How much racing do you think is advisable leading up to a half-marathon?

FWIW I'm planning on doing 70-80 MPW during up weeks depending on what my coach lets me do (been at 70 for a year, 80 sounds fun, but if he thinks that's too much I'll listen to him) and backing off during race weeks. The one thing I have no idea how to do is approach the week following, say, a 15 miler in the middle of my training. I got hurt last year taking it too hard after a 10 miler.

How are those races spread out - and how close are the longer races to the goal HM? Are you planning to all-out race the long ones or treat some of them as long tempo workouts? Those long races may take 10 days-2 weeks recovery if you go all out, during which you'd have to compromise on your workouts.

I have no self-control. No matter what I tell myself going into a race, I give it everything. So unfortunately it's either let myself go all out or don't enter the race.

It'd look something like:

1. off/XT

2. just some easy running

3. more running, maybe a tempo or two but nothing too fast

4. up

5. up

6. down + 10M

7. up

8. ? + 5K (my boyfriend and I could win the couple's race and I really want to give it a shot, but no idea what to do with my week if I do it)

9. up

10. down + 15M

11. up

12. up

13. up

14. down + 20K

15. up

16. up

17. up

18. down + 5K

19. up

20. down + goal half

The long races are on Saturdays which at least means I could take the Sunday after totally off or do something very easy. And I do have some self-control in workouts, at least if I show up and say outright "I just raced so I'm going back a group" then I'll stick to what I said.

But yeah, I don't want to be stupid, and really I want to run a fast half, and if I need to throw away some of these races to do that then I will.

I'd like to mention that there are also 10K and 15K options for the 10M and 20M, but they are not supposed to be very good. I would be totally alone if I ran the 10K. The 10M and 15M are much more competitive. But if I'm doing the 20K, and the stretch I'm most worried about is following the 15M, I might be able to do the 15K instead.

That looks like decent spacing. You won't be able to do the same workouts the week after those races, but those long race efforts will also build strength for the goal HM.

If anything it's the distances of those races that seems hard, not the frequency. But even still it doesn't seem bad at all. If they were 5ks and 10ks you could do them every 2-3 weeks.

I managed to run two sub 2:09s for the marathon on a heavy racing schedule. Race a lot to replace workouts. That simple. If you feel good after a race, do some repeats or a hard tempo after then take the day off the next.

what is your 10km PR xenonscreams?

what is your 10km PR xenonscreams?

Definitely avoid the 15M race. I'm not a big fan of overdistance racing in preparation for a half marathon. I'd rather see more 10K races as ones that might not be quite as taxing during the buildup, but that's just me.

xenonscreams wrote:

I know people have different opinions on this, but I'm wondering what you guys think.

I just started my break so naturally I can't stop thinking about how to approach my next season which is going to end in a half. There are five races I really want to do leading up to the half (which is 20 weeks from now) but I have a feeling that's a little overly-ambitious. Two are 5Ks are three are longer races (10M, 15M, 20K). It's too late to call my coach and I already emailed him about something else so I'm posting on LRC to get some thoughts going.

I won't bother with the other 11 responses so far because I am too lazy, but also because I don't want to be biased by the generally ignorant input of others.

When will your break end? What kind of mileage have you proven you can handle and anticipate averaging?

I don't know the order of these guild-up races but I'm thinking a 20K or 10-miler 12 weeks out as a fitness check to hone the workouts you should be doing would be good, then a 15-miler 9 weeks to go as a hard cut-down (first 5 ay marathon effort, next 5 at maybe 13.1M-to-30K effort, last 5 working down from 13.1M to 10K/15K effort), then a 10M or 20K 6 weeks out (whichever of the two you did not do 12 weeks out), then finally a 10K three weeks out and a 5K for kicks the weekend before the half when you're on gresher legs. With this kind of schedule your need for VO2 Max intervals is minimal but non-negligible, like stuff ranging from 10 x 400 at a little below 5K pace w/ 75% rest to 3 x 1,600 at 5K pace w/ 2:30 rest, maybe two of those each three weeks, Three long runs of 14 to 16 miles at a moderate pace in this cycle. First !6 weeks of the cycle, no focus on formal workouts but don't neglect 100m or so strideouts for basic neuromuscular recruitment of FT fibers and running economy preservation. Running a variety of paces in the last 6 weeks before the goal day is vital. Good luck and I hope this is something you can coalesce into a workable plan if it makes sense to you -- you strike me as an ambitious, positive and no-bullshit racer around here and that's a rare and refreshing treat in LRC-land.

smallfry wrote:

what is your 10km PR xenonscreams?

Slow. I've only raced one and it was when I had severe food poisoning... high 39... I wanted to drop out so badly

I'd love to do another 10k, the problem is Seattle really lacks good 10k races.

i crapped my pants at the end of a 10k road race, in front of the finish line where hundreds of people were standing. it was the worst experience of my life. it wasn't just a squirt either.....i was wearing small runners shorts, with no underwear, so the **** was running down my legs. not to mention, the smell made a few other runners gag as they ran past me.

i felt fine for most of the race, but at about 8k, i started to feel sick. i figured i could get through the last 2k, but i was wrong. as soon as i picked it up to try and kick in, i started crapping all over and i couldn't stop. i slowly came to a stop about 50 ft from the finish line and tried as hard as i could to stop shitting. i walked very slowly to the side of the road, and people scattered as i stepped under the ropes to try and make it to the port-a-johns. i never finished the race, and i didn't run for months after. that was 6 years ago, so i'm pretty much over it, but i haven't run many races since then. i still get a hard time about it, and i have recieved many comments from strangers about it, like "you must have used every bit of energy you had because you weren't even able to hold your anus closed for 30 more meters" and "hey, you crapped your pants at that race".

i never ate eggs as a pre-race breakfast again. that was messy. it wasn't fun trying to wipe the **** off my legs with a mostly used roll of 1-ply toilet paper either. i looked like i had a tan on my legs from the smeared poop after i got out of the john an headed for my car.

i wouldn't have posted this if anyone here knew my name. thank goodness for anonymous posts.

So basically the only thing that's out of place is the 5K I want to do with my boyfriend for the sake of winning (it's total time between a couple, and last year it was 36, which we should be able to beat no problem). So maybe I will plan around the other races and not think about that one until last-minute if I feel good. Or something. I mean it's only a 5K, but when I race, I race hard, especially if there's something I can possibly win.

As far as the 15M go LRC seems about as torn as I am so that's something I'mma bring up when I feel like it's time for me to bug my coach without him thinking I'm as type-A and crazy as I actually am.