FAO Laura, Half Marathon Training

Hiya Laura, as your race went to plan, I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about your workouts...

1. What was your longest 1/2 Marathon pace tempo run?
2. What was your longest sub-1/2 M pace training run?
3. What di you long runs look like the preceding 5 weeks to the event?
4. Did the event feel 'easy' to get your time, or was it a struggle?
5. What did your speedwork consist of?

Strange for me to ask, I know our speeds differ, but some training principals do hold true straight down the line.

My longest 1/2M pace run this cycle is 8 miles. Is this long enough?

Cheers Laura (& others who will no doubt give valuable contributions to the thread),
The notorious KK

Comments

  • What? A twice daily training demon and top xcountry racer asking me for advice?? Glad to be of assistance!

    1. 10 miles, with final mile @ 10K pace 2 weeks beforehand. Actually posted a query about the wisdom of this which led to a Training thread argument lasting several days (may be worth you looking up KK). But convinced it was well worth my while, and will do the same again.
    2. Road - 13 miles, xcountry - 3.5 hrs, before xmas (slow plod type run).
    3. 3.5 hrs off road, 8 (ill that week), 13, 11, 2 hrs off road.
    4. It never felt easy! But far far easier to keep my pace than the GNR which was my last 1/2m, and really felt my training was doing the work with a bit of encouragement from my brain on the hilly sections... But must get a decent watch and practise mental maths!
    5. Speedwork, nothing fancy, go to club sessions weekly which are generally 3 min intervals * 5/6, or 8* hill reps. I've only been doing this since Sept, and hate it I might add. No doubt other more experienced runners would have better ideas.

    Main difference is actually planning my training for the first time, looking ahead more than 2 days at a time. Boring - but seems to work.

    What about everyone else?

  • KK

    she forgot the mental preparation:

    lay out 4 sets of clothes and 4 sets of shoes.

    try all possible combinations and conclude that the right ones are not available so go back to the first one.

    Still brooding about how annoying that Philip Treacy doesn't do running hats that she fails to notice the first 5 miles have skipped by

    :-))

    PS Laura I read your comment to ratbag
  • Sfh legs, I fear I have given you the totally misleading impression of being girly airhead with vast running wardrobe.
    I do not have a vast running wardrobe.
  • Laura

    No you haven't. you've always struck me as absolutely the opposite. In fact, I doubt if there are many people posting here who are serious about running get remotely close to being fashion airheads.

    but i guess my sense of humour is such that finding you posting about such a dilemma it struck me as a good wind up. Probably worked too well, so I'll apologise leave it and re-read chap 6 of

    "Why men don't listen and women can't read maps"

    BTW, based on your watch time your 1/2m PB is now better than mine. If I can start running again then I'm entered for one mid march so will be gunning for you. Now about HRs and split times..
  • And she also doesn't give a damn about getting changed in the middle of a car park.
  • No need to apologise sfh legs, I can take a joke (sniff)! Btw the ability to read a map without turning it upside down is much over-rated.
    Better stop blabbing or KK will tell us off for ruining his thread.
  • Seriously tho, thanks Laura, will look up that thread you mentioned...
  • I'd be really grateful for some training advice...! Did the four villages yesterday and was hoping for around 1:50 so was a bit dejected to come in on 1:56. Can't seem to run faster than 9 minute miles - apart from that third(?) mile which wasn't a mile!

    My long run every Sunday is 11-13 miles on a rough hilly route in the Peak District. That takes me about 2 and a quarter hours. I also do an hour or so on the treadmill at the gym during the week.

    Always seem to flag at around 8/9 miles - is that the same for everyone? Have entered Wilmslow and really want to do it in 1:50 ish - help -what do you suggest?
  • Camilla,

    What else do you do beside the long run (sounds like a decently challenging outing) and the gym session? Any sessions more geared towards speed and trying to break that 9 minute mile mark?

    So far as the "flagging" is concerned:
    I was at Helsby also (see Events thread)and 8-9 miles was where it started to go pear-shaped for me too. At least due in part to that gentle but extended climb into Mouldsworth (course rose about 35 metres over about a mile and a half), but also for me it was bound to get more difficult around this stage as I normally confine myself to races of 10K or less.
    In preparing for the event I'd tried to do successively longer tempo runs (7, then 8 , 9 and ultimately 10 miles) but ultimately found trying to give it some hammer over those distances on my own very difficult (and in the same thread that Laura referred to earlier, the idea was ridiculed). To attempt something like that, I think it must really help to be running with a group.
    If that's not possible, how do you acquire the ability to go through that barrier and keep pushing at the same speed through 10 miles and beyond? I've been wondering about this - I think next time I prepare I'll try something like a long (over distance) run (say 14-15 miles?) in which I run the outward half very easy & try to wind it up to somewhere near intended race pace coming back.
    Anyone else got any opinions on this?
  • HillyHilly ✭✭✭
    Mike I always run over distance for all my race training apart from the marathon for obvious reasons. For a half marathon I would do 1/2 marathon pace runs building from 5-10 miles, but also run a 15/16 mile run at the weekends. I try to run this distance every other week all year round for endurance.
  • Camilla, congratulations on your run at Helsby. (damn sight quicker than my first I can tell you!)You're putting the distance in on your long runs so to get faster you probably just need to introduce some faster runs in addition. You have a definite advantage in starting with good endurance as you'll probably find doing some faster runs as well improves you over the distance quite quickly.

    Can only say what's worked for me as until about a year ago ran all runs at the same pace and therefore not surprisingly found it hard to speed up when necessary.

    Tempo running (warm up, 15-20 mins @ your desired 1/2m pace, warm down) would be a good place to start. If, like me, you find judging your pace difficult, just make a conscious effort to run fast enough to get into 2/2 breathing, i.e. 2 steps per breath. Or run with someone else fast enough to stop you talking! I used a heart rate monitor to ensure I stuck at the intensity I wanted to.

    Hilly's suggestion to run over-distance I'm sure also puts endurance in the bank - she was one of the people suggesting a tempo run of up to 10 miles was good preparation. I know it sounds obvious, but it might help your motivation to find a relatively flat loop of 3-6 miles which you measure accurately, this will tell you what you're capable of on a typical 1/2m course like Helsby. Run this every couple of weeks concentrating on your pace and watch your improvements.

    Finally you might just have set off a little too quickly yesterday. Did you watch your mile splits? Most runners learn from bitter experience that pushing on too quickly at the start makes you pay back double by the end!

    Best of luck with your next half .
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