So I entered a half on a whim...
ContraryMaryMary
Posts: 1,780 Member
Last week I signed up to do the Christchurch half on a whim - thinking more about the girls' weekend away part and not realising how soon the event is. It's on Queen's Birthday Weekend (first weekend in June, and first weekend of winter here in New Zealand), which means I have only five weeks to up my mileage significantly (and two of those will be taper!).
Fortunately, I'm starting from a strong base so I should do ok. My latest half was in November and I've done a few 5k events since then, however, I'd really like to PB on this flat fast course.
I did 16.5k on last Sunday's long run (which was easy and comfortable, much to my delight) and plan to do 18km for the coming two Sunday runs. I also do two fast 6ks and a 10k mid-pace run each week. Will this do it?
My other challenge is I live in sub-tropical Auckland, where it's currently about 14˚C first thing in the morning, whereas Christchurch is a lot colder, hovering not much above freezing at daybreak!
Any ideas and tips gratefully received.
Fortunately, I'm starting from a strong base so I should do ok. My latest half was in November and I've done a few 5k events since then, however, I'd really like to PB on this flat fast course.
I did 16.5k on last Sunday's long run (which was easy and comfortable, much to my delight) and plan to do 18km for the coming two Sunday runs. I also do two fast 6ks and a 10k mid-pace run each week. Will this do it?
My other challenge is I live in sub-tropical Auckland, where it's currently about 14˚C first thing in the morning, whereas Christchurch is a lot colder, hovering not much above freezing at daybreak!
Any ideas and tips gratefully received.
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Start slow, finish strong? You'll warm up once you get going.
You ran a Half in November. You know what it's like. You know what you need to do and you know where you are now.
Enjoy the run.0 -
Sounds like you are well prepared and have a good plan going forward. The cooler weather should work to your advantage rather than be a challenge. You might want to consider taking some old clothing to start the race in that you can discard along the course as you warm up. I usually find a long sleeve t-shirt or jacket that I have in my give away pile of clothes and a pair of cheap $1 cotton gloves. They do not have to be of good tech quality because you will discard them early in the run when you start to get uncomfortable.0
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June = Winter in the Southern Hemisphere. So . . . be prepared for whatever winter weather may show up. "Not much above freezing" sounds like great running weather to me, but it can be a challenge if you're not acclimated to it. Do whatever training you can in weather as close to what you expect on race day as you can find.
Other than that, you know what running a half marathon is like. If 16.5K is comfortable, you can run a half marathon. Further training will be for improving performance and finishing time. It sounds like you have a decent plan to address this, so you should be in pretty good shape as long as you can deal with the weather.0 -
Can you get up to 20k for the second LR? Your mileage is low for a really good HM, but you'll certainly be able to finish the race.0
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spiriteagle99 wrote: »Can you get up to 20k for the second LR? Your mileage is low for a really good HM, but you'll certainly be able to finish the race.
Do you think this will make a difference? Most half marathon training plans I have seen only go up to a max of 18km. I'm happy to go longer - I did 18.5 at 5.35mins/k last week, which I was pleased with.0 -
I am interested to know the idea behind 20k LR as well for a half. I have only seen this sort of training for build-ups where a runner is planning on doing a fast half, but everything, including race, is prep for a marathon later (or farther distance).1
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ContraryMaryMary wrote: »Do you think this will make a difference? Most half marathon training plans I have seen only go up to a max of 18km. I'm happy to go longer - I did 18.5 at 5.35mins/k last week, which I was pleased with.
I've certainly seen plans that have long runs up to 24K/15M, but as you say, it's more typical to see below HM distance. The ones that go longer tend to be aimed at runners going for a fast time, certainly sub 1:45, 1:30 for sure. So I assume these faster, more efficient runners aren't as taxed by a 24K run as you and I would be. Their Long Slow Run is complete more than half an hour before mine!
That said, I personally do long runs above HM distance, but that's because I enjoy those runs. It's also a confidence thing. It takes doubt out of my mind that I am fit enough to complete the distance on the day.1 -
You sound like you know what you've signed up for! Best of luck for your run!
I've never done anything above 10K and the last walk/run/marathon event I joined was like 2 years ago. Unfortunately some demon possessed me to signed up for a half this year and I'm lost. Maybe you can help as a veteran to this couch potato?0 -
ContraryMaryMary wrote: »spiriteagle99 wrote: »Can you get up to 20k for the second LR? Your mileage is low for a really good HM, but you'll certainly be able to finish the race.
Do you think this will make a difference? Most half marathon training plans I have seen only go up to a max of 18km. I'm happy to go longer - I did 18.5 at 5.35mins/k last week, which I was pleased with.
(Translating from miles to kilometers here, so if any distance looks weird I probably made an arithmetic mistake.)
My first half marathon program had a peak long run around 21 km, very close to the full half marathon distance. The first two halfs I ran were a huge mental challenge after 15K or so. Then I started stretching the long run with the idea of eventually running a full marathon. The next training cycle my long run peaked at 29K, but I had 3 or 4 long runs of 25-26K. After that, the last part of my next half was not a mental challenge for distance.
I think part of this is a training philosophy thing. Plans that have your longest run as something shorter than the race distance follow the philosophy of building you up for a peak effort on race day that is beyond your normal routine. Plans that have you run as long or longer than a half would follow the philosophy of building you up to where a half marathon is simply a normal running distance for you. What you do depends mostly on what you want to accomplish and where your philosophy of how you train yourself shakes out.0 -
You make an interesting point @mobycarp, I have run over 10 halves so I'm well aware of the mental challenge (this hits me about 18km), that being said, I tried to run a distance at a pace that would equal my race time - so shorter than 21.1k at a slower pace but the time on my feet would be about the same. I probably should have gone for another kilometre to get up to 1:50 on my feet, which is more realistic than 1:45 for a finishing time on race day - maybe I'll do that for my final long run!0
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pandamanda18 wrote: »You sound like you know what you've signed up for! Best of luck for your run!
I've never done anything above 10K and the last walk/run/marathon event I joined was like 2 years ago. Unfortunately some demon possessed me to signed up for a half this year and I'm lost. Maybe you can help as a veteran to this couch potato?
When I moved up from 10k races to half marathon distance I joined a local marathon running club to ensure I got one big run in a week. The club based its build-up on Arthur Lydiard's running philosophy of endurance - in those days I couldn't run for more than an hour by myself without getting bored so having a paced pack run for 2-3 hour once a week was hugely beneficial in getting my base fitness up.
Hal Higdon has a similar philosophy and they both offer training plans. Check out:
http://lydiardfoundation.org
http://halhigdon.com
The key thing to remember for your long runs, is to keep it slow - you'll be amazed how many miles you can do. Speed comes with time.0
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