Sub 1:10 Half Marathon Training

Some really good stuff on this thread! OP, I think you're so close to your goal of 1:09:xx given your recent race times and training

I'm also shooting for Sub 1:10 in the Half, my race isn't until March 2018. I've just done my first 2 weeks of 12 gearing up for it. My most recent race was a 10K 6 weeks ago in 31:27 so according to converters I should already be capable of doing it

4 weeks of base-building. Weeks were 37,47,60,50. Did stuff like hill reps, moderate pace long runs, strides etc.

First 2 weeks of HM training

Monday 18/12 – REST DAY

Tuesday 19/12 – 8.3 miles (6:51/mile)

Wednesday 20/12 – am 7.5 miles (6:17/mile) inc. 4.3 miles in 23:02 (5:17/mile) Definitely went out too hard in this one; pm 3.1 miles (7:36/mile)

Thursday 21/12 – 8.4 miles (7:07/mile) + Gym

Friday 22/12 – am Core; pm 7.5 miles (6:57/mile)

Saturday 23/12 – 6.2 miles (7:01/mile)

Sunday 24/12 – 13.6 miles (6:18/mile) inc. 10 miles in the middle in 59:03 (5:54/mile)

Week Total: 54.8 miles

Monday 25/12 - am 3.7 miles (7:47/mile); pm 3.9 miles (7:01/mile)

Tuesday 26/12 - 6 miles (7:18/mile) + 6 x 10" Hills

Wednesday 27/12 - 11.5 miles (7:06/mile) inc. 2 km in 6:39 (500m jog in 2:30) + 15 * 300m in 54 avg (100 jog in 38 avg)

Thursday 28/12 - 7.5 miles (7:13/mile)

Friday 29/12 - 7.5 miles (6:42/mile)

Saturday 30/12 - 4.7 miles (7:00/mile)

Sunday 31/12 - 15.5 miles (6:27/mile) inc. 60' (6'55/mile) + 30' (5:30/mile) + 10' (7:20/mile)

Week Total: 61.2 miles

Any advice/criticism welcome!

Matthias

I used to see you in the 25min xc threads. Back then we were about the same speed but it looks like you've made some big improvements! Good to see. a 31:27 10k should surely indicate ~69min fitness.

I hope people's last big workouts go well. with about 12 days to race it's time for one more good workout probably.

and a friendly reminder: wash your hands a TON from now until race day, especially if you work/live with many people. can't afford to get sick!

Actually, I got a cold the night of 12/23 and have been struggling a bit since; but I am counting myself as lucky as I figure it should fully run its course before I get to the line in Houston, and my fitness was pretty much baked in by the time the cold came around. I still managed a couple of decent workouts with the cold - 6 x 800 at 2:28 with 2:00 rest one day and a progression run that included 4 miles averaging in the low 5:30s as part of a 16+ mile long run (the faster part was miles 3. 4, 5 and 6).

Now I just need to decide if taking a run at sub 1:10 makes any sense, or if I should go the safe route and shoot for 1:10:30 and a nice PR.

Smoove wrote:

Actually, I got a cold the night of 12/23 and have been struggling a bit since; but I am counting myself as lucky as I figure it should fully run its course before I get to the line in Houston, and my fitness was pretty much baked in by the time the cold came around. I still managed a couple of decent workouts with the cold - 6 x 800 at 2:28 with 2:00 rest one day and a progression run that included 4 miles averaging in the low 5:30s as part of a 16+ mile long run (the faster part was miles 3. 4, 5 and 6).

Now I just need to decide if taking a run at sub 1:10 makes any sense, or if I should go the safe route and shoot for 1:10:30 and a nice PR.

Let’s say you are in 15:30 5K shape. That still only projects to a 71:30. Going for sub-70 wouldn’t be very smart.

My last vo2max workout before Houston went well today (1/2/2018). I did 6x1200m with 3' rest with 3:33 as the goal and I averaged 3:32.7. I'm lucky to have a 300m indoor track to workout on for workouts like this! This is only the 2nd and last time I've used it in my 10 week training cycle though.

Killed it. I muddled through some solo 1000s in the wind at 3:08 with 2:45 active rest.

Hello, Happy New Years, everyone!

Here’s how last week finished and this week began:

12/25-12/31:

M: took Christmas off; 0 miles

T: *attempted to do 2-mile warm-up, 3 miles @ 5:20 w/3mins rest, 2 miles @ 5:20 w/ 2mins rest, 1 mile @ 5:20, 2-mile cool down. I got to 2 miles of the 3 miles in 10:45 (5:20, 5:25) and decided to modify the workout because I was laboring to hit pace. I switched the rest of the workout to 4xmile @ 5:20 w/1:15 rest. Splits: 5:20, 5:26, 5:16, 5:30. Rough day yesterday and my pacing was all over the place. The 5:26 and 5:30 were against the wind, 5:20 and 5:16 were with the wind, but even then, I wasn’t feeling it. I’ll be running extra easy today. Total: 10 miles

W: 11 miles @ 7:11 pace (tried to go slower, but body just felt easy at this pace)

Th: 2-mile warm-up, 12x400 @ 5K pace (~74) w/1min rest + 4x200 @ mile pace w/200m jog rest, 3-mile cool down. Splits: 75, 74, 75, 75, 74,73,74,74, 74,75,74,75, 1min rest from the last 400 into the 1st 200, 32,34,33,34. Total: 8.5 miles

F: 8 miles @ 7:27 pace

Sa: 14.5 miles @ 6:46 pace

Su: 7.5 miles @ 7:08 pace

Weekly total: 59.5 miles

01/01-01/07:

M: 10 miles @ 7:13 pace

T: 2-mile warm-up, 5x1K @ 5K pace (~3:04-3:05) w/2:30 rest + 4x200 @ mile pace w/200m jog rest, 3-mile cool down. Splits: 3:05, 3:06, 3:06, 3:04, 3:01, 32, 32, 33, 32 (200s were into a tailwind). Total: 8.5 miles. It was raining, windy, and on a concrete track with puddles, so I’m happy with this effort. It felt easy and I could’ve have done more reps at a faster pace with less rest, which is good. The 2-mile TT another runner suggested was tempting because I would like to see what kind of 2-mile shape I’m in, but with the crappy weather yesterday, I’m glad I didn’t do it.

Rest of the week:

W: 10-11 miles easy

Th: 600m repeats starting at 5K pace and getting down to 3K to last few + 4x200 @ mile pace. Total: 8 miles

F: 7-8 miles

Sa: 13 miles

Su: 7-8 miles

Weekly total: 63.5-65.5 miles

@Jamisonmooresey, my goal race is the Naples Half on 01/14. I wanted to stay in FL to avoid a far travel, but after learning about the Houston Half on this tread and reading how many of you guys are doing it, I wish I had researched HMs outside of FL. By the time I found out about Houston, it was too late to sign up without doing the charity/fundraising entry. It would’ve been cool to meet and race some of you guys over there. I’m going to touch HM pace for the last time on either 01/09 or 01/10, which will be my last workout.

@Ben Barrows, that run and last workout are impressive. Way faster than anything I can do in training without it being a race effort. Best of luck to you! With that volume and intensity, you should fly come Houston.

@Matthias, just like Ben Barrows, your training/10K seem to be way faster than sub 69, so you should be good to go if everything pans out. The only thing I would advise is bumping up the mileage to 70+, but with 10 weeks to go, I’m sure you’re planning to.

@Smoove, looks like we aren’t too far off. I hope you have a speedy recovery from the cold! Maybe once you’re fully recovered, 5:20 pace won’t feel too bad. If I were you, given your 1:11:10, I would at least put yourself in the position for sub 70. Maybe go 2-3 secs slower than 5:20 pace for halfway and see if you can come back with a strong 2nd half. Maybe finish 69 high/70 low.

11 days out, guys! I hope everyone’s last hard workouts went/go well!

SoFlo Runs wrote:

@Smoove, looks like we aren’t too far off. I hope you have a speedy recovery from the cold! Maybe once you’re fully recovered, 5:20 pace won’t feel too bad. If I were you, given your 1:11:10, I would at least put yourself in the position for sub 70. Maybe go 2-3 secs slower than 5:20 pace for halfway and see if you can come back with a strong 2nd half. Maybe finish 69 high/70 low.

Thanks, I am pretty sure the cold will be a non-issue in 10 days, especially since on Saturday I stopped drinking until after the race and am focusing on getting in a lot of sleep.

You are definitely a bit fitter than me, and I think that the little bit of fitness difference will really show through on race day and that you will have a good shot at hitting your goal. It will be close for both of us (even though I am apparently in 1:11:30 shape at best despite my 1:11:10 a few weeks ago), but I should end up in the low-to-mid 1:10s while I think you have a real shot at 1:09. Nonetheless, I am pretty sure that I am just going to run 5:20 miles until I can't.

Ben Barrows! just wanted to comment that I enjoy your youtube channel

My point exactly. You ran a 71:10 a few weeks ago at max effort and now you’re planning on running a couple minutes faster at Houston. Good luck.

reed - Yeah things have gone well during an absence from the forum, I used to be a regular on the RRTT too but that was a long time ago! How's running your end going?

SoFlo - Not a lot you can do with windy conditions, but a solid workout nonetheless last Tuesday. This Tuesday's workout is also impressive, you have great speed which should really help your chances next week! I haven't even considered bumping up to 70 mpw. Was planning to stay around 60 up until the race. I've never actually ran that much in one week! I'll definitely give it some thought...

Smoove - I don't think your recent illness will hinder your performance much next Sunday, although I think you should definitely play it safe and just go for the PR

Ben Barrows - awesome 1200 workout! on top of your mileage and training background, you'll crush it by the looks of things. looking forward to seeing the result

Got in a tempo run this morning. 5 miles @ 5'22/mile (5'27/23/24/20/17) in the middle of an 11 miler. Was a tad windy here in the UK following Storm Eleanor but the effort felt great. Looking to get in another 60+ mile week

Undecided on my 2nd workout of the week though, i'm toying between a Fartlek Session on Saturday then an easy 15 miler Sunday or another easy paced + strides Saturday run + long run/Session Sunday. If I go ahead with the long run workout, I'm thinking 6 x 1 mile (1"30 recovery) @ around or slightly faster than LT?

Smoove,

Congrats on having your very own LRC troll dedicated solely to antagonizing you! I'm sure you have noticed that "too hot" has been stalking you in every thread trying to start an argument. Having a personal troll is one of the highest LRC honors, you should be proud.

SoFlo,

You're workouts have improved significantly, but I think 1:10 is a best case scenario. Your speed is still better than your strength. That speed lets you hit some good times on workouts, but extending that out to HM is tough. Have you settled on a race strategy?

1 2 3 green wrote:

Smoove,

Congrats on having your very own LRC troll dedicated solely to antagonizing you! I'm sure you have noticed that "too hot" has been stalking you in every thread trying to start an argument. Having a personal troll is one of the highest LRC honors, you should be proud.

Who?

@too hot

Matthias wrote:

Smoove - I don't think your recent illness will hinder your performance much next Sunday, although I think you should definitely play it safe and just go for the PR

Undecided on my 2nd workout of the week though, i'm toying between a Fartlek Session on Saturday then an easy 15 miler Sunday or another easy paced + strides Saturday run + long run/Session Sunday. If I go ahead with the long run workout, I'm thinking 6 x 1 mile (1"30 recovery) @ around or slightly faster than LT?

I think that is the smart advice, but I am pretty sure that I am going to give it whirl anyway. When I ran the 1:11:10 in early December, I was along for the last 9 miles, it was a warm day, and I was in the middle of a fairly heavy portion of my training cycle. While I think dropping 71 seconds in 5-6 weeks is a fairly big stretch, I am hoping that having some relative down time before the race, having hopefully better weather, and being around a ton of people running the same place will give me a puncher's chance if some things go well on race day.

As far as your workout goes, I would go with the lightest workload that you feel comfortable with. Your work has been done and you are in great shape and ready to run a fast time. This last stretch should be about recovering and making yourself feel fast, crisp and confident. I am going with a long run on Friday (18 - in anticipation of my Boston cycle) and then just some short cruise intervals next Wednesday (4-5 x 1200 at 5:20 pace with 1:00 rest).

My race is in 9 or so weeks though, I don't know if you saw it on my original post at the top of the current page. I'll leave that shorter faster stuff for another month or so! I'm leaning more towards some more LT work.

Yeah, I read that last night and then promptly forgot it today.

@ 1 2 3 green, ideally, I would like to run about 3-4 secs slower than 5:20 for the 1st 4 miles, 5:19-5:21 from 4-8, and then sub 5:20 the last 4-5 miles, with at least one person to run with. Obviously, I know it probably won't play out this way. I typically finish well with a conservative start, as shown with me closing 5:00 for the 10K and 4:48 for the 5K, so that's my thinking with starting slower that goal pace. If when it comes time to switch to 5:20 pace or sub and I'm not feeling it, then that means I was probably running my fitness pace from the beginning anyways and just try to hang on. I know it's still going to be close to be sub 70, but I'm hoping I race better than I train. I'll have to see who's on the starting line on race day and make proper adjustments. I don't want to run all 13.1 by myself, so if it comes down to running with the guy running 5:15 pace vs 5:30 pace and no one else in sight, I'll have to make an on-the-spot decision and access how I'm feeling.

Any suggestions on HM racing strategies? What's worked/hasn't worked? Is drinking water necessary or just a waste of time?

SoFlo Runs wrote:

Any suggestions on HM racing strategies? What's worked/hasn't worked? Is drinking water necessary or just a waste of time?

I've done halves in both hot and cold weather and I think I've always had some water, if only at a couple stations. One thing worth considering is bringing a gel in a pocket in case you're not feeling great and need a boost, even if it's just placebo.

as for pacing, I've always gone out right at goal pace, although my goal pace was maybe not as precise as yours could be. in my PR (74:05 from 2014, haven't done a serious fast course since) I split 37:18 at half and was 36:47 for the second half. I'm not certain that the half split was exactly halfway but that's all I have to go on. If I recall, I was running in a pack for maybe the first 5 miles or so and then mostly alone in the middle. I began to catch somebody around mile 10 and busted my butt for the next couple miles to catch him, which I did with 1mi left to go. So basically I ran 5:42s for about 15k then closed in low 5:30s for the last 5k or so. My activity is on strava but I had a bad GPS watch then and the splits are all too fast