RunningAHEAD - Topic: half marathon trainers

mattw1970

Injured

posted: 2/5/2008 at 11:14 AM

Im a newbie to this group but not to runing halfs 8 miles on the dreadmill last night at the gym! I hate the treadmill but its a neccesary evil this time of year! Just dont like running in the dark at night. not safe on the roads training for my 3rd half and 1st this year. April 27 Lehigh Valley Half Marathon -- hoping for something sub 1:35 not sure how much under but we shall see! good luck all 1/2 trainers!

INJURED

MrFinn

Prince of Fatness

posted: 2/5/2008 at 12:36 PM
modified: 2/5/2008 at 12:40 PM

Quote from mattw1970 on 2/5/2008 at 11:11 AM:

Congrats on your race performance and new PR! I ran that race last year on the ice ( talk about a disaster of a race. Its amazing no one got hurt -- that I know of) You should definitely nail sub 1:40 in April. are you running the Lehigh Valley 1/2 ? If so, im doing that one as well. My best half time is around 1:34:30 on a much flatter course. im told the LV half is pretty hilly so we shall see.

Thanks. This was the second time I ran this race but did not do it last year. I heard about the ice. This year the running conditions were ideal, low to mid 30s, sunny, no wind. Considering the rain we got several days prior, the trail portions were not that muddy. All in all a good day. This will be my 5th straight year running the LVHM. I hear people complain about the hills, but honestly, if you run any kind of hills during your training you won't have a problem. The hills that there are are very short. The last couple of miles do trend uphill, but again it's not bad. You can find an elevation profile on the race's website. I don't see why you couldn't PR there, assuming you've trained for it. Hope that helps. Edited to add: I see from your sig that you are running Steamtown this year. I ran my first and only marathon there last year. Those folks put on a good race ... you should enjoy it.

Not at it at all.

mattw1970

Injured

posted: 2/5/2008 at 1:25 PM
modified: 2/5/2008 at 1:52 PM

than ks for the info on the LV course! I don't know why im so anal about hills in races! i usually do fine and I do train with some hills! I guess I just love going reasonably fast and I often burn myself out a little in the longer races when there are hills involved in the middle or end. I know it all comes down to proper pacing and i'll figure it out one of these days. Sounds like you had perfect race conditions for Superbowl 10K. I wish I would have run it now. oh well. Yeah Steamtown will be my first marathon. My ultimate goal would be to BQ on my first shot ( would need a 3:15) but I know that im not a high mileage runner so my more realistic goal is something under 3:25. I'd be beyond thrilled if I could pull off a 3:20 or so. I know it all comes down to pacing as I mentioned above , its not my strong suit. I really need to focus on not going out too fast or it will be a disaster.

INJURED

MrFinn

Prince of Fatness

posted: 2/5/2008 at 1:54 PM

No problem. You do want to be careful in the LVHM, as the first mile is downhill and fast. It's easy to get carried away. As for the 10K, I rolled the dice and won. There is no race day registration. I registered online in December and crossed my fingers!

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wbertha

posted: 2/5/2008 at 8:30 PM

did two short quick miles on the treadmill at the gym. that was after a grueling session with a trainer. Hope this hard work starts to pay off. don't know if I will get to run tomorrow as we are in the midst of a winter storm and the gym already announced that they will be closed tomorrow. guess I will just have to wait and see. wbertha

MrFinn

Prince of Fatness

posted: 2/6/2008 at 7:57 AM

5.5 easy yesterday. Still a bit stiff from the 10K. Off until Thursday.

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mattw1970

Injured

posted: 2/6/2008 at 9:08 AM

yesterday was a cross training day for me. SPIN class which was extra brutal for some reason. It was extremely hot in the classrtoom so maybe that was part of it. That and all the SPRINTS we did. Ugh.. But I know it will help make me a stronger runner Big grin

7 or so easy miles on the Dreadmill tonight.

INJURED

MrFinn

Prince of Fatness

posted: 2/6/2008 at 12:09 PM

Quote from mattw1970 on 2/5/2008 at 1:25 PM:

Yeah Steamtown will be my first marathon. My ultimate goal would be to BQ on my first shot ( would need a 3:15) but I know that im not a high mileage runner so my more realistic goal is something under 3:25. I'd be beyond thrilled if I could pull off a 3:20 or so. I know it all comes down to pacing as I mentioned above , its not my strong suit. I really need to focus on not going out too fast or it will be a disaster.

I'd be careful there, too. Most of the elevation drop is in the first 5 miles and there are some uphills the last 3 miles.

Not at it at all.

mattw1970

Injured

posted: 2/6/2008 at 12:35 PM

Yeah thats what ive heard about Steamtown! hold back early and it can be a very fast course but start out too fast and its a crash and burn in the making! Ive seen some of the course on a video on the internet and the downhills look really steep early on. talk about trashing the quads if I run it too fast early... ouch!

INJURED

Ringmaster

posted: 2/6/2008 at 1:03 PM

MrPh, fantastic time on your 10k, congrats! Matt, I tend to go out too fast. I'm going to depend on my Garmin to help me pace myself on the first 3 miles of my half. It's the first race I'm running with it and I think it'll help keep me focused on the pace I need to keep for me, instead of all the people around me. I always get faster as I get miles under me, anyway. Wbertha, thanks for starting the thread. Winter storm all over now? Another six on the 'mill for me today. Traveling Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Did I hear said that not too much taper is necessary before the half? My race is Sunday the 17th. I can't get any more true long runs in but I might get to run another 8 to 10 this weekend. Would that be good? For next week I was planning Sunday--off Monday--6 easy Tuesday--off Wednesday--6 easy Thursday--4 fast Friday--off Saturday--off Sunday--race Help the first-timer, please . . .

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb. 12:1b)
Mile by Mile

mattw1970

Injured

posted: 2/6/2008 at 2:08 PM

VIXIDU - Yeah I run and race with my Garmin most of the time. I dont pace off my garmin in races really as much as I should. It would probably help me reign in my fast starts better if I did. Good luck in your upcoming half. How many days a week do you typically run ? I'd say your schedule for next week looks decent. you cant really improve your race performance much in under two weeks but you sure can wreck things by running too much or too hard the week of. thats my 2 cents anyway. Ive only run two and I know I could have ran them better.

INJURED

MrFinn

Prince of Fatness

posted: 2/6/2008 at 7:36 PM

Quote from Ringmaster on 2/6/2008 at 1:03 PM:

Did I hear said that not too much taper is necessary before the half? My race is Sunday the 17th. I can't get any more true long runs in but I might get to run another 8 to 10 this weekend. Would that be good? For next week I was planning Sunday--off Monday--6 easy Tuesday--off Wednesday--6 easy Thursday--4 fast Friday--off Saturday--off Sunday--race

I think the taper depends on the race and also your weekly mileage. If you think in terms of a percentage folks running a higher weekly mileage will cut back more miles that those running lower weekly mileage. I think you're fine going out for 8 or 10 this weekend, and your schedule looks OK except the 4 fast. I don't think you want to do that too close to race day. Maybe pick it up for quarter or half mile just to keep fresh, but don't over do it. One other thing you may want to do is go out either Friday or Saturday. I think if you survey the crowd most people don't take two days off before the race. Just if you do it make it an easy run. Good luck

Not at it at all.

Ringmaster

posted: 2/7/2008 at 7:18 PM

Thanks for the advice. I'll modify my plan. Ran a great 6 today with a slightly faster friend at a 9:20 pace. Felt great, especially since I got to run outside instead of on the treadmill. She asked if maybe the knee issue is related to my needing new shoes? Could be. They look brand new on the outside since I've only had them since November, but they are showing some wear on the heels. When I get back from my weekend trip I'll go into our Fleet Feet store and have them take a look. I'm not sure how many miles are on them--I guess close to 350. I hope everyone has a great weekend of long, steady running--especially with good sunny weather! (except you, fellow south Floridian!)

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb. 12:1b)
Mile by Mile

MrFinn

Prince of Fatness

posted: 2/7/2008 at 7:26 PM

Be careful changing shoes so close to your race. You don't want any unpleasant surprises on race day. 7 easy this evening.

Not at it at all.

Ringmaster

posted: 2/7/2008 at 8:03 PM

Thanks, Mr. Ph. I definitely plan to wait after race day to try anything new. It's tempting, to be sure, but like you said, not worth throwing all my training down the tubes . . .

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb. 12:1b)
Mile by Mile

Half Marathon Trainers

half marathon trainers - February '08 (Read 625 times)