Forums >Racing>The Waltons aka Advanced Half Marathon Training Thread - 2022 edition
Mother of Cats
GO WATSON!!!!
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And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.
Looks like a pretty shallow field this year. Voss won in 2:29, next best was 2:48. Watson hopefully not far off finishing.
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: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr, 1:15:48
Up next: Runway5, 4 May
"CONSISTENCY IS KING"
Hash - that's an excellent 6xKM workout. I've been meaning to ask are you part of a proper hash house?
Cheers, Zeb. The 6x1km is probably my favourite workout, and the one that I mainly use to gauge my fitness. Wasn't planning on aiming for sub-3.30s, but had weather was good, and there were three of us running similar pace, so it just happened naturally. I've heard of Hash House Harriers, but no relation! Hashiritai = 'I want to run' in Japanese - which sums up my running philosophy pretty well!
And go Watson!! You won't be far from this finish as I'm typing this...
50+ age-group PBs: Half Perish 1:24:24 (June '23 Road Race) - 10km 37:52 (2022 Local Road Champs) - Track 5km 18:49 (Aug '22) - Perish Run 3:17:42
2024 Goals: Boston Perish Run Sub 3:15 - Road/Track 10km Sub 37:30 - 5km Sub 18:20
Watson done in 3:13.
I would say that is a very good time for that course and given also his training had been a little up and down until recently. He should be very happy with that.
Damn fine job Watson.
Hash that 6x1k was beastly. You should be looking at 17.30 or faster.
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 "
Well done Watson!!!
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:
???
Waltons ThreadLord
Watson - Great job. Congratulations!
I decided to try a pace run today. I figured goal A would be the full 10/7. Goal B would be a friend's suggestion of breaking the 7 into 2 x 3 with a 1-mile break in between. Goal C would be to run. I wound up somewhere between B and C. The first 3 miles went OK, keeping the pace but working harder so I needed the break. After that 1 mile easy, I was two miles into the second set when I could no longer maintain the pace. I think the effect of the bug I had is to make me work harder to maintain a given pace, which is why I'm tiring out more quickly than in the past. That would make sense since it's my breathing that's affected and therefore my ability to clear out CO2 is compromised. Easy run tomorrow. The doc said I'd feel better by the end of the weekend. I hope he's right.
5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)Upcoming races: Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27; Running is Back 10k, 5/12
JamesD
Congratulations, Watson!
darkwave - Thanks for the hamstring flossing suggestions. When I looked them up, two of the four exercises in the first set I saw were ones my PT had me doing. A question for you - how much & how long before a goal race do you cut back your swimming during your taper? In a normal 45ish-minute swim for me, 20 minutes include kicking. Seems like I should be ok to do half to ⅔ of my usual on the Monday or Tuesday before a goal 5K and just not swim at the end of the week, but I’ve seen recommendations that crosstraining be reduced two weeks before a goal race and eliminated the week before. Do the lungs need rest before a race too, or is it just the legs?
My week was much better than the last two; my pace was back to normal, and my hamstrings didn’t hurt as much. Lower humidity may have helped a bit too, but I think it was mostly that I finally recovered from my late-August 5K.
Sun - 10.1 miles in park @ 8:24, temp 83/28, TDP 154
Mon - 6.7 miles very slow treadmill (78 minutes) + 0:40 walk breaks/6 mins
Tues - 8.3 in park @ 8:23, temp 83/28, TDP too low to worry about
Weds - 47 minutes swimming
Thurs - 6.8 in park incl. 3 @ 7:01, temp 80/26, TDP 141
Fri - 6.2 very slow treadmill (72 minutes) + 0:40 walk breaks/6 mins
Sat - 7 in park @ 8:23, temp 78/25, TDP 142
Total - 45,1 Miles
YTD Average - 35.4 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
Another fairly average week. This sinus infection is still not clearing up so I'm gonna take a few days off and see if that does it. Had this a couple of years back and time off was ultimately the thing that sorted it.
Fred - hope things are coming right for you.
Hot Weather Complainer
watson - That is a really impressive result.
Mark - That sucks. Definitely sounds like some rest is the best idea with your upcoming races.
Fred - Pretty good effort doing that with a bug. You'll find it easy when you're 100%.
James - Good news that the hammy pain is reduced, very nice week.
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
Gonna ditch October races unless I magically come right in the next couple of days. Still got 7 weeks till Nelson HM but I don't need the pressure of other races before then.
Mark - now is the perfect time to get sick for you. A few weeks off might be beneficial, especially if you have niggles.Thanks all. Pretty pleased with it. At 5km in, I made a call that there's no way the 'A' goal is happening, so fell back to the 'B' goal of sub 3:15. Easily my most even paced marathon. Second half was only about 25s slower than the first half (although second half is net downhill 40m). The last 4km was quite slow as I was very tired plus it was getting warmer at that point.Weather was almost perfect for the first 35km, and then got just a little bit warm. I will write a RR later in the 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)
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
Watson - I think you're right. I haven't got any major niggles but for some reason I think that instead of getting injured I tend to get sick. I was looking over my training history and I think it's just overtraining similar to what I had in late 2020 after my last marathon. The other thing I noticed was that actually my best performances haven't come on the back on sustained high mileage like I've churned out over the last little while (and before that marathon). Only once EVER have I PB'ed where I ran back to back 100km weeks as part of a training block... and the one time that did happen, I'd had a number of lighter weeks beforehand.
I've tended to perform best when training is around 80-95km/week, with maybe the odd week up around 100km. I did specifically tell my coach we should try and push the mileage a bit but actually it looks like maybe that is not the best option for me, at least not at the intensity I typically train at.
Anyway I've pulled out of road relays in a couple weeks... I really don't like letting the team down but the reality is I won't be at my best unless I miraculously recover tomorrow, and I'm not happy being out there unless I can put in a performance I can be proud of.
Mark - I wish I had your flexible outlook. I get myself (mentally) locked into a schedule months ahead of time and on top of that I want to run a sub-1:50 half and am very aware that at my age time is not on my side. Get well soon.
Fred - For what it's worth, I set my half PR at 56, which I think is what you are now or will be soon. If not for bad conditions at the one half I've run since then and two years of covid race cancellations after that, I'm pretty sure I would've beaten that PR at an older age. So don't sweat your age just yet.