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Half marathon training advise.........
Ok so a break from study has got the better of me and have been thinking about specific half training. Won't need it for a while but boredom got me thinking................Can I just pick a few bones with the likes of Gobi and others in the know training wise on here re half marathon training. I'm obviously just going to run easy for a while but curious about specific training for half marathons. I've only ever trained for marathons really but apart from structure over a week would be interested in some good workouts I could do specific to the distance.
I'm guessing that I'd need 3 quality workouts per week ? (track, hill reps, tempo/race eg park run or cross country)
Off top of my head something like:
Monday - swimming or easy run
Tuesday - 10 mile club burn up or track session
Wednesday - 8 -10 miles easy
Thursday - Hill reps included in a run
Friday - rest (or monday rest and swim/easy run
Saturday - park run, tempo run, cross country
Sunday - 15-18 miles
Like I said too can anyone give me some good workouts to do tempo wise? My coach at Heathside gave me a few that I can do on the treadmill as it's all hills round here so easier to do them on one. Any other ideas I could do over a run outside of around 8-10 miles too, fartlek etc? would be greatful. Like I said I won't need to start any harder stuff until well into December but I like planning things, lol
MtR - cheers
Murph - cheers, the experience has given me a different take on running and health in general to be honest. Been a good mental test in lots of ways. I was pleased for you, I looked up your result in Brit age group and saw your name and was chuffed hoping that it was indeed you. Toon are indeed flying, fair play to Pardew, he's done well there and the team play for each other. Been lucky with injuries so this season though but just enjoying football at the moment. Have a good holiday
Hi RS78
I have been following sub 3 very own Saint Jason half marathon schedule in 2008. shows how long I have been lurking.Seems quite a good schedule.
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/bupa-gnr-schedule-jason-125/3525.html
Looking at going under 75mins at Helsby and having a good crack at sub 3 for Manchester marathon as missed out on London. Need to grow some knads to start posting on here regular and get some good advice and make some friends.
Cheers..
Gobi - Nice 5th place there and mission accomplished.
HR - Sad to hear about the diagnosis and possible binning of your running shoes… hope you can replace the addiction with the cycling… it's a lot more expensive tho but there are more gadgets
Jamesito - Cannot relate to that performance at all but top, top effort and unlucky at the end there. Super commitment.
SG - Well done on the sub-60
SL - Nice weekly mileage!
Murph - Nicely done on the 2:56 and a neg split too! Perfect execution.
Charlie - Sending good vibes your way for the sciatic woes. Speedy recovery.
DanA - Understated as ever but super result and nicely judged re: pacing strategy. A lesson for myself actually.
Brian - Another understated report but super result. Well done.
JI - Gutsy effort especially with the knowledge that it was probably going to get tough out there.
PUG - Hi PUG!
TR - Coincidental that you mention lack of MP work last time out. I think this has always been lacking at my end. Sure I do the club burnouts but they tend to be progressive and top out at 9 miles. I usually do a 20 mile race 8 weeks out from goal race but in the last few years I've left my goal race back on the 20 miler. I also do Wilmslow 1/2 which is a fast race but apart from that, very little structured. controlled MP sessions. Definitely something I want to address during this upcoming campaign.
Coro - Many happy returns for next week!
Selbs - Glad you enjoyed the game. Stick at the comeback, it'll come… er… back
Wardi - Sad news indeed.
Cheers for tea-pot comments! On reflection I have no idea why I posted that here... impulse I guess or giddy from the race. It's the last time I stand hand-on-hip in public
Steadily increasing the mileage at this end. Trying to establish a decent base. Lots of running how I feel with not too much structure other than, mid-week long(ish) 9 miles currently and a long run at the weekend (currently 15 miles hilly route). Other than that, commuting via bike and running alternating and enjoying it.
Continued good vibes to one and all.
I'm off to check the NPC league table AGAIN!!
Hampo – are we really that off-putting that you have lurked since 2008 ? You are targeting a 75min ½ which means you are quicker than lots here too (not that that should make a difference)
SJ – I think I’ll go back to the 20 at MP myself, and maybe find a ½ too. But theres not many ½’s near me then.
Thicker long sleeves and thicker gloves meant I didn’t get so cold this morning.
RS - My half marathon training was very similar to marathon training but with a few less miles and a little more quality with lots of of shorter 4-6 mile tempo work.
Hat and gloves this morning and still took me a while to get warm, some poor bugger was outside the local co-op at 6am blowing up about 100 balloons for a re-opening "party"
Did 5.5 with a girl I coach this morning wearing a jacket and gloves.
there was ice on the cars....
Barcelona or Seville+London? Decisions decisions.
Have only run twice since my marathon, second run was 4.5 miles @ approx 6.30 pace when I was intending 9 minute pace. When will I learn? Keen to get running again but I want to be completely sorted from all these niggles before I do, otherwise it will just be a repeat of this summer's half hearted campaign. Maybe I'll end up just doing a bit of easy jogging until the end of the year. Might even have to do some cycling and swimming. Then over the course of 2012 I want to build to about 100 mpw, if my body will allow it.
Jock Itch, re your vets statistic. I noticed in Chicago that there are a lot of people running, most of them young, there was a noticeable contrast to the typical runner you see in Britain. A while ago I was chatting to a V70 about the decline in standards in Britain. I know that this topic is discussed frequently with lots of different opinions but he made it sound very simple. 'There aren't as many young runners today.' he said. 'Nowadays you even get vets winning races - that never happened in the old days.'
Murph1, glad that I said something useful. I seem to remember that it was your first post here which stopped me lurking, about a year ago. Happy to have repaid the favour.
Hello all,
Just had a monster read back - some cracing stuff going on over the last week or so.
First off what a performance from MT in the double-IM. Bonkers!
Great stuff from the Abo crew too - jamesito, Dan, Brian, Jock & SammyChung. But particularly pleased for Mr Boat - outstanding run, and I'm delighted for you
Great stuff at the Dam for Murph and Neil Mac too - great to see you both nail the sub-3!
Nice to see selbs getting back to it, as well as Charlie, RS and LJ. Ditto to wardi - sad news re your clubmate. Not so good for HR though - not good news at all there.
Nice long stuff from joolska, and the usual impressive stuff from everyone else (Gobi, TR, padams etc).
Anyway, I did Amsterdam at the weekend. I'd abandoned the idea of racing it and decided to try and pace a friend round, who was doing his first. I thought he could do 3'30ish, but his 2 warm-up races hadn't gone well so we decided to set off at 3'35 pace. First 5k in 25'30 so good start, and he was very comfortable with a very low HR so we pushed on a tad.
Maintained an even pace to hit halfway in 1'45'03, and he was still running very comfortably. I was still conscious of things going wrong however, but we gradually wound the pace up a bit to 30k. We picked it up again between 30 and 35k, whilst still being careful to hold things together. By 35k he was working hard but still felt ok, so we just put the hammer down.
End result - 3'24'48, and a time my friend didn't think he could do in a million years. A cheeky negative split by 5'15 too, so he could obviously hve gone quicker still. And I really, really enjoyed the race. I felt like I'd just cruised round, but got a lot of satisfaction from helping someone exceed their goals.
It was his birthday too, so as soon as I got my bag back we had a few beers (and champagne!) This set the scene for the rest of the day - after a shower and change of clothes I eventually rolled in at 5:00am, having drank far too many Jagerbombs. Monday was not pretty at all. I've not been like that for years!!
Still, top weekend was had and I can heartily recommend Amsterdam as a Marathon. Very fast course and not a bad night out afterwards
[old lurker pops in]
Yes Wardi's right, I've run two marathons since I turned 50 - 2:51 and 2:55. Running Sub-3 isn't the problem for me - it's getting to the start line injury-free.
[pops out again]
Running_Bear there good times.
I've also run sub 3 since turning 50. I ran 2006 in 2.49, 2007 2.51, 2009 2.58 2010 just missed out with 3.03 which is why I'm giving it another go.
Did club run last night of 12 undulating miles decided not to do the 5k race as it was a cold night and did not want to be hanging around before the start and after. Much prefer to go and do long run.
Just off out now for easy 7 miler then a nice 10 mile bike ride which i have started doing and really enjoying.
LS21 - good work on the pacemaking. I know what you mean about the satisfaction from helping others in races - some of my favourite running experiences have involved pacemaking.
I wonder what you could have been up to in Amsterdam til 5am....
A few miles with Mrs Padams last night, followed by spinning. Just off for a lunchtime swim.
On older runners, the average age at ultras seems to be early forties. Guess it's because you lose your speed but not your endurance as you age. Probably the best ultra runner in recent years has been Marco Olmo. Won the UTMB twice at the age of 58 & 59!!
I was lucky enough to run with him for a bit during the MdS
R/Bear.. good stuff, at least it proves my memory is intact despite advancing years! I see a V65 ran a 3:08 marathon recently which ain't too shabby. My V65 clubmate is still breaking 40 mins for 10k but he assures me his marathon days are over.
Speaking of old codgers, there was a feature in AW magazine last week on the effect of ageing on runners. By the time I had digested the adverse ageing effects on max HR, muscle elasticity, longer recovery times, weight gain etc I thought of calling the local undertakers there & then to get it over with. However, the news that JI is still a stud muffin in a gigolo stylee surely gives hope to us all.
7m Tuesday, 13m running commute home last night, about 8m with the club tonight.
Nice pacing LS21, glad you enjoyed the experience. Drinking 'til breakfast is a top effort too!
For those who fancy the York BM half-mara, online race entry opens next Wednesday at 10am. It filled up in less than 6 hours last time so as Billy Butlin used to say, 'book early'.
It wasn't good wardi. Breakfast finished at 9:30am on Monday so we set the alarm for 9:00. I managed to swing my legs round so I was sitting on the edge of the bed. I didn't move a muscle for 5 minutes (don't think I even blinked) and just sat there staring into space. After which time I said 'I don't think I'm going to make breakfast mate' to my room mate, and I remained motionless for another 5 minutes, before summoning up the courage to lay down again
As you can imagine, the day flew by until we got on the plane at 11:30pm.....
Meant to say too - padams - I was talking to a couple of your club mates on Saturday night (while waiting for a tram). One was hoping to go sub-3 and the other was hoping to break 80 mins at the Half. No idea if they did it or not, but hope they did. Seemed nice fellas.
I can empathise with all of those codger ailments Wardi except the old HRMax chestnut. Mine has been 192 for about the last 20 years (I'm 55). I'm not sure about before that as I didn't test it.
So we'll have an old codger race-off at VLM then tigerrunner. Me, you, Wardi, Dull? Any others?
good for you for giving something back LS21
Marigolds V50 clubmate (the one that has never even pulled a DNF in training) was running 10ks in 32mins within the last yr.
specific training plans for a 1/2 made me smile, but then I thought I guess thats only cos I dont have a training plan for anything !
been trying not to succumb to the shivers/aches of a cold this week and have kept plugging away, but I've been towing a bucket in the lido all week !
Hampo - Can't believe I missed a post name-checking me. I was editing last nights post in a text editor and it took me ages - accounting for missing your post!
That thread was a blast from the past for sure. I wrote some sh*t on that thread. They've replaced my photo though - that's not me in the profile lol.
It would appear you are north-west based? I'm doing Manchester too as I failed miserably to get my deferred VLM entry in. Thinking of 4 villages myself although Wardi's reminder about BM has made me think again... Are you doing Wilmslow? Entries for that are now open too.
TR - Going back to the 20 at MP? Do you mean a specific race, MMH? Or some MP stuff during 20's in training? I liked the blocks of 5 miles pace thing we did a couple of years ago... 5 @ 7:30, 5 @ 7:15, 5 @ 7:00, 5 @ 6:45. Saying that, I think I only ever did a 20 like that maybe twice ever. Defo the area for improvement in my case... more long runs and at a higher intensity. As you always say, not rocket science is it. Hope the sniffles subside.
LS21 - Nice work too. I would of found the drinking harder than the racing... but I'm well out of practice on that front.
Stuart Leaney - I think it could be a record
and thanks for the welcome.
TR - Ha! Ha! That made me laugh, not felt been anywhere near the standard to post on here. silly really.
Trying to get work done and get out for a progressive 10 with 2 miles @MP. I remember in the past a post from somebody about MP runs. I think it went along the lines of 3 different MP runs. Current MP, PB MP and PMP (Planned MP) for the next race.(told you I was a serious lurker).
What is the definition of MP ?
I dont have a marathon until next April, but how do you try and gauge where I should be at the moment. Do people just run off Heart rate for MP? or should MP be around 7.15 / 7.20 at this moment in time?
MP in training feels like 10k pace in a race.
Running_Bear, I'm up for a wrinkly race. Shall I contact WD40 to see if they'll sponsor us?
LS21: great drinking there mate. I could do with some lessons. I went for a couple after Abo with my dad and a mate and was ready for bed after 4. Sounds like you had fun in the race. Are you planning on a 2:45 attempt at VLM12?
Hampo: Hi. I'm probably not the best one to comment on MP after cocking up VLM12 but for Abo I looked at the time I wanted to run, took 1min off and that was my target MP. I stuck rigidly to that through the training but if your training after 5 or 6 weeks suggests your target it too easy/tough you'll need to reaccess but be careful not to get carried away if it's going really well...it was no fun at all with people streaming past me on The Embankment in April.
Hampo- Welcome. I remember that think it was TT/ZaTTu who talked liked that. I think he created (TMP) TergatMP too!
Great run LS21- Nice job on the jaegerbombs.Devil's drink!
LS21 - nice one - sounds like a really fun day. There is something to be said for sure for pacing someone/elpoing them along - and somethign to be said for running a marathon in control/easier than your best - i really enjoyed Stockholm this year running almost 4min negative split and overtaking about 500 people from 5km on. But then again - doing the best u can on the day and getting a PB.... that is pretty sweet too after all the hard work
Wish i coudl have made Amsterdam - the partying till 5am was one of my main reasons for going there!! oh well.
i am in the silly stage of the comeback. after 3 months of training which show < 30 miles a month.... i have run a couple of days - and with typical optimistic verve i now start entering races. first one i have entered is:
http://www.thewallrun.com/ - just the challenger one - i'm not going to leap into trying to run 69 miles - i'm not that stoopid
and after 3 years i think of trying to get up to do Brass Monkey in York.... i'm going to really try and make it this time! so - i've got about 12 weeks to get into some sort of half marathon shape and then hopefully kick on from there for a good bash at VLM - and then a fun weekend of running hardian's wall in June. That will do for now....
Odeon 1085, Mr Boat & Brian - Thanks for the welcome and advice.
I will see how I get on later. I know I may be not near MP pace at the moment but want to include them early doors in my training so I get a good fee for MP session every week and can monitor how it is going.
SJ – I defo burned too many matches doing mad progressive LSRs in 2010, with something like 8M blocks faster than MP. This yr I deliberately did all of my LSRs slowly up on the hill so I couldn’t chase pace. But I over-trained my quads badly doing this (along with long bikes on a Saturday), and they still weren’t right on VLM day ! But it was the easiest ride I’ve ever had on VLM day aerobically…………… So what do I do next time ? go back to more sensibly paced 5M blocks within a 20? Although I now need to crack the hammy cramp I got from lack of MP (?). So maybe I should alternate hilly long runs with progressive long runs that don’t exceed 6:30s, or do the first ½ of the LSR on the hill and the second on the flat chasing MP. The 20 at MP would be done at MMH (6wks before VLM), although I have one eye on the Forestman stand alone marathon 2 weeks before that, so I don’t think I’d do both ! decisions, decisions !
Hampo – for me MP means the pace I’d like to be somewhere near on race day. I wont be going anywhere near it this side of February. Slow base building running, backed up with threshold type intensity work on the Turbo is this winter’s master plan.
weclome aboard Hampo and congrats on the record lurking. did u have a wee typo in here perhaps "Looking at going under 75mins at Helsby and having a good crack at sub 3 for Manchester marathon as missed out on London. "
If not - then i think you need to reassess your MP target to 2:40 and we should be askign you for some advice. If its 85 and sub 3 - that sounds about the right sort of level for a crack at sub 3 - lots of folks on here did around 1:23/24 and converted that to a sub 3.
RS78 - can't help sorry on HM training advice. I have only ever raced them off the back of marathon training really. It can't be massively different can it at our level?
Apologies for my flippancy.
I think the best way of deciding on MP is to run a weekly (or fortnightly) 90min session.
In the middle of the 90mins run 10M at your 80-83% HRmax (or moderately hard), and this should equate to current marathon pace.