The Waltons aka Advanced Half Marathon Training Thread - 2022 edition (Read 444 times)

    Mi Semana:

     

    Weekly for period: From: 24/10/2022 To 30/10/2022

    Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
    in m
    24/10 Family Walk = Cross Training? 1.43 2.31 00:36:34 25:34 15:50 76
    27/10 Easy 60 - feat. Chats with Nick 6.84 11.01 01:01:09 08:56 05:33 146
    28/10 Sneaky 6 before Coffee 3.74 6.02 00:34:12 09:09 05:41 6
    28/10 Post-Coffee Maida Vale Dalliance 4.51 7.26 00:46:48 10:23 06:27 144
    30/10 Not Auckland. Not a Perish Run. 15.55 25.03 02:16:43 08:48 05:28 197

    Total distance: 51.62km (32 Imperial grey hairs)

    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

     

     

    darkwave


    Mother of Cats

      You are killing it with the run titles this week.

       

      Mi Semana:

       

      Weekly for period: From: 24/10/2022 To 30/10/2022

      Date Name mi km Duration Avg/mi Avg/km Elevation Gain
      in m
      24/10 Family Walk = Cross Training? 1.43 2.31 00:36:34 25:34 15:50 76
      27/10 Easy 60 - feat. Chats with Nick 6.84 11.01 01:01:09 08:56 05:33 146
      28/10 Sneaky 6 before Coffee 3.74 6.02 00:34:12 09:09 05:41 6
      28/10 Post-Coffee Maida Vale Dalliance 4.51 7.26 00:46:48 10:23 06:27 144
      30/10 Not Auckland. Not a Perish Run. 15.55 25.03 02:16:43 08:48 05:28 197

      Total distance: 51.62km (32 Imperial grey hairs)

      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.

      darkwave


      Mother of Cats

         

        DW how do you like the backpack? I've always had trouble finding one that doesn't bounce. I do agree that night running is hard. My morning shake outs are just slower than days when I run in the daylight. Sunrises are great. I personally have liked taking transit (or bike) into work and running home a lot better than the reverse mostly due to not having a shower here.

         

        I bought this one.  I'm pretty happy with it.  The laptop sleeve is at the back of the bag (closest to my back) so that minimizes bouncing.  The bag overall is bulky and big, but that could just be that I am small.  Bouncing has not been an issue, though I do struggle with the backpack altering my center of gravity.  Keep in mind that the fully loaded backpack is about 10-11% of my body weight, so a larger person might not find it as challenging.

         

        As for running home - I live substantially uphill of work, so I much prefer running to work over running home.  Smile

        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.

        Fredford66


        Waltons ThreadLord

          DW - Interesting that the backpack is helping your gait.  Good point, too, about the % of body weight.

           

          ccoakley - Sorry to hear you had to defer your race.  Always good to listen to your body and it's good news that you're enjoying your runs.

           

          James - I hope at least one of the races comes through for you.  The NJ race that started this discussion is now less than 6 weeks out and no map (for the half or 5k) nor time or location for packet pickup.

           

          Zebano - Great to hear you're enjoying all the miles.  I don't share your enthusiasm for doubles, but then if I was to run as many miles in a week, I might re-think that dislike.

           

          Keen - Wow, that's quite a week.  Not much less than I ran all month (see below).  I'm looking forward to seeing how it translates to your races.

           

          Hash - I agree with DW; getting quite creative with the workout names.

           

          Steve, Mark, Watson - If I stay on this thread long enough, I'm going to know all about some races I'll likely never run - Auckland and Christchurch.

           

          Watson, ccoakley, Mark, Zebano, Keen - Thanks for the kind words about my results.

           

          A friend of mine tried talking me into running his local/favorite half this weekend, but after two halves and a 10k in a span of 20 days, I begged off of doing that.  For now I'm going to rest up a bit and then train for the 5-miler later this month.  October was my second lowest mileage month so far this year, having been nothing but taper runs, races, and recovery runs.  More ominous is now that the races I was training for are done, I've lost my eating discipline and have already gained over two pounds in less than a week.  It didn't help that my last race was early Saturday morning of a getaway weekend with my wife where we ate out for every meal.  And now we have all the leftover Halloween candy in the house.

          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: RunAPalooza (Asbury Park) HM, 4/6; Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27

           

          zebano


             

            I bought this one.  I'm pretty happy with it.  The laptop sleeve is at the back of the bag (closest to my back) so that minimizes bouncing.  The bag overall is bulky and big, but that could just be that I am small.  Bouncing has not been an issue, though I do struggle with the backpack altering my center of gravity.  Keep in mind that the fully loaded backpack is about 10-11% of my body weight, so a larger person might not find it as challenging.

             

            As for running home - I live substantially uphill of work, so I much prefer running to work over running home.  Smile

             

            lol about the direction of travel being up/downhill that would make a huge difference. That bag looks like it's designed to ride really high on your back which is very different than say the hydro packs most ultra runners wear. I wonder why they made that decision but can easily see how it changes your center of mass.

             

             

             

            Hash looks like a nice relaxing week. We're awaiting that comic.

             

            Fred - yeah every time Watson posts a race report I think it would be a great place to plan a trip to. I'm quite envious of their XC scene. Also, if you're not going to enjoy a little candy after 3 successful races, when will you ever?

            1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)

            Fredford66


            Waltons ThreadLord

              Hallowed Half, Cape May, 10/29/22

               

              Though I didn't know it at the time, this was my 40th half marathon, which is more surprising as 10 years ago I was a couch potato steadily gaining 2 - 5 pounds per year.  Having achieved a 10k PR 6 days prior to this race and an HM PR 20 days prior, my legs were still pretty tired, so I wasn't sure what the day would bring, though I was pretty sure it wouldn't be another sub-1:50.

               

              The race was scheduled to start early, at 7:30am, and though our hotel was literally at the starting line, I still had to get up at 5:30 so I could eat something and have time for my stomach to settle - I actually ate then turned out the light and rested a bit more.  I went out for a warmup run around 7:00, then went back to the hotel room to shed a layer.  The skies were cloudy with a moderate wind coming off the ocean, but the temperature was in the low 50's (10-12C) so a t-shirt (and gloves) would be enough.  Waiting for the race to start, I spoke with a woman who said she was from PA and hoped all her training on hills would help her get under 2 hours on a flat course, but she wasn't sure.  We agreed that the man performing the national anthem sounded cold as he sang.

               

              We had the entire width of a wide road and the field was under 400 runners, so there was no crowding at the start.  The race began and I got swept up with the crowd, briefly running a sub-8:00 pace, so I quickly eased off of the gas.  I was running at what felt like the right effort level and found myself with a group of runners that had seemed to form a small pack running around an 8:45 pace.  I felt OK at that speed, did some math, and decided I'd try for a time of around 1:55.  I mentioned to a man in a red shirt that it felt like the 1:55 pace group and he said he hoped so since he was trying to run sub-2.

               

              I hung around with the group, though as the pack got more strung out, the group got smaller.  The woman from PA went by me at one point, though I passed her a few miles later.  I didn't work too hard to pass people other than one exception.  There was a runner who was burping frequently, which wasn't too bad (I've been there), but every few minutes he'd clear his throat loudly and spit, and I decided I didn't want to be behind him any more.  I started running more and more alone, and out of nowhere, as the course made a hard right turn, there was my running partner, across the street going the other way.  I knew he was in town with his wife, celebrating their anniversary, and that he'd be on a training run, but what are the odds of that encounter?  The man in the red shirt started pulling away in mile 4, around the same time I heard a couple of women coming up behind me, carrying on a spirited conversation.  Shortly after they passed me, a runner darted back onto the course from a heavily forested side street/driveway.  The other runners chuckled a bit and one of the two women, the one in the tank top, shouted out "there's no port-a-potties in there."  I commented that I simply hoped, for his sake, that there wasn't too much poison ivy in there.

               

              The two women also pulled ahead of me for a while, though I passed them again in mile six.  It turned out the other woman (sweater, not tank top) was running as part of a relay and was starting to slow as she neared the end of her run.  Around this time, we also passed one of the "fill stations," tables with two coolers full of water set out for runners to use in refilling their own cups or bottles, though during the race I saw more than one runner just put an open mouth under the tap.  The man in the red shirt was stopped there to get a drink and I went by him.  Shortly after that, I passed the halfway point and the relay exchange, which meant some fresh runners on the course.  One came up behind me, inflicting his taste in music on the rest of us via a portable loudspeaker, but fortunately he moved out of earshot pretty quickly.  I caught up to a runner in a Wonder Woman costume who was taking a walk break.  She went back to running and passed me, but she slowed and I passed her back.

               

              There was a brief point in mile 9 where we were running straight into the wind and a strong gust came up that really slowed me down and I stayed slow for a while.  I thought I might be done, but after about half a mile my pace had picked back up.  Then we came to about a 1-mile long stretch on a straight road.  I passed a few more runners, but the pack that was a couple hundred yards ahead of me just kept getting smaller.  From this point on, I was only passing stragglers and nobody passed me until the very end.  The last two miles were on a raised walkway just behind the dunes and we were exposed to the wind, but it wasn't too bad.  I heard someone behind me most of the way and thought it might be Wonder Woman, but it was another runner who put in a kick and passed me in the last 50 yards of the race (I had nothing as far as a finishing kick goes).  I crossed the line in 1:53:44, quite happy to have come in under 1:55.  I hung around to see the man in the red shirt finish in about 1:57, and I congratulated him on his sub-2. He thanked me and said he'd been following me for at least the last 4 miles of the race and was happy I'd maintained my pace because it helped him maintain his.  As he was saying this, the woman in the tank top came over and told me the same thing - that following me helped her keep up her pace.  I didn't see the woman from PA and judging by her early aggressive pace, I fear she slowed later and didn't go sub-2.  As my wife and I headed for the hotel, I heard a loud belch, and sure enough it was the runner I had passed early in the race.

               

              I feel really good about my result (3rd of 20 in males 55-59) and my even splits of 8:46, :41, :44, :46, :38, :45, :45, :37, :41, :43, :51, :50, and 8:30.  I think I've gotten to the point where I know how to run half marathons pretty well and can come up with strategies and adjust mid-race to the conditions.  I'm taking a little time off from halves for now and will race my next one in Asbury Park in early April.

              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: RunAPalooza (Asbury Park) HM, 4/6; Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27

               

              JamesD


              JamesD

                I assume it's just a coincidence, but the day after I posted (using a false name) on the local running club's Facebook page asking when the map for their half would be available, it showed up.  Course looks decent enough, almost all on asphalt bike paths and about a mile on streets, and almost entirely out-and-back.  We stick with the 5k people for the first mile & a half.  Elevation gain is 375 feet/114 meters, which doesn't seem bad - it's more than the flat half where I set my PR but less than the now-defunct local half I ran five times.  I'm not familiar with the bike path in that part of town, so I'll check it out.

                 

                I posted on the sketchy half's Facebook page a couple of weeks ago asking about its map.  Two other runners have since posted the same question.  No response, and the webpage still says the half starts at (downtown location) and continues (text describing military base location of earlier course many miles away).  I suppose it would be poor form for me to post now in anticipation of a cancellation telling all the out-of-towners that there's another local race the same day, but if/when this race is cancelled, I'll certainly do so.

                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


                  A friend of mine finally ran his first sub-3 marathon after a number of attempts at Auckland last Sunday (and despite very wet weather).

                   

                  He has tried for a long time and had probably more than his fair share of misery along the way so it was good to see him get it.  Better yet, he got a direct shout-out on facebook from Rod Dixon (yes, former NYC Marathon winner and Kiwi running legend Rod Dixon) so that was pretty awesome.

                  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"

                  zebano


                    A friend of mine finally ran his first sub-3 marathon after a number of attempts at Auckland last Sunday (and despite very wet weather).

                     

                    He has tried for a long time and had probably more than his fair share of misery along the way so it was good to see him get it.  Better yet, he got a direct shout-out on facebook from Rod Dixon (yes, former NYC Marathon winner and Kiwi running legend Rod Dixon) so that was pretty awesome.

                     

                    That's amazing Mark I hope they're still celebrating.

                     

                    Fred good report you have a knack for pacing.

                     

                    James glad you're finding a reasonable  race

                    1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)

                      You are killing it with the run titles this week.

                       

                       

                      I don't run with music, so I have a lot of free time in my head to think about these things!

                      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

                       

                       

                        A friend of mine finally ran his first sub-3 marathon after a number of attempts at Auckland last Sunday (and despite very wet weather).

                         

                        He has tried for a long time and had probably more than his fair share of misery along the way so it was good to see him get it.  Better yet, he got a direct shout-out on facebook from Rod Dixon (yes, former NYC Marathon winner and Kiwi running legend Rod Dixon) so that was pretty awesome.

                         

                        It wasn't Troy Harold, was it? That guy scraped in with a 2:59:59! I guess if your only goal is sub-3 then not unnecessarily wasting energy is the smart play 

                        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

                         

                         

                          I am trying to decide on the best marathon plan. I have achieved my best half marathon time of 1:47 with the help of Jack Daniels. But I hate his plans, they are so tough. And for 20+ weeks, that will get me in shape, but also I will hate life, running, tired legs, everything. I have the Hal Higdon plans as well, but I blew up once during a half and that was not pleasant. I don't want that to happen to me again, because a full marathon is just a lot more suffering, if you totally blow up.

                           

                          Jack Daniels has plenty of marathon plans to chose from and I will look to see if I can find one that doesn't leave me injured after 3 weeks.

                           

                          Besides that - Fred this was an incredibly interesting report. Thanks for sharing. There was a guy that was burping, caughing and spitting and one guy that darted out of the woods. Ha great pacing there. That is my ultimate goal, to pick up runners rather than to being passed during a race. And to finish as strong as possible, and not completely beaten up.

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

                           

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

                          Fredford66


                          Waltons ThreadLord

                             

                            That's amazing Mark I hope they're still celebrating.

                             

                            Fred good report you have a knack for pacing.

                             

                            James glad you're finding a reasonable  race

                             

                            Thanks, though I must confess Garmin reported the entire 13.11 miles had a grand total elevation of 24 feet, which does help with pacing.  

                             

                            (In fact, my last three races, 32.4 miles total, had less than 100' of elevation combined.)

                             

                            Mick - I'm glad you enjoyed the report.

                             

                            James - At least you have one course map now.

                            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: RunAPalooza (Asbury Park) HM, 4/6; Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27

                             

                            JamesD


                            JamesD

                              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

                              zebano


                                I am trying to decide on the best marathon plan. I have achieved my best half marathon time of 1:47 with the help of Jack Daniels. But I hate his plans, they are so tough. And for 20+ weeks, that will get me in shape, but also I will hate life, running, tired legs, everything. I have the Hal Higdon plans as well, but I blew up once during a half and that was not pleasant. I don't want that to happen to me again, because a full marathon is just a lot more suffering, if you totally blow up.

                                 

                                Jack Daniels has plenty of marathon plans to chose from and I will look to see if I can find one that doesn't leave me injured after 3 weeks.

                                 

                                Besides that - Fred this was an incredibly interesting report. Thanks for sharing. There was a guy that was burping, caughing and spitting and one guy that darted out of the woods. Ha great pacing there. That is my ultimate goal, to pick up runners rather than to being passed during a race. And to finish as strong as possible, and not completely beaten up.

                                 

                                I cannot agree more on JD plans. I really think it's his big emphasis on VO2 work that just overcooks me and leaves me burt out. I'd at least check out Pfitzinger, whose plans aren't easy but they are bigger on long runs and tempos than JD and IIRC his VO2 work is often something like 8x600 which IMO is just flat out easier than 5xKM almost regardless of recovery.  Hanson is always worth a look too (it works for Fred). I'm a big fan of doing the basics: long run, miles, strides, tempo runs and letting the chips fall where they will.

                                 

                                They're a little obscenely cheery (even more so if you listen at 125% speed like I do) but episode 126 of Some Work All Play has a nice summary of the Norweigan model where they make some interesting claims about long term sustainable improvement only being possible if you don't overcook your workouts. I'm going to listen to it again and try and summarize their suggestions but for non-gifted amatuers like us it's basically run a bunch, run a long run, do a little bit of neuromuscular work, short doubles are good (even 10 min  crosstraining will have a hormonal response that's benefical) do some light workouts but don't overcook them.

                                 

                                https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/some-work-all-play/id1521532868

                                 

                                 

                                James good find. I recall that comic

                                1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)