Spring Half Marathon Training

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  • Nice wee 13k run this afternoon for me. It's a route I've struggled on before for some unknown reason despite it being overall downhill but today everything just felt good!

    1hour 20mins so not quick but I think I needed the mental boost of just making it round without feeling like I need to stop. 

    Aiming for a nice relaxed 15k on Sunday for the long run and then hopefully adding on another 1.5km each Sunday after that up until the Half in March (and continuing onto the full marathon after that!). 

     

     

  • Good effort Pineapple. Great when something you've been finding tough suddenly comes together.



    Kevin - good long reps. Nice that the last one was virtually the same as the first.



    Whisky - take care with ankles. Bit of cross-training on your non - key run days to give the running muscles a bit of a rest?



    Gaz - sounds like you're getting there with the slowing the pace down. Running very slow (and fast) is something I find difficult too.



    3 x 1600 intervals off 400m RI with 3k WU and 3k CD. 6:30 was the target pace and I got nowhere near it: 6:39, 6:40, 6:46. I find intervals really hard, especially on this training plan and I really have to force myself to do them whereas the tempos and long runs are usually done at target paces without too much problem. Curious.
  • Pineapple - sounds good. I'm sure its good for motivation to just enjoy a run without always thinking about speed.

    Neil - those long reps sound tough. Are you on a track? My training plan just uses 100m strides not intervals at this stage, because its focused on the marathon distance. It supposedly takes too long to recover from intervals to be able to do all the long runs well.  I'm sure that intervals are what's need for speed at HM though.

    11.2 miles for me last night. Ran to the club, did the run, ran home again. Sort of  fartlek with a killer hill. Due to do a recovery 4m tonight, then try 18m again on Sunday.

  • Ah, you guys who are all so quick, how I envy you!  I manage a 5k @ 9 min miles yesterday and felt proud.  I don't mind being slow per se, it's just that the long runs take a big chunk of time!

    Long run of 11 miles scheduled for tomorrow, should be a perfect wintery day for it.

  • Afternoon,



    Benign, I'm on a kind of track in a gated park. It's just about wide enough for three runners at a push and one lap equals 1200m (0.75 of a mile). It's also flat and 100m is marked by a blue stick in a ground, so a good training resource. What training plan are you following? My one focuses on three key, intensive runs a week a week so reasons that there is enough time for recovery. I guess there's lots of different ideas and methods and different things work for different folks. Sounds like a good run last night. Does what you do with the club integrate with your training plan or will you have to some tweaking like JR?



    Mungus - enjoy your long, wintery run. Hope you get a nice crisp day.



    JR - think the extra training time will almost definitely pay dividends for you.





    Off to yoga in a bit and then a slow 6k recovery run afterwards.
  • Mungus - yep, looks like great weather tomorrow, and its much drier underfoot now. And I'm working all day image Speed is always relative - you're faster then many runners but forums are probably mostly peopled by quite an involved and serious lot. I'll never be speedy - I'm just too old - but I'm happy with small improvements.

    Neil - I'm doing P&D 'up to 55miles' but I've watered it down. The three-times-a-week plans look great for faster runners and those with limited time. I'm older and slower and still relatively new to this so I think a plan that involves a lot of slow mileage and limited speed sessions is better for me.

    The club runs don't fit the plan very well because they are now too short. I sometimes run too and from them to add another 5 miles. They are good for tempo efforts though and the club is at the top of a hill so almost every run finishes with a mile long uphill dash. I rarely feel unchallenged by the end.

    Annoying niggle in left knee which isn't improved by icing, so i'm skipping tonight's little run. My foam roller can get some action instead.

    Happy weekend running everyone image

  • Hi all,

     

    Newbie here looking for some advice. I started running last may at the age of 40 as part of my bucket list  to complete a half marathon. Never ran before but played football to a high standard but always hated the endurance training. I retired at 35 from football and did no exercise of any note until my wife encouraged me to go running with her. I decided that in order for me to persist with running i needed a goal so we entered the great north run for charity. I completed the run in 2hrs 10mins but really struggled the last 2 miles. I had completed my training using RunKeeper beginner to half marathon training plan with a maximum long run of 13m.1miles 3 weeks prior to the race.

     

    I enjoyed the race so much that we have entered the Sheffield half marathon in April and i am looking at increasing my long runs up to 16miles 3 weeks prior to the run before cutting back in preparation to the race. I am currently running x3 4mile slow and x1 long run. I am currently at 6miles for long run with a plan of increasing it by 1 mile each week till i reach my goal of 16miles along with x3 5mile runs (starting when I am at 10mile long runs) 3 weeks prior to the race before cutting back on my distance.

     

    What i want to know is, do you thing this plan is excessive or about right in order for me to complete the race without the struggle I experienced in my 1st half marathon?

     

    Thank you for reading and happy new year to you all

  • Morning



    Benign - I thought about following P&D too and would like to try it one day. The FIRST just works better for me at the moment. Your club runs sound good,especially the finish. Think it's a good idea to rest the knee especially if it's not responding to ice. I sometimes use an anti-inflammatory gel called flogoprofen. You might be able to get it at the chemist, or something similar. Anyway, hope the foam roller does the trick. Have you used it much in the past? I've got a bit of a sore left hip at the moment. It doesn't bother me when I'm running but sometimes stiffens up later so was wondering if the roller might help that. Might get one at Decathlon tomorrow afternoon, amongst other things.



    Paul Cattell - Welcome to the thread and well done on doing the GNR. Having only really got into running well into my forties back in 2011, I'm not exactly the most experienced runner either so feel free to take my comments with a pinch of salt. Looking at what you are doing, I'd say that you are more or less on the right lines. However, rather than just doing slow runs, you might want to think about doing a weekly temp run, i.e one mile warm up, two miles comfortably hard, one mile cool down. Another idea might be to extend one of your midweek runs to 5 and then 6 miles. I also think you should think about establishing training paces paces based on your GNR time. If you haven't done this already, you could google the McMillan Training Calculator, enter your GNR time and it'll give you your training paces. If you've done another race since then, use this to determine your training paces. Similarly, any decent training plan will also give you your training paces. With regards to the long slow run, I did a 15 miler four weeks before a half last Spring and then the LSR went 12 miles, 8 miles before race day. I'd also done a couple 13 and 14 milers earlier in the plan. The long run didn't increase every week and sometimes cut back by a mile or two. Ok, I've basically just dumped everything that was going through my mind and hope the above makes sense. Good luck with your race.
  • Pineapple - Good effort doing a run you struggled with before. Good look with your 15km tomorrow.

    Neil- Been going to the gym twice a week, doing some weights, lighter weight high reps for my cross training. Not trying to gain mass, but dont really want to look stick thin like Mr Mo Farah, legend though he is.
    At the moment I get 3 days off a week from running, and I usually make it so I have a rest day at least one, before my long run on the weekend. This coming week, I shall have 2 After my long run.Congrats on your intervals, I am sure you will get down to your target speed in no time!

    Mungus, how did your run go?

    Paul- Welcome. Great time for your first HM, was that the first time you had ran that far? Plan looks fine to me. Gradually building the miles up will help your body adjust to it. Like Neil said, temp runs and other speed work will help increase your pace, if you are looking for new personal best.


    This morning I went and did my weekend long Run. Managed just over HM distance (13.8 miles I think) at a pace of 8.53/mile. I was, again, running trail and over hills. I basically ran at an easy pace for the
    first hour or so and picked up my pace near the end. I ran at race pace for the last 2.5km, having just used a Gel 15 minutes before I found I had bags of energy for it. Weather was very changeable!
    Started with rain, then quite heavy snow, then sleet, then snow again. Then rain, while all the time being cold and windy. Great views again, once I got out of the clouds. Be nice to run this route with a partner.
    http://runhub.runnersworld.co.uk/activity/view/1151065

  • Neil Jones - thanks for your reply. will do tempo runs as you advice. My long runs at my race pace of 9minute miles as i want to go sub 2hrs next time.

     

    WhiskyJim39 - thanks also. That was my first race distance. I did run 13.1 mile as part of my training run 3 weeks prior to the GNR and to be honest I found it easier than race day.

     

    Will take both your recommendations on board and hopefully go below 2hrs.

  • Hello all.



    I'm signed up for the Madrid half marathon on April 27. Never participated in an organised race before. It was a bet to begin with, which I 'lost' in September, so my attempt to seriously train starts there. This week I have run 44k, including a long run of 16.5. I won't have time to get out five times every week but I'm aiming for at least 16runs a month. Over the Xmas break (teacher holidays) I achieved 10k and 5k training PBs, 54:47 and 27:15 respectively.



    When I paid my fee I put 2:15 as my estimated finish time,but no I'm daring to dream of 2:00 and beyond. Really getting into this running lark now.
  • Welcome Paul and Dan image

    The sub 2hr half has such a strong pull. You tell yourself you'll be proud of 2.03 but you just know its not quite the full truth.

    Again not an expert and I'll be repeating what others have said, but my advice would be:

    Build your Long Slow Run slowly and don't run it too fast. Make sure you can run the distance without injury before picking up the speed.

    Build in a shorter mid-week tempo run. This should challenge you to maintain a faster cruising pace and should roughly equate to what you're race pace will be. Always warm up before picking up the speed.

    Do a small amount of running at faster-then-race-pace - just for quick bursts. Fartlek, intervals or hill repeats are all good. Aim to increase the rate of your leg turnover not the length of your stride (yes, even if it looks less manly). Once a week for a short session is enough for this stuff. It's really not compulsory if you hate it, but it will help develop your cruising speed and get you used to tolerating a higher heart rate when the pressure is on.

    Always best to base your training paces on your current ability rather then pluck a goal out of the air. Here is a link to a good calculator:

    http://www.runsmartproject.com/calculator/

    Stick your most recent race result in and see what it gives you back. But the results are based on your running ability at that point in time. You can improve it all with your training.

    Slight lingering pain in a knee cap for me so I didn't run my planned 18 miles. I did a cautious 12m instead but it felt really good and I managed 7m  at my revised tempo pace. Lots of icing and foam rolling a a precaution going on but so far so good. 

    Any other weekend running happening?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Dan - Welcome! 44k is a decent mileage, err... kilometreage. Keep that up for the next three months and you should be fine. Just be careful not to get injured!

    Paul C - Welcome to the thread! Well done on completing the GNR even though you struggled and kudos for entering Sheffield. That's got to be a hilly course (I lived there for 6 years in my feckless youth.)

    Benignmurmurring - Run to running club, run, then run home? Yowser! How do you find the foam roller? I've not got one myself yet, but with the increasing mileage I'm now doing, I might go down this route.

    WhiskyJim - Well done on the long run, especially the fast finish.

    JustRunning - Well done on joining the club. Good luck for next week.

    I went out for my LSR this afternoon in slightly grotty weather 10 miles in 1:28:58 for an average pace of 08:54mm. Reasonably pleased that I reined in my instincts to go faster, and maintained a fairly consistent pace. Got to the end and felt like I could have kept going a while longer, which is fortunate!

    I was lent a pulse oxymeter by a friend and took several readings during the run, which mostly worked out at 160-165bpm and 96% O2 saturation, which is right on my anaerobic threshold of 163-169bpm (also suggesting that I should slow down a littleimage The same friend also gave me the contact details of a sports physiologist and I have sent her an email about the acetone breath phenomenon. I will report back when I get an answer.

    Good running!

    Gaz

  • Whisky, that sounds like a cracking long run what with the scenery and the elements. Unfortunately I couldn't open the link to take a look at where you ran but it sounds really nice.

    Paul, +1 to everything Benign says, especially not hammering the long slow run. You can build up speed with the tempos but, like he says, warm up first. I think you should definitely get some training paces established, either using the link Benign posted, or McMillan Running calculator.

    Benign, glad the run went well and hopefully the knee hasn't flared up.

    Welcome Dan. I'm hopefully running the Madrid Marathon on the same day as your race. Our start and end points are the same. One thing, you're running in the Rock n Roll Madrid Half, not the Madrid Half, which has been around for about 25 years and takes place three weeks earlier (sorry if this sounds pedantic!). Not sure how much you know about the course but the first 5km is on a gradual incline getting steeper towards the end. There are also two fairly stiff climbs in the last three kilometres. Well done on your training pbs. With a well-strucutred good three and half months training you could well break 2 hours.

    Gaz, well done on the run today and the consistent pace. A very good sign that you could've gone on and done more. Sounds like it's coming together nicely for you. I'll wait for your update on the acetone issue with bated breath (sorry, I'll get my coat, that's appalling!).

    21km (13miles) for me today at a target pace of 5:05 per km and did it in 1:46.34, so pretty much spot on. Flat route, coldish and overcast. No hip issues today, either during or after the run which makes me very happy.

    Have a good week everyone.

  • Today the planned 15km turned into 16.4km (1 hour 46)... the last few were downhill so we just kept going, the lure of the supermarket was too strong though and so we stopped to pick up some post-run food!

    At that pace I would be well over 2 hours for the half in March... but I've still got plenty of time to train so not too worried!

    Do other people run the same routes over and over, or do you vary things quite a lot... I've been running along the canal quite a bit recently because it's nice not to have to worry about cars and I know even without a gps what the distances between places are, but it does all look much the same and I'm getting a little bored of it.

  • Yeah, the Rock and Roll half. I thought it was just the annual Madrid Marathon rebranded. I didn't realise they were two separate events! 

    I know Madrid pretty well. I've been living here for 11 years- well, a good way out of the city but I know how hilly it is. I haven't looked at the route though.. I'm NW of the city centre, and it is hilly here too, so training involve hills. Lots of hills. 

     

  • Wikipedia seems to think it is the same event: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Marathon

  • Hi again Dan,



    Two separate events. The Rock n Roll Madrid Marathon (formerly just "Madrid Marathon) which added the half mara, which you are going to do, for the first time last year and also has a 10k road race. Then there is the annual, long standing half marathon sponsored by Asics three weeks earlier. I did both half maras last April and will be doing the annual half again this year, it's a really good race. One thing to think about with the Rock n Roll half is that last year when it separated from the marathon itself the crowd support pretty much evaporated until Retiro park and it was a lonely last five or six kms.



    Good to see another long term Madrid resident on the board. Do you do many other races in and around the city?
  • Hello to new joiners to the thread, there are some interesting events coming up for you guys!  Well done everyone who did their LSRs this weekend.

    I did 11 miles (1:50) in the Saturday morning sunshine and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I had to run past all the people leaving my local parkrun which seemed odd.  Haven't done it yet, maybe one day...  11 miles is my longest run yet, the last mile was tough but then turned out to be my fastest!

    Pineapple: I try to vary my running routes just to avoid boredom but it isn't so easy with the short days.  Those in the know say that running the same route all the time pays diminishing returns as your body gets used to the demands of that one route, so it's better to have a mix of flat and hills, roads and trails etc.

  • Hi everyone hope it's okay for me to join. I'm doing the Bournemouth bay run, and hoping for a sub 2.00 hr time. My last half marathon was in October time which did in 2 hrs 8 minutes. currently following the rw sub 1:50 plan http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/racing/rws-10-week-sub-150-half-marathon-schedules/97.html?print=true

    It does have 6 runs a week which I find hard to do as I am a healthcare student in occupational therapy and work two long days at the weekend from 7 to 9. So been omitting the easy run day. I do my long run on a Monday. Just of to do 8 miles. 

  • Hi Neil- no, I'm a total newbie, this will be my first race. Whereabouts are you based? City centre? I'm in the NW exurbs, Majadahonda/Las Rozas area.

    I try to mix it up, so as to avoid getting sick of the same thing all the time, though I predominantly run on trails around where I live- all of which involve hills. Before I got my garmin I stuck more often to a couple of classics which I had mapped out on Google Earth, so as to keep track of distance covered, but now the tech does it all for me.

  • Morning All,

    Sarah- Welcome, How did you get on with the monday run?

    Mungus, well done on your longest run. I agree on the varying the routes. I try to have quite a lot of variance, mostly cos I am young and get bored quite easy. Lucky for me I have plenty of outdoor space that isnt over run with ruddy cars!

    Went to my first club run last night, an hour of easy running. I managed to have meaningful conversation for an hour about running with people who actually like talking about running (at least I think they do). Was good, I will be back there on Wed. so that was 11km done, monthly total so far 99km.

  • Evening all!

    Welcome to all the new posters!

    Some good runs posted by all.

    Picked up a bit of a niggle at the track last Thursday so have been taking a few days off... Back with 3 very slow miles tonight. Still not 100% so will continue to take it easy over the next few days. I was enjoying the reps too at the time, hamstring went on the last rep. Perhaps I was pushing too hard too soon... 7 x 600m @ av 5:38 mm. Although felt ok, not much of a planned warmup though which surprised me. Next time I'll go early and do a few miles for my own warmup!

    Jim - glad you enjoyed your club session - know what you mean about non-runners and running chat...

    Envious of all those long runs completed...

  • Welcome Sarah. Can't always be easy fitting in the runs with your kind of work.



    Dan, I live in San Bernardo. Know a couple of people in Las Rozas, it's nice. Have you thought about doing a 10k tune up race en route to the half? There's usually quite a few to choose from in the Madrid area. These two websites list races here:



    www.carreraspopulares.com

    Www.forofosdelrunning.com



    JR, sorry to hear about the niggle. Frustrating to pick it up on the last rep. 7 x 600 sounds hard to me. Surprised to read that there wasn't much warm up. Think you should follow your advice about doing a bit extra on your own. Hope you recover soon. Are you just resting it or doing a bit of stretching?



    Another horrible interval session last night. 4 x 800 @ 3:08 per km of 2min RI but reps got progressively worse and averaged out at 3:15. Bit disappointing as legs felt fine but struggled aerobically. Just got to grit my teeth a bit more. 11k in total with WU & CD.
  • Hello and welcome Sarah. I'm a woman too, despite what Neil Jones says image.

    JR - you got niggles too? I have a totally non-expert theory that lots of injuries picked up on the track are about over-striding. Have you ever counted your leg-turnover? Its meant to be about 180 per min or something like that - I'm sure you know these things already.

    My knee is behaving OK but I'm still treating it cautiously. I've replaced recovery runs with static bike sessions for the moment. It is so boring but I felt so desperate when the knee pain started that I want to do anything possible to avoid it getting worse. Weather looks good for Friday so I'm going to try an 18 mile LSR again.

    Great club run in the rain last night, 7.6 miles. I would never have gone out on a filthy night like that without company.

     

  • kevin70kevin70 ✭✭✭

    Hi to the new posters.. its good to hear what all have been up to with plenty of quality runs being posted.

    JR sorry to hear about the niggle but going by times you have posted im sure a couple of days rest wont affect you. Definitely longer WU required

    Neil intervals/tempos are always hard to maintain but its about trying to hang on, which im sure you will do.

    Whisky the club will definitely bring you on and you will be able to speak with others about running

    Benign take it easy on your lsr

    Saturday lsr 12mls avg 8.45, Mon 6mls steady 8.20 & Wed 10mls 3mls WU 3mls HMP avg 7.23 3mls MP avg 7.58 and 1ml CD. Was planning to do the MP before HMP but after mile 1 I had done a school boy error and went out to fast so rather than slow done continued on HMP, I will need to remember this for future sessions. Club tomorrow night..

     

  • Hello everyone thankyou for making me feel welcome. my 8 mile went okay averaged 9.30 felt tough towards the end. tonight I did 4X 3 minute intervals which were tough only just started doing intervals my last half was a get me round plan as had only just started running properly so ally hoping to improve on times. 

    Neil- don't beat yourself up everyone has good and bad runs. 

    Benign- yey for womenimage Best to be over cautious with any sign of injury. Hope your long run goes okay. 

    Neil- some good times their for your runs. 

     

    . my 8 mile went okay averaged 9.30 felt tough towards the end. tonight I did 4X 3 minute intervals which were tough only just started doing intervals my last half was a get me round plan as had only just started running properly so ally hoping to improve on times. 

  • Evening,

    Thanks for the comforting words.

    Neil - it was 2 x 4 sessions but quite tough. There was a lot of standing around, then some dynamic stretching, followed by some drills but I'd have preferred it on warm muscles... Don't worry about your heavy legs, when you taper near the end you'll be flying! Not a bad session really.

    Benign - First time on the track and one I won't forget... I have counted my steps before and they come out in the 190's but I do mid-foot strike. Glad you had a good club run. Wouldn't fancy the exercise bike either...

    Kevin - I hope it does but until I'm back fully I may have to reassess my target. That must have been a confidence boosting LR with the HMP miles chucked in? Good running for the rest of the week as we'll!

    4 miles tonight @ 8:30, very steady and followed by foam rollering / stretching!!!

  • Morning,

    Benign - you had me frantically going back through my posts trying to spot my faux pas. Apologies for being so assuming! Anyway, I'm glad the knee seems to be holding up. I think the cross-training is a good option to give the affected area a rest, although, yes, pretty dull. Good luck with the LSR tomorrow.

    Kevin - some good runs there. It's tough running to the right pace even with a GPS watch. Hope the club session goes well.

    Sarah - glad your run went well. That sounds quite a tough interval session. What pace were you doing them at and how long were your rest intervals between reps?

    JR and Benign - never really thought much about leg turnover but your comments have made me curious. Is what you are talking about also referred to as cadence? I´ve got this information on my Garmin but until now it's the one thing I haven't paid much attention to. Is this 180 / 190 strides per minute you are referring to the optimum figure for a steady run, or is at applicable to tempos, intervals as well? Forgive me if this sounds like a dumb question but this is new to me.

    Thanks all for the supportive words after my poor interval effort the other night. As Kevin says, it's about trying to hang on and I'll remember this next week when I'm flagging! Meanwhile, 12k this evening with the middle eight at MP. Looking forward to it.

    Good running everyone.

  • Neil didn't mean to make you frantic, no apologies necessary image  I was quite amused by being considered male.  I have definitely made assumptions about people on forums with gender-neutral names. JR and Mungus are women, right? image

    I think that the leg turnover/cadence (yep, same thing) is meant to hold true for all types of running. Maybe not hills where you might want to deliberately shorten your stride. I'm only going from memory though - no time to look things up now, sorry.

    I really thing that anyone doing intervals should just congratulate themselves, whatever their times.  They always feel tough and often revolting . So many things will affect performance on any one day, but you're almost certainly going to make yourself faster by doing them.

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