Should I set a goal pace for my Half Marathon?

mom3over40

I will run my second half marathon in about 3 weeks. I finished my last HM in March this year, running easy pace because I had some nagging leg pain going into the race. I feel like I am in better condition this time and could aim for a better time. I guess I want to finish the race feeling like I have tried my best (without hurting myself ) Any advice on how to set a goal pace? Also, should I have a few runs trying to run that pace before the race?

Thanks ahead for your advice.

MNLittleFinn

What pace have your training runs been at? Also, what's your long run distance/time? Goal pace can be a little faster than training pace. Race day excitement will help you keep going.

I set a pace goal for my HMs, but that's partially to keep me from pushing too hard. A pace goal is a nice thing to have just as a way to experiment with how you feel at different paces.

Stoshew71

@mom3over40 Pace for beginners in training runs should be "conversational". You should be able to carry on a conversation with a running partner (or sing your ABC's out loud if alone) without worrying about your breathing. This equates to only 65% of your max heart rate. If your slowest pace gets you out of breath rather quickly, then a run/walk interval may be necessary.

You could use the same strategy for your race if the distance is still a big challenge. If you ran multiple 5Ks or 10Ks and have a recent PR, and you want a good racing time, you can plug that PR into a race predictor. I personally like McMillian's Calculator.

https://www.mcmillanrunning.com

mom3over40

MNLittleFinn wrote: »

What pace have your training runs been at? Also, what's your long run distance/time?

My pace has mostly been ~12 min/mile, except the run I did on this past Sunday which I tried to run more or less a tempo "feel" with a pace at ~10 min/mile. My longest run was last week at 13.2 miles, @~12:30 min/mile. I will run that distance again this Thursday with my weekly mileage peaked at ~32 miles.

Stoshew71 wrote: »

Pace for beginners in training runs should be "conversational".

I think I have been trying quite diligently in doing that but I guess I might need to slow down a little bit more in some of my runs to be singing continually.

My records are really not that recent: My best 5k was from last November @26:04 and the HM in March I finished in 2 hr 26 mins.

Come to think of it, there may be a little too much variants to set at a pace: the terrain, the weather, hormones etc. Just wonder what kind of "comfort level" should I go for if I think I may be able to finish faster than the conversational pace?

MNLittleFinn

If you're running 12:30/mile for longer than 13.1 miles. This is only a suggestion, go for a 2:30 HM. That's right about 11:37/mile. Don't worry about an "instantaneous" pace at any given time. Greg McMillan, who made the Calculator @Stoshew71 linked to says to just go for overall average pace. My pace can vary as much as a minute per mile on runs, but my average is what I'm looking for, so I track that. That said, every runner is different so do what works for you.

mom3over40

@MNLittleFinn I must admit, a 2:30 HM is a little disappointing to hear. My last one I went in with nagging leg pain and still finished in 2:26. But I get the why. I am a little surprised (and also disappointed) that my easy pace is getting slower and slower.

On the other hand, I feel like I have been training a lot more consistently for this upcoming HM than the one in March (BTW, I am Venus Leung on Strava); my resting heart rate is lowered now; and the upcoming race begins with 2~3 miles of downhill runs and the uphill part is not quite as steep as the other one. But then, it is a lot hotter in August than in March.

And here are my remaining runs:

8/03 3
8/04 13.2
8/05 2.2
8/06 3.2 (weekly total ~32)
8/07 rest
8/08 3
8/09 5 -- thinking about combining this to run 8 miles on 8/8 and rest on 8/9
8/10 3
8/11 10
8/12 3
8/13 3 (weekly total ~27)
8/14 rest
8/15 6
8/16 rest
8/17 3
8/18 4
8/19 rest
8/20 3 (weekly total ~16)
8/21 race day

Please feel free to comment on my plan. And thank you @MNLittleFinn @Stoshew71 both for all of your advice!

_nikkiwolf_

I'm pretty sure you can run the half faster than 2:30!
Your training at the moment looks like what I did before my HM in May distance-wise - you could go back to April to check on Strava, but it seems rather simiar to me. In general, you are a bit faster than me.
I ran one training HM a few weeks before the race in 2:43, I saw that you also ran a HM long run in that time last week. In the end, I finished my half in 2:17 (and I probably could have run it faster, if I hadn't started out carefully aiming for 2:30h - I've got a HM in September to test that theory, at the moment I'm trying to decide if I should line up behind the 2:10 or the 2:00 pacer...)

If you want to set a goal, I'd aim for 2:20 as a "happy to beat the PR" goal and 2:15 or 2:10 as optimistic goals.

If you want to get used to that pace, you could either make one training session per week where you alternate intervals of your target race pace with recovery; or run a short run at that pace (after a bit of slower warmup) the day after your long run, to get used to both the feeling of that pace as well as running it on tired legs.
Disclaimer: I'm doing some pace workouts now, but I didn't do any dedicated race pace runs in training for the half in May and just relied on the race day adrenaline to speed me up. I only ran one half so far; so I'm definitely not an expert!

mom3over40

Thank you, @_nikkiwolf_ ! So, did you run your last half marathon the same way you felt during your long runs and it just took you faster?

_nikkiwolf_

It's hard to compare - my long runs are usually super-relaxed, letting my mind drift or getting caught up in the story I'm listening to. The half was a huge event, and I was really excited - I knew I was going fast, but it never feel like a hard effort. [ if you want all the boring details, I described the half marathon in the May thread - much too long, but as I said, I was really excided about that race ]

In that race my average pace was 6:31min/km, and after finishing I still felt like I could have kept going. Two weeks ago, I did a 10km tempo run in training, ended up with something like 6:40min/km, and was completely wiped out... Since I ran a sub-60 10k race a few weeks ago, I know I can go faster. It just feels much tougher to me when I'm running on my own and trying to be fast. For me, "race day adrenaline" works miracles.

mom3over40

@_nikkiwolf_ Thank you for including the link to your race recap. It was a great read. I wish I could write that well and kept a record of my experience!

I guess I will just start with the 2:30 group like you did and see if I feel good enough to go faster later on. It seems that "race day adrenaline" works with everyone else too. Last time, the 2:30 group started with a pace of 10:45 min/mile, which is a whole min/mile faster for the group

Thank you once again.

MNLittleFinn

@mom3over40 since you ran your last one faster than what i said, by all means go faster! if you are feeling more prepared, that's what matters. starting with and then leaving the 2:30 pace group sounds like a great idea. you'll do great. and, looking at your strava, you look to be in good shape to run a great HM

my next hm is 6 weeks out and I'm agonizing over what pace to try for.

mom3over40

Thanks, @MNLittleFinn !

"Agonizing" is just the word. One minute, I think "I got to be running faster than last time with all the miles that I have been putting in". Another minute, I think "but I haven't sustain an 11 min/mile pace for a longer distance, what if I just crash at the end?"

It just make me think, I probably still haven't run these type of mileages often enough

mom3over40

I have updated on my race in the August tread but I thought I should drop in here to update also.

The race had no wave start but they did put up sign with estimated finishing time and we were supposed to stand behind the sign of our time to start. My plan was to stand behind the 2:30 sign as mentioned above. Except that, there was literally no one there. Every one just cramped up at the end of the crowd. With such a big crowd, the start was just slow. But I thought it was probably good for me. Quickly, we figured that we need to pick up our pace a little to get pass the walkers, which was a chore, a lot of zig-zag run... there were so many people...

After the first water station, the crowd started to dissipate. Then came the downhill stretch which I probably went too fast. Afterwards, on the flat portion of the route, I think I did pretty good at maintaining my pace. The uphill stretch around mile 11 felt more brutal than I thought it would be. The elevation wasn't too much compared to the running route in my neighborhood but I guess I never ran them after already finished 10 miles. I walked a little there. After that, we had about a half mile to the finish line which I tried to run faster and gave it all I got once I saw the finish line.

I finished in 2:23:55, about 3 minutes faster than the one in March. Honestly, I was disappointed at first. I thought I could finish faster because I was running a lot more consistently and a lot more miles before I went into my previous half and I also felt like I ran harder this time.

But my husband reminded me something... he didn't get to train like I did and ended up with a cramp around mile 9. He needed to walk/run to finish. Without all those miles I put in beforehand, I probably just ended up injured or feeling physically horrible afterwards. In fact, that was the motivation for me to be more consistent with my training this time. I was literally limping after my previous half and I did not start running consistently again until 6 weeks later. This time, my legs were tired afterwards, but I was not limping. I know I can go out for a recovery run today... I just don't want to because it is trash day

Just want to thank you once again for the help and encouragement you provided. We are thinking which one to sign up next

MobyCarp

@mom3over40 - Way to go! Pacing for a half marathon is a learning process. You want to run it faster than your easy pace, faster than marathon pace (and if a half is your longest distance, you may not know what your MP is), but not as fast as lactic threshold. The problem is, lactic threshold is a natural pace to fall into . . . and it's only sustainable for about an hour. So it's kind of a guessing game, feel your way sort of process to figure out how fast to run the half to finish in good shape and still not feel that you could have done better.

Sounds like you pretty much nailed it this time. 3 minutes improvement on a half is about 14 seconds per mile faster. That may not sound like much, but the physical difference of a pace that much faster is huge.

mom3over40

Thank you, @MobyCarp, for your encouraging words!

It also explains a lot! I always feels like the lactic threshold pace is my "happy" pace, and I struggle to stay in the easy pace. And whenever I tried to run a little faster than easy, I always ended up running too fast in the tempo zone.

Now, I hope that I can get into running the longer distances more often, so I get better idea how I feel in different situations before going into another HM race.

suzu_2

Thank you for giving a glimpse of your training, questions, worries, and successes! I am training for my 1st 1/2 in December and it is good to know that others are working through the same things.
My friend and I are both busy, working women with family responsibilities, but have been training as regularly as possible (logging 65-70 miles/mo). Here is my question -
Our local running club sponsored a Road Race Series - 2, 5K races in July; 2, 5 milers in August; 2, 10K races this month. Next month we begin the 2, 10 milers followed by 2, HM runs in November. I have been running all so far and am signed up through the 10 mile runs. Since I run my official scheduled HM in early December I have been concerned about the November HM runs. I have been thinking about doing only the earliest of the November HMs. Was just afraid that this would be too much even if I took it very easy and treated both as slower training runs - What do you think? 3 in a month just sounds like too much.

mom3over40

I ran 2 HM distances in the last week of July and first week of August before the race on August 21. So, naturally, I would think running 2 HM distances as easy long run would not hurt before running the race, as long as there is time to taper.

The important thing, as I have learnt here from MFP, is to build up the weekly mileage gradually (10% increase every week at the most) with the long run no more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the weekly mileage. This is the part I often struggle with. When I ran the HM distances, I ran about 29 and 32 miles in those 2 weeks. It means my long run is almost half my weekly mileage. It has been said that this practice could lead to injury easier.

I think your questions may get more feedback from more experienced runners here if you start a new thread.

suzu_2

Thanks!

Getfitat54

Stoshew71 wrote: »

@mom3over40 Pace for beginners in training runs should be "conversational". You should be able to carry on a conversation with a running partner (or sing your ABC's out loud if alone) without worrying about your breathing. This equates to only 65% of your max heart rate. If your slowest pace gets you out of breath rather quickly, then a run/walk interval may be necessary.

You could use the same strategy for your race if the distance is still a big challenge. If you ran multiple 5Ks or 10Ks and have a recent PR, and you want a good racing time, you can plug that PR into a race predictor. I personally like McMillian's Calculator.

https://www.mcmillanrunning.com

Thanks Stan. I started a beginners running plan about 6 weeks ago. I will also be starting my 4th Holiday Streak on Thanksgiving.... and I just mad plans to run my first *big breath* HM in April. I have a 12 week plan that I have schduled to start in early Jan.

Getfitat54

I've run several 5k's over the last last three years... any where from 28:22 to 36:36. My PR was the 28:22 when i was training for my first HM, but was unable to run due to coming down with double pneumonia. Not even sure what I want for my goal time for my first HM in April. I'm thinking around 2:45 or so.... My longest run was the same year I was training and I ran 7 miles. My weekly mileage right now is around 6 miles... but I'll be increasing (safely) miles.