#RunEveryDay
After 2 halfs in April, I don't run again until a 5k fun run with my 10 year old daughter in early June. I'm looking forward to a bit of a slower month. I've got 6 weeks or so until I start another cycle of half training. I'd like to try dropping my Sunday run to 7-8 miles, keep running every day, but maybe try to get more yoga and weights in there. That stuff I neglect when I'm in a formal training cycle.
What's everyone else doing this month?
Half Fanatic #9292.
Game Admin for RA Running Game 2023.
I have a 10k and 1 mile race at the end of May. Nothing much else planned. And then it's half marathon training!
Meg, your splits you posted in the last post of April look amazingly consistent. Do you think that last mile is more mental? Maybe for the next cycle you could adjust some of the training runs to help??
I have an 8k on the 6th, then a 10k plus 5k on the 29th. I'll not have another HM until September.
I'm sure a good chunk of it is mental. I tried to run that race just one mile at a time and I'm really proud of how well I paced myself. It really was the last mile and a half when I struggled. I suspect some of it could have been hydration issues. It got really warm quickly and in miles 8-10, I found it really warm. The water stations were not in quite the right places for me; I've learned over time that I'm more comfortable running without carrying and I didn't drink much during this race. I had some muscles tightening up in that last mile and a half or so. In spite of that last piece, I'm feeling a lot more confident about the distance.
For my next training cycle, I was planning to go back to the training plan I used in 2014 (the last time I had a PR). Incidentally, this race yesterday was my fastest race since those fall 2014 races. I don't know why I tweaked the training plans from then, but I did. Always trying to find a better result, I guess. Time to go back and try that one again: more hills, more commitment to a mid-distance (6-7.5 miler) mid week run. I typically don't run LSD longer than 2 hours because I'm slow and because of something Nobby posted on the big board years ago. (My training plan for QCM 2017 is on my log now.)
HL, do you have a suggestion for my next training cycle? I'm certainly open to ideas. I've got one half in the fall, possibly two if I do Flatlanders (my current PR for the half.)
Hey Meg, I really don't have a specific plan per se', but I always liked the structure and speed work of the Ryan Hall 10 week plan. I've used it several times with good results, and even when I flop on the plan, I still pull from the quality workouts. One thing that I think will really help more than anything, adjust to you and you lifestyle of course, but try to run some HM paced training runs a bit faster than normal, and do them on tired legs. Like maybe do one of the good quality workouts the day after a longish run. When you get tired in the later miles, it does indeed become mental and the effort goes way up. You have to train your brain to expect the pain, and be able to increase the effort to maintain that goal race pace.
I am no expert, but when I read those type of tips, they have stuck with me.
Late in training I have a flip weekend -- long Saturday, easy Sunday -- which I find really is a helpful Sunday run on tired legs, but I can certainly try adding another. I used Higdon plans at the start. I've never looked at Ryan Hall's. But I do have time.
I've used the Higdon Marathon plans and added some of the Ryan Hall workouts. If you follow the RH plan 100%, it will beat you down! Look at it, and see which parts of it you can make work for you. I would tinker the Sat/Sun runs too, to see if maybe you can tweak it a little. Maybe do some speed work, tempo or intervals on Sat, then long on Sunday.
One other thing, you said PR in 2014, right? We're not getting any younger ya know?? I honestly don't think I have a HM PR in me anymore!
I've used the Higdon Marathon plans and added some of the Ryan Hall workouts. If you follow the RH plan 100%, it will beat you down! Look at it, and see which parts of it you can make work for you. I would tinker the Sat/Sun runs too, to see if maybe you can tweak it a little. Maybe do some speed work, tempo or intervals on Sat, then long on Sunday. One other thing, you said PR in 2014, right? We're not getting any younger ya know?? I honestly don't think I have a HM PR in me anymore!
My fastest 4 halfs were
Flatlanders (Oct 2014) - 2:22:34
STWM (Oct 2014) - 2:23:57 (two weeks after Flatlanders)
QCM (Sept 2013) - 2:25:01
RPS (two days ago) - 2:25:22
I was starting to wonder about PRs too, but RPS has me thinking maybe I can PR this year or at least come very close. Sub2:25 is in reach for sure. My pacing is getting more even and my mental game is stronger now than it was. I'm not ready to be old. My 40s so far have been better than my 30s.
Just entered the Torbay half for the end of June. So, in 6 weeks I have - a one mile run, a 10k (10k is day after 1 mile) and a half marathon 4 weeks later.
TR, sounds like a good mix of distances. I like 10k because it doesn't take such a toll or a lot of recovery. Have you run that half before?
Not that half, no. I was going to run it in 2012; but was injured sadly.