Realistic Half Marathon Pacing

directorj

Yup that is realistic. However just make sure that on the last 3 miles, your pace is consistent. My longest run was 10.30miles and my pace dropped by about 1-2mins a mile in the last 2 miles. But that's because it was my first long run around that distance and still in training.

Dropped as in got slower?

I'm using Runkeeper on my iPhone with a coach that I can give a pace goal to, and it'll remind me how I'm doing. I may have to use that during my race.

Yeah got slower, just make sure to push yourself the hardest in the last part of the race. I find it that's the hardest part of running is to keep the pace at the end. Good luck! You will do well

Spearo

You are doing all the right stuff and will probably beat those numbers in the first post
Dont be scared to go out and actually run 21 km at some point before the race. Good peace of mind, and if you like running; fun.

How will you fuel during the race, and are you training for fueling ie: practicing what you will use during a long run?
It's a shorter race but fueling is critical.

Cheers,
E.

SinIsIn

If I extend that split out to the full half marathon distance, its a 2:08. I'd be more than happy with that. A few weeks ago, I was thinking 2:40 would be a realistic time for me.

I still have a lot of training time left, so i guess i have time to get stronger.

Thanks for the tip

My husband just ran the half this weekend. He'd never run anything more than a 10K and this was recently. He did it in 2:42. Not bad for a first timer I think. So if you are signing up for it next year i think you'll have plenty of time to train and could do it in less than 2:40 :bigsmile:
Good Luck!

bshedwick

You are doing all the right stuff and will probably beat those numbers in the first post
Dont be scared to go out and actually run 21 km at some point before the race. Good peace of mind, and if you like running; fun.

How will you fuel during the race, and are you training for fueling ie: practicing what you will use during a long run?
It's a shorter race but fueling is critical.

Cheers,
E.

Thanks! I'm planning on trying build up to a half marathon distance in my training so that mentally I know that I can run that distance w/o stopping. And I've rediscovered my love for running, so thats a key part.

Fueling will be something I'll have to practice more. I've been experimenting with eating something small during my long runs (over 1 hour), but will have to continue to try out other things.

katcod1522

My first half is March 18th. Im pacing like 11:40 miles. Longest run to date is 7.6. I just want a sub 3:00 time...but shooting for 2:50 My biggest fear? Training falls in the dead of winter...like now

bigdawg62

Thats probably realistic for you based on your training. The biggest thing to be careful about in 1/2 marathons to full marathons is to resist the temptation to go too fast too soon. Typically you will feel really good the first few miles, especially if you have well rested legs. This usually fakes people into going harder than they have trained for so be careful. Stick to your pace. Good luck.

ATT949

FWIW - I totally reject all rules of thumb on increasing distance. I see that 10% one here all the time. I believe in listen to your body.

I agree wholeheartedly. To me, it's in the same category as "1200 calories" and "8 cups a day". You won't be harmed by following those guidelines but they are helpful for folks who are new.

In the custom software business, I call it "training wheels" - tool tips and context sensitive help are very useful for beginners whereas experienced folks can disregard them.

The OP has a running history so he knows what feels right and what doesn't but there are lots of folks who have zero experience in running and they end up injuring themselves.

bshedwick

Thats probably realistic for you based on your training. The biggest thing to be careful about in 1/2 marathons to full marathons is to resist the temptation to go too fast too soon. Typically you will feel really good the first few miles, especially if you have well rested legs. This usually fakes people into going harder than they have trained for so be careful. Stick to your pace. Good luck.

I will have to be sure to not go out too fast. I ran a 5k in the beginning of Nov, and my first mile was about 30 secs faster than I had wanted to. My last 2 miles were slower than i wanted to. Even more accentuated over 13.1 miles.