when best to do final long run with fast miles built in for half marathon? 3 weeks, 2 weeks or 1 week out from race?
should last two weeks be light or shorter workouts or keep long tempos or hard running?
when best to do final long run with fast miles built in for half marathon? 3 weeks, 2 weeks or 1 week out from race?
should last two weeks be light or shorter workouts or keep long tempos or hard running?
Last two weeks should be whatever makes you feel fast, confident and recovered. You can't build fitness that will impact your race during those two weeks, you can only get more confident or screw things up. Reduce overall mileage and volume of reps and intervals. Do some shorter quicker stuff and a touch of race paced stuff. But you don't need 5 or 6 mile repeats at marathon pace two weeks out - 3 or 4 to get used to ge pace is enough.
makes sense what Smoove has recommended. any example workouts to use? long runs over final 2 weeks or so?
As to long runs, it depends on what you've been doing, whether you have a subsequent race on the calendar, etc. if you've been hitting 16 milers regularly instead of 12 milers, them you might go 12 two weeks from race day and 8-12 a week from race day. If you have a marathon 4 months from your half, you might go 14 and 12. Personally, I'd probably go 12 two weeks out and 10 a week out.
As to workouts, two weeks out I might do some cruise miles at tempo pace. Say 4 x 1 mile at tempo pace with 1:00-1:15 rest. If you've been incorporating regular speed work, you might do a set of 3 x 200 before and after the miles, with plenty of rest between the 200s and miles. Say 3 x 200 at mile race pace with 400 jog recovery; 4:00 rest; 4 x 1 mile at tempo pace with :60-:75 rest; 4:00 rest; 3 x 200 at mile race pace with 400 jog recover.
Last week might be some strides followed by 3 x 1 mile at half marathon pace with some strides before and after.
Both workouts are intended to get you ready for race day - getting a little turnover, settling into a comfortably hard race pace, then finishing crisp.
Sometimes I like to do 8 x 400 as my last workout or next to last workout just to make race day pace feel really easy and relaxed. The key there is to get plenty of rest (4:00) and not overdo the 400s and leave your race on the track. Which without you do is a matter of personal preference and strengths. But if I decided to do the 400s the last week, I'd do the miles at half marathon pace in place of the tempo miles. Those ones are reasonably close enough for most people hat it doesn't make much of a difference though.
I ran a decade pr and had done a 18 miler the week before. That was a 6 mile jump on a single run for over a year. I was worried about it being to much but during the race I was flying.
But would you recccomend that as a good idea for others?
First time I ever won a college race, I was hungover from a big night out the night before (it was a crappy duel meet during winter break). I wouldn't leave others with the impression that this had anything to do with my win (I credit that to some 5' 5", 180 pound kid from Union College being the second best guy in the race), or that it was really a viable alternative at all.
ok guys. was going to do another 6 mile tempo pace with sum easy miles as I did that the last two Tuesdays. but u seem to be recommending a shorter tempo.
18 mile long run was peak last Sunday with 4 miles at target pace. the rest all easy miles.
the half marathon is on a Saturday. next weekend there is local 5k on Saturday that I thought might be good to blast out for sum speed. but then my last long run would be on the Sunday. only 6 days before race. would it be better just do speed on Thursday and long on Saturday?
should Include any target pace miles on final long run?