Sub 1:30 Half Marathon Training

same here. I broke 1:30hm in a sunday run, wasnt even a planned time trial, just a chill day and decided to go for it.

No athletic talent at all, i am a couch potato from high school to college. 55 miles per week is how i get there, no training plan, just mianly easy, and some tempo whenever i feel like it.

Probably a lot of people can break 1:30 with less mileage. But I just dont get the notion of seeing mileage as a limiting factor. If you hate running, it is not worth persuing. 1:30 is not a time you can brag about.

Thanks. I enjoy running every other day and going for a 3/5-mile run. It relaxes me. I feel awesome afterwards and it's healthy. I just get bored going for a long-run at easy pace and running 1.5-2 hours. It just gets repetitive. I don't plan to run as much as you at this stage of my life, but it would be cool to be able to have a goal like breaking 1:30hm (even if it's nothing special).

Another week in the bag. This week I did 22 miles.

Tuesday: 1.5 miles warm-up, 4x1k repeats at 4:10 km pace or 6:42 mile pace, 1 miles warm down. Felt a bit lacting on the 4th repeat and 4th one was very hard.

Wednesday: 3 miles easy (around 10 mins per mile)

Saturday: 6 miles easy (a bit faster). According to my garmin (160bpm out of a max of about 200) it seems like my aerobic threshold is around 9:10-9:15 per mile.

Sunday: 8 miles easy (around 10 minutes per mile).

Will try to build up to 24-25 miles this week, mostly easy miles again.

Keep us updated, this is a good thread. A lot of basic or beginner LRCers or newer runners are in the 1:25-1:40 range for 13.1. Useful tips!

Even the newbs knew to avoid the wizardry we get from time to time. When I see new LRC posters know what's going on, I just say, "How Swede it is!" :)

A year later I am back for the same race.
Background:
did not do much over the last 10 months (maybe average 10-12 miles a week).
Picked it up the last 2.5 months with the goal of running sub 1:37
This was my training:

Week 1:
11,5k run at 5:11 pace, progression down to 4:50
8,5k slow
13k at 5:38 pace steady

Week 2:
10k: 4 WU, 3 at 4:35k (1:37 pace HM), 3 WD
10k: slow (6:10 pace)
15k long run: 5,54/km pace

Week 3:
7k at 6,25/k pace
9,2k at 6,17/k pace
10k: 2k WU (6:20-6:30), 4K at 4:25 pace (i remember being at like 90%), 4k slow (like 6:20-6;30 pace)
17k long run: a bit of a progression: 5:30/k average down to 4:45 (5k below 5)

Week 4:
9k at 6:20/k pace
11,5k: 2,5k warm up (6,20/k pace), 5x1k at 4'13'' with 3 minutes standing/jogging (i remember the last 2 were very hard), 2,5k warm down (6,20/k pace)
17,7k long run: 5,49 pace pretty steady
8,9k slow run at 6,23

Week 5:
8,9k with 6x800 at 4'24 pace (felt easy of a work out), the rest was easy jogging. Wasn't meant to do this work out but for some reason garmin didnt update any work out.
8,7k slow at 6,25/k pace
10k at 5,30/k pace
11,6k at 5,34/k pace (meant to go at 6,10/k pace but was cold)
15k long run: progression down to 3k at 4'40/k, average pace 5:20/k
the following 3 weeks I had a family emergency and couldn't train that much

Week 6:
12k: 5x1500m 1 minute rest at 4:21/k average, felt solid.
9,7k slow around 6:10
19,6k progression run to 4:40 average 5,18 (felt hard at the end) - no gels or anything

Week 7
2 9k slow run around 5:58 - felt like my aerobic threshold improved, kept both runs at around 145bpms/never above 150. My max on garmin is around 198-200. I ran last year's half marathon in 1:43 at 179 average with last 10k went up to 184.

Week 8
10k progression run average 4:53 down to 4:15 last k
10k slow at 6/k
18k run at like 5:40 average, bit of progression but not intense

Week 9
8k slow at 6/k
13k run with 3x3k 1 minute standing rest average 4:18/k (felt very tough)
10k slow at 6/k
21.2k long run at 5,16/k, progression down to 4:35k at k 17/18 with 4/5kms around 4:45 pace. Used 2 gels, felt hard at the end but manageable (no cramps or anything and i could have ran the day after)

Week 10 (current week) - got a pair of supershoes from parents as a gift
7.5k slow run at 5:40 per k (still below 145 BPMS) in super shoes (first time trying them)
Today - 14.5k run with 2x5k 1 minute standing rest in super shoes at 4:08 average per km (felt better than when i ran 3x3k - i was very tired at the end but not dead.
My plan is to start tapering now as the race is next sunday.

Should I still shoot for 1:37 or should I shoot for a little bit less? Could you also give me advise on how to taper/what runs still to do.

Probably shooting for 1:34 is prossible?

Is the race this Sunday (in 3 days) or Sunday next week (in 10 days)?

It looks like your training has picked up, especially with the long progression runs. Some of that looks really nice. I'd be tempted to say run 1 or 2 more times a week and if you need to do a long run once every 2 weeks instead of weekly to do that, then that's ok. But I'm used to 5-10K training more than HM.

Did you not run the HM in March this year you were talking about at the start of the thread?

i just apply for races. marathons or ultras. you don't feel like quitting when you're running a race like you would running around a track near your house. only problem can be running too fast rather than treating it like a training run; you get caught up in the atmosphere.

Race is Sunday 26/11 in Milan (fast)

I am happy with my training apart from those 3 weeks, but there was no way around it. I tried to limit myself to 4 runs a week maximum, although I could have squeezed another one in, but did not want to risk and get injured.

My plan is to run:

Friday 17th, 7-8k slow

Saturday, 18th, 16.5-17k slow-to-medium

Monday 20th: 10k, 7k slow and 3k at HMP

Wednesday 22nd: 10k, 8k slow and 2k at HMP

Saturday 25th: 4k super slow in supershoes

Sunday 26th: Race

I did not run the HM in March as my job did not allow me to train back those days, but am now freelance and therefore can manage my schedule. I ran 10-12 miles a week over the last year, before this training block.

1) I do not know what my HMP should be. At the beginning of the block I was training for 1:37 without being nowhere near in 1:37 shape. I remember running 4k at 4:25 pace and I was thinking "this is my 5k pace basically" (and that was week 3). HMP for sub 1:37 is 4:36/km, but yesterday I ran back-to-back 4:08/4:07 5Ks with 1 minute rest and at the end of the second one I was feeling the same that at the end of the 4k at 4:25/k pace, like I still had something in me. Therfore, my question is whether I should shoot for something more aggressive like 1:34-1:35.

2) what are your thoughts on my taper. Is a taper even needed on this kind of mileage?

Completely agree with this. Races are a different horse: no headphones and just pushing through pain and getting by on adrenaline.

Compared to when I wrote that post, I now can run for longer without getting super bored. I have found some interesting podcasts. I still get bored the few times I have run over 1 hour and 30 minutes, but 1h-1:20 minutes is now fine.

Go out for a 15K Time Trial. If you can comfortably run 15K under 1:10:00 then on race day you should be able to run your Half marathon (race effort) close to your goal time.

Is it possible for you to run 40 mpw consistently? When I was about your age I ran a 1:18 on a VERY hilly course on a very hot August evening and I was doing about 50 mpw.

I think extra mileage alone would help you reach your goal.

I don't even think you need a very long, long run- maybe 11-13 miles.

And keep it simple- 400's and 800's at 1/2 marathon goal pace.

When I ran my HM PB of 1:29:00 on the dot, this was after an entire year (all of 2022) of averaging 30-40 miles a week. After that foundation was built, I had a few peak weeks at 45-55 miles, and in particular two peak weeks in a row of 50+ miles. After this, I knew the hard work had been done, and I tapered for 5 days, and then ran my 1:29.

For context, I try to run 1500 total miles for the calendar year. I ran over 1500 total miles in 2021, 2022, and it looks like I am projected to run right around 1700 total miles in 2023.

Moral of the story, run a little more each month. Stack months on months of consistent running. There is no "off season" for marathoners. Set a yearly target (mine was 1500 yearly miles) and then figure out your race calendar, which will determine your periodization/down months, and then on the months where you are building volume, really stay disciplined and stack those big months on top of one another. After a solid year of consistency (Fall 2024 for you) you should be able to smash your HM PB SIGNIFICANTLY!

PS, to be very confident in yourself at the HM distance, you MUST do hard workouts that exceed the 13.1 distance. During my build up for my 1:29, I ran two separate "2-hour runs" both at a fairly steady pace. I hit 15-16 miles, and during each of these long runs, when I crossed mile 13 right around 1 hour 43 minutes, I knew a sub-90 minute half was possible for me on race day.

Thanks a lot. My half is next sunday (16th of November). What pace should I keep based on my workouts in your opinion?
How should I taper?
I fully agree that to go sub 1:30 I will need to keep training and up my mileage/long runs, but I need advice on how to pace properly for my race, based on my training. I don't think I have time for a 15k 1:10-effort with 10 days to go. However, I am comfortable that I can run that (wouldn't that be too taxing on my body?). The thing is I am not quite sure whether I should go for something faster than 1:37, which was what I originally trained for, based on my later work outs. What do you think?

Thanks Runn. I guess I posted under the original post. I did not end up training properly and I am currently not in sub 1:30 shape. I am currently running a half next sunday and my original goal was sub 1:37, but I am not sure whether I am in better shape (I think so). My later post is #27

Is there any way to specifically block OP so that I never have to see his threads again?

Go out at 7:30 min/mile and progress from there. If you get to 15K and feel strong, kick on and push the last 5K. I think a 1:37 is possible but don't start too fast.

Taper is unique to each individual. If your race is this upcoming Sunday, then I would start the taper immediately, today. Maybe only lightly jog (30 mins max) today and Friday. Completely rest on Saturday, race Sunday.

Thanks, was more or less what I was thinking. I was thinking to go out 7:23-7:25 and then adjust.

Race is sunday the 26th sorry. Should i do some more hard work or just easy easy miles?