Benchmarks for 1:25 Half

oinooiio wrote:

It's a wonderful life wrote:

That is a good sign. What feels like 6:40 pace in training is what 6:25 pace feels like on race day. I think you're on the right track.

I disagree

In what way?

exercise fizzzz wrote:

sub 65 minute 10 miler during training with not too many problems

A ten miler in under 65 minutes works out to about 1:25 pace. Doesn't 10 miles at race pace seem like a little much amigo?

RacingtheCantaloupe wrote:

PR of 1:24:49. It was probably the best race of my lifetime.

Before that, I had a 5k of 18:22 in a race a few months prior. Lifetime 5k PR is 17:47. I have to be a low-mileage guy because of injury so I topped out at 30 mpw, but did 25-30 for an entire summer before the 1:24.

For me, the key was to have gotten in some good 14-16 mile runs, then be very well-rested with some sharpening work. On a whim, I blasted a 5:37 mile on the track after a couple intervals 5 days before the race. I really worried I blew it... but then on race day my legs had tons of snap and running 6:30's felt like a breeze.

If you got your long runs in, cut the mileage, get fresh, and work in some speed.

Good luck!

Thanks Cantalope. Did you hit a bump late in the race, or was it relative smooth sailing. How much LT stuff were you doing before, and what pace?

Anyone else have any stories from the front line?

My best decision was going out slower than 1:25 pace. My original goal was to break 1:30, so I started at about 1:30 pace. I believed I was in 1:28 shape.

It was one of those times I was glad to have underestimated my fitness. By running the first three miles in 6:45's (with mile 1 at about 7:00), I set myself up to be in great shape over the last 10k. I was able to ratchet up the pace gradually. Had I gone out faster, I think I would have held up OK, but probably would have topped out at 1:26 or so.

I just looked back through my training logs, and I was amazed by how... average?... my training looked. I consistently got my long runs in and hit one faster workout per week. I had a foot issue pop up the last couple weeks so I had to taper dramatically. I think this helped me feel rested for race day, with the exception of my impromptu hard session several days before.

I was also incredibly psyched for the race. That's a variable that's hard to quantify. I just had a fire under my @ss.

If you've done a consistent dose of long runs over 10 miles, have sub 18:30 5k speed, and get a few shorter, sustained, hard efforts near race pace in, you've done what you can. My best decision was protecting my weekly long run at the expense of everything else.

I then went from this race to an attempt at sub-3:00 for the full marathon the next year, which I bombed. Running is funny that way.

Good luck!

Sorry, forgot about LT pace stuff. I did several quick longer workouts (sometimes in place of long run). Rather then fret about exact pace, I would go out and run a hard 45-60 minutes. The best of those I found I could roll at about 6:45 to 7:00 pace.

A few weeks out I did 10 miles where the last 8 were at 7:07 pace (first 2 easy warm-up).

I also did sporadic workouts like 4x5min at 10k pace with 5 min recovery.

Speedwork really beats up my legs so I am careful with it. I usually only did it once a week.

Did 4 x 5K in 20:27 - 21:06 (last one) with 2-3 minutes rest between each rep where I'd stretch lightly, have a drink, and make sure everything felt right. That was 10 days out and was my last key workout. Just some fartlek runs between that and the race as felt appropriate.

The race doesn't get really hard until about 50:00 into it. Between 50:00 - 70:00 was very difficult, but after that I knew it was in the bag.

Here's my running log entry, 3 days out from my first sub 1:25:

"2 miles easy, 5x5 minute tempos with 30 seconds rest, 2 miles easy. Had a really cut down session, legs not feeling great an only 2 days until race. Pace was good, probably too fast but wind at my back for most of it:

(6:02,6:17)

(6:13,6:16)

(6:15,6:24)

(6:14,6:23)

(6:16,6:30)"

I had a great race that day, was blazing hot and out of character I ran really strong the last few miles. Mileage was ~60 up and down, following Daniels program A. Strangely, I've always raced my best halfs in the middle of marathon training with little to no taper. Since ditching marathons and doing bigger tapers, I've stalled in my times (stuck on 1:22)

As others have said, the worst thing is to go out too fast in a half, once you go lactic it's usually a miserable slog to the end. You want to be coming in to mile 10 buzzing at the pace you are setting, and reel it in from there - at least that's what works for me.

Good luck!

slow 5k man wrote:

...

(6:02,6:17)

(6:13,6:16)

(6:15,6:24)

(6:14,6:23)

(6:16,6:30)"

..

Those are half mile averages for the workout - I went through this strange habit of setting my Garmin auto lap to half a mile. I can't remember why.

I ran 1:24 mid for my last half and pretty much did the same thing. Went out in 6:45 and kept the first few miles around 6:40. I was also in low 18 shape.

When I was building up for a BQ qualifier I was at about 45-50 mpw and along the way had my sights set on a sub-90 minute half. I was probably in 19:30 5k shape (had run a hilly 19:45 earlier that year).

Besides long runs of 12-14 miles I was up to about 6 Yasso 800's at 3:00-05 each. The great thing about 800 reps is you are running significantly faster than goal race pace and can learn good form, turnover etc... besides dealing with LT issues. The truly best thing about them is that you learn how to run for distance, conserving energy and taking your foot ever so slightly off the accelerator for longer runs. Come HM race day I was pretty finely tuned in to this and like a machine clicked off 6:49-6:50 for all 13 miles. Never deviated from pace at all, at the end I actually was 100% spent and for the first time ever pulled up just before, (instead of running through) the finish line. I can honestly say I could not have run faster that day.

I am also aiming for a 1:25 in two weeks. It may be a stretch, as I think I'm more of high 1:28 pace, but I'm hoping something clicks on race day.

I've been running 30MPW for about 20 weeks, with a max of 42. My longest run was 15, my best tempo was 8 miles total with an average of 6:38, and I did repeat miles several times 4x1 mile at 6:00.

The other comments in this thread suggest I may be able to hit the 1:25. My current PR is 1:32, but that was on much much less training than where I'm at today.

I think if you prepare an HM doing tempos at 6:40 and you race 6:25 you end up out of gas by mile 6/7, imo.

SMJO wrote:

oinooiio wrote:

I disagree

In what way?

I don't think he really said that was tempo effort though.

Based on his 5km time and the basic work he is putting in sub 1:25 should just be a formality.

Hopeful 1:25er wrote:

I am also aiming for a 1:25 in two weeks. It may be a stretch, as I think I'm more of high 1:28 pace, but I'm hoping something clicks on race day.

I've been running 30MPW for about 20 weeks, with a max of 42. My longest run was 15, my best tempo was 8 miles total with an average of 6:38, and I did repeat miles several times 4x1 mile at 6:00.

The other comments in this thread suggest I may be able to hit the 1:25. My current PR is 1:32, but that was on much much less training than where I'm at today.

Hey Hopeful 1:25er --- those 8 miles sound like a pretty good effort. Many people think 8 mile tt are pretty good HM predictors, and yours' is about 10 seconds above 1:25 pace. But if you've banked some training since, perhaps you're right where you need to be.

So it was in the 70's and really humid this morning in Boston, and I set out to do my last real quality session before the half, on May 25.

I ran 2 x 3 miles with about 5 minutes rest in between. The first block was at ~ 6:38/mile, and the second one was at 6:35/mile. They felt very sustainable, and I definitely could have done more.

While these were a bit slower than 1:25 pace, I'm feeling pretty good, since it was the most humid day of the year so far.

What do you guys think? How does this bode?

Sorry for the shameless bump, but wondering if anyone can cast light on my last post

Half is this weekend. Have basically been tapering in intensity and mileage the last 7 or so days

Anyone who can run 1:25 should be able to do that workout but there are also people who can do that workout but not run 1:25. A recent 10k race result or even a 5k is much more helpful information than a random workout.