What time for my 1st half marathon

[Deleted User]

I have been training for a year now and have completed 6 10k races.My times have been coming down with each race starting at 56mins and now 46mins.I am doing the Liverpool half marathon in october what sort of time can i expect to do it in.
I have been doing 4 & 5 mile speedwork runs in the week and then a long run each sunday 11.5miles is the longest that i have ran.I seem to be finding lots of 10k race to do on sundays should i enter these or concentate on doing a long run instead.I am unable to do a lond run mid week due to work & family commitments.I enjoy racing and want to do as many races as i can but dont want to hamper my training for my half marathon any advice would be great

[Deleted User]

I'd get a couple of 15 mile runs in for stamina. Visit www.mcmillanrunning.com for a race prediction calculator. Knock in your best 10k time at it tells you what you would get for all race distances with enough training.

Good luck.

Unknown

Hi Stevi.
Try looking at www.mcmillanrunning.com
You go to calculator and then you type your time for any set distance. It predicts your time for other distances and your pace.
It's a useful tool and pretty accurate.
JJ

Unknown

Two for the price of one.
JJ

[Deleted User]

Cheers lads

Blisters

I've got a chart from www.spectrumstriders.org.uk which takes age into account. It suggests 1:42 -1:43, but obviously you have to do the distance training for the times to work out for a person with equivalent fitness.

There's a few similar charts around, and they work best for coming down from a greater distance to a shorter one. Mind you one still has to refocus the training then for speed, not endurance.

[Deleted User]

Blisters - whereabouts is that chart on the Spectrum Striders website? I was going to have a look at it, but can't find it....

Bod

These race predictors a a little unreliable, I have 1/2M predictions based on every race from 1m to 26.2m and get a feedback between 1'30" and 2'15" (based on crap FLM03) the average being 1'48" and actual PB 1'52" off a 10k pb of just under 46'.

On that basis I would aim conservatively at running 1'50" pace and see how it goes. 13m is clearly double your 10k distance and if you blow up from going out too hard you can loose 2 mins per mile. I'm sure you have many more opportunities to run a great 1/2m time so don't kill yourself first time out and lose heart

Bod

[Deleted User]

Wise words there Bod.

There's not much worse than blowing up cos you've gone off too fast. It's a nice feeling to know that you could have gone faster, and it kinda makes you more fired up and enthusiastic to try another one.

[Deleted User]

8-minute miles are pretty easy to judge and you'd hit approx 1:45. If you've got plenty in the tank at about mile 6-7 then go 4 it. There will always be another 1/2M.

Blisters

Come on geezers, lets be serious now. Train to 12 miles on 3 or more runs and multiply up to 13.1 your best time. On most races you will be a couple of minutes faster than that unless your surname is Gabresiellaise.
That's the best predictor.

[Deleted User]

I'm using Blisters technique for the GNR. I used one of my three long runs as a time trial. Picking a non-hilly but undulating course. I did 2:08 for a 12-12.5 mile course, and will aim for sub 2:15.

I've checked the race predictors based on some race times and get 2:17.