Forums >Racing>The Waltons aka Advanced Half Marathon Training Thread - 2022 edition
Flavio that's still really fast. I did 10x400s this week and I dug in on the last one for an 80 sec split so I can appreciate how hard that would be to hold for 3.75 laps.
My week
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 "
Oh and wore my wife's fitbit for a laugh on my long run. Gave it a 21000 step boost to start her day
Steve - think I forgot to wish you good luck. I think it was implicit that will be necessary in Wellington on a windy day! Try and have fun anyways.
Piwi - you're using miles? This is an outrage.
Flavio - top effort even if not what you hoped for. I've never raced anything shorter than a 3k so I'm sure the suffering on that third lap is pretty rough.
James - have fun in Dallas.
Me - another pretty good week in the bag. Pretty rough weather for the first half of the week with high winds but Thursday on was pretty good. Legs a bit tired this morning for my long run but still another decent week of training.
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: Xterra Waitawa, 21 May, didn't die
Up next: Xterra Hunua, 11 June, also aiming to not die
"CONSISTENCY IS KING"
Flavio - sorry your race didn't go to plan.
Piwi - nice week in miles!
Mark - nice week.
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)
Darkwave – I’m interested in the etymology of the ‘Iwo Jima’ hill repeats. Google will probably be able to tell me…
Mark – Another solid week for you. Not sure how much fun Steve would’ve had today – it was indeed a chilly one
Steve – Good effort in the Half today. Seems you nailed your timing, even with the conditions being a ‘tad’ unfavourable 😊
Zeb – Eat pie and drink beer. Run up very steep hill. Drink another beer. Run along the ridgeline to the finish. Yep – Epic & Disgusting is the perfect description!
Caitlin – How’re you doing?
Flavio – I’m keen to get my 5km time down, so apologies in advance if I steal some of your workouts!
I can get from my house to the running track pretty much all on trails, so sometimes I’ll chuck my track shoes in a running vest and trail shoe it to the track. I don’t often drive to run, unless I’m meeting some buddies somewhere for an adventure.
Piwi – I think it’s a bit harder doing your 400s on the wild streets of Tauranga than on the quiet of a track
My week - still a little bit of a struggle to get the miles in that I want, but I don't mind having the odd quiet week. It's been cold and wet here, which does make it a bit harder to get out the door!
50+ age-group PBs: Half Perish 1:28:11 (Sept '22 Off-Road Half) - 10km 37:52 (2022 Local Road Champs); - Track 5km 18:49 (Aug '22); Track Mile 5:32 (2021) - Perish Run 3:17:42
2023 Goals: Perish Run Sub 3:15 - Half Perish Sub 1:25 - Road/Track 10km Sub 37:30 - 5km Sub 18:20
Hash - I understand the problem getting out. I don't mind running in cold or wet, but cold and wet is tough.
Mark - Good job running through the wind.
Piwi - Nice week and gift of steps to your wife.
Flavio - Nice 1500, even if it wasn't quite what you wanted. It's always hard when one goes out too fast and realizes it but it's too late to do anything about it.
James - I hope the easier week helps your hamstring.
Steve - I hope the run went well.
Apologies to anyone I missed.
My week was mostly easy runs with the exception of the 5k race on Tuesday and a slower than desired HM pace run on Thursday. 34.5 miles total (though I'm tempted to run 1½ this evening to be green for the week in the miles game).
For Father's Day I got to run 4 miles with my son this morning in lovely, 55º (13C) spring weather.
5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:57 (11/22); 10k 49:24 (10/22); Half 1:48:32 (10/22)Upcoming race(s): Federal Twist 10k, 6/3; NYC Marathon, 11/6/23
Mother of Cats
It's a reference to the "US Marine Corps War Memorial" - also known as the "Iwo Jima Memorial" since the defining feature is a massive 32 foot high statue of six US soldiers placing a flag on the island of Iwo Jima during World War 2. That statue is at the top of a moderate hill - about 2% grade for 1/3 mile.
The access road to the memorial is a fairly popular running location - one of our local running groups starts and ends their weekend long runs from there, the soldiers based at nearby Fort Myer do their PT there, and the Marine Corps Marathon finishes there. It's also used for hill repeats by many in the area, including myself.
This is the view from the top of the hill.
One of the bonus perks to doing these repeats is that in the summer the Marine Corps band practices there on Tuesday mornings - so if you run then you get to run hill repeats to live music.The negative in the summer is that it's a big tourist attraction, and so tour buses are constantly coming and going, starting at around 6:45 in the morning.
Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.
And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.
And...because turnabout is fair play - Hash - what is the #Freddy Krueger?
Flavio- less than ideally paced, but still a hard fought battle. You are absolutely right about the third lap stealing your soul.
James - "Ungodly hot" sounds like the right description for that weather.
Piwi - how nice of you to think of your spouse!
Marky_Mark - how the heck have I raced more miles than you? This makes no sense.
Steve - I hope the workout went well (Sorry that I failed to wish you well before)
Fred - I would definitely do the extra 1.5. I hate weeks that end on a half-mile (#neurotic)
Mark whoops sorry I forgot to tick the metric box
Good job getting your week done in that weather. It's been very wet here some days.
Hash I too run from my door. I don't have the interesting terrain of Wellington but I have the beach, papamoa waterways gravel track, roads, and a short drive to serious hills.
DW thanks for the history lesson. At least the woke crowd haven't destroyed the memorial
Fred ah nothing like a father's day run with your boy. I had 2 runs with my 24 year old last week. I also went with my 16 year old to his gym yesterday. He's a gym junkie and enjoys showing me his progress.
We both did a max benchpress mine 60kg and him 55kg. Pathetic I know but he only weighs 56kg and I'm 67kgs. Unfortunately long distance running doesn't make for good Upper body power lifting strength
Did any of you watch Jakob Ingerbrigtsen in the mile last week ?
3.46 pretty decent. Great job by Ollie Hoare too with a 3.47.
Did any of you watch Jakob Ingerbrigtsen in the mile last week ? 3.46 pretty decent. Great job by Ollie Hoare too with a 3.47.
That was a good race. It's nice to be able to watch track meets again.
***
My week:
53 miles running, 3 hours pool-running, and 1500 ~yards swimming.
M: 90 minutes pool-running and yoga.T: 10 miles, including 4x800 in 3:31, 3:31, 3:29, 3:27, with recoveries between 2:23 and 2:39. Then jogged over to a 6% hill and did 6 hill repeats, each lasting 60 seconds, with two sets of easy effort, moderate effort, hard effort.Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.W: 9 miles (10:10), drills/strides, and streaming yoga.Th: 90 minutes pool-running and upper body weights/core.F: 11 miles, including a mixed workout of 3x10 seconds hard on a 6% hill, then 2K, 1K on the track with 3:00 jog (splits 9:02, 4:23), jogged back to hill for 6 hill repeats, each lasting 60 seconds, with two sets of easy effort, moderate effort, hard effort, before returning to track for 1K in 4:25. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.Sa: 8.5 miles (10:10), drills/strides, and upper body weights/core.Su: 14 miles progressive, split as the first 5 miles averaging 10:24, next 4 miles averaging 8:57 pace, and next 5 miles averaging 8:11 pace, before a half mile jog. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 meters recovery swimming.
This week I started adding in blended hill/track workouts. The idea is that doing the hills recruits fastwitch muscle fibers that you don't normally use on the flat. Then when you move back to the track, you continue to use those fibers, and train them to work for you aerobically. I can tell you that it is surprisingly hard and awkward to move back from hard running on the hill to hard flat running. My legs felt it for several days after.
Hot Weather Complainer
darkwave - That does sound like it would be very tough, but a great workout. I haven't run up that hill but I went up there as part of a day long walking tour of DC when I was there. I really loved all the memorials and sights to see.
Flavio - Sorry it didn't go quite as well as you hoped - all good lessons for next time.
Hash - Good solid week. Yep, it was typical Wellington...
Mark - Nice week, you're racking up some great consistency, which I've heard is King.
piwi - Hard to comment on your week because it looks like it's in some weird language?
watson - Thanks - I don't consider it a race so I'm not sure it needs to be on the front page.
me - Pretty solid week obviously dominated by the workout yesterday. I went out in the dark, cold and rain for 4km easy beforehand, designed to add some fatigue into my legs for running close to marathon pace for 21.1km. I stopped at the apartment and changed into a second set of running clothes and walked over to the stadium, thankfully the rain had eased a bit but started to pick up just as I arrived so I jogged to the concourse and kept dry until they called us to the start 10 minutes pre-race. 5 minutes before the start the wind picked up and it started bucketing down - brutally cold and wet. The organisers had some local fitness guy running a warm up but everyone at the start was saying let's just start rather than stand here getting wet...we waited until 8:45am and were off. I can't remember any more rain until the last 2km so it turned out okay. The first half had a lot of very strong headwinds - I noticed an older guy snaking after someone in front of me, blatantly using his slipstream without stepping up to do any work. He fell back and started to do the same to me...I wasn't racing obviously but thought it was pretty rude. He fell back quite quickly though. My splits were pretty consistent for the first 17km from 4:35 - 40/km. With about 4km to go I pulled up next to a girl who was fading and asked how she was going. She said she was on target for a PB but was questioning if she'd get to the finish. I told her to stay with me and let her draught pretty much all the way to the finish - I lost her somewhere in the last km but by then she had the PB in the bag. It was also enjoyable to step up the pace a bit since I was feeling great. Overall a great experience that I'd highly recommend to break up the usual training.
5km: 18:53 12/22 │ 10km: 40:49 2/22 │ HM: 1:27:32* 5/22 │ M: 3:35:02 10/22
*Net Downhill. Flat course PR: 1:29:25 6/16
Upcoming Races:
Selwyn Marathon June 4, 2023
Hagley Park Run July 1 and August 12, 2023 (threshold Check ins)
Canterbury Road Running Champs 10km August 26, 2023
Run Prix Half Marathon (Melbourne) September 24, 2023
Hash - I kind of like the cold and don't mind the rain (except at the start of a 2 hour long run!!) but wind is what I dread. I don't think I could live in Wellington for that exact reason.
Fred - sounds like a fun Fathers Day! Weirdly for some reason ours is the first weekend in September. This has actually worked well as I've almost always been able to race on Fathers Day (it's always coincided with either a local HM or NZ 10k Road Champs, apart from when lockdowns cancelled everything).
Darkwave - 6:45am?! Those are some very enthusiastic tourists. The hills/track combo sounds interesting. I'm tempted to try it as the track I use is on the side of a hill.
Steve - nice job helping that girl on the PB. Hopefully that earns you some good running karma! Nice to be able to help someone else out like that given that you were just running it as a tempo as well. How did it go as a MP tempo? You obviously had enough to pick it up at the end.
Darkwave -The hills/track combo sounds interesting. I'm tempted to try it as the track I use is on the side of a hill.
Some interesting reading: Spice up your tempo run with short hill sprints - Canadian Running Magazine
Steve - nice job in what sounds like miserable conditions. And wonderful of you to help her to a PR!
Ah yes, I've done the tempo / hills combo before, definitely a challenge. It felt exactly like that article describes ("crap"!).
DW I thought they got close to the mile WR in that race but it's 3.43 and Jakob didn't quite get the European record either off Steve Cram who happened to be commentating.
Steve sounds like alot of fun. I've really enjoyed when I've paced 20 min at Parkrun. Probably because it doesn't hurt
Of course there's no rules about slipstreaming in running but it is bad etiquette if you don't share the workload. I pre arranged with a guy in my half last year to take turns into the wind....until he gapped me in the last 5kms.