Forums >Racing>Sub-90 Minutes for the Half Marathon (2012)
1:24:52 Yay, me! Huge debt to Chris (beat) for pulling me through first 8 miles in smooth even pace!
1:24:52
Yay, me!
Huge debt to Chris (beat) for pulling me through first 8 miles in smooth even pace!
"If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus
Speech, speech!
I'd like to thank the hills that punish me daily, and my wife for putting up with this nonsense.
Seriously, though, went out a bit ambitious. I knew that beat would turn out nice even miles, so I hung with him as long as I could, even though I knew he'd eventually drop me and that it was ultimately maybe unsustainable. I just usually have such a problem with uneven pacing, that I thought it worth it, and if everything broke right maybe I could hang on longer. Well, things went great for 8 miles (49:20 or so), even through 10 was okay (1:03:30), but quickly unraveled with calf cramps after that. Even had to stop twice to work em out in the last mile. My limp-sprint must have looked pretty amusing, but got it done to get in under 1:25. Happy, but I know there's more for me.
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
Awesome race Kevin!! Yay, you!
So I guess...put me down for another one. Gary Bjorkland Half June 16th.
Thanks. And you got it.
To go a full 5 minutes and change under a target goal time is indeed something else !! Well done !!
I dont sweat. I ooze liquid awesome.
Nice.
A few weeks back I looked at your log and got to say this is confirmation, not a surprise. Keep at it. You'll easily go faster.
"He conquers who endures" - Persius "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel
http://ncstake.blogspot.com/
Break on through
Thanks, Kevin! and Congratulations on a gutsy race! You running stride-for-stride with me helped keep my focus. It was a great day for a race, but I was pretty mutch on the edge of the fastest I could run myself. I did slow down toward the end too - couldn't take as much advantage in the big down hill as I planned.
-Chris
"Not to touch the Earth, not to see the Sun, nothing left to do but run, run, run..."
I wouldn't discount that, Brendan. It's good that you are able to identify that maybe your trying to jam too much progress into too short of a time. I was thinking about that workout this morning. Really, 4 mi. at 6:34 pace is hard. I think I did something like that a few months after running 90-minutes for the HM. It was hard. So, I think you are on a great path, just maybe take a little of the pressure off yourself. If you don't run a 90 in two months or in 2012, you can always get it next year. Look at Candice S.: she missed in in 2011 and then went under 89 at the beginning of this year. As my friend would say "Where's the fire?"(But he's kind of a lazy dude). One more thing. I wonder if wearing the HRM kind of fouled you up. Maybe you put the thing on, got the race jitters, saw a high heart rate, and couldn't relax enough to execute well.
I wouldn't discount that, Brendan.
It's good that you are able to identify that maybe your trying to jam too much progress into too short of a time. I was thinking about that workout this morning. Really, 4 mi. at 6:34 pace is hard. I think I did something like that a few months after running 90-minutes for the HM. It was hard. So, I think you are on a great path, just maybe take a little of the pressure off yourself. If you don't run a 90 in two months or in 2012, you can always get it next year. Look at Candice S.: she missed in in 2011 and then went under 89 at the beginning of this year. As my friend would say "Where's the fire?"(But he's kind of a lazy dude).
One more thing. I wonder if wearing the HRM kind of fouled you up. Maybe you put the thing on, got the race jitters, saw a high heart rate, and couldn't relax enough to execute well.
Getting a bit worried now - did a very easy 45 mins yesterday (not in my log yestersday) and my heart rate averaged at 160 !!!. I was running at 8 min mile pace on a nice day with fresh legs - it was at least 10 beats a minute too high... Felt quite lethargic towards the end which is unusual as I am one of those runners who traditionally struggles a bit early in the easy runs before finding my form and finishing strong and relaxed - this was not like that at all...
I am getting my bloods checked as I have had high iron legvels in the past but if it;'s not that I'm stumped...
Thoughts???
2015 Goals:
Sub 18 minute 5km
Sub 38 minute 10km
Break 1,000 miles for the year for the first time ever...
Stay healthy and keep focused
Getting a bit worried now - did a very easy 45 mins yesterday (not in my log yestersday) and my heart rate averaged at 160 !!!. I was running at 8 min mile pace on a nice day with fresh legs - it was at least 10 beats a minute too high... Felt quite lethargic towards the end which is unusual as I am one of those runners who traditionally struggles a bit early in the easy runs before finding my form and finishing strong and relaxed - this was not like that at all... I am getting my bloods checked as I have had high iron legvels in the past but if it;'s not that I'm stumped... Thoughts???
My instinct is -- and I feel strongly about this -- that the heart rate monitor is really fouling up your training.
Honest question: If you got rid of it, could you still train? I think this is a perfect time in your training to kiss that thing goodbye. Your fitness is good (6:34 x 4 didn't feel crazy) and your HM time (1:44) is way off your fitness level. Even if you "lost" some short term success as you adjusted to HRM-free training, you would still improve your race times in the long-term, I think.
What do you think, though?
Next up: Chris UK, Frinskey Half Marathon, UK, 4/8
Good luck this weekend, Chris!
Next up: Chris UK, Frinskey Half Marathon, UK, 4/8 Good luck this weekend, Chris!
Hi Kevin - i probably should have posted this earlier but I have been living in hope. Sorry to say there is no way I will be in 1:30 form this weekend. I was in great form on January 1st (40:28 for 10K) and hoping to build on that. Sadly, 2 weeks later I picked up a virus that I have only just got clear from. In trying to keep some semblence of fitness I trained on weakened muscles and now have IT Band problems (that's a new one for me).
My training has been very patchy and every time I try to build up my knee breaks down. My current position is that I have hardly trained this week in the hope that my knee will repair sufficiently for me to attempt the distance. I will try a 5 miler either late tomorrow or early Saturday to gauge the reaction and depending on that trial will make a decision whether to race or not.
I have another HM booked in May and also one in October. Realistically, for me, October remains my best chance - as long as I can get plenty of training miles in. Sorry to disappoint.
2013
3000 miles
Sub 19:00 for 5K 05-03-13 Clee Prom 5K - 19:00:66 that was bloody close!
Sub-40:00 for 10K 17-03-13 Gainsborough 10K - 39:43
Sub 88:00 for HM
No worries. Good luck getting healthy and building back up. We'll look for you down the road...
Just thought I would update you on my race as although I didn't get under 90 (as I expected I would not) I did do much better than I could have hoped given my lack of training. During my trial 5 mile run on Thursday I had some calf/shin issues in my non-injured leg (go figure) but my IT band held up OK. I decided I would do a one mile trial the next day wearing heel lifts (which I did) and shin/calf felt a lot better. So, I decided no run on Saturday, do the race on Sunday and hope my knee/IT would hold out. I haven't managed to run 13 miles since I did my IT band in on February 1st.
My plan was to be cautious and start at 7:30 pace and hope that I could tough it out to the end. That WAS the plan but as soon as the gun went off it was forgotten. I had spoken to one of my MV60 rivals before the race and told him I would not be hunting him down today. Lo and behold he soon disappeared from view at the start but I kept a fairly constant pace (below my intended) without it feeling too uncomfortable but nevertheless expecting my lack of mileage to start letting me down at any moment. By mile 10 I started to catch glimpses of him up ahead and (exactly) at the 12 mile marker I caught him. By this time I was blowing pretty hard but I kept the pressure on and despite never really getting away I crossed the line 10 seconds ahead to take the MV60 win in 1:31:27. I have little doubt that my time would have been much slower if I had not had that friendly rivalry to spur me on.
Also goes to show there is more to racing than beating an arbitrary time - BUT I STILL WANT TO BEAT THAT 90!!
Just thought I would update you on my race as although I didn't get under 90 (as I expected I would not) I did do much better than I could have hoped given my lack of training. During my trial 5 mile run on Thursday I had some calf/shin issues in my non-injured leg (go figure) but my IT band held up OK. I decided I would do a one mile trial the next day wearing heel lifts (which I did) and shin/calf felt a lot better. So, I decided no run on Saturday, do the race on Sunday and hope my knee/IT would hold out. I haven't managed to run 13 miles since I did my IT band in on February 1st. My plan was to be cautious and start at 7:30 pace and hope that I could tough it out to the end. That WAS the plan but as soon as the gun went off it was forgotten. I had spoken to one of my MV60 rivals before the race and told him I would not be hunting him down today. Lo and behold he soon disappeared from view at the start but I kept a fairly constant pace (below my intended) without it feeling too uncomfortable but nevertheless expecting my lack of mileage to start letting me down at any moment. By mile 10 I started to catch glimpses of him up ahead and (exactly) at the 12 mile marker I caught him. By this time I was blowing pretty hard but I kept the pressure on and despite never really getting away I crossed the line 10 seconds ahead to take the MV60 win in 1:31:27. I have little doubt that my time would have been much slower if I had not had that friendly rivalry to spur me on. Also goes to show there is more to racing than beating an arbitrary time - BUT I STILL WANT TO BEAT THAT 90!!
Awesome !! Well done Chris .!