Realistic targets for a 40 something

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  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭

    LPJR ... Your 5m "quality" could be an MP session (8:30/mile) and your "3m" quality could be a progressive section starting at MP (8:30/mile), going through HMP (8:00/m) and ending with 10KP (7:30/m). I would do all your remaining mileage at 9:30/m (don't be tempted to run faster). A couple of months of that would have you as fit as a butcher's dog ***.

    *** assuming you are able to handle this weekly mileage.

  • LPJR wrote (see)
    Secondly Jake mentioned how poor his phone app was for recording time/distance. Is a Garmin a worthwhile purchase or am I fine sticking with Endomondo.

    Cheers.

    The garmin is my best purchase ever image Used in conjunction with a HRM strap the information can be invaluable, you can see fitness improving run by run. There is an app for your pc/ laptop that downloads all workouts from the watch and presents the data in any number of ways for analysis. I paid £135 for watch and HRM (garmin 305) and feel it was worth every penny. Not a workout I have used yet, but the ability to be able to do heart rate based workouts seems very useful as posters have mentioned earlier in the thread.

  • Thanks to all for the advice and encouragement, I am definitely goint to introduce some interval type sessions into my training.  I am with JakeUK on the Garmin.  I purchased a 410 recently (I know loads of people don't like the bezel) and it really is a brilliant purchase.  With the HRM and the virtual partner feature it is a great training tool.

    I have about 4 weeks to prepare for a 10mile event now, so I will be trying out a lot of your advice to get my pace a bit quicker.

  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭

    Bones ... as mentioned above by Andrew Jones, you're probably better off doing a longer tempo run than starting intervals. Something  like he suggested or else something like I mentioned for LPJR above ... but based on your own race pace (23 for 5K), so MP = 8:35/m, HMP = 8:10/m and 10KP = 7:40/m. You should be able to hit 8/m for your 10M race.

  • Cheers Dan, I think as you say I will work on some tempo stuff rather than intervals for now.  The target times you put above are pretty close to where I am at - they are certainly what I am targeting.  I think I need to increase my training mileage as I am only hitting about 25miles per week at the moment.  I did 11 miles this morning at an 8:40 avg.  

    I am going to head over to a local athletics club on Monday night to give it a go.

  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭

    11M at your "MP" is a tough run based on a 25M week - that would be a "quality" session rather than your long run. Keep your long run down at about 9:30/m in order to improve your aerobic capacity and your durability. Also, your long run is too long based on a 25M week. 7-8M @ 9:30/m  is probably more sensible at your current stage ... but as you build up the weekley mileage, this can get longer (but not faster - unless your race pace is getting faster).

    Based in Moraghan's thread (see below), you could devise a 28 mpw schedule based on:

    Long: 8m easy
    Q1: 2m easy + 2m quality + 0.5m easy
    Q2: 2m easy + 3m quality + 0.5m easy
    Easy: 6m
    Easy: 4m

    All your easy runs should be at 9:30/m, with only the 5 "quality miles" at 8:35/m (or a bit faster). Moraghan describes how to safely get to the stage of 2 weekly quality sessions in the 2nd post. Then after 4 weeks, you can increase the mileage.

    Dr.Dan wrote (see)
    Moraghan's  first 3 posts are very useful for planning how to fit in sessions with mileage ... here:
    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/training/training-for-the-right-distance/166480.html

     

  • Well I am absolutely, totally and utterly at rock bottom today. Have trained so hard for Chester HM, ran 2:04 for 13.1 in training two weeks ago in the driving rain not giving it all. Felt confident of < 2:00 in todays Cheter HM. Wifey and children came with me, booked in Travel lodge, and was struck down with a bug, children first then me, up all night, was determined to do the race. What a stupid and irresponsible decision, was the toughest 2:20 of my life, was so ill I can't remember the first half of the course, second half was done in 12 minute miles, totally stupid. Learned a massive lesson today, it's pointless and irresponsible to run when poorly.

  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭

    Must be something about Chester ... my son came down with a fever (including nightmares & hallucinations) the night before the 1st Chester marathon in 2010 ... I was up all night (we were sharing a room) and I had a horrendous run the next day.

    Learning experience ... you will return!

  • Thanks Dan,

    I think having read some of this information I have fallen into a bit of a bad habit of running all my training at too high a pace.  I think I tend to run at 8:30 - 9:00 instead of running a biut easier.  I have tended to compare myself to the pace my brother-in-law runs at and do similar as we are the same age.  The difference is he has been running 6 years and has much faster race pace.  He also does a lot of Ironman events.  I think I need to sit down and re plan my training schedule to get it all a bit more structured.

  • A strange coincidence, Dr Dan! Maybe we could lock the kids in the garden shed for a week prior to future races? image

    Having had the race from hell @ Chester, looked for another HM in a few weeks to slay the spectre and only local offering was the Humber Bridge HM; http://www.humber-half.org.uk/

    Doesn't sound like the ideal race for smashing the 2:00 barrier due to possible scorching temps and cardiac hill but it could be a character building route image

  • Jake... really sorry to hear about your illness. But when you look forward to something so much... and put all that good training in. It's hard to say "no". I hope you find another HM to run soon. 

  • Re Humber half marathon. It go's past where i work. I think the only flat bit is the bridge, very hilly course.

    Bad luck on your Chester HM btw. I'm sure its only a matter of time before you smash the 2hr mark.

  • Hey Jake, how's it going a week after Chester? You feeling okay.



    Edinburgh marathon for me, next Sunday. Tunnel 10k 2 weeks after that.



    Bones1969... Re plans... I read a good quote the other day.

    I'm very flexible on my plan, and also do 2 rest days even during marathon training... Currently 3 runs, 4 max a week, plus circuit & a speed strength class.



    "No plan survives first contact" (ie... Always need altering)..."it's a flexible plan not a prescription".



    Lots of people seem to think, they stick to a particular plan to the letter, then they can do that time... But maybe push themselves too hard, and actually not capable of the time.
  • FRC, happy with post Chester training, 30 miles banked, 52:01 10k on thurs, 24:31 parkrun on Sat. Looking at the predictor web page, should be able to run < 2:00 HM but the Hull race looks a toughie, particularly if it's as warm as previous years! Do you have any upcoming races?

    Really enjoying the running club, if anyone reading is considering joing a local club, I could not recommend it highly enough.

  • I just did my first ever half marathon (in training) 1:39:50. Thats twice as far as i've ever run, previously 10k. Quite pleased tbh. My strategy (if thats what you call it) was to set off at an easy pace, then just keep going. The longer distances are as much in the mind as the body.

    The RW predictor was pretty accurate from my 10k time, it was only a minute out on the HM.

  • Jake , see second line of my post image



    I race Sunday... That 26.2 thing. I forget. Little trot.
  • Paul, well done.

    I forget, are you doing this at a club or on own?

    You should be training slower than race pace, to take it easier on your body, lower chance of injury but still get benefits.



    You always go faster on the day itself.



    And half training, some plans do the race distance 13.1m.. Others (most?) do not. Jumping from 10k to 21k in one go, can be dangerous. Rest this week a bit, kick back for 3-4 days or only easy runs.



    You don't want to overtrain. Train to race, don't race your training.
  • Oops FRC, Monday never my best dayimage Good luck for Sunday, we have some friends doing the Edinburgh half marathon. You looking for a pb? From the stuff I have read they claim Edinburgh is the fastest course in the country image

     That's an impressive HM training time, Paul! Would be very chuffed to clock those numbers, one day, one day...

     

  • Thanks for the comments, i'm certainly feeling it today.

    FRC, i run on my own, around my shifts and yes, i am having a few days to recover.

     

  • 1:59:36 image Managed to crack the two hour barrier in the Sheffield half yesterday, to say I am over the moon would be an under statement, absolutely delighted after the recent nightmare at Chester. Enjoyable race, with fantastic local support in parts, without doubt helped improve my performance. Thank you to every person out there cheering, shouting, playing music you helped to make the morning very memorable. I think the wife was happy to get out of the house to work today, she is running talked out for a good while now!

  • Also-ranAlso-ran ✭✭✭

    Well done Jake, after feeling at rock bottom after Chester it must feel all the more better. How was the heat during the race as it was pretty warm/hot across most of the UK.

  • cheer, A-r.

    The heat was not too bad, tried to mentally prepare for the worst. Around some of the route, it was possible to run in the shadows of buildings / walls etc. I took my own water bottle in a round the wasit strap thing, and would not hesitate to do so again, the crowding at water stations was quite bad at times.

    I'm thinking improvement in times will be far more gradual from now on.

  • Well done Jake,how did the race go. Was it steady pace all round, or good start and hanging on at the end?

  • Well done Jake on getting under 2 hours. What was your actual time? And what is your next target?

  • Paul, started off a bit too quick, three sub 9 min miles, 8:30 upwards, then steady around 9 min miles until final 3 miles and was all over the place! I guess running a steady pace throughout a race comes with experience? I'm envious of the guys who can run a certain pace without looking at their watches every few seconds!

    Valencia marathon end of November, Nick image Not sure what time to aim for atm, going to up mileage over the next few months and see how things pan out. Do you have any targets for the year?

     

  • Just realised you ran 1:59:36 Jake. That was close! I'm sure if you had run a bit slower at the beginning, you would have gone even faster. 

    I hope to run the Robin Hood in Sept when I get back from NZ. I just want to break 2 hours this year...image

  • Well done on the sub 2 hour Jake, really good effort.

    Bouncing back above spam hope you don't mind image

  • Also-ranAlso-ran ✭✭✭
    Just finished the Wales Marathon in 3:02. Really pleased as I was going for sub 3:15 for a Good For Age time. It was the Wales Marathon, really hilly and was almost soul destroying towards the end.

    I will be sticking to Half Marathons for the rest of the year, and hope to do VLM next year
  • Good luck with the Robin Hood, Nick. If this old geezer can do two hours, you can smash it image

     

    3:02 is the stuff of dreams for me! That gets you a GFA entry for VLM, Also-ran?

     

    A buddy I run with occasionally has thrown down the guantlet for Leeds 10k in July, was constantly goading me yesterdy saying he would bury me timewise image He is ten years my junior, but by heck I'm going to train like a lunatic to try and beat him...

  • Im quite a new runner too, im 34 and my 3rd half I done in under 2hrs. I see absolutely no reason you cant do the same in 6 months. Sub 1:30 as someone else said is a different ball game however with the right training motivation and LOADS of practice I think its possible.  Once your under 2 aim at 1:50 then I believe every minute after that is going to get harder and harder to shave off.

     

    Good luck 

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