Sub 1:50 Half Marathon.

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Comments

  • Tim R2-T2Tim R2-T2 ✭✭✭

    Hi. I use the FR60. It's not a GPS but works off a footpod. I just wanted something basic to track speed/distance and HR. It does that extremely well with no charging or USB connections, worry about tracking satellites etc. Battery lasts a year.

     

    My next half is Sunday 9th... St. Albans.

  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭

    +1 for the Garmin FR60, which I also use, for the reasons TimR stated.  I also have a Soleus Fit 1.0, which is a very basic GPS watch...  I think you could pick one of those up for about £70 online.  What is your budget?

  • Raquel 65Raquel 65 ✭✭✭

    Good luck on Sunday Tim! I'm sure you stand a really good chance of going sub 1-50, especially with doing over distance long runs, though I think it's quite a hilly one?

    I've been doing my local park run every week which is 3 loops with a horrible hill at the start, and got my 5 k time to 23-53. I then did a flat 10 k last month and managed 48-50 which I was really pleased with. I'm keeping up a long run, medium long run and a few easy short runs each week trying to do 30 miles pw ( though not always succeeding).

    I'm also thinking of an  Autumn half but don't know a flat one in the London area? image 

  • Tim R2-T2Tim R2-T2 ✭✭✭

    Good one. Raquel. It depends how far you're willing to travel. The Perkins Great East is in Peterborough - very flat and around September/October time. I'm looking for a Marathon and may have to go down to the New Forest image

    Sunday is predicted hot, usually I really suffer in the heat. Although last Sunday and Friday were a killer I went out last night to do 4 miles at 8:00/mile and ended up doing 7:50s which was probably a bit overkill but surprising as it was still hot so maybe I've acclimatised a bit.

    Usually I'm not happy with a fast time on the flat, I feel a bit cheated, almost like it doesn't count. My first sub 2:00 was on a flat course and I didn't feel happy about saying I could run sub 2 until I'd put in a 1:54 on a hilly course.

    My friend will be running with a few other novices so my planned amble round could well turn into a sub 1:50 effort - watch this space.

  • Raquel 65Raquel 65 ✭✭✭

    Oh yes hadn't thought about the heat. I'm the same, it really affects me. All the same I think you're definitely in with a good chance! image 

    i think I'm gonna do the Stroud half in October as my sister lives there. I haven't really checked the course but it's a very hilly place so can't imagine it's fast. I have heard about the Great East but not sure about going that far.

     

     

  • I am doing my first HM on Sunday and I'm aiming below the 1:40 mark but it's anybody's guess whether I will do it.

    I train 3-4 times a week covering around 20+ miles I do speed reps, tempo runs and long slow runs. Problem is longest run has only been 15K so I'm yet to do the distance.

    My 10K PB is 44mins and I know i can hold a decent pace for 15K but a little worried about the last 5-6K.

    I'm planning on trying to maybe do two 48min 10K's or holding a pace of 4:45km/min.

    Should I be ok or do people generally hit a "wall" in the last section of a HM?

  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭

    I really can't imagine anyone "hitting a wall" in a HM.

  • Yes same here I cant imagine it too, I've been fine after 9 miles at below 5:00km/min pace. But people have said to me that the last part of a HM is hard and just wondered if my target pace was too ambitious for my first HM.

    Anyway time will tell, everyone is different, I'll just run my usual way and hope for the best image 

  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭

    EL -- I'd predict a sub-1:40 for you based on your 10K time; however, that would assume that you had trained for HM distance...  If you've got a good running base and decent mental strength then I think you'll be there or there abouts... Good luck! image

  • Have a half marathon PB of 1:53 so trying to break 1:50 for my next one which will be Ealing at the end of september so training program starts at the end of the month. Going to use the RW garmin-ready sub1:50 program. Until that starts I am just trying to build up my weekly millage again post 6weeks of recovery/debauchary after VLM.

  • Hi, and good luck to everyone trying to break 1:50!

    This looks like the perfect forum for me, even though I live in the U.S.  I have run 5 HMs the fastest at 1:52, the slowest at 1:58.  I have also done two marathons, the 2013 Flying Pig on a very hilly course in Cincinnati at 4:37 (complete bonk) and 4:09 a few weeks ago on a flat course in Minnesota. 

    I am running the Royal Parks Half in London in October and would love to break 1:50 (at least in part because several people have told me I won't break 4:00 in a marathon if I cant break 1:50 in a HM).  I know the Royal Parks will have a field of 16,000 which will probably make the course pretty crowded, thus making a PR difficult.  I was very excited to win a spot via the lottery and I am trying to decide if I should try for 1:50 or just relax and enjoy the scenery.

    Your thoughts would be appreciated.  My recollection is that the course is flat.  Is that correct?  Has anyone here run the Royal Parks?

    Thanks

     

  • Raquel 65Raquel 65 ✭✭✭

    Essex Lion I do notice a lot of people seem to slow down in the last 3 or 4 miles but as said above, if you have mental strength you might be ok for 1-40. my 10k pb is 48-50 but my half marathon is 1 - 54 so I'm not sure. Probably best to run it and then you have a target for next time? 

    Vicky, Ealing sounds good - are there still places?

    lawyeraaron, sounds like you stand a very good chance of 1-50! Never done that race myself as it's impossible to get in but it must be great to race there. I'm sure it's a great atmosphere 

  • SlowkoalaSlowkoala ✭✭✭

    Essex Lion, I ran my first HM in February (Brighton) in 1:35. This was in the middle of marathon training. My PB for 10k, ran a few months before this was also 44 mins so I'm sure you can easily beat 1:40. I would recommend doing some long runs over 13 miles so that the distance doesnt seem daunting. 

  • Raquel 65 wrote (see)

     

    Vicky, Ealing sounds good - are there still places?

     

    Yep - see you there!

     

  • Tim R2-T2Tim R2-T2 ✭✭✭
    Raquel 65 wrote (see)

    Essex Lion I do notice a lot of people seem to slow down in the last 3 or 4 miles but as said above, if you have mental strength you might be ok for 1-40. my 10k pb is 48-50 but my half marathon is 1 - 54 so I'm not sure. Probably best to run it and then you have a target for next time? 

    ...

    I suspect these are people who haven't trained for the distance. Although I also suspect that at the speeds we're running at we're 'too slow'. ie it's not 10-13miles that get's us its the 90min point that we run out of energy.

    We're lacking something in our training that means we're going out too fast for our endurance. Mainly lots of long miles at half marathon pace. It's asking for trouble to be running all your 13mile runs at race pace so that's why I'm including as many miles in my 10mile 'tempo' run at half marathon pace as possible.

    I'm trying to run a half marathon every 6weeks to see how I'm progressing...

  • Raquel 65Raquel 65 ✭✭✭

    Yes that's what I meant - I think it is important to do enough long runs to build endurance. I found that in the HM i ran this year my fastest 2 miles were the last 2 and I think that's because I regularly run 13 or 14 miles. Mind you I'm still not very fast, just faster than I was image 

  • Taxi Driver wrote (see)

    EL -- I'd predict a sub-1:40 for you based on your 10K time; however, that would assume that you had trained for HM distance...  If you've got a good running base and decent mental strength then I think you'll be there or there abouts... Good luck! image

    By the way I finished yesterday in a 1:35:51 so the predictor was pretty accurate.

  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭

    EL -- That's fantastic, well done image

  • With regards to the last few miles it was definately the case that I slowed down siginificantly. I was feeling strong through 15-16K and gradually started to fall off there.

    I did a PB for the first 10K which was 43:34 which suggested that I went out too fast.  My splits suffered towards the end not helped by the ulmost all uphill section on the last 2miles.

    It was mentally hard for the last 3K not thinking I was going to stop but just trying to keep my pace going, I had nothing left at the end.

    Definately learned another lession about pacing myself.

  • Raquel 65Raquel 65 ✭✭✭

    Well done EL - that's fantastic!  I reckon you did longer runs as well you'd be super speedy! 

    How did you do yesterday Tim R?

  • Raquel 65Raquel 65 ✭✭✭

    Sorry I meant to say if you did longer runs image

  • Tim R2-T2Tim R2-T2 ✭✭✭

    A very good result 1:50:58. Halfway was 52mins, lots of hills eventually took their toll. I think I can go faster. 

    My next race is 24 Jun 10K where I'm looking for a sub 50min. Although it's a hilly trail run so we'll see... 

  • Raquel 65Raquel 65 ✭✭✭

    Well done Tim, that's really brilliant - you are certain to be under 1-50 in your next one if it's less hilly. it shows that hard work pays off image 

  • TimR  Great half time! and good luck on your 10k.  It's amazing to me how people's goals at various distances are pretty much the same.   It seems that everyone I know who is trying to break 1:50 for the half is also trying to break 4 for a full and to break 50 mins for a 10k.  Myself included.  Im running a 10k on July 4, but my legs are still feeling groggy from my marathon.

  • Tim R2-T2Tim R2-T2 ✭✭✭

    Cheers guys. I fancy something in the Autumn now, maybe Perkins Great Eastern again, but that was uninspiring. Very flat and I ran it as prep for last years marathon at 9:00/mile. As I say I've got a 10k in 2 weeks then I'm running the Surrey Badger end of July (for fun, not time!) Although a Marathon in November would suit, maybe the New Forest.

  • Tim R2-T2Tim R2-T2 ✭✭✭

    Ha. I have entered the New Forest marathon. Not sure quite what I was thinking it's less than 3 months away. 

    50:21 in today's undulating trail 10k. Some quite long steep upward undulations but the downhill was fun.

    I'm sure I could meet my targets on flat road but that would be seriously dull. image

  • Hi Raquel - you mentioned Stroud Half which I've done a few times now - despite the local hills the course is actually flat/undulating so you should be able to PB.

     

  • Raquel 65Raquel 65 ✭✭✭

    Hi Anniesophie thanks for that, I'm definitely going to enter this year then. Are you going to do it again?

    Your 10k sounded like fun Tim. As you say, if you didn't insist on only running ridiculously hilly courses, you would definitely beat your times! Wow marathon in 3 months sounds scary but it seems as though you already run quite long distances...

    I did the North East London longest parkrun chain yesterday - 7 parkruns in a row with 45 mins between each. It was really good fun and a great atmosphere. 21 miles in one day is the most I've ever run though it's easier with a break between. One bloke ran between each one which added up to 44 miles apparently! My legs are stiff today image 

     

     

  • Yep have already registered for Stroud- hoping to match my PB at Bath Half this year  of 1:59, but am also doing new Cheltenham Half in September, so depends on how well the legs recover!

     

  • Raquel 65Raquel 65 ✭✭✭

    Great - see you there! 

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