hoping I can at least PR.

                           

                          Downhill, first minute recovering my legs. I have a couple of people pass me, I might have passed one. I go past the man hole, I cannot remember the time, but remember thinking I could PR. About this point, the clock is visible in the distance, but it's too far to read the time, plus I don't know how far to go. About 100-150 metres to go (pure estimate), I see 40:00 - I think I will PR unless I trip. Please don't trip. I keep going and go through at what I think is 40:28 (it is the official time).

                           

                          I am pretty tired, and have cramping in my quads (unusual for me). I catch my breath and get a water (at that stage it's almost out). And walk back to the club tent. I then wait a few minutes and run up a little to cheer my wife on (she's near the back, finishes in 53 minutes).

                           

                          So I'm pretty pleased with the race. It's a small PR (11 seconds) on what admittedly is my softest PR. And it's been 35 months since my last PR (the half). I would have cost myself 15 seconds (maybe a little more) with poor pacing. I should have just held back more on the first up hill. The 10k is a long race, and the adrenaline means that I start quicker than I realize. I will also have a GPS watch back soon, which should help with pacing.

                          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

                          Marky_Mark_17


                            Watson - nice RR and well done on the PR.  Those long gradual climbs can catch you by surprise a bit.  I assume the Brian is Brian Garmonsway?  He would be close to being the fastest Masters runner in the country not named Sam Wreford - Greg Darbyshire (from my club) and Stephen Day are up there too.

                            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: Maraetai HM, 10 Mar, DNF

                            Up next: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr

                            "CONSISTENCY IS KING"

                              Excellent report Watson. Great family day out.

                              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 "      

                               

                              watsonc123


                                Mark - yes, it's Brian Garmonsway.  He is a bit quicker than Stephen Day.  Brian did 1:12 at the Wellington half this year.  He won the NZ cross country masters race this year.

                                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