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

matthewfschwartz


    Anyone have any experience with a numb feeling in the quad? I started PT a couple weeks back and for about a week now my quad (on my non injured leg) has felt sort of numb. No pain and not fully numb or pins and needles, but a weird sensation nonetheless.

    PR's: 800 - 2:01.9, 1600 - 4:34.4, 3 mile - 16:00, Full Marathon - 2:54:49

    Goals: Break 1:20 HM, Break 2:45 FM, Break 34:00 10k, Break 16:00 5k

    Upcoming Races: 

    Strava link

      Race for the Grasshopper 5k race report.

      Goal was 19:59 coming in

      After having some abdominal issues that made me cut back on any speedwork and a recent sore throat and cold that has left me congested and still coughing up mucus in the days leading up to the race I was not feeling very confident.  I have still been able to put in 40 miles a week for the last 6 weeks leading up so from that standpoint I had a solid base and I still planned on going for the goal.  I got up about 5:30 as normal ate a bit and had some coffee. The race was at 9am and only about 30 minutes from my house so I was not in a rush and I finihsed up getting ready and left my house about 7:50 and arrived about 8:20 and headed out to get a warm up a few minutes after arriving. I made a quick pit stop at the restroom and then got a couple of additional short runs to get down to my goal pace  and headed to the starting line.  It was just a few minutes later and the gun went off.

      I took off with about 20 people jumping out in from of me.  Within a quarter mile I had pased several of them and settled in next to another guy.  We ran together for about another quarter mile then he dropped back.  I kept a close eye on my watch at this point to make sure I didn’t get out to fast, (as I have done in the past).  At this point I could see the leaders pulling away and I was essentially on my own and settled in.  I was feeling good legs were strong breathing was not labored as I came through the 1 mile mark.  Mile 2 started with a nice downhill which I tried to maintain a steady pace then there was a bit of an incline where I thought I was still maintaining pace until I looked at my watch and it ready 7:15 pace....I knew I needed to pick it up a bit and had had a target just in front of me. I kept my legs driving trying to pull him in and got him on the downhill just before the 2 mile marker.  As soon as I passed him I looked up and had another target and started working to pull him in too.  I came up on his shoulder at about 2.25 miles and was able to put him behind me shortly after.  I looked up again and saw the next 2 indivuals I knew I was not going to catch them but I continued to push to try and reel them in.  With just under a half mile to go I rounded the last corner and started to make a big push for the finish, but at this point I was gasping for air trying to get a deep breath.

      I pushed hard even though it hurt....I was not giving up without a fight...I made the turn into the parking lot where the finish was and caught sight of the clocked as I rounded the final curve...I knew I could make it but had to move so I made my final sprint and crossed the finish in 19:59 just reaching my goal and setting a new PR by 48 seconds.

      I am so HAPPY!!

      edit

      11th overall of 168

      1st 45-49 ag of 12  

      1st male master of 66

      I also won some socks for being the 1st place masters finisher!! 

      PR's

      1m  5:38 (2018)

      5k    19:59 (2019)

      HM  1:33:56 (2018)

      FM  3:23:07 (2018)

        I am interloper in this thread, but I have just got to comment on your race report, Cfarr. Congratulations. What a great run!  Now that was some good racing. 

        "Shut up Legs!" Jens Voigt

        JMac11


        RIP Milkman

          Congrats Corey - amazing to get a PR at age 49 in a 5K, a race that is supposed to be for the young guys! Very impressive, moreso by the margin of your PR.

           

          Matt - I’ve experienced a lot of odd quad pain in my life, but never outright numbness. Sorry.

           

          Mark - good luck.

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

           

           

          JamesD


          JamesD

            Corey - Congratulations!  Big PRs and reaching your goals are always fun.

             

            This was a somewhat easy week after last Saturday's 5K, at least until yesterday, when I went 14 on my long run.  Pace was slower than in previous years at this point in a cycle (8:25/mile compared to 8:10 a couple of years ago), but I was pleased that I didn't feel too tired & that my hamstrings/glutes felt fine except for a little soreness early on.  The upper part of my quads got sore in the last mile or two, but I recovered pretty quickly.  I'm starting to waste time looking at weather forecasts, since I'm planning on a half in either three or four weeks, depending on whether rain is expected for the earlier one.  It's kind of pointless at the moment, because I know the forecasts will change several times over the next couple of weeks.

             

            Sun - 5 miles recovery from Saturday's 5K

            Mon - off

            Tues - 6.3 easy

            Weds - 6.3 easy

            Thurs - off, bodyweight exercises at Y

            Fri - 14 easy

            Sat - 4.5 recovery

             

            Total - 36.1 miles

            12-week average - 33 mpw

            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

            Marky_Mark_17


              Corey - awesome stuff well done mate! Great RR and awesome to see you got that awesome PR buzz crossing the finish line, there’s nothing like it!

               

              Me - 1:18:07 on the watch for 2nd place. You know how I said it’s always a bit of luck as to who shows up? Well Jono Jackson showed up and ran a 1:13 which is probably a course record! It was bloody hot out there once the sun got a bit higher so the hill climbs in the second half sucked a bit. I’ll do a proper RR later or tomorrow. Not quite a course PB, it was a lot warmer than last year, but maybe I should have pushed a bit harder. Still, plenty of races to come this year.

              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


                Cfarr - nice race.  I'm not sure if we've ever had someone run EXACTLY their goal time!

                 

                Mark - really nice race.

                 

                James - good week.

                 

                My week was good.  I have a 5k race on Tuesday, aim 19:59, it will depend on how hot it is.

                 

                <tfoot> </tfoot>
                Day Miles Pace Description Link
                Mon 4.4 7:54 Evening Run - Incl. Striders strava
                Tue 7.5 7:29 Evening Run - Incl. 6 * (800m moderate intervals & 200m easy) strava
                Wed 4.4 8:32 Afternoon Run strava
                Thu 7.8 7:43 Afternoon Run - tempo 3.0-10.5km strava
                Fri 4.5 7:49 Lunch Run strava
                Sat 4.4 8:20 Afternoon Run - Incl. Striders strava
                Sun 9.3 8:01 Morning Run strava
                  42.3 7:54  

                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


                  Race Report – Coatesville Half Marathon 2019

                   

                  For what is quite possibly the hilliest half marathon in the country, it doesn’t help any that a calendar reshuffle by Running Events has brought the Coatesville Half Marathon forward a month into the middle of summer.  Great time of year to climb around 300m / 1000ft.  I was always going to do this race, as the third in the five-race Auckland Half Marathon Series, but I’d planned to just cruise it because hot temperatures, racing and me aren’t a great combination – and there’s two much more interesting races to follow in mid-March and mid-April.  My coach told me to stop being lazy and race it properly.

                   

                  Like most races around Auckland that aren’t the Auckland Marathon, this is one where there’s always a shot at a podium (or even a win), depending who shows up on the day.  Well, today Jono Jackson showed up so that was my chances of a second race win gone!  At the start, the temperature is around 16C /60 F, but unfortunately the skies are clear and the race starts about 45 minutes after sunrise, so as soon as the sun gets up, it’s going to heat up very fast.

                   

                  I actually stuck with Jono for the first 500m or so before deciding...

                   

                  "Today is not a good day to die."

                   

                  The first 2km are flattish before the first climb up Mahoenui Valley Road.  It’s one of those nasty ones where it starts out steep, levels out, then you turn a corner onto the ridgeline, thinking it’s over, when there’s still another 500m or so of hill to go.  Jono is already off in the distance somewhere but a tall guy has caught up to me.  I figure a bit of company is probably a nice change as I end up running so many races solo.  At about the 5km mark we’re still on the ridgeline and a young guy, Alex, comes flying out of nowhere to catch us up.

                  The roads are closed and I notice tall guy is running a pretty inefficient line and following the path of the road, which is quite winding along the ridgeline.  I’m doing my best to run the tangents and conserve effort, albeit now that the sun is up I’m also trying to stick to the shady spots where possible.  Alex is pushing the pace on the downhill and tall guy probably more so on the uphill.  We are sitting around 3:45/km average which is fine at this point.  I’d like to run a course PB which would require around 3:41/km but there’s plenty of race to go.

                   

                  At around the 8km mark, we then hit a big downhill for a couple of km.  This one sucks because you have to climb it all the way back up too.  Just before the turnaround at the bottom of the hill, a guy calls out that Jono is 2:15 ahead.  Pretty sure we’re not going to catch him, to be honest.  Anyway then it’s into the middle section of the race, also known as ‘7km of suckage’.  It starts with a climb up the hill we just came down, with the sun in our face, and although we go back on the ridge, it’s basically just a whole lotta climbs with a few short reprieves up until the 17km mark or so.

                   

                  It’s only about 400m up the hill before I realise the other two guys have dropped off a little already.  I’m feeling pretty strong up the hills although I’m conscious there’s a long way to go.  There’s now lots of runners coming in the other direction and at some point the cheers switch from plural to singular so I figure the other two must be a little way back.  At around the 13km mark there’s a downhill to the u-turn on Wake Road so I figure I’ll give it a bit of a nudge here to try and create some distance in case the others are out of steam at the top of the hill, knowing the u-turn will let me figure out how far back they are as well.

                   

                  Back up Wake Road is a bit of a slog, I see Alex who is probably almost a minute back in third, then Matt Peach from my club has overtaken tall guy for 4th.

                   

                  In hindsight this is probably where I slacked off a bit without realising it.  At 3:44/km, a course PB was still totally on the cards but third was a long way back, it’s a hot day with the temperature now probably around 20C / 70F, not much shade to find, and it’s not a goal race.  On that last climb towards the 17km mark in the past I’ve really had to dig deep and today, sure I was working hard but no way was it maximum effort at any point.  The legs were a bit tired but definitely still had a bit left and I wasn’t gasping for air.

                   

                  Turning left onto Glenmore Road, there’s a few little rollers just when you think the hills are done, and at the random little side-road u-turn on Donaldson Drive (which ensures the course is a certified 21.1km course), the other guys are nowhere in sight.  At around the 19km mark the course comes out of the trees and the view down to the valley is pretty glorious, with farmlands, forest, and beautiful blue skies.  At this point I was still sitting on around 3:44/km average and looking at my watch I figure it is going to be pretty tight for a course PB, needing to cover the last 2.1km in just under 7 minutes.  However it is a massive downhill from here most of the way to the finish.

                  In hindsight I also didn’t push quite as hard here as last year.  I remember last year I was careening down the hill like an out of control soap-box racer with no brakes, motivated in part by the pursuit of a half marathon PB on a course that is most definitely not a PB course.  This year I was definitely not out of control and I guess ‘course PB’ just isn’t that strong of a motivator especially when this isn’t a goal race.

                   

                  At the bottom of the hill, the last 500m is on a trail with a couple of niggly turns just before the finish line, and I realise that I’ll probably hit around a 1:18.  After such a dry summer, I dial back just a touch to watch my footing on the grass because no-one wants a rolled ankle with 100m to go in a race.

                   

                  Watch time is 1:18:07, which coincidentally might be the first time that it also matched official race time, a little behind last year’s 1:17:44 albeit on a noticeably hotter day.  Jono set a new course record in the mid-1:13’s, beating Brad Luiten’s 1:14 from a few years ago, so I’m particularly glad I didn’t try and stick with him as I would’ve totally blown up.  Alex is third in just under 1:20, which is extremely impressive considering it’s his first half marathon and he only runs around 50km a week.

                   

                  So I guess what I’ll take out of this, is that I’m actually in better shape than this time last year (bearing in mind there’s a lot more volume in the legs going into the race too).  When I looked at the splits, I was actually on pace, if not slightly ahead of last year up until around the 13km mark and basically the last 4km was where I dropped off in particular.  And sure the heat probably played a part but it’s a good reminder that if I want to beat my half marathon PB this year, I’m going to have to give it everything and go deep into the suffer zone.

                   

                  Today was not a good day to die, with Waterfront HM coming up in April, and Christchurch HM in June, but I think I got what I needed out of it.

                   

                  Official time: 1:18:07, 2nd place overall

                  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"

                    Thanks all

                    James Watson nice weeks

                    Mark nice Race and RR  It's never a good day to die!

                    Jack you are right 5k are for the young, although I am encouraged by some of the "older guys", last year there was a guy in the 55-59 AG that ran a 18:50.  I think I still have some room for improvement.

                    PR's

                    1m  5:38 (2018)

                    5k    19:59 (2019)

                    HM  1:33:56 (2018)

                    FM  3:23:07 (2018)

                    dj_dubb


                      Hopefully everyone that's been sick is at least seeing light at the end of the tunnel of recovery. I seem like I'm getting there. Despite direction from the Nurse Practitioner that prescribed them, I cut my antibiotics short by 2 days. Just couldn't deal with all the negative effects of them anymore.

                       

                      Jmac - sorry to hear on the calf, get that baby on ice!

                       

                      Corey - nice race, great report. 48 second PR is huge, especially if you weren't completely confident going in. Just goes to show that we can surprise ourselves once in a while.

                       

                      Mark - thoroughly enjoyed your race report as usual. Sounds like a tough course...not sure if there is a day that qualifies as "the day to die." I've done halves with greater than 1000ft climbs, and they are super suckage indeed. Looks like you negotiated it the best you could.

                       

                      As I stated previously, I was just itching to go do something fast after being down and out with strep last week, weather sucking, etc. I did get a short tempo of 5k in the middle of my long run of 15 miles yesterday morning, around 5:42/mile pace for the tempo portion. Ended up running 4 more miles last night just for good measure.

                      Marky_Mark_17


                        James - nice week

                         

                        Watson - nice week, another 40+ mile week in the bag.

                         

                        DJ - solid tempo effort, you will be back after it in no time.

                         

                        Forgot to post my weekly...

                         

                        M: weights

                        T: 14km incl 3x 2km hard / 400m jog

                        W: weights

                        T: 12km easy

                        F: day off

                        S: 7.6km incl. a few short efforts

                        S: 23.6km incl. Coatesville Half Marathon (1:18:07)

                        Total: 57.3km

                         

                        The other little reminder for me was that given my volume has been up, I'll probably need to taper a little more for my goal races.  I've been averaging around 85km/week, and went down to 70km 2 weeks prior, then had just over 30km in the legs before the race.  I suspect I probably need to drop that t-2 week down a little more as my legs felt really sluggish most of last week pretty much until Sunday. Summer running does seem to be tougher on the body for me than winter.

                        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"

                          DJ nice pace on the tempo portion of your 15 miler

                           

                          I ended up my week a few hours ago with an 8 mile run to give me right at 40 again that's puts me at 7 weeks in a row over 40 good way to start the year.

                          Extremely happy I was finally able to break the 20 min mark in a 5k I think I have a bit more to give so maybe take anther shot at it soon after I can get some proper spadework and taper.

                          I'm still undecided about the Feb. 23  HM I was thinking about...I am leaning towards not running it as I don't think I am prepared.

                          I think will focus on the one in March as a test and make my goal HM in May.

                           

                          Weekly Summary
                          Monday, Feb 04, 2019 thru Sunday, Feb 10, 2019

                          <tfoot> </tfoot>
                          Day Miles Pace Description Link
                          Mon 3.0 9:27 Evening Run strava
                          Tue 1.1 9:51 Evening Run strava
                          Wed 4.5 8:31 Evening Run strava
                          Thu 1.0 10:07 Evening Run strava
                          Thu 4.1 8:36 Evening Run strava
                          Sat 1.0 8:39 warmup strava
                          Sat 0.3 7:33 warmup strava
                          Sat 0.3 7:32 warmup strava
                          Sat 3.1 6:32 Race for the Grasshopper 2019 strava
                          Sat 3.0 8:49 cool down after the race strava
                          Sat 4.0 9:28 Afternoon Run strava
                          Sun 7.0 8:46 Morning Run strava
                          Sun 8.3 8:50 Afternoon Run strava
                            40.7 8:44  

                          PR's

                          1m  5:38 (2018)

                          5k    19:59 (2019)

                          HM  1:33:56 (2018)

                          FM  3:23:07 (2018)

                            Cfarr, Mark great races well done!!! and great reports,  thanks!!!

                            glad to see that most are getting better and to see a good week in the bag Smile

                             

                            matthew, I would not like to have what you are describing without knowing what it is... could be just that you are tired, but I have no experience... maybe a quick visit to check that everything is ok?

                             

                            I finished my recovery week in the Pfitzenger-Douglas book, which means that I survived to 6 weeks of the highest mileage I have ever done. I feel tired, I have to say, but I think the training is getting in. On Saturday it was my birthday and my wife got me a Garmin forerunner 35. Nice to have, but its risky (to get addicted and check your hear rate and pace all the time.

                            I will try to use it with limits, but I must say that it is a great tool to keep those slow runs in. i will test it on the threshold and VOmax training and see ... I think it will help with the pacing, so I am happy Smile

                             

                            There was not much to highlight in my week. I was tired but got my tempo/threshold done on Wednesday (10 miles with 4 at HM pace  of about 7' per mile) and I got my 55 miles in (with a short long of 16 on Sunday). I have 272 miles in the last 30 days (which is way more than I have ever done before and I thought I could do) and about 100 done in February.

                             

                            Now my crazy travelling will start, I hope I can keep up the miles and get some strong training session too.

                             

                            have a good week

                            Marco

                            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:  

                            ???

                               Marco nice week of training great job sticking with the program!

                              PR's

                              1m  5:38 (2018)

                              5k    19:59 (2019)

                              HM  1:33:56 (2018)

                              FM  3:23:07 (2018)

                              JMac11


                              RIP Milkman

                                James - I wouldn't worry about long run pacing, it's never been something I look at. Too many variables come into play that can impact it.

                                 

                                Mark - I still love your matter of fact reporting "Jono Jackson showed up, of course I had no chance of winning!" Anyway, congrats on the half, it served the purpose you want. Plus, running a 1:18 on a hilly course in hot conditions is amazing fitness. I bet as you were hanging onto this Jono character, he was probably thinking "this guy really thinks he can keep up with me?" just like we think when some overweight bro tries to hang with you during the first 400m of a 5K.

                                 

                                DJ - That's a great tempo pace in the middle of a long run!

                                 

                                Marco - I find a watch is most useful for helping me slow down, not actually speed up, during easy runs. I actually get a deep satisfaction when seeing that my easy pace is slower than usual. Hopefully you find that it's useful as well

                                 

                                Me - quite a roller coaster week. I tweaked my calf on my run on Monday as stated earlier. After buying a heating pad and an electric massager (I was in full panic mode), things have recovered nicely. I can’t believe how exponential it was. Tuesday, I went out and within less than 100 feet, I felt like I was going to collapse from how weak/painful my calves were. I took Wednesday off and gave it a go again on Thursday, where I had to shut it down after 2 miles due to pain and cabbed it home from Central Park. By Friday, I was able to complete 6, but still with some pain. By Saturday, it was basically back to normal, with a confirming run on Sunday that everything was good to go with very minor or zero pain. Very different than my PTT injury, but as alluded to earlier on this thread, much better to have a muscle injury than a tendon/ligament injury.

                                 

                                I’m going to give it a go on a quality day today. This cycle has been complete shit and I feel like I’ve basically run out of time for Boston, but I still want to see if there’s some fitness there and maybe I can sneakily reach my goal of a PR. I’m averaging around 43 MPW at this point over the last 12 weeks, which isn’t going to cut it.

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