Improve half marathon

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  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    jacksonpt wrote: »
    SashEdwards wrote: »
    This is sort of a scary discussion lol I've committed to doing a half marathon next May. I run now average 6 days a week, however only between 4-6km and a pace of average 6:45/km. I only started running regularly (this time around) about 2 months ago. I guess I have a lot of learning and work to do. Good luck OP!

    Your situation is completely different than OP's. You'll be fine, just keep grinding away.

    Yeah, The OP is looking to improve on a 1:45 half. My last long training run (9.15 miles) was 1:45. So he is talking about a race with which I am not familiar. I'm guessing that the Half Marathons, like the 5Ks, 4 Milers and other races, will have a mix of people and abilities. The only person I need to beat is me. And since my next half will be my first Half, I'll post a PB. ;-) WE have a choice: Keep plugging along or quit. I'm plugging.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    pondee629 wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    SashEdwards wrote: »
    This is sort of a scary discussion lol I've committed to doing a half marathon next May. I run now average 6 days a week, however only between 4-6km and a pace of average 6:45/km. I only started running regularly (this time around) about 2 months ago. I guess I have a lot of learning and work to do. Good luck OP!

    Your situation is completely different than OP's. You'll be fine, just keep grinding away.

    Yeah, The OP is looking to improve on a 1:45 half. My last long training run (9.15 miles) was 1:45. So he is talking about a race with which I am not familiar. I'm guessing that the Half Marathons, like the 5Ks, 4 Milers and other races, will have a mix of people and abilities. The only person I need to beat is me. And since my next half will be my first Half, I'll post a PB. ;-) WE have a choice: Keep plugging along or quit. I'm plugging.

    Exactly... You're only racing against yourself!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Will131power wrote: »
    I just started running about a month ago.

    OK, so that's an awful lot of increase in a very short period.

    It might be worth racing a couple of 5k or 10k o get a feel for how you perform on race day compared to training runs. I'd also suggest easing back on pace as what you're describing is a bit of a recipe for injury.

    As upthread, you're talking about a significant improvement, and whilst new runners do find rapid gains, I suspect that you just need to try a bit of racing to see how it works for you.

  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
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    I am confused... OP - Have you actually ran the full 13.1 miles in 1:45? I get the sense you are basing your HM time on something else....
  • Will131power
    Will131power Posts: 13 Member
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    dewd2 wrote: »
    I am confused... OP - Have you actually ran the full 13.1 miles in 1:45? I get the sense you are basing your HM time on something else....

    @dewd2 what else would I base my time on?

    @MeanderingMammal I understand your concern, but being an athlete I have a different capability than normal, thanks for the concern.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    Will131power wrote: »
    dewd2 wrote: »
    I am confused... OP - Have you actually ran the full 13.1 miles in 1:45? I get the sense you are basing your HM time on something else....

    @dewd2 what else would I base my time on?

    @MeanderingMammal I understand your concern, but being an athlete I have a different capability than normal, thanks for the concern.

    I don't mean this to sound harsh, but just because you are athletic in one way doesn't mean you have actual endurance. Endurance training is an entirely different beast from working out in a gym, or playing basketball or anything else. You can get yourself injured just as bad as anyone by increasing your endurance load too much too fast.

    Being new to running and being able to sustain 8:00 for 13 miles is certainly impressive, but not totally out there. That doesn't mean you are going to be able to make the significant leap into the 6:45-6:50 range you are talking about and stay uninjured.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Will131power wrote: »
    dewd2 wrote: »
    I am confused... OP - Have you actually ran the full 13.1 miles in 1:45? I get the sense you are basing your HM time on something else....

    @dewd2 what else would I base my time on?

    @MeanderingMammal I understand your concern, but being an athlete I have a different capability than normal, thanks for the concern.

    Not sure. That is why I asked. It is possible to estimate for longer distances based on shorter races. If you know yourself and have some experience it can be fairly accurate. For example, when I run a HM a month or so before my fall marathon, I will have a real good idea how my training is going and what to expect in the marathon.
  • Will131power
    Will131power Posts: 13 Member
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    Well being new to running I wouldn't like to "guesstimate" my time without actually doing it.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    FWIW... there are some very accomplished, dedicated, and talented athletes on these boards and in this thread... ironmen and ultrarunners and such. People who have dedicated years of training to gain a minute here or a minute there on their race times. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss what people are saying.

    I'm not saying you can't or won't hit 1:30. Maybe you are the elite of the elite. But IMO, your "meh, I'll knock this out no problem" attitude kinda spits in the face of all the research, coaching, and hard work so many of us have put in just to eek out a few seconds.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
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    Will131power wrote: »
    Well being new to running I wouldn't like to "guesstimate" my time without actually doing it.

    Only trying to help. I will stop now. Good luck with your goals.
  • Will131power
    Will131power Posts: 13 Member
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    Not trying to spit in anyone's face. I'm just saying I know my body. I started this thread so I (& others) can get advice on how to train, not to be told by other people what I'm capable of. I understand it will take hardwork and don't expect it to be an easy feat. I rarely post to threads like this because of the negative people saying you can't/ shouldn't do this. I'm aware of the risk, I'm just trying to figure out what is the most beneficial way to train or what to work up to
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Shaving a minute+ per mile off your pace for 13.1 miles is a heck of a feat/goal. Check out the web for half marathon training plans/advanced and see what they suggest. here is one: http://www.walkjogrun.net/training/half-marathon/training-plan.cfm?planId=half-adv-run

    Right now, for me, doing a 28 minute 5K is a goal. Hoping to survive the Half I've scheduled myself for in September, looking/hoping for 2:30. I've done 9 miles in training averaging 11:24. Moving up to ten miles this
    Saturday. Mid-week I'm doing 5 miles on Monday, 5 on Wednesday, 3 on Friday and a the long run on Saturdays.

    I wish you all the best. Report back on your results. Be well.
  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
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    When you say that your current time “is roughly” 1:45 for 13.1, is that absolute max effort? I’m thinking that if that was your pace for more of a casual training run, then shaving off 1 minute per mile in an actual best-effort race may not be as big of a feat as some seem to think. Especially if the race conditions (temperature, humidity, elevation) are more favorable than your training conditions.
    But feasibility aside, I say the first two responses you received gave good advice for improvement. Good luck!
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    ROBOTFOOD wrote: »

    The difference between 1:45 to 1:30 is massive. Good luck!

    So true. My half marathon time has been under 1:45 for over a year now and I am trying to get it under 1:40 for the fall. I plan to train by running 6-7 days per week with 50+ miles per week for the next 16 weeks. It takes a lot. However, I have been running a pretty long time, so I am probably closer to my peak than you. If you have just started running, you are likely to notice more rapid improvements.

    As far as your question on running vs. strength training, most runners will tell you that the way to get faster at running is to run more. Strength training will definitely help your running, but it will also contribute to fatigue. It is tricky to find the proper balance. Most runners I know will do most of their strength training in the off season and only add body weight exercises as a supplement during their training cycles. You kind of have to decide what is most important to you based on your goals and focus on that.

    I would also add that if you are gunning for a sub-elite/advanced time, you should be neither on an active cut nor an active bulk.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    Also--take it with a grain of salt, but if you've never raced a full half-marathon, you can use this to help predict your finish time based on other race distances...

    http://www.runnersworld.com/pace-calculators/race-times-predictor
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Will131power wrote: »
    I understand your concern, but being an athlete I have a different capability than normal, thanks for the concern.

    Up to you, but be aware of the risks. Personally I'll run back to back longs at the weekend of between 13s and 20s, with my current A-race being a 12 hour trail event.

    I'd observe that performance in one discipline doesn't inherently translate to performance in another. As a runner I'm comfortable with the idea of a Century ride with little dedicated preparation, but I wouldn't consider a comparable swim, 10K, without adapting to that.

    Running is very easy to do badly, but some people manage to escape the injuries that come from doing too much, too soon. I hope you're one of them.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Will131power wrote: »
    So I'm planning on running my first half marathon this fall. I'm hoping to finish with in 1.5 hours. Right now my time is roughly 1.75. What are the best ways to take time off those long distances. I run 3x a week (10 miles +, 3 miles +, & 8 miles +) trying to keep a steady pace with wind sprints throughout. Any suggestions on improving time? Thanks.

    Train for a full marathon.

    ETA: I'm only half joking.
  • Will131power
    Will131power Posts: 13 Member
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    @deluxmary2000 @pondee629 @mitch16 Thanks for the support, I am pretty happy with my training setup thanks to a few posts. I'll also check out those sites. Thanks again
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
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    Check out Sage Canadays Half marathon plan. I've ran it in the past and got good results. Only $10. Tops out at 55mpw. Not too bad.
  • Will131power
    Will131power Posts: 13 Member
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    So my training camp is cut short, got a bad sprain training for another sport. I was able to get my average pace at 7m30s for 12 miles. Once my ankle heals I'll start running again.

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