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Spring Half Marathon Training
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cheers Tin Pot. Decided to switch todays run for a spinning class instead, with tomorrow as a rest day, see how i am come saturday.
Morning all.
JR - that holiday sounds a lot better than mine! Nice to have something to look forward to. Well done for the training run
Peter - probably the adaptations to the schedule and the terrain you are running on. I'd continue but perhaps at a reduced mileage and pace for the rest of the week. If you feel ok doing an LSR though keep at it - I'm usually carrying a niggle at this stage of a half or full marathon plan - but it's never painful as such - just slighlty off putting.Good luck with your training.
5 miles yesterday up a cycle path at the foot of the brecons - 2.5 miles uphill in 19 minutes, 2.5 miles downhill but into a howling gale in 17 minutes.
Plan is 8 today - not doing the split session afterall as there's a deluge of rain expected at 6pm when training is - will run the one longer session at lunchtime. Feelinh quite motivated and rearing to go for once!
Have a good day all. Anyone racing / parkrunning this weekend?
Good morning all,
Thanks for the support on the interval session. The sick thing is, I know elites run at and beyond my interval pace, which is ridiculous!
JR- Well done at getting out in 50MPH wind, and remembering to stretch before you got in the car.
Benign- Was Mr BM a pedestrian venting frustration at runners? I can see how it’s an issue. How did your temp run go?
LTS- I want a week in spain, no holidays abroad for me until August, feels like a long time away. I shall have to content myself with doing at least 1 race a month, strangely find myself looking forward to them. Well done on your run near the brecons, I will be down that way at the end of Apr, my son is doing a charity mountain climb up Pen y fan. Bless him, he is only 8!
Peter- I know what you mean about the knee feeling, I get them in my ankles too. I think its just where my muscles and joints are getting use to the pounding for such a long time. I don’t get the same feeling when I run off roads for the same distances. I also do the same as you, if I find that going up/down stairs is causing me a bit of discomfort I err on the side of caution and take an extra day off.
I ran a very wet but steady 11.5km last night, with a 1km segment @ target 10k race pace (4min/km) felt easy, and like I could have gone quicker or for longer so think I am on target. Been suffering last couple of days with a sore lower back even when sitting down. Discovered yesterday its from not properly stretching my hamstrings. I spent 20 minutes stretching and all good now. J
Really started to get hard at 1hr47m, but pace wasn't terribly effected.
I'm increasingly concerned about beating 1:50. But frankly I don't want to be out there another 20mins!!
Evening,
Pete - sensible plan, might also be worth giving the parkrun a rest and doing some easy miles instead?
LTS - nice run in the 'hills', today 8 a bit better, weather wise?
WJ - seen the elites at first hand a few years ago at bath when they ghosted by. Absolutely no effort at 5mm! Good running in the wet... doesn't look like it's getting any better!?
TP - nice one on the LR! Good sensible pacing!
4.2,recovery miles for me at 8:53 - very comfy, felt raring to go at the end...
Another shocker of a week at work. Still, only 1 week left on the project before things get a bit more back to normal hopefully. Bashed out 6.2m last night in an even 55 mins for an average of 8:51mm pace (the first and last half miles were slightly slower to warm up and slow down.) Working out how I'm going to fit my first HM distance in at the weekend, but I'll work it out somehow!
Catching up on the thread after a day or two away, it looks like people are getting out on the road despite the miserable weather. Hope everyone has a good weekend and gets the long miles in. Good running!
Peter M - hope that your issues are resolving. You don't want to take any risks at this stage (although I am
)
Whiskey & JR - yeah, those elites eh. Its mind boggling
I love the bit in the Bath Half where they suddenly fly past. There's a real excitable tension as you hear them coming. I guess that's one benefit of a two lap race.
Gaz - hope you find the time for the LR. So unreasonable that work has to come before running. Nice bit of tempo though.
Tin Pot - have you tried the negative split thing with your long run, so that you hold back more for the first half the run then make yourself run faster for the second half? You're running on tired tired legs at the end so its great race training.
I did a steady HM distance LR today in 2hrs 10. My heart rate is now a good bit higher then is was 5 weeks ago when I ran longer distances at the same speed so I've obviously lost some fitness. My knee is now sore but not disastrous - I'm beginning to have more faith in it recovering quickly so long as as I keep up the stretching and strengthening between runs. I'd just like to PB at Bath so that this spring doesn't feel like a washout. So sub 1.59 will make me happy.
Don't forget its colder than Dec was, your heart rate should be higher naturally. I might get some running tights (the horror) to help these next four weeks. My legs were like ice blocks after that LSD.
Benignmurmurring - Thanks. I'm staying away during the week, so I need to take the kids so my wife can feel like an adult human being for at least an hour or two.
WhiskyJim - Well done on getting out in the crap weather. It'll pay off!
Gaz
Hi guys/gals (i've no idea :P),...
hi people,.. peeps,. thanks for the advice and support, pretty much what i thought, and it helped me to decide to take an easy week overall. changed thursday run to a spinning class seemed to help, knees haven't gotten worse or painful, they've pretty much gone back to me not being reminded i have knees again :P. So tomorrow i will do parkrun,.. but,.. as part of my long run, which will be a reduced 15km one. I'll decided in the morning wether to do the parkrun 5km at HMP or keep it at easy. Then if i'm alright sunday, i'll try a 8-10km easy run around perhaps.
LTS : "motivated and rearing to go" huzzah
. but save some of that for race day :P. 
WJ: poor lower back from not stretching hamstring? wow, this human body thing gets weirder all the time :P. I'll keep that one in mind!
JR: another one raring to go
. looks like everyones good and gearing up for the HM's,.. must dig up that old list of dates of when people are doing their runs, and get people to add to it again, couple more weeks till the first few people hit theirs i think?
benign: looks like our target time is about the same (sub 2h for me). did you run that LR distance at your slower pace i assume? still time yet mate, as the knees still healing, that'll help things along.
hope everyones weekend runs go well!
HM distance for me in the unexpected morning sunshine. Felt fine, knees a bit sore now but i feel that I have carte blanche to enjoy my night out tonight. Took 2h 11min, so I should be able to go under 2.10 on the day.
Those of you with experience, can you tell me whether the boost of race day adrenalin is countered by other runners getting in your way and upsetting your rhythm?
Mungus - Bath is crowded for the first mile and a half - basically until you get round Queen's Square. This is a good thing - you want to go out 20-15 seconds slower on your first couple of miles to avoid the disproportionate amount of glycogen loss that can be used up on these miles if you go out fast when you haven't yet warmed up. Don't waste energy dodging around others, just go with the flow. As you come down hill on Charlotte Street then you can open the throttle a bit and get into your true race pace.
Last year (my first year) I found that my pace was on average 15-20 seconds per mile faster then I had almost ever run in training. I sustained it for 10 miles then slowed a bit at the end. Racing just is harder and faster - its 10/10 effort.
Your knocking on the door of 2 hrs.
Mungus - also, if you've got an orange bib, I'd advise you to start getting into place early and get to near the front of orange. That's where you should be.
After an early start to let the other half have a lie-in and earn the brownie points to go for a run, I managed to escape for a couple of hours this afternoon to do my first HM training run. I stared off a bit fast at a bit over 8:00mm but reined it in after the first half mile to a more sensible 08:49mm pace, which felt comfortable and unhurried but let the miles slip by. I hit the turnaround at about 55 mins, but the return leg had more uphill sections and was into the wind, so felt a lot like hard work. Made it home in 01:55:29 which works out at 8:49mm and was a bit of a surprise because of the slow-feeling run home. A massive confidence boost, which I hope will let me relax into my training over the final few weeks.
Peter M - Hope you managed to get out today, despite the rubbish weather.
Mungus - Well done and good luck for your race day!
Got to go. Red Thai chicken curry and rice on the table. Starving.
I am reealllly tempted to try a half marathon and i'd quite like to try the Blackpool half in April (8 weeks away). I am currently running 10ks with ease and run 3-4 times per week (4-7 miles). Do you think I'd be able to do the hm in only 8 weeks or am I being rather ambitious???? Any advice appreciated
Evening all,
Great long runs from Gaz & Mungus. I agree, sub 2:00 is a definite possibility especially with a taper and race number! A tip for Bath, leave a bit in reserve for the last mile.
Pete - how was the parkrun?
Progression run for me last night, 8.33 miles at 7:33 mm. Splits were 8:06, 7:54, 7:43, 7:34, 7:20, 7:04, 6:49, then 6:36 for 1/2 mile and the rest WD. I enjoy this type of run, quite tough but doesn't put too much stress on the legs. Rest today and then 16 ish miles tomorrow, probably in the rain!
JR - Thanks! Really pleased with the time, but think I'm going to back off further on the pace in training as I don't want to injure myself and I still feel like I'm trying a bit too hard. 21k today on top of 10k the day before yesterday feels a bit too much for my current level of leg strength and resilience; although from a cardiovascular point of view I felt like I could have kept on going at that pace for longer.
StevieHD - You could probably get round an HM now if you took it gently. With 8 solid weeks' training on top of the base you already have, I reckon you could do it at a sensible pace with no issues at all. I was doing less than that 8 weeks ago and probably have less running experience than you (less than a year in my case, excluding the xc I did as a kid) and I've just started to train at that distance. The best piece of advice I feel that I could give it to take it gently during training. Good luck.
well todays LSD went well. did the shorter distance of 15km (with parkrun in the middle).
I left the house a minute late, which had me picking my pace up a bit more on my run there, but got there bang on time,.. unfortunately the "briefing" took 3 minutes passed, so i had 3 mins rest (few dynamic stretches to keep my legs going), then off for the parkrun, at roughly HMP. I followed around my boss from work, as i reckoned she'd do it in roughly the time i wanted to. Stalked her the entire route around... but couldn't resist the sprint finish at the end to take her :P... thats right, i ain't no gentleman :P,.. however i may need to check my pay-packet next week :P, unless my P45 is already on the front desk
. Took it as easy as possible on the way back, which is straight forward as a lot of it is uphill. so,.. 15.25km, in 1h29m35sec, Parkrun 5km in 27.41 (averaging 8m54s min miles, so a touch quicker then HMP) average pace of the rest of the run, excluding parkrun, 9min,43secs, so still a little to quick for an easy pace (sigh,. i am trying, honest! 
).
More importantly however,.. knees feel alright. Will try a 8-10km progressive run tomorrow, rolling on from JR's lead
though the route i'd normally do has a large hill in it just passed half way, which will work as a good challenge. If i suspect any issues though, i'll ease it all back off again.
Stevie: it's all about you LSD training now, depends if you've already trained over 10km distance already. if not, maybe the next 6 weeks do, 12km, 14km, 16km, 14km, 16km, 18km, then I'm not sure when exactly it is, but ensure the last LR is easier and shorter. And i learnt through this thread, and training for this first one, the S really does me slow in Long Slow Distance :P,. minute slower per mile, then your estimate race pace (so i aim for 9min miles for a sub2hr, so have to do my LSD at 10min/mile,. which is a struggle but really worth it, as it saves me burning myself out). if tempted, and you're feeling fit, do like me :P, and stick in some time in the middle, 5km isn, at your HMP, thats why i sometimes time mine with Parkrun. other times i just do the whole thing slower. i hear blackpool hm/mara is quite good, as you finish in the stadium, and run along the front, and get to loop back, and over the other runners
. Welcome to the thread, and i hope you keep us all informed 
.
Mugus: you did a full HM at race pace for training? oooo you rebel
. i'm tempted, but am trying to save myself for the big day 
. well done though, must be nice to have a good benchmark set.
Sound like good runs Gaz and JR. hope to have an update on my first progressive attempt tomorrow, so long as i can keep those first couple of KM slow enough. i assume you start slower then easy pace, then speed up through it to HMP.. and beyond?,..?
well that progressive run was,.. different,.. a failure,.. but good and something i'll have to try again in future
1 km 6:06
2 km 6:09
3 km 6:06
4 km 6:08
5 km 5:51
6 km 5:54
7 km 5:31
8 km 5:16
9 km 5:57
3-4km was fairly uphill, 7-8km was mostly downhill. 9th km had a short sharp uphill in it,.. those are my excuses anyway. once again i started to quick, (should have been 6:15min/km) and with HMP around 5:33-5:40, i mostly jumped around it then build up to it.
I like the idea of this type of training though. might well try it for other easy runs, and just up the pace for the last 25% or something.
I also think i figured out why my knees are having troubles. I have 2 types of trainers, the first older pair is mostly for when i know i'll get the mucked up (like parkrun, or wet weather), but the newer pair i got for dryer weather and the gym. the second pair i used last week on my long run (18km), and today, and i don't think they have as much cushioning in as my older (isn) pair. couple of those special insoles should fix that. i hope
.
Hello again
HM 11 weeks from today. This week I managed to get five runs in, including a longun today of 20km, for a weekly total of 50km. I've also been trying to do one pace or interval session midweek, but I find it hard to gauge, given the hilliness of my routes- that is to say, I hope I can go faster than I am going on a flatter route. I'm doing the Madrid Rock n Roll half, so there is some hilliness involved, but not as much as where I live.
The psychological thing is also interesting. I tend to hit a rut of despair around 25-30% into a run, then have a surge of euphoria that lasts from about 40 to about 60% in, then a downturn, usually followed by a strong I-can-do-this-you-fucker finish (helped by the fact I haven't given up on a run for a while now). It doesn't seem to matter what the distance is, the process seems to be quite stable. Anyone experience anything similar?
Also, I need new trainers. I'm really dithering. I mostly run on dirt paths and stony tracks, which are sometimes quite steep- so trail runners, obviously. But then I'm planning to do a tarmac HM 11 weeks from today, so long-distance road shoes, obviously? Help?
Hi,
Gaz - not surprised your legs are a bit heavy, take it easy for a day or two.
Pete - Take it easy... You effectively done two hard sessions back to back which is not advisable. The LR should be followed with a rest day or a few slow recovery miles. Especially as youre building mileage. You're nearly there with the LR pace but it should be 60-90 secs slower than MP rather than HMP.
Dan - a good week of running there. the simple answer to your trainer question is buy two pairs
But I believe you can buy off road trainers that can be used on the road too but I'm not sure how comfy they'll be by the end of your race. How about popping into your local running shop for some advice?
For me, 15.18 miles @ 8:22 in some terrible conditions. Tried hard to keep the pacing sensible and with a MP of 7:15 it's just about okay.
Recovery run tomorrow, club Tues, easy run weds & thurs with a few strides and then 10m race on Sunday.
JR & BM - thanks for the words of advice and reassurance re: Bath. I'm really looking forward to it.
Dan Drisc - I have a similar mental experience to you, I think. The first mile or so getting warmed up is a slog, goes OK for a bit, the bit from mile 3-4 is horrible but then with 5 miles done I often hit a plateau where I feel strong and like I can run forever. This can last 3-4 miles and then it's another slog before the last mile is often my fastest because I realise I can do it and it's not going to hurt. Those middle miles make it all worthwhile.
Lots of good training going on out there this weekend!
Yup. First five - ten minutes I'm often thinking "I can never keep this going", 25-30 mins it's "what was I complaining about, I can go all day", then I'm good for another hour, but if I'm still going at 1hr45m fatigue hits the psychology again. The last the minutes I'm usually feeling ready to throw everything at it again.
Which is why I'm hoping I don't take longer than 1hr50m!
JR:,.. ahhh, 60-90 secs from mara pace,.. oh crud, that really is going to be hard to get down to,.. hmm i'll keep it in mind over the next 5 weeks until the HM, try to ease it off some more. Then once i've got a proper time from doing the race, i'll have a better idea what my time and goals and pace times should be, and work towards the next HM from there. ah well, i do have a rest day tomorrow
.
Evening
Peter - seems a sensible approach but try to slow it down as much as possible. You do have a 5k parkrun time to put into Mcmillian though - see what pace that gives you? Good rest today!?
Just over 4 miles @ 9:10mm, nice recovery run with a series of stretches afterwards.
Club tomorrow night.
Any other LR's over the weekend?
my most recent best parkrun was 25:40 (my PB is 25:19), which gives me about right for sub2h mark at 9:04 min/mile HMP, tot time 1h58m50s (9.33min/mill Mara pace). I'm still working on trying to do easy/LSD runs at 10min miles, the idea of doing them at 10 and a half - 11 min miles feels wrong to me. ahh well,
rest today was good
legs have felt fine from the weekend. This weeks 4 sessions will involve a proper parkrun attempt on sat, and another 18km LSD on sunday (all easy paced probably), with runs on tuesday and thursday in the week. going to be raining tomorrow morning for it apparently 
probably just go out for an hours easy (9-10km), maybe a touch of HMP in the middle. Thursday run, dunno, not hill trained for a while, and sat will be speed, so maybe should do hills.
What do club nights entail? i don't belong to one, as my schedule is all over the place and couldn't guarantee certain nights off.
Pete club nights have tempos/intervals/hills/steady runs and with people of the same quality to push you on.
JR what is your club session tomorrow.
15.8mls lsr on sat avg 9.36 a wee bit slower than I would want but weather very poor and trying to keep these runs to the higher end of my training times. Tonight 6.5mls avg 8.13, quality session on wed possibly 2 mls easy 8mls steady.
Peter - it may feel wrong but it will give you the right balance of training and leave your legs fresher for the quicker sessions. If it were me I would either do the hills or the HM pace but not both as they're quality sessions. As you're still building mileage keep it mostly easy. Trying not to nag
keep the quality sessions to a max 20%
Club sessions - I've only been to one successfully, Tues are club runs which I believe have an element of structure which varies each week. Thurs are track session which I'm missing until after my races as the last one ended with a hamstring tweak. Might do intervals on my own next week but don't want to risk anything yet.
Well done on the training everyone!
I did a Parkrun on Saturday in 24:03, a 13 second pb for me. It was very wet, muddy and windy so hope that when the weather is better I will go sub 24.
Did a long run of 15 miles on Sunday. That's the fourth 15 miler in a row now on Sundays, at 9.37 min/mile. This is comfortable for me even though I think it probably should be slower? I run in a large group and this is conversational pace for me so I always think it's ok. This week's lsr wasn't very enjoyable though, it was extremely windy.
Still doing my extra mid week run. Last week ended with 5 runs as I did the Parkrun and total mileage for the week was just under 40 miles. I'm doing around 35 to 40 per week now since just before Christmas and am feeling good on it.
Off training with the club tonight. Not sure what we are doing tonight but hoping the rain holds off until after the session!
Two full days off after my LSR at the weekend and a gentle 5k this morning. I was supposed to do 10k but my right ankle feels a little bit "twangy" so I cut down the distance and took it very gently. I've got 8k planned in on Thursday, but if I'm still concerned about my Achilles, I'll cut that one down to 5k also to preserve my LSR at the weekend.
I like the discussion of what runs feel like as you progress. I have the "hard start", followed by the "bring it on" after a couple of miles, followed by the "oh ghod, have I only done 0.1m since I last looked at my GPS watch" moments. With the really long runs, as I get to the last mile or so like you Mungus I also get the "I'm going to make it" realisation.
Peter M - I also found it really hard to slow down my runs. if you listen to music, try something with a lower tempo. Other than that, just listen to your body.
Kevin - Nice LSR. I've never got that far (yet) but am told that going over the distance really boosts confidence and gives you the stamina to keep going.
Iluvstraffies - Well done on the PB!