Sub 1:10 Half Marathon Training

That 4 mile tempo show you are miles off, almost literally.

That was a nice 10k effort. I saw the times were blazing. Castille's time was pretty incredible.

I haven't set my goal yet for the Houston Half, but I will be 46 on race day, and I think trying to go sub 1:10 would be pretty unrealistic for me. I will race a couple of times in the next 12 days, running a Turkey Trot on Thursday and then the OUC Half a week from this upcoming Sunday. Those races should help me decide what a reasonable goal is.

I would like to break 1:11, but I won't make that decision quite yet. My workouts have started to get a bit sharper lately, which is a good sign. In the last 3 weeks, my workouts have been: 5 x 1000m at 3:05 with 3:00 active rest, 3 x 2 miles at 10:32-10:33 with 2:00 passive rest; 7 x 1600 at 5:19 average with 1:00 rest (starting at 5:23 and cutting down to 5:16), and 10 miles with 20 minutes of tempo effort (5:30 pace - I had done the 7 x 1600 workout two days earlier and was feeling a touch dead legged still)) squeezed in the middle. So my fitness, particularly for the 15k/half marathon is pretty good, but probably not where it needs to be for a sub 1:10 attempt.

His splits and post-tempo 400s indicate that he wasn't pressing, and his 10k time equates to a 1:11:0x in a week with two other workouts. I think you're way off base here.

I'll be at Houston shooting for a sub-1:10, but I usually angle for a negative split so I might be there with you (along with a lot of others, but still...)

Sounds, good. Maybe we can end up doing some work together. I might even try to get out a little on the aggressive side depending on how the 5k, half-marathon and a 15k that I might run mid-December go.

Check back in on this thread or shoot me an email:

bill@brooklynbornrunning.com

not a bad week. I agree the 10k is encouraging, especially since you now have 4 more weeks to get ready.

Question about Houston for those running: It says the HM is sold out. Any idea if they allow a late entry if I qualified for the the "athlete development program" (sub 1:13)? My HM is in a few weeks. My original time goal was 1:13, but I'm starting to think 1:11 or better is possible based on recent workouts. Houston has a much faster field and would be a fun race to shoot for a fast time if I could still get in.

Too late:

http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/participants/elites/

Too bad, it was open just a few days ago.

Not to hijack the thread, but I would like a 2nd opinion on my goal time based on my last few weeks workouts. I am pretty new to the HM and don't want to get my expectations too high.

5 weeks out:

6x1mi w/ 2:30 rest @ 5:06 avg

7 mile tempo @ 5:42 (hot and feeling sluggish)

14 mile LR w/ last 10 @ 5:55-6:00

Total 64 miles.

4 weeks out:

3200, 2400, 1600, 4x300 w/ long rest, 10:49, 7:47, 4:51, 51s. (roughly LT, 10k, 5k, 1mi pace, pretty moderate workout)

4x2mile w/ 2:00j rest @ 5:23 avg (perfect conditions, not a race effort but harder than a tempo)

15mi LR @ 6:35

Total 65 miles

3 weeks out:

5 mile tempo @ 5:19 (perfect conditions)

10 x400 in 71-72 (easy workout)

15mi LR @ 6:35

Total 52 Miles

Averaged 58 miles the last 10 weeks.

Well I was commenting on the first post.

His 10km us a lot better but shows something like 1:12.

Definetly getting done good training in although didn't get comment about not running many 10ks if running for so long?

@ukathleticscoach. I don't think this past tempo + 400s indicates that I'm miles off, but I still need more work, nonetheless. I've always focused on 5Ks or lower, so my training has reflected that. I've never cared to run longer distances, until now. Based on what the training I've been posting, do you have any advice or suggestions?

@Smoove, that's still a great time to shoot for. It seems like you're going to have plenty of people to run with. Your training looks solid and you still have a lot of time until the A race to continue to build fitness. Keep us updated on the upcoming races!

@1 2 3 green. Obviously, I'm no expert here, but I'd say you've done some decent workouts and long runs. The 14-mile LR and 5-mile tempo, and 4x2 mile seem like good efforts. Have you done any races lately to give you an indication on your fitness?

Following up on my last post, I managed a 15:41 5k on Thursday, which translates into a 1:11 high. That actually makes me somewhat optimistic about a sub 1:11 in part because I still have 7 weeks before my goal race, and in part because my training has been much more half marathon oriented than 5k oriented (although my experience seems to be that lots of people have good 5ks when training for the half or the marathon - I am still working on pinning down why that is). So if I am well rested and healthy, I may try to be a little aggressive on Saturday with my half-marathon. The only problem is that the race gets pretty thin up toward the front. We have had times as fast at 1:04 high and 1:05 in recent years, but 1:11 or so still ends up in the top 5, so you can imagine that there are some big gaps. Of course, if you came up north a few hours next Saturday, we could probably both have someone to run with for a while for an intermediate fitness test!

I still don't think 1:09:xx will be a reasonable goal for my goal race, but I do think going out at sub 1:11 pace will be a reasonable thing to do.

@Smoove. Pretty good effort! Were there any other fast runners at your Turkey Trot? Hopefully with another 7 weeks and a couple of more races, you can drop down to the low 1:10s. I would like to go up for a fast half to test out the waters, but there’s a fast 5K+ mile this upcoming Saturday I got comped for. Two guys who are doing it ran 31:23 and 32:22 at last Sunday’s 10K and ran 14:54 and 15:29 in a 5K yesterday. I’m using this race as a measuring stick to see how much I’ve improved from last month’s 15:49. I ran running with the 32:22 guy the entire race last week, so if he can break 15:30, then so should I, although, I haven’t really done any 5K training. Let us know how the half marathon goes this Saturday!

I didn’t have the greatest training this week and wasn’t successful with any workouts, but I’m chalking it up to a recovery week.

11/20-11/26:

M: 11 miles @ 7:05 pace

T: 12 miles @ 6:49 pace. Fartlek: 3 miles easy, 3 mins @ 5:35-5:40 pace, 1:30 rest, 1 min @ 5:00-5:10 pace, 1 min rest. Do this until mile 6, 1 mile rest, repeat fartlek at mile 7 until mile 10, then 2 miles easy. I got to about mile 8, had to stop for the bathroom, and couldn’t get my legs back to the pace once I started again. My hips tightened up and I just ran the rest of the run at an easy pace. I got to do 4x3mins and 4x1min hard before doing the rest of the run easy. In hindsight, I wasn’t ready to tackle on this effort after the 10K race 2 days prior and should’ve saved this effort for Wednesday.

W: 11 miles @ 7:27 pace

Th: AM – paced my girlfriend for Turkey Trot.

PM – 7 miles @ 7:27 pace. Total: 10 miles

F: 8 miles @ 7:16 pace

Sa: 16 miles @ 6:29 pace (new longest run). I attempted to run 4 miles easy, 3x2 miles @ 5:30-5:40 pace w/2:30 rest, 4-5 miles easy. I ran the first 4 @ 7:02 pace and when it was time to begin the repeats, my legs just couldn’t find the pace. I ended up scrapping the workout and just settled for a decently pace run.

Su: 8 miles @ 7:08 pace

Weekly total: 76 miles

As mentioned above, not the greatest training week, but I’m not too worried about it for now. I ran the most mileage I've ever have and I got the time on my feet. With the 5K this upcoming Saturday, I was thinking of two workouts this week, one today and one on Wednesday, so I could rest Thursday and Friday before the race. I wanted to do a decent effort today, like 5-6xmile with short rest and a lighter workout Wednesday, but I’m not sure if I should just play it safe today with a less structured workout, maybe an unstructured fartlek. Any thoughts on this considering how last week’s training went and the upcoming 5K Saturday?

I ended up in 2nd place, getting dropped by the winner by 5 seconds over the last .75miles or so after he sat on me the first 2.25. So if I had more in me, I had someone to go with, but I didn't have more in me.

Spencer's race? That should be a good one. I have considered that one as well, but it always conflicts with this half marathon. Should be a fast one, and based on your 10k, I think 15:30 is a pretty reasonable goal - it is in line with your recent 10k, and you finished that so strong that it was clear that you left a touch of time on the table.

As far as this week goes, it is a tough call. It would be nice to touch on 5k pace before racing, just to get used to the feel again, but that would have been better to do last week rather than this week since it can take a bit out of you. I would probably go with some cruise intervals at tempo pace in between some light sets of 200s. Maybe 3 x 200 at mile race pace with 200 jogs, a few mintues rest, 4 x 1 mile at 5:25 or so with 1:00 rest, then 3 x 200 again. The idea would be to continue to do workouts that will get you ready for your half (the 4 x 1 mile part), but to also get in a touch of work that is a bit faster so that 5k pace isn't so shocking to your system on Saturday (but not so much of that faster stuff that it takes much out of your before your race).

You're well-informed, as always lol! Yes, it's Spencer's race. Ethan has run it the last couple of years in a decent times, so he'll be someone to chase. I agree that it would've been better to have done the 5K effort last week, which was my plan, but the week just didn't go the way I had scheduled. After this week, I can focus on half-specific training for a few weeks since I won't have a race to interrupt the training. I'm probably going to adopt that version of the workout you mentioned. It seems like it would be easy enough, but still getting in a half marathon feeling. Thanks for the advice!

Nice race today. A good improvement over an already good performance at the 10k. Looks like you're progressing nicely and that taking that shot at 1:09:5x is starting to seem pretty reasonable.

Smoove wrote:

Nice race today. A good improvement over an already good performance at the 10k. Looks like you're progressing nicely and that taking that shot at 1:09:5x is starting to seem pretty reasonable.

Predicting a sub 1:10 seems like a stretch although not because I don’t think the fitness is there but rather because it appears that he does very little to no running at HM pace. How can you tell what shape he’s in. There’s an awful lot of 5:3x miles in there. Where’s the specific training? Race is soon no?

I had my doubts based on the threshold pace he was running, which I noted, but he has put up good races he last few weeks that indicate a trend that makes sub 1:10 reasonable, Including a low 15:20s 5k today. That's a mid 1:10 kind of effort if he can carry through equally well at he half. Not a lock, but things are trending well.

@heyyo: I admit that I've done little training at HM pace, but the fitness is slowly growing. I wish the tempos could have been faster, but for either wrong timing or bad weather, or lack of fitness, I just haven't been able to run in the 5:20s comfortably. With the way the races, long runs, and overall mileage have been progressing, I think I should have a good shot come Jan 14th at sub 1:10. The 10K and last 5K shows that I'm finishing races strong, which means I probably could've run a bit faster. But yes, you're right, some more HM-pace training is needed and would be a nice confidence booster as well. I figure I have 3-4 weeks of strong training and then start easing up.

@Smoove: nice 1:11 half marathon this past weekend! You almost hit your goal time. I'm guessing as low into the 1:10s is the goal come Jan 14th? Are you doing any other race or just training until the half? When will you begin your taper?

Here's how the week went:

11/27-12/3:

M: 2-mile warm-up, 4x200m @ mile pace w/200m jog rest, 4x1 mile @ half-marathon goal pace w/1min jog rest, 4x200m @ mile pace w/200m jog rest, 3-mile cool down. Splits: 34,34,33,34, 5:20, 5:20, 5:23, 5:20, 34, 33, 34, 34. Total: 10 miles.

T: 12 miles @ 7:11 pace.

W: Fartlek: 3.53-mile warm-up @ 7:19 pace, 1min on, 1 min off, 2 mins on, 2mins off, 3mins on, 3mins off, 2mins on, 2mins off, 1min on, 1min off. I jumped on this workout with Daniel Martin. The “ons” were supposed to 5K pace for the 1mins, not sure about the paces for the rest of the “ons.” The “offs” were supposed to be @ 6:00min pace. Splits: 1min @ 5:07 pace, 1min @ 6:23 pace, 2mins @ 5:06 pace, 2mins @ 6:02 pace, 3mins @ 5:23 pace, 3mins @ 6:15 pace, 2mins @ 5:07 pace, 2mins @ 6:31 pace, 1min @ 5:07 pace, 1min @ 6:00 pace. 1.79-mile cool down. Total: 8.5 miles

Th: 10 miles @ 7:16 pace.

F: 8 miles @ 7:16 pace.

Sa: 5K + mile race. 2.34-mile warm-up, 5K in 15:24 for 2nd place (new 5K road PR). Splits: (5:01, 5:03, 4:48, 0:32). 1.5-mile cool down, 1 mile race in 4:35 for 3rd place (1st 400 was 68, I don’t know the splits after that), 3-mile cool down. Good conditions and the course was decently fast. I spent the last 1.25 miles trying to run away from 3rd place, which helped keep the pace honest the last mile. Total: 10.84 miles

Su: 16 miles @ 7:03 pace. I wasn’t sure if it was smart to run a long run here, but I thought the easy pace would balance off the time on the feet. I’m planning to take another easy day of running before doing a workout Tuesday with the harder effort coming Thursday.

Weekly total: 75.34 miles

As always, thanks for the feedback and comments! I don't think I'll run another race until the half. I'll probably do a hard time trial effort 2-3 weeks out instead of a race and just focus on honing into HM pace more.

In my stalking of this thread, I missed that the race date had moved to Jan 14. That gives you about 6 weeks. Your workouts last week plus your races were really solid. It seems like you have the underlying fitness and could definitely go sub-1:10 if you can convert your 5k/10k times into a decent HM.

I personally prefer to do mainly specific work in the last month when training for the HM. Standard stuff like 6-8 x mile, 3-4x2mile, and 2x4mile etc. I usually do it progressive so that the reps are getting longer and longer. If I have the energy for a second workout each week, I'll do them but my weeks revolve around the specific days. I like to complete last hard specific workout about 10 days out.

Nice race SoFlo. Thanks for keeping us updated on your training. I like following along since our goals are similar. Speaking of predicting HM from 5k, my race report might of interest for another data point.

My Turkey Trot 5k was a solo 15:33 in perfect weather on a flat course (2nd was 17:00). I finished feeling strong, but it still knocked my confidence for the HM down a bit. With my lower mileage (60) and decent speed I figured a solo 5k would match up to a competitive HM using McMillan's calculator. So I would have liked a 15:10. 15:33 predicts a 1:12.

The HM was 10 days later and I ran 1:12:50. The course was fairly flat, with one good hill at mile 10. The weather was 65, 100% humidity, fog and mist. Despite my better judgment I still went out at 5:20 the first 2 miles, slowing to 5:25 thinking I would shoot for a 1:11. By 10k I hit a 5:35 and the writing was on the wall. The hill at mile 10 hurt bad, and rain showers the last 2 miles finished me off mentally. So now I'm looking for a Jan-Feb race to give it another shot.