The Running Thread
Discussion
evo4a said:
john2443 said:
Surely you'll do better than 1:50 if you're already at 1:52?
Hopefully, 1:50 was my target when I entered, this will be my first half so under 1:50 will be great anything else is a bonus.TeaNoSugar said:
I logged in to find out some other information here, but just saw your post and thought I'd offer an opinion as a distinctly average runner who's done at least a dozen half marathons and been through the same sort of pace bracket you're running at now. 56 days out from a 1/2 and you're running 1:52 in training? Assuming you keep training and stay injury free, you'll be way past the 1:50 point before you even line up at the start of the race. The adrenalin of a race day is always worth a few more seconds/mile pace as well. Might be worth indulging in a bit of "mission-creep" and settting yourself a new target. I'd be worried more about over-training, or losing motivation if you've set too easy a target. Maybe worth seeing whats needed to work towards 1:44, which is 8.00/mile pace. You've got 8 more weeks to work on it, thats more than enough for a 1/2, especially as you're already running an easy 1:52. Good luck.
Thanks for that, very encouraging. 1:45 would be nice. I think I'll enter another one for the early summer to keep the training going. I just feel at the moment as though I have a lot more in me, like a 1:40 eventually.evo4a said:
Thanks for that, very encouraging. 1:45 would be nice. I think I'll enter another one for the early summer to keep the training going. I just feel at the moment as though I have a lot more in me, like a 1:40 eventually.
I'm sure you do have more in you. I ran 3 halfs from 2010 to 2013 in times ranging from 2:09 - 1:56 before I joined a running club. Over the next 18 months I trained regularly, entered another 8 or 9 HMs and got my time down to 1:36. I'm not a naturally good runner either; although I'm tall, I've been carrying too much weight and my form is not the most efficient, a bit "clunky" and heavy footed, and I don't do anywhere near enough core strength work, so the point is, if I can do 1:36, anyone with a decent level of fitness and a fairly normal running style should definitely have a 1:35 in them. Good luck anyway, and definitely enter more races - unless you're really self-motivated, it's easy to let things slide after you've "proved yourself" at a race, and it helps to have another target to work towards. I know because I've done it myself - just let it all dwindle away for no reason other than laziness and lack of interest, and then found myself 4 or 5 months down the line, a stone heavier, out of practice and unable to manage more than a slow 5k!
I have my old running buddy (GF's family dog) visiting for a week. He not as fast as he was (neither am I) but we did a steady 10.5k this afternoon in 65 minutes. Half marathon is 5 weeks away and will be annoyed if I am over 1.55. I'm looking to do an 18k in the next couple of weeks and will then start doing some speed work too.
Jimboka said:
Wokingham Half next Sunday, followed by an impulsive entry to the Bramley 20 the week after...
Aiming for 1:26 & 2:20. I'll report back afterwards!
I did the Bramley 20 last year; really enjoyable race. Make sure you get there and parked up with plenty of time. Traffic in and out of the town was pretty bad due to the railway crossing.Aiming for 1:26 & 2:20. I'll report back afterwards!
evo4a said:
Just a quick question about speed work.
I can run a half marathon at 7mph pace,want to up my pace so, tonight I did 1 mile at 8mph, walk for 2mins, 1 mile at 7.8, walk for 2mins, then ran 4 miles at 7.6
Is this a good routine, open to suggestions.
It sounds like te right sort of thing to me. Maintaining a quicker pace over shorter-than-race distance intervals I can run a half marathon at 7mph pace,want to up my pace so, tonight I did 1 mile at 8mph, walk for 2mins, 1 mile at 7.8, walk for 2mins, then ran 4 miles at 7.6
Is this a good routine, open to suggestions.
-but I'm no expert.
Ps.People normally think in minutes/mile or /km.
On the road back from many calf injuries, I've been told to stick to about 5K for now.
as I was feeling impatient, I decided to make the latest session a Fartlek over the 5K. Mixed pace after a 1k warm up, with 1 fairly hard effort over 800m, followed by a slower pace.
Towards the end of the run The left soleus was cramping a little and is displaying a little tightness today -although not as bad as it could have been.
I over-did it, obviously... Hopefully it will recover quickly.
as I was feeling impatient, I decided to make the latest session a Fartlek over the 5K. Mixed pace after a 1k warm up, with 1 fairly hard effort over 800m, followed by a slower pace.
Towards the end of the run The left soleus was cramping a little and is displaying a little tightness today -although not as bad as it could have been.
I over-did it, obviously... Hopefully it will recover quickly.
MC Bodge said:
as I was feeling impatient, I decided to make the latest session a Fartlek over the 5K. Mixed pace after a 1k warm up, with 1 fairly hard effort over 800m, followed by a slower pace.
Towards the end of the run The left soleus was cramping a little and is displaying a little tightness today -although not as bad as it could have been.
You may have found your issue! I really did stick to 1km every three days for six weeks before pushing on.Towards the end of the run The left soleus was cramping a little and is displaying a little tightness today -although not as bad as it could have been.
It's very rare that I get cramp. When I do, it's always salt. I keep some decent sea salt in the kitchen for the few recipes that really need it, for cramps I just grind some into my palm and lick it.
grumbledoak said:
You may have found your issue! I really did stick to 1km every three days for six weeks before pushing on.
It's very rare that I get cramp. When I do, it's always salt. I keep some decent sea salt in the kitchen for the few recipes that really need it, for cramps I just grind some into my palm and lick it.
I will be taking it easy when I get back to it. It has been niggling more as the day has gone on, although rolling it appeared to release it quite a bit. It's very rare that I get cramp. When I do, it's always salt. I keep some decent sea salt in the kitchen for the few recipes that really need it, for cramps I just grind some into my palm and lick it.
Cycling with it thankfully doesn't appear to causing a problem.
I possibly was a little dehydrated yesterday, but I'm not sure that lack of salt was a problem.
It does still seem to be a weakness in the soleus, despite a few weeks of strengthening exercises. I'll take a(nother) week off running.
grumbledoak said:
You may have found your issue! I really did stick to 1km every three days for six weeks before pushing on.
It's very rare that I get cramp. When I do, it's always salt.
Encouragingly, the calf has eased a lot this morning, after a hilly bike ride and some muscle rollering last night.It's very rare that I get cramp. When I do, it's always salt.
800m of quick-ish (not sprinting!) running in the middle of 5K surely shouldn't be causing muscle problems in an active bloke in his late 30s though.
Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 6th February 07:43
Ben Jk said:
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