No more marathons
Training question: When training specifically for a HM, how many miles do people run in a single training run at HM pace? Like, do you do a 10 mile run with 3-4 at HM pace? I know for MP runs, I see people get up to 12 at MP but not much more than that in a single block, generally speaking. I ask because my HM PR pace is 7:06 and I ran six miles yesterday at 6:53 pace without much a problem. I'm curious if a good indicator of my current HM pace would be more miles at that pace, or the same number of miles at a faster pace. Am I making sense here ffs?
Wish I could help you here Babs, but my HM efforts were back in the early 1980's and our training back then didn't consist of much more than running miles - most fast, some easy. I have my log books from then (Oct, Nov, Dec 1981) recorded in RA, but they really don't tell much. FWIW - I didn't run any complete workouts (even shorter ones) at better than my HM pace. So my guess would be if you ran 6 at better than 10 seconds faster than goal pace - you're ready.
Boston 2014 - a 33 year journey
Lordy, I hope there are tapes.
He's a leaker!
Damn that was a tough race.
90 foot climb in the first half mile, and then another 150 feet from 1.25 to 1.75. Finish was down hill, but I couldn't get much back of what I lost.
But the nice thing is I won overall masters. No one older than 40 was able to keep up with my phat old self. Finished in 23:05 - 15th overall out of 262.
10k @ goal HM pace is the most I've done in one block...which came immediately after 10k easy, all within a 20k race. I don't know if I would have had the mental fortitude to do that workout on my own, but in the context of a race it wasn't so bad. Of course the wheels came off in mile 10 at my half three weeks later, so even though I thought I had my goal pace in the bag following the workout, it turned out I didn't.
So I'm not sure any one workout alone is much of an indicator; I think you need to look at the full context of what you've been doing lately.
PRs:
5k - 22:53 (May 2015)
10k - 50:00 (unofficial; part of 20k race, March 2015); 50:33 (official; July 2016)
HM - 1:48:40 (Apr. 2015)
Not sure why I'm responding because I obviously have no idea.
But I have a great history of nailing training runs without yielding the desired result on race day. YMMV.
Anyway, I think your ability to do these kind of training runs is probably not as good an indicator as your current race times at other distances. Plug your 10k PR into McMillan and you get a 6:58 HM pace. That's what I would go with.
The Pfitz marathon plan has workouts at lactate threshold pace. This is somewhere between 15k & HM pace, but supposedly closer to 15k pace for guys like us (not that we're anywhere close to the same, but still). These LT segments ramp up to 7 miles, so I will be expected to run about 10 sec faster than HMP for up to 7 miles. So far I am only up to 6, and failed at it - I averaged right about HMP. You can draw your own conclusions.
Dave
Former Bad Ass
I think 10K @ HMP would be the most I would like to do for HM training. After all, I do 12 @ MP as my max during training, so that should be comparable to that?
Damaris
You could always do HM pace intervals too. I have some of those coming up here shortly: 5 x 10 minutes, and 3 x 20 minutes. (Well, 20k pace since my goal race is 20k not HM...but they're damn near the same thing).
Yes, 3x20 minutes sounds like a great workout for you Baboon.
He'd deserve a gold star for that shit. lol
delicate flower
Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated.
I've done 2 x 15 recently. All of my intervals lately, be it 5 minutes or 15, have been faster than HM PR pace. The slowest I've done them is 6:50 pace.
DaveP, McMillan is giving me about a two minute PR. I've got a HM this Saturday but it's too hilly for a PR. I'm looking ahead to my March 19 HM.
<3
Damn that was a tough race. 90 foot climb in the first half mile, and then another 150 feet from 1.25 to 1.75. Finish was down hill, but I couldn't get much back of what I lost. But the nice thing is I won overall masters. No one older than 40 was able to keep up with my phat old self. Finished in 23:05 - 15th overall out of 262.
Nice job, bluesky!! That's a tough way to start a 5K. Sounds like a tough course.
Damn that was a tough race. 90 foot climb in the first half mile, and then another 150 feet from 1.25 to 1.75. Finish was down hill, but I couldn't get much back of what I lost.
They should run that in reverse!
Congrats on the bling. Anything decent?
Here's my question.
Due to work stuff next week, there's no way I can get in what is scheduled in the plan forTues & Wed. Is it better to try to juggle around the days during the week, or completely flip the whole week with the following week?
They should run that in reverse! Congrats on the bling. Anything decent?
Bling - handmade local pottery - candle holder that I'll use as a candy dish in my office. And a $20 gift certificate at my favorite LRS.
Are we there, yet?
A big, fat, zero. Except when training for the mile, I rarely ever run at race pace outside a race unless it just coincidentally happens to be the pace that feels comfortable that day.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Congrats BlueSky!
I think Baboon should try the 5x10 AND the 3x20. Then the race itself would be a piece of cake. Seriously though, I have no idea. 8 at HMP seems like a lot to me, I think I would top it at 7.
Dave... That's what I like about making my own plan. I make it around my reality. Will it be effective? That, I don't know. And what should you do? I don't know either.