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

    Looks like tracking technology is improving!

     

    Steve great job 1.30 is very good for us mortals. I always appreciate how fast it is when I drop mileage.

     

    Mark wow still smashing PRs on relatively low mileage. The Tauranga Half was today too. Looks like 1.11 won it.

     

    Marco that's an impressive heartrate for a 41min 10k. Probably about my recovery pace heart rate 

     

    Looking forward to Boston now.

     

    I'm out of London and back in Sussex at my brothers. Just about over jetlag, took a week. Should be running  Brighton this morning . Actually quite hilly here and I ran 60kms this week. The old story no distractions and I run more plus it's a great way to sightsee and start the day. Going back to NZ Thursday 24 hours on a plane pretty hardcore.

    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 "      

     

    Marky_Mark_17


      Race report - Waterfront Half Marathon 2019

       

      As if I didn't already have enough running superstitions, I now also have a lucky hoodie (it's a Machine Head - Burn My Eyes print hoodie, incidentally).  Haven't needed a warm top on the way to a race for a few months now, but I did today.  Conditions were near-perfect at race start with 10C (the coldest night of the year so far), clear skies and no wind.  On a flat course with only 5 turns (admittedly all u-turns!), the stage was set for a good race, especially with a very strong elite field - I figured at least 6 or 7 of the runners there would be around or below 1:10.

       

      I had a pretty simple goal - run a PB (1:15:39).  I've had a really solid summer of training (apart from a couple of bugs my daughter kindly brought home from daycare), with volume at all-time highs, and hitting paces and workouts that I've never managed before.  It hasn't quite shown up in recent races which have all been hot, humid slogs since Auckland back in late October.  So, the stage was set, but you've still gotta go out there and perform.  For that reason, I was probably bit more wound-up for this race than I have been in a while, even with the Auckland Half Marathon Series title more or less in the bag before this final race.

       

      Went to bed early (8:30pm), anticipating I'd wake up early (yep... 4am). At least that meant I could get a good park near the race venue at Mission Bay.  Mum and Dad came to support, Jason the MC gave me a hard time about my (now lucky) hoodie, but unfortunately wifey and DD couldn't make it (wifey had to work and I left home way before it was DD's time to get up!).  For the record, I know Mikkey from over on sub-3 would probably be impressed by a Machine Head hoodie.

       

      I was actually cold during the warm-up, which was a nice change.  Just a short 1.5km jog and the legs were feeling good.  On the start line, I see a bunch of familiar faces - the Auckland scene is fairly tight - and chatting to a few guys passes the time.  I was hoping there'd be someone around the 1:13-1:14 mark to tag on to but from what I can see there's probably a bit of a gap between the Really Fast Dudes and me.

       

      The hooter goes and we're off.  Unsurprisingly Michael Voss is off ahead early - he should be 1:07-ish on this course.  There's a second group of 3 runners - including Luke McCallum and Ciaran Faherty - a third group of 4, and then me, a really tall guy, and Sasha Daniels (one of the better Masters runners in Auckland).

       

      For a PB, I need to average 3:34/km, or maybe 3:33 allowing for the fact that GPS runs slightly long on this course (the course is measured).  So I'm aiming to just get into the low-3:30's/km and stay there.  I've had recent HMP workouts at that pace so I'm optimistic.

       

      The first km is 3:24, a bit quick but not massively so - and I almost always run the first km quick.  The second one is also quick at 3:26, but I'm feeling good and the effort level is about right, so I'm not too worried.  At this stage we are headed west towards the first turnaround at Mechanics Bay - we also cross the only "hill" in the course which is little more than a speed-bump.  I'm starting to feel like I've locked in the right effort level and sure enough, the next 3km's are 3:31, 3:32 and 3:30 as we hit the first turnaround at Mechanics Bay.

       

      I run around this area so often (although not normally on the road itself) that I'm not really thinking about the scenery, just zoning in on the run and getting through the work.  I've probably run here over 500 times!  I'm glad I wore my sunglasses - as we turn back east the sun is just above the horizon and we're running almost straight towards it.

       

      Back over the speed bump (that's all the hills done) and I'm still with my small group of 3, although I'm definitely the one pushing the pace.  Tall guy was out front briefly, which was just long enough for me to be mildly infuriated at how long his legs are and how I feel I'm taking 2 strides for every 1 of his!  We come back past the on-course DJ just after Ngapipi Road, and here I get a little annoyed with tall guy as he is now sitting out front of the group but isn't running the tangents and is kinda blocking me and Sasha from doing so.

       

      The pace is super solid at 3:31, 3:29, 3:30, and 3:30 for km's 6-9.  I actually feel like I could push the legs a little quicker but I resist the temptation - the effort feels like it's right where it needs to be and my HR is sitting in exactly the right zone.  It's crazy to think this was my 10km pace (on a good day!) just a couple of years ago.

       

      Around km 9, a guy has dropped off the group in front of us, and we catch him up and pass him.  Shortly after, at the first Mission Bay turnaround, I realise that my group has dropped back a bit behind me too.  Another solo race beckons, but that's OK.  I'm no chance of catching Lachlan Haitana and the guy he's running with.

       

      At halfway I'm sitting on around 3:30/km average and I realise that a PB is most definitely on the cards.  I'm still feeling strong, although I notice the previously non-existent westerly has picked up a little.  Not enough to be any more than noticeable at this stage, but a little surprising.  There's a few cheers from runners in the other direction completing their first lap too.

       

      It's a solo effort out to the Ngapipi Road turnaround at km 14, but there's decent on course entertainment to provide some distraction, and I can hardly believe how solid the pace is (km's 10-14 were 3:24, 3:32, 3:31, 3:33 and 3:38).  After the 14km turnaround effectively I'm lapping slower runners on their first lap, so this takes a bit more concentration.  There's plenty of room as long as you pick a line and stick to it, so no weaving is really required, but it means you can't always take the tangents.  I see my coach at Okahu Bay and she gives me a big cheer.  Legs starting to feel just a little tired now but somehow the momentum is just locked in and the train keeps rolling on through Mission Bay, with km's 15-17 at 3:30, 3:36 and 3:26.  Every time I hit a slightly slower km I seem to pick up a quicker one just after, so maybe the GPS is just bouncing a little.

       

      The final leg is out to St. Heliers and back.  I'm definitely starting to feel tired now but momentum is keeping me going.  Interestingly I noticed my cadence actually increased progressively from around 190spm to closer to 200spm over the last 5-6km, so I guess I was taking faster but shorter strides as I got tired.  Just gotta get to that turnaround and then head home, it's only 2km but somehow this always feels like the longest 2km of the race (at 3:30, 3:34, it really wasn't).  Through St. Heliers (where Greg Darbyshire has dropped off the group of 4 and some dude I don't recognise has pulled ahead of Luke and Ciaran into 2nd... Michael Voss is first by a MILE) and FINALLY there is the turnaround... another momentum-killing u-turn and we're headed home.  I know I'm on course for a big PB here (the time to beat was 1:15:40), exactly how much is hard to know given the GPS has tracked long but I figure I could be close to, or even under, 1:15.

       

      Except then, as we turn back west, I notice that the westerly has gotten quite a bit stronger.  I've battled this westerly home on countless training runs but strangely, not for quite a few months now.  Also, I notice that Lydia O'Donnell is not far behind, trailed by a couple of guys.  Lydia placed 20th at the NYC Marathon and is a seriously good runner, who looks to have paced her race pretty spectacularly well.

       

      Fighting the wind is definitely sapping the last of my energy here and km 20 is the slowest of the race - somehow it's still 3:39 but it felt a damn sight slower than that.  We're checking off landmarks now... St. Heliers Beach... St. Heliers Cafe... turn the corner to Mission Bay... and as that happens Lydia comes past me.  I think I said 'nice finish' and actually, despite the fact I was mildly annoyed about being passed (no-one has passed me in a race since Steven Lett in December 2017), the reality is that it gave me a little extra kick to the finish that I really needed... it probably got me another 4-5 seconds, as I focus on just trying to stick with Lydia.  I know I'm going to hit a PB and I realise that sub-1:15 is 100% possible too.

       

      We turn into the finish chute (there's another annoying loopy turn here, apparently to get the distance up to 21.1km) and I'm just pumping the legs with everything I've got left.  Sub-1:15, oh hell YES!

       

      Strangely, I notice the finish clock isn't on.  I decided not to stop the watch as soon as I crossed the line because I've got WAY too many finish line photos of me stopping my watch.  Over the line (just behind Lydia, might've ruined her picture, sorry), and I allow myself a short celebration and then stop the watch.

       

      Note to organisers: there is not much point having live timing every km (a total of 22 timing mats) if you're gonna screw up the first one or the last one!  Normally Running Events run a slick operation but the finish mat wasn't working at that point (!!!!!!) so watch time was all I had (and I might've cost myself a second or two by not stopping my watch straight away!).

       

      I celebrate with my parents - the watch has me at 1:14:45 so I know it's a big PB regardless of what the official time ends up saying.  A second Auckland Half Marathon Series title in the bag and a 55 second PB!  YES YES YES!

       

      It's one of those days as a runner where everything just falls into place (well, apart from that westerly the last 2km and the botched finish timing - which later had me at 1:14:49 which is still definitely a few seconds slow).  Good conditions, the hard work comes to fruition, and honestly I guess I just got out the right side of bed too which always helps.  I was so in the zone I barely even noticed my coach cheering me on as well as plenty of others, including Steve (thanks guys).  Those races don't come along often, but damn they're rewarding.

       

      Next race is Christchurch at the start of June, and honestly, I'm excited because I feel like I could still go quicker.  That westerly the last couple of k's, not having a group to work with for over half the race, a couple of km's working around slower traffic... all things that Christchurch probably could offer an improvement on.  And still a couple more HM's after that this year, in Dunedin and Kerikeri - plus Auckland and (hopefully) NZ 10km road race champs too.

       

      And yeah, I'm claiming the damn watch time.

       

      Result: 1:14:45 (watch) - PB

      1:14:49 (dodgy "official" time that I don't trust because the mat apparently wasn't on so it's likely some sort of extrapolation)

      8th overall, 3rd AG

      1st overall, Auckland Half Marathon Series 2018/19.

       

      What I learned:

      • Conditions make a huge difference.  I'm particularly weak in warmer conditions but this was over 5 minutes quicker than a half I raced just a month ago (in hot, humid conditions)
      • A rough week of training isn't the end of the world.  3 weeks ago I had some random bug that took me a week to kick and I just felt totally off.  But the hard work was already done by that point.
      • Goodr sunglasses are awesome
      • Always stop your watch on the finish line, never mind the photos
      • You never quite know when you're in for a big breakthrough... the hard work pays off in this sport, but not always when you expect it to  
      • You have to run a race, to run a race.  Nothing prepares you for racing, like racing, and as much as that Maraetai race a month ago sucked, it definitely had me set up for a race-level effort

      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


        James - good week

         

        Marco - nice work

         

        Steve - 1:31 is not too bad.  You need to get an injury free 3+ months.

         

        Mark - will read your RR later.  Awesome race.

         

        My week is done.  As mentioned I've delayed my second exam until late June as I'm not quite ready and would have needed to have sat it the coming week.  So I started back training.  Also joined the local club, and dd my first club run on Saturday - this was really hilly with just 200 metres climbing, the 5th km was 86m elevation.  I have done hardly any hills for in the last 20 months so it was quite the shock.

         

        <tfoot> </tfoot>
        Day Miles Pace Description Link
        Mon 4.4 8:08 Afternoon Run strava
        Thu 5.6 8:15 Evening Run strava
        Sat 8.4 8:49 Afternoon Run - Club Run, Hills strava
        Sun 5.6 7:45 Evening Run strava
          24.0 8:18  

        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

          Well done Mark and Steve!!! Good luck JMac, Matt (and piwi? are you running?)

           

          My 10K was a weird read for the Heart rate, I guess I was still under the effects of the time difference and the air travel. In fact on I travelled back from North Carolina on Thursday night, and I made the huge mistake of accepting a window seat, so I could not move for the whole travel. On Friday evening my ankles were swollen.

          On Saturday morning  I went off to run this 10 K race in a very nice private castle garden, rarely open for this type of occasions (races Smile ) the first 5K very on trails in a forest and near a river. I probably ran my PB (or close) for 5K. Then I decided not to push to much in the second part as it had about 1K up hill and strong wind against.

           

          I noticed I was not tired, but my legs were simply not going faster. Again, the travel to north carolina must have done something to the system. Anyway I got 41' with an interestingly low heart rate. I will check what I can do in a fast 10K in the summer.

           

          Today I went for a 24 miles (my last long run). Managed to run for 3h22' with a few miles at marathon pace (including mile 21 to 23 at 7'45!!!)

           

          I will now plan the taper and how to use this preparation to improve my half marathon and 10 K times Smile

           

          have a good weekend

          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:  

          ???

            Mark Great race congrats on the results nice race report too

            Steve congrats on an excellent race as well.

            Jmac best of luck tomorrow!

            Flavio that was a really solid run yesterday

             

            between a lot of extra hours at work and my abdomen issue, I have only put in about 16 miles so far this week, debating if I will run at all today, but not likely.

            I have made a Dr. appointment to have it checked out, gonna just do what I can until then, and not push anything, so will cut back to a only a few days a week if I can continue to manage it.

             

            Jmac you can take me off the board for the May Mountains to Main half it is definitely off the table.

            PR's

            1m  5:38 (2018)

            5k    19:59 (2019)

            HM  1:33:56 (2018)

            FM  3:23:07 (2018)

            flavio80


            Intl. correspondent

              Mark - great race and PR. Getting passed near the end sucks but it came just at the right
              time with your new shiny PR.

              Steve - Great racing. I noticed you were very consistent with the km splits, just a couple
              seconds slower than you needed. You seemed to be hitting the workouts recently, did you feel
              more tired or sluggish during the race? Anyway, I believe with a few more workouts you
              should be primed for a PR.

              Watson - I'm glad to hear you joined the running club, I'm hopeful you'll get some productive
              runs with them.

              Marco - ugh, window seat, if I remember correctly you're about just as tall as myself, so it
              must have been very uncomfortable.
              That 24 miler must have been a massive confidence booster, especially after a 10K the day before.

              Corey - Here hopes it's nothing serious!

              me - My week is done at 48km / 30 miles
              M: Functional training
              T: Here's what I had prescribed:
              5x400@1:20
              2x2000 @ 7:20 (a bit slower than my 3k pace)
              5x200@0:36

              Except the first few 400, I could not hit any of those paces LOL. Still it was a good workout and much better than I did this same workout a few weeks ago. I split 8:02, 7:39 for the 2000 segments.

              W: 8ez
              T: 3x 1@4:45 1@4:15 1@3:45
              I nearly nailed it, except I needed a bit more recovery on the slow segments.

              F: Functional training
              S: 12 @ 4:12
              S: 7ez

               

              Overall I feel like my recovery in general is very bad. The 400's on Tuesday just killed my legs, that's just 2K of volume, and I was doing passive standing rest recoveries in between.

              I don't have much family obligations, hard physical activities, nor a high stress job. I'm also working part time at the moment.

              Hopefully my recovery can improve faster than my coach can raise the workout bar.

               

              Edit: I take back my comment about having horrendous genetics in terms of recovery ability. (I just deleted it).

              It's probably a combination of not being used to hard workouts and not being a spring chicken anymore (I'll be 39 this year). Also, we are a very biased group of fast hobby runners, some of us have incredibly great recovery abilities and it's easy to have a skewed view of it while trying to compare myself against the few exceptions rather than the general population.

              PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021

              Up next: no idea

              Tool to generate Strava weekly

                Heavy bones, bad genetics. All just excuses Flavio. Just keep it up and next year you will play beach football in tight speedos like Romario et al. back in the days.

                 

                Mark: the finish made me think of the picture Piwi once posted where he ran down the lead female and then ended up almost fainting while she leasurely was giving interviews Smile

                 

                All others: great weeks. Jmac good luck. Steve nice fighting spirit. Nice result!!!

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

                 

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

                JMac11


                RIP Milkman

                  James - I find that my shoes start to go after 300 miles, so that’s smart. I never get outsole tearing like some people get, but they just begin to feel flat. At some points, I wonder if I’m wasting money just getting ride of them that soon, but in reality, it’s better to be safe than sorry (especially when you can get older models on sale)

                   

                  Mark - great race and report, can’t believe you haven’t been passed in 18 months! Great to hear you finished the race thinking about how you might get more. You are a man of quirks though, I love that you didn’t stop your watch because of photos (this on top of all of your superstitions!) As Piwi alluded to, you demonstrate that consistency is more important than just going for high weekly mileage and taking time off due to injury/burnout etc.

                   

                  Marco - are you planning on running a half in your taper?

                   

                  Corey - good idea to go see a doc, and will change the board when I get a chance after my race.

                   

                  Flavio - I think a lot of it is you are now doing much more quality work than you ever have before. I can tell you that during marathon training, I feel like a zombie until I’ve been doing it for 12 straight weeks. You may just need to keep at it and you’ll discover you recover more quickly.

                   

                  Me - Feeling good, but weather isn’t going to as good as I hoped. Rain isn’t going to happen, which means it’s going to be a warm one. Problem with spring marathons in general: you have zero heat acclimation. Normally mid 60s is warm for a race but in spring it can feel downright hot.  Hoping it at least stays cloudy, there’s a chance the sun breaks through at which point all of us will cook. Any PR is good here with the warmth, just need to manage it with keeping myself wet by tossing water over myself. But hey, it’s Boston, so this is actually better than any of the last 3 years!

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

                   

                   

                    Jmac, good luck with Boston!! No I di not plan to run a hm during taper, but to use the marathon prep for a half marathon in the summer , but first I’ll see how the marathon goes Wink

                    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:  

                    ???

                    Marky_Mark_17


                      JMac, Matt - good luck with Boston (and the weather)

                       

                      Piwi - hope that time difference hasn't messed you around too much!

                       

                      Watson - 86m is a pretty savage elevation gain over 1km.

                       

                      Corey - fingers crossed the doctor doesn't find anything serious

                       

                      Flavio - honestly I feel a bit guilty about my recovery sometimes, like I've just gotten some sort of dumb luck

                       

                      Marco - sounds like a fun 10km event and nice long run too.

                       

                      JMac, James - I tend to chuck shoes relatively early too, probably ~300 miles depending on the shoe.  The Kinvara's I train in generally don't have a great lifespan anyway.  The Freedom ISO's I might get a bit more out of.

                       

                      Steve - honestly I'm gutted you didn't hit your goal... you'd done all the hard work and had been really consistent in your training and unfortunately the running gods dispense justice somewhat unevenly.  I do wonder if the travel was a factor (until Dunedin last year, I'd had nothing but bad experiences flying to races), and I still reckon nothing prepares you for a race like a race.  I do wonder if you should have a crack at Christchurch if you can keep the training there or thereabouts over the next few weeks even though I think you said you were going on holiday.

                       

                      Me - just an easy week coming up this week I think.  Calves are feeling a bit beat up, and with 7 weeks until Christchurch there's no point rushing into anything.  Then the work begins again, I'm excited for winter racing!

                       

                      Anyway my week was...

                      M: weights

                      T: 10.2km easy

                      W: 10.7km with a few sprints

                      T: 9km w/ 4x 1km (3x moderate, 1x hard)

                      F: rest day

                      S: 7.3km pre-race usual

                      S: 22.7km incl. Waterfront Half Marathon

                      Total: 60.0km

                      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"

                      JMac11


                      RIP Milkman

                        Steve - commented on Strava but somehow didn’t comment here, sorry. It sounds like you gave it your all. I’m curious to get a full race report from you because I think you actually have much higher potential so I’m wondering if there are any tips we can give you.

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

                         

                         

                        SteveChCh


                        Hot Weather Complainer

                          Flavio - I did feel a bit more sluggish than in some of those HMP workouts.  I'm not sure what it is about this race but I do find it tough going.  It may be the travel, or the slightly different climate to what I train in.  I knew I was just a few seconds per km off the required pace and could see the 1:30 pacer in view for the whole race - I timed him at 13 seconds ahead at the halfway mark.  I knew I'd need a kick and hoped I'd find it at 16km, but if anything I slowed down slightly but not as much as I thought I would given how I felt..

                           

                          Mark - Yeah I have to admit during the race I wondered if I just can't hold that pace but then, I never really hit it yesterday but have felt comfortable in training.  If I really think about it, yesterday was a bad day based on how I felt throughout the race with only a few rare times that I felt comfortable, even early on.  Compared to Ashburton with half the training when I felt great for the whole race - admittedly about 2 mins slower.  To get my 4th best time on a bad day gives me some satisfaction but I don't think I can do much more in training (without getting injured).  The only thing I would say I can do is reduce the easy pace and increase the volume.  I'm in the US for most of May and get back 5 days before Christchurch so I don't think it's realistic to target that.  I was thinking I could pace one of the slower groups if they're short of people but I don't want to plan it until I know how much training I can squeeze in on holiday.

                           

                          Your recovery ability is freakish...when you say 7 weeks is heaps of time for ChCh I chuckle...for me to recover then ramp back up in 7 weeks would be tight.

                           

                          JMac - Yep I'll do one shortly although mostly it will just repeat what I've said elsewhere.  Good luck for tomorrow, hope it stays coolish.

                          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

                          Marky_Mark_17


                            If I really think about it, yesterday was a bad day based on how I felt throughout the race with only a few rare times that I felt comfortable, even early on.  Compared to Ashburton with half the training when I felt great for the whole race - admittedly about 2 mins slower. 

                             

                            I think this is important and it tells me that you did have an off day for whatever reason.  For my best races, I've felt comfortable and relaxed for long stretches of the race, especially in the early and middle stages (not so much the end!).  And there's been occasional days where it just felt like a slog for much of the race and something just wasn't quite right.

                            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"

                            JMac11


                            RIP Milkman

                              If you feel off within the first 3 miles, it’s definitely an issue. I know we spoke about your taper being a bit too much, that could be it. Could also just be something you ate, poor sleep, illness, etc. For halfs, I’m usually getting into my rhythm the first 2K, then I feel like I could keep up the pace forever from 2K through 10K, then the going starts getting tough. If you don’t feel great by 5K, something is definitely amiss.

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

                               

                               

                              Marky_Mark_17


                                The finish line pics got posted.

                                 

                                I think they were worth 2 seconds of time.

                                 

                                 

                                Just for the record, the 'must wear something blue' superstition went a little overboard on this race.  Blue singlet, blue and white shoes, blue and white socks, blue watch strap, blue sunglasses, and a blue bib (although I did not control that aspect).

                                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"