Piwi - even earlier than James with that one!

Steve - according to my computer, which sometimes thinks it's in Christchurch (or Wellington... must be EY's server or something) it was 12C there this morning?!  That's crazy for the middle of summer.

Me - very productive week of weather complaining, mileage down a bit due to the race tomorrow.  Looks like it'll rain which is great news as it'll take some of the edge off the particularly humid weather we've endured the last week (and which looks set to continue next week, interspersed with bouts of rain).  Only one month of summer to go, luckily.

Weekly for period: From: 31/01/2022 To 06/02/2022

Total distance: 71.06km

update: complete switch of topic but great to see NZ get our first ever gold in a winter Olympics thanks to Zoi Sadowski-Synott nailing a massive final run in the womens snowboarding.

Fred - No, I meant that your HMP is set too high, meaning you’re not capable of running that pace for a half right now.

So you need to back off the HMP by 5 or 10 seconds per mile and try again to see if you can complete the workout.

Are you perhaps trying to train based on target race pace rather than current race pace ?

Piwi - If you do go to Italy let me know. I have a bunch of insider tips.

We’ve been to Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Paris was dirty, smelly, big city vibe like New York, but way prettier buildings.

Tons of harassment around the Sacre Coeur, someone got mugged next to us on the subway.

If you avoid the subway (just uber everuwhere) and stay downtown near the Champs Elisee you should do a lot better. 

Having money certainly helps, at the time we were living off of baguettes and tomatoes and stayed in a bad hotel.

Lyon and Marseille were very, VERY different. Laid back, outstanding food (I can’t explain just how good the food was), great people.

Steve - +1 to Maurten gels, they’re pretty easy to open like Mark explained.

Me - Just a bit of running and managed to steal back that Strava segment crown. It's been a long way back. I'm going to have to be more conservative going forward, not as much weekly mileage and not as much elevation.

Also got a new watch, the Garmin 945, I’ve been wondering about it for a very long time (since it was 935) for the long battery life.

I will say it’s so amazing to be able to acquire electronics for so (comparatively) cheap. Back in Brazil it would be probably cheaper to fly to the US and buy it there.

Fred - No, I meant that your HMP is set too high, meaning you’re not capable of running that pace for a half right now.

So you need to back off the HMP by 5 or 10 seconds per mile and try again to see if you can complete the workout.

Are you perhaps trying to train based on target race pace rather than current race pace ?

 

 

Flavio - My target pace is partly aspirational and partly based on my results at shorter distances (which suggest I can run a half at an 8:16 pace, though that seems optimistic to me).  Generally, I've been successful in lowering my HM times by lowering my target paces each training cycle.  I know someday I'll reach the limit of where that strategy will get me, but for now it's working.  We'll see how Tuesday's workout goes.  Congrats on getting your Strava crown back.

JamesD - Nice miles coming off the vaccine side effects.

Mark - Yeah, 12º seems pretty cold after what you've been telling me about your summers.  Nice weekly total.

Piwi - I notice a lot more people on this forum end their weeks on Saturday than other forums I visit.  Given I use the Hansons plan, my training week really runs Thursday to Tuesday, but RA doesn't like that.  Nice mileage.

SteveChCh - Sorry to hear about your cramping episode.

Rune - I've heard of those reverse staggered starts.  They seem like they're designed as a novelty or something fun to do, though I can see the attraction for slower runners to get a shot at being the first to cross the finish line.

Darkwave, JamesD - We get some of those high humidity days too, though probably not as many as you do.  I picked up this chart a while ago from the National Weather Service, relating dew point to comfort.  I raced a half once in "oppressive" conditions, but fortunately never in "miserable."

6½ miles on some steep hills yesterday.  I'll be back with my weekly mileage once I've run this afternoon (when the temp is forecast to be above freezing).

It was interesting the other day - went outside for a walk with my partner in the midday sun and I checked the temperature because it was scorching.  23C.  I couldn't believe it.  My partner who isn't aware of this never ending debate said "this is New Zealand 23 which is way hotter than Australia 23..."

 

Of course, she could be internet stalking you

I didn't realize the NZ 10km Road Champs will be in Upper Hutt (assuming we're back at Covid Orange level by then...). I'm not sure what the course will be exactly, but I suspect it will be a 4 to 5 lap course. As long as it's not windy, it will be quick, as it's pretty flat,  not dead flat but entirely false flats, but each incline/decline will be short enough, it won't be material.

The bridle path that Piwi walked is very steep, this is my run on it last year (there was walking at points):https://www.strava.com/activities/5187310551

I haven't heard great things about the Pegasus 38 that Piwi picked up. It might in part just be that other shoes models keep getting better.

I've only ran in them twice so far (incl. Thursday), but I recommend the Skechers Razor Excess as a training shoe. Light and comfortable, and quick enough for a training shoe.

Summer here has been generally warm, very humid, high UV and dry. Until Saturday and Sunday where, thankfully it's rained a lot.

Steve & Piwi - good catch-up.

Mark - good luck and nice week.

Cfarr, James, Steve and Piwi - nice weeks.

My week again was a little light. I took Sunday off again for continuing the garden bed, although the heavy rain meant I didn't
get as much done as planned, I'll continue today (public holiday) and hopefully have the edging completed. And the following
weekend get onto the soil and planting.

Weekly for period: From: 31/01/2022 To 06/02/2022

cfarr - Do you taper for your halves and if so when do you start that?  I set general goals during training, but so much can depend on race day conditions.

Watson - Nice runs.  What are you planting?

My 10 mile run wound up being 5½.  After 6½ miles on hills yesterday with my RP pushing the pace, then 2 hours of SCUBA practice at the indoor pool followed by a poor night's sleep, I didn't have the will power to stay out there when the wind started really biting.  I was tired and cold and not having fun, so I went home.  At least I'm warm now.  41.3 miles for the week, which is at least an increase over last week (41.2 miles).

Fred - No, I meant that your HMP is set too high, meaning you’re not capable of running that pace for a half right now.

So you need to back off the HMP by 5 or 10 seconds per mile and try again to see if you can complete the workout.

Are you perhaps trying to train based on target race pace rather than current race pace ?

 

 

Me - Just a bit of running and managed to steal back that Strava segment crown. It's been a long way back. I'm going to have to be more conservative going forward, not as much weekly mileage and not as much elevation.

Also got a new watch, the Garmin 945, I’ve been wondering about it for a very long time (since it was 935) for the long battery life.

I will say it’s so amazing to be able to acquire electronics for so (comparatively) cheap. Back in Brazil it would be probably cheaper to fly to the US and buy it there.

Flavio - Hanson has some weird stuff in their plans but most of it's explainable. The one I really disagree with is that all their paces are based off of goal pace. It's one thing to practice goal pace, even on long stuff but that's really down to if you're setting reasonable goals or not. I certainly don't prefer to train that way but it's understandable, however I think it's silly that all their other paces are based off goal pace.

Fred if you're basing that off your 5k then I think you've got a reasonable shot. 40 mile weeks are reasonable HM training for us mortals.

Note that I've only read their marathon book, not the HM version and the more egregious issue may very well be the first few weeks in the beginner plan where it seems someone convinced them to write a plan for someone who is currently running 0mpw and quickly ramp them up to around 50 (IIRC). For anyone actually training it makes those first few weeks a waste and something to be skipped or adapted.

that crown was blazin fast.

Mark great week in the humidity. I can barely remember what humidity feels like.

Corey I'd love to tell you to be aggressive but without some workouts, who knows. You might be in 1:35 shape, you might be in 1:50 but if I had to bet I'd say 1:38 just because you seem to run well off of no workouts.

Watson  Nice Mona Fartlek! That one is brutal at the end. Do you run it regularly?

Watson - I think it's at the NZ Campus of Innovation and Sport in Trentham.  Typically it's 5 x 2km laps, they tend to pick courses with internal private roads or pathways so they don't have to fork out for traffic management (particularly as the event last for a good chunk of the day).

James - good news on the vaccine and a relatively niggle-free week.

Fred - that's very similar to the scale JMac used to post on here.  I've always taken ~65F as the point above which things start getting   noticeably tougher.  But TBH even a bit below that can make a difference too.

Corey - Personally, I'd just go out conservatively and pick it up if you are feeling good.  My race was Monday as it's a public holiday here (it's actually the first time I've ever raced on a Monday!).

Zebano - excellent work building that mileage up.

My race... it was tough.  22C (72F) and 100% humidity (but it was not raining while I was racing) gets it comfortably into oppressive on the scale Fred posted and that was how it felt.  To make things worse there was a very strong NE which made a long stretch of the course quite tough going. I ran 36:07, which was pretty slow considering I was under 35 on the same course a couple of years ago, but not surprising as those were probably the worst summer conditions I've ever raced in (and a couple of course changes probably made it slower than 2020 too).  Orewa HM in 2018 was just as painfully humid, but without the wind.  But, got the win, and to be honest at least we're racing despite current restrictions!!

 

 

My race... it was tough.  22C (72F) and 100% humidity (but it was not raining while I was racing) gets it comfortably into oppressive on the scale Fred posted and that was how it felt.  To make things worse there was a very strong NE which made a long stretch of the course quite tough going. I ran 36:07, which was pretty slow considering I was under 35 on the same course a couple of years ago, but not surprising as those were probably the worst summer conditions I've ever raced in (and a couple of course changes probably made it slower than 2020 too).  Orewa HM in 2018 was just as painfully humid, but without the wind.  But, got the win, and to be honest at least we're racing despite current restrictions!!

That does sound really rough.  I remember those mornings, where you wish it would rain because it would make things feel a bit better.

Congrats on the win and getting to race!

Training at goal pace versus current fitness.  I've got a whole paragraph I could write on this, but pressed for time right now.  I'll just go with: I'm a real big fan of training at current fitness, with the additional caveat of modified for current conditions - i.e. I run a marathon pace workout on a hot/humid day at the effort/pace I believe I could sustain for a marathon held in those conditions.  Training at goal pace would make more sense if running was mostly a skill sport.  It's not.  Running is mostly a physiology sport, and thus training at current fitness gives the optimal stimulus for influencing your physiology.

****

My week (will try to catch up on shoutouts later):

62 miles running, 3 hours pool-running, and ~1500 yards swimming.

M: 90 minutes of pool-running and streaming yoga
T: 12 miles, including a track workout of 2x(1600, 800, 400) and 2x200. Splits were 6:57, 3:16, 94, 6:38, 3:07, 92, 46, and 46. Recoveries of 5:3x after the 1600s, 2:2x-2:5x after the 800s and 400s, full recovery for 200s. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.
W: Streaming yoga and 11.5 miles very easy outside (9:20) plus drills/strides.
Th: 90 minutes pool-running and upper body weights/core. ART appointment in afternoon.
F: 11 miles, including a track workout of 2x3200 in 13:48 and 13:44 (5:20 recovery between) and then four relaxed 200s in 49 seconds with full recovery. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 yards recovery swimming.
Sa: 8 miles easy on treadmill (9:43), streaming yoga, and then 4 miles very easy on treadmill (9:30).
Su: 15 miles progressive, split as first 5 miles averaging 9:31 pace, next 5 miles averaging 8:10 pace, and next 5 miles averaging 7:24 pace, plus a half-mile jog. Followed with leg strengthwork and 500 meters recovery swimming.

Felt like I was seeing definite improvement from the cortisone shot (which I had about 10 days ago) until Sunday, when I felt a little weaker and wobblier (though still better than I have been).  I'm wondering if the shot is starting to wear off.  Of course, I could also blame it on wearing shoes that I suspect have hit retirement age.  Not sure how much of the lack of bounce was lack of strength v. dead shoes.

(the shoes aren't that old - only about 330 miles on them)