half-mary PR question

leadoff

My PR for the half is 2:13:48. (This was my first and only half.) I am working to get under the 2:00 mark. I have been incorporating some interval training into my workouts, and I love how the intervals give me the feeling of a "rest" period during my run.

My question is this...I am considering incorporating the same "interval" mentality into a race (i.e. 2 miles at a set pace, 9 miles with 1/4 mile intervals thrown in each mile, 2 miles at a set pace). Is this a viable strategy or should I stick to a steady pace throughout?

Here are my splits for the half, which was a fairly flat course with one vicious hill around the 10 mile mark....

1 10:02.5 1.00 10:03
2 9:54.6 1.00 9:55
3 9:50.1 1.00 9:50
4 10:08.2 1.00 10:08
5 10:07.4 1.00 10:07
6 10:01.0 1.00 10:01
7 10:01.7 1.00 10:02
8 10:05.1 1.00 10:05
9 10:05.0 1.00 10:05
10 10:25.9 1.00 10:26
11 10:44.1 1.00 10:44
12 10:37.7 1.00 10:38
13 10:23.4 1.00 10:23
14 1:20.9 0.17 7:58

bonjour24

i'm not an expert- i'm a plodder and i let my pace set itself. but i would think that if you want to run your half that way, then you need to run your long runs that way too or your body isn't going to be able to cope.

so if you train like that then it should be ok. but if you just crack on with your half like that, i think it may actually kill you!

johnlatv

Have you run your long runs using the "interval plan" or shorter work outs? If you haven't done it with the longer run i would say not to do it come race day. Don't do anything new on race day. The interval training is designed to get you to run faster anyway so i think you should be go anyway.

if maybe around the 10mile mark you are still feel strong i would maybe do some of this interval stuff, and see how you feel, if it doesn't feel right back off and cruise the rest of the way.

I think you'll break 2hrs, good luck and keep us posted.

essjay76

Sounds interesting. Everybody is different, and if you do a lot of your training runs this way and it works for you, it could be a viable option. But some things you may want to think about... What is the race route going to be like? What if it's hilly and you lose steam running a fast interval on that hill?

From looking at your splits from your first race, you slowed down a bit at the end, which could've been one of many factors: not knowing your race pace, lack of endurance, hydration... As mentioned earlier, if you're not doing this during your long runs right now, incorporate it now. Do it on your 10 mile runs. Don't just try this method come race day, especially if your race is coming up soon.

Nikstergirl

I do intervals on my mid-distance run of the day and over the last year I've noticed my overall times going down. I wouldn't do the intervals during the race, unless there's a big crowd you're trying to pass or something, but that's what the training is for. It will be able to give you a boost if you need it, but basically it's making you overall faster. Just find a good tempo you can maintain and keep going! Good luck on killing that PR!!!!

arc918

My $.02, not sure what your training looked like, but I vote for more miles, more miles, more miles.

2:00 is ~ 9:08 pace per mile.

I think your best racing results will come off of steady miles rather than blasting at interval pace early in the race.

I'm not sure what your longest run was, but the longer the better to get your endurance built up. The speed will come naturally as you build your endurance.

Good luck!

essjay76

My $.02, not sure what your training looked like, but I vote for more miles, more miles, more miles.

2:00 is ~ 9:08 pace per mile.

I think your best racing results will come off of steady miles rather than blasting at interval pace early in the race.

I'm not sure what your longest run was, but the longer the better to get your endurance built up. The speed will come naturally as you build your endurance.

Good luck!

^^ This. Definitely worked for me. I up'd my mileage in my previous training cycles, without even doing much speedwork, and I PR'd by quite a bit in both a full and half marathon (20 minutes for the full and 6 minutes for the half), all within weeks of each other.

I went from running 30-35 miles per week to 40-45 (all slowly of course), and sloooooooooooooowed down my training runs considerably. I know it sounds counterintuitive to run slower and longer, but it works. Especially if you need to work on your endurance, that's the way to go.

Again, there is also the school of thought that believes speedwork and "running less, running faster" works, so find what best works for you. However, most training programs,experts,and coaches advocate the long slow runs and the slower training pace for building endurance and improving race times.

leadoff

Thanks, everyone, for the advice! I think I am going to stick to 5 and 10 Ks during the heat of the summer and up my mileage during my training runs. Got a few halves and a full on my radar for the fall.

In response to arc918's post, I did notice I was able to lower my pace for shorter runs by doing LSD runs when I was training for my half. I do believe I will stick to this method! Thanks again!