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

Wow Mark congrats for the race!!!

good luck Flavio!

Good luck Flavio.

Brian last year basically started fast, and held on and won the masters.  This year he didn't quite pull it off.  It's always hard to get things just right with pacing.

After three really low weeks of work travel plus taper, sick, and sick, and I got a good week in.

Monday and Tuesday were very much recovery from Saturday's race.  Thursday's club run was 4km moderately easy, then 8km of tempo with breaks as the group has different paces so we stop at certain points so everyone can catch-up, plus some extra detours for those running faster.  It was my first club run (not race) for several months.

Marco, you're looking good to go under 1:30.  The structure of your week looks very similar to some of my weeks before my last half in which I was just over 1:30 - I would do one long run and one workout of 5x1200s and almost as many miles.  Your week was a little better than mine in almost every respect, though - you're doing a few more miles and your 1200s are a couple of seconds faster with less rest.  Your easy pace is a good bit faster than mine, too (and would be too fast for me, but it seems to work for you).  Hope your taper goes smoothly.

Flavio another nice 5k you are having a great year and nice job by your girlfriend.

Watson/Marco nice weeks.

Mark I remember warming up for my PB half at Rotorua 2014 with Jonny McKee. He won in sub 1.08 that day.

New half marathon world record at Copenhagen 1.58.01

Geoffrey Kamworor

James, Marco, Watson - nice weeks all.

Flavio - sounds like a pretty awesome experience even if it wasn't a PR!

Piwi - looks like Pulford ran very well to win the SM race.  Very close to sub-30 on what is a deceptively tough course.  Amazing to see Kamworor knock a massive 17 seconds off the half marathon WR.  I wonder if they'll ever include it as an OIympic distance, it's definitely getting more popular.

Me - will do a RR today if time permits.  Back to some solid training now to build towards Kerikeri Half Marathon at the end of November.  Would be really nice to finish the year on a high!  I'm gonna try running 6 days/week most weeks, did that for Christchurch and it kicked things up a gear.  Good practice if I decide to do a marathon next year too.

M: 6.6km easy

T: 11.2km incl. 5x1km with Mark Boyce

W: 12.8km easy

T: 10km steady

F: day off

S: 7.4km pre-race usual

S: 12.6km incl. NZ Road Champs 10km (33:15)

Total: 60.5km

Race report: NZ Road Race Championships (10km), Auckland, 16 September 2019

NZ Road Champs this year are on the Auckland Road Champs course.  It is a deceptively tough course which looks faster than it actually is.  The race is 5 laps of a 2km course - no hills other than a couple of very gradual inclines, but the real kicker is the S-bend at around the 700m mark of each lap which is a total momentum killer.  The weather is good - sunny (14C) and clear with a light northerly breeze, although there are a few puddles on the course from showers earlier.

The field for the Masters Mens race (35+) is a little thin this year, with Brian Garmonsway, Jonny McKee and Nick Moore set to battle for the top 3 spots.  I am focused on just running a good race and gunning for that elusive sub-34... I almost got there on this course 3 weeks ago but for extremely strong winds.  Hopefully that might be enough to help Auckland to a gold in the teams (M35-49) as the usually dominant Wellington team is slightly under-strength this year.  The scoring is based on cumulative placings over the 4 fastest runners.

Nick has told he his plan is just to keep Brian in sight for as long as possible.  I tell Nick I'm thinking of tagging on to him, but the lead group pace will probably be just a bit too hot for me so I'll wait and see.

Lap 1: 3:11, 3:16

I got a bit excited and actually led for the first 100m or so.  I guess Masters runners are bit smarter and more wary of going out too hard than the younger guys.  It helps that my family has picked a spot about 50m from the start line to cheer me on each lap.  Honestly, it felt pretty cool being out in front, especially when you see it on the drone footage on the livestream.  Anyway, I'm not that stupid and I back off a bit as we round the first corner.  There is a lead group of 4 (Brian, Nick, Jonny and Dan Nixon), but I think they're just a touch fast for me.

I briefly regretted this decision as the wind had spun around to the SW, so there was a headwind for the next 300m or so and I had no-one to work with.  I remind myself 'it's not nearly as bad as it was 3 weeks ago and you didn't need anyone else's help then'.  Sometimes it's those tough days where you learn more about yourself as a runner and I know that if I can get a good rhythm dialled in, it really doesn't matter what's happening around me.

First time around the S-bend and, uh, this is going to take a bit of figuring out in the Vaporflies.  I raced this course in the Saucony Fastwitch - a more traditional flat - last time and the Vaporflies are a tad sketchy on the corners with the high stack height.

Km 1 was a little quick at 3:11, but coming up the back straight I'm feeling like I've hit a good groove, and the 2nd km of each lap will be easier with basically three long straights and only a couple of corners (and no wind to contend with).

Lap 2: 3:18, 3:18

Sadly no-one bothered to sweep the water out of the u-turn at the bottom of the course - having said that it's a bit warm in the sun and the splash of cold water on the legs is refreshing.  I turn back on to the first straight, and notice that Brian is pulling away from the lead group, which now numbers 3.

My family - including my dad, two and a half-year old daughter, and my father-in-law - are about halfway up this stretch and my daughter gives me a big clap as I run past with a big smile on her face.  I told her that if she gave me a big cheer it would make daddy run faster, and that smile always lifts my spirits.  I give them a wave and carry on.

Turning into the headwind prompts the '4 laps to go' mindset, and I still haven't quite figured out the S bend.  The rhythm is feeling good up the back end of the course at least and it's nice to get some support from Luke McCallum and a few others too.  Coming down the home straight, I am still sitting in 5th and it looks like Brian has extended his lead over Nick and Jonny.  Dan Nixon has dropped back to 4th and is falling off the lead bunch.

Lap 3: 3:19, 3:20

Another boost at the start of the lap from my family, and I clock Dan at around 10 seconds ahead of me at the first turn.  I'm focused on my own rhythm rather than consciously trying to catch him but it was a useful distraction.  I think about running the tangents as much as possible, which is generally followed by memories of the footage of Rod Dixon's 1983 NYC marathon win.  And yes I was only 2 years old then but even on YouTube it is still magnificent viewing.  The S bend is still sketchy though.

Pace and effort are holding nice and steady, and at the top of the course I'm convinced I've picked up a few seconds on 4th place.  To get the sub-34 I need to be probably 3:22-3:23/km and I'm well ahead of that.  There's still two laps to go though and this is a course which will hurt you if you've gone out too fast.

Coming around the top of the course it looks like the gap between Brian, and the chasing pair of Jonny and Nick, has closed up a bit.  At the time I thought maybe Brian had just eased up a bit, but watching the livestream later on it was apparent just how much he'd pushed during that initial surge during the end of lap 1 and most of lap 2 - it looked like he ramped up to mile pace - at this point it started to catch up with him I guess.

Coming past the race base, I think I got a mention on the PA this time.  Two laps to go.

Lap 4: 3:23, 3:18

After the splish-splash through the u-turn, I realise that I've made up quite a bit of ground on Dan.  As I focused on what was happening with the lead 3, I hadn't noticed that I'd steadily gained on 4th.  Some more claps and smiles from my daughter give me a little boost and I catch him just as we turn the corner into the wind.  I tried to draft off him for a bit here but couldn't get the angle right so I just keep to my own rhythm and pass him as we approach the S bend.

Hilariously, he passes me right back as I still haven't quite figured out how to best tackle the S-bend in the Vaporflies - I drift a bit wide to try and hold pace and he goes by me on the inside.  I must've really screwed it up because this was my slowest km of the race.

It's short-lived though as I re-take 4th place early on the back straight.  Dan is never that far behind, maybe 4-5 seconds, but the real action is up ahead where Jonny and Nick have passed Brian - and Jonny has just gradually built up the pace to ease clear of Nick.  Coming down the home straight it seems like I am steadily gaining on Brian in 3rd place and I realise with 1 lap to go, I would have to really blow up to not hit the sub-34.

Lap 5: 3:19, 3:12

One final time past the family and one last round of smiles and cheers to keep me going for the last lap.  I catch Brian just before we turn into the wind and I'm into 3rd place!  It's hard to tell with the headwind through this point but it seems like he dropped off fairly quickly.  I'm determined to not look back, but coming through the S bend I figure I've probably picked up a 5 second advantage in the space of 300m or so - if you were fading, that headwind would really have hurt.

Holy crap, I just passed one of the best Masters runners in the country.  And sure, he mis-paced the race, but at this point I'm thinking maybe I've judged it pretty well.

It's amazing the games your mind plays on you, even in a shorter race like a 10km. Laps 2 and 3 were a bit of a grind, but as soon as I started getting the sense I was gaining ground on other runners, I totally forgot about that and got a big second wind just focusing on the little milestones ahead of me.

Mostly I just try not to crash on the S bend, because I think I've got enough left to push the last km.  Nick, in 2nd, is not that far ahead.  I don't think I'll catch him but I didn't expect to be in third place either, and here we are.  I'm starting to breath hard now but I keep pushing and it actually does feel like I'm gaining a little on him.  This is a guy who has always been light years ahead and I'm in striking distance of him at National Champs.  I have to pinch myself a bit.  Turning into the final stretch the watch was around 32:40, so sub-33 won't happen, but this will definitely be a very good PR in the low-33's.  Every second counts at a moment like this so I push really hard down the final stretch - it's not quite the sprint finish I managed in Dunedin but it's still a really strong fast finish.  There are two mats and I don't stop until I'm over the second one (just in case!).

33:15 on the watch for 3rd place!  I'm absolutely buzzing as I shake hands with Nick (I was only 5 seconds behind him!), and Jonny (I was only 10 seconds behind him!).  Brian and Dan are next to finish, followed by Sasha Daniels (Auckland) who has run a very strong race basically towing the second group behind him.  At this stage we have Auckland 2nd, 3rd and 6th, and Wellington 4th and 5th, so the teams race is totally up for grabs, then a bunch of different coloured singlets came through and I totally lost track.

I catch up with my family and tell Miss 2.5 that she actually did make daddy run faster with her cheers and claps.  She gives me a huge cuddle and has obviously had a great time watching and playing in the sun with her two grandfathers.  Time for a quick warm down and a few chats with Takapuna club mates and other running buddies, and at prizegiving it turns out that not only have I run 3rd overall for the bronze, 1st in my AG for a gold, but the Auckland team have squeaked a rare win over Wellington in the teams!! A genuine team effort with Nick and I both running PB's, Sasha running his best 10k in a long time, and I have no idea who was 4th for us but they probably got us over the line.  I take my daughter up on stage to get the bronze overall medal and she thinks it is basically the coolest thing ever.

Actually one of the coolest moments of the whole day was when we get home, and Miss 2.5 just wanted to run up and down the hall to 'win the medal', then insisted on getting the foam roller out to do some rolling afterwards!

33:15 official time (PB), 3rd overall, 1st M35-39, 1st team M35-49

Mark - that podium picture is gold!

I have watched the race now, man it's so cool to watch and every one of the top 5 dudes look super strong.

The Kiwi accent is pretty funky too, made watching it more interesting. I follow a youtuber indigo traveller and I immediately recognized the accent. Also you've got a strong poker face, it looked like you were out for a jog the whole time except the last sprint and even so I could see you were powering from the back, not much strain on the jaw and neck.

Piwi - true that, I think I'm still in denial despite being over 3 years that I set the 5k PR. Every race I just go out and try to keep PR pace and then fade badly. I'll take a break from racing now for a while, you can't really go too often to the water well.

Mark - congrats again. I swear to you, I used to use the name "Johnny McGee" as a made up person, so the fact that you have a) I make fun of you all the time for your running pals and b) YOU ACTUALLY HAVE SOMEONE NAMED JOHNNY MCKEE is amazing.

I was thinking that it's a weird dynamic in your part of the world, as the best runners probably flee the country to go make money elsewhere, correct? Like where does Nick Willis live? I can't imagine the pro NZ runners actually call NZ home as it would be too difficult to travel to major races. But I could be wrong.

Flavio - I don't think you can go to the well too often in 10K and shorter races. Don't take too long off, I think maybe 6 weeks is right before your next race.

Paul - glad to hear you're okay, I was starting to wonder what happened to you.

Corey - slowing down is always good, but especially coming back from injury like you are. Very smart, keep it up.

DPS/Marco/Watson - good weeks.

James - a new PR will often make you sore!

Me - not much to report except a whole lot of easy running. Lungs have been bothering me lately, not sure what's going on. Otherwise, I will end this easy running hell in a couple of days!

Weekly Summary
Monday, Sep 09, 2019 thru Sunday, Sep 15, 2019