Will doing 25 minutes at tempo pace (meaning 20 secs slower than 5k pace)
Will doing 25 minutes at tempo pace (meaning 20 secs slower than 5k pace)
Hit post too quick...
Will doing 25 minutes at tempo pace (meaning 20 secs slower than 5k pace) benefit someone training for a half marathon?
yes.
20 sec slower per mile pace?
No matter, I think fast hard repeats of 800 are good for the HM. Whatever works for 10k pretty much translates to the HM.
What is your goal time?
MarathonMind wrote:
20 sec slower per mile pace?
No matter, I think fast hard repeats of 800 are good for the HM. Whatever works for 10k pretty much translates to the HM.
What is your goal time?
Yes, 20 secs per mile slower. Once a week I have been doing 25 minutes, maybe a little longer, at that pace.
I am a 45 yo guy and am shooting for a 1:34:xx time in April.
Personally I would extend the length of your threshold runs. Dr Daniels/Coe and Martin etc suggest an optimum length of 40-45 mins threshold sessions (sometimes longer for elites). I find a key HM session for me is 2 x 20 mins or 3 x 15 mins at Dr Daniels T pace off 3 mins recovery.
I also think those sessions are great. Another option is cruise intervals at LT pace - something like 6 x 6 mins with 1 min rest. I tend to do these at about 10 mile race pace or slightly faster.
I'm actually writing a schedule for a half-marathon right now. I'd suggest backing off a bit more and going a little longer...say 30 minutes and finish with some long strides after the tempo run. 25 min. is good but so is 20 min. Why not maximize your effort with an extra 5 minutes at threshold pace? My 2 cents.
Just for clarification, "Half Thonster" is not "1/2 thon."
tigranya wrote:
I'm actually writing a schedule for a half-marathon right now. I'd suggest backing off a bit more and going a little longer...say 30 minutes and finish with some long strides after the tempo run. 25 min. is good but so is 20 min. Why not maximize your effort with an extra 5 minutes at threshold pace? My 2 cents.
That is what I have been thinking, adding a little time on the end and going up to 30 minutes.
I like this same workout but rather than have an easy warmup before the tempo portion. I'll run at regular distance pace for say 30 minutes or maybe 35 minutes on an out-and-back run and then at the turn around come back at tempo pace.
Is this standard? I feel like this stresses my endurance systems (whatever that is) and then tempo run stuff in the same run.
It's all good, as long as you run lots (whatever that means for you) of miles, run hard enough to stress yourself, and recover sufficiently.
But for me as a 39 year old, I found running longer slower tempos (40-70 minutes around marathon pace with some work between MP and HMP too) did a hell of a lot more for my half marathon time than the shorter tempos.
I like to do some run play with intervals like 10 min @ goal pace, 5 min ez, 10 min @ goal pace, 5 min ez, and so on... Good pace work, and you get a long run in if you do enough of them. Its always good to try and make the 10 min intervals faster as you get more fit.
Simple enough. Just run a 12 to 14 miler every week and close it out with 4 to 5 miles progressively faster.
In your case that would be opening in 8:30 or so, running most of it 8:00 to 7:30, and closing in 7:00, 6:50, 6:40, 6:30. An 'easy' run you would not close faster than 6:50. But you should be used to running 7:00 and slightly faster if you want to meet your goal. That is why you should do the 800's once a week as well- get used to 7:00 pace by running 3:20-3:30 800's and resting. You'll get very economical at those speeds so that the goal HM pace seems effortless. Ideally you should run your 800's at 3:15 (5k pace- up to 10 reps. An 800 (4:00) rest being acceptable, but a 600 rest (3:00 min) is ideal.
50 miles total/week should be a goal too.
When is your race?
MarathonMind wrote:
Simple enough. Just run a 12 to 14 miler every week and close it out with 4 to 5 miles progressively faster.
In your case that would be opening in 8:30 or so, running most of it 8:00 to 7:30, and closing in 7:00, 6:50, 6:40, 6:30. An 'easy' run you would not close faster than 6:50. But you should be used to running 7:00 and slightly faster if you want to meet your goal. That is why you should do the 800's once a week as well- get used to 7:00 pace by running 3:20-3:30 800's and resting. You'll get very economical at those speeds so that the goal HM pace seems effortless. Ideally you should run your 800's at 3:15 (5k pace- up to 10 reps. An 800 (4:00) rest being acceptable, but a 600 rest (3:00 min) is ideal.
50 miles total/week should be a goal too.
When is your race?
The race is April 12.
I do a run every week of 11-15 miles. I have been running that slower than I probably should be, but do increase the pace a bit for about 4 of those miles.
I have not been doing any speed work, but have given some thoughts to adding a day of 800s or a second tempo run.
I will bump this. I think it is interesting.
I used to do a lot of 2 X 20 w/ 4 min. break. More recently I've gone to 30, 40 (on the track; not as mentally tough as I expected), and 50, and those have gone pretty well.
That said and while all this advise is useful, I suggest you pick up a copy of Daniels' Running Formula to figure how all the various workouts work together.
Good luck.