The sub 1:30 half thread
163 watchers
Oct 2023
11:08am, 2 Oct 2023
42,861 posts
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SPR
I've been doing a mile in the morning before all my races for a couple of years. My races are normally afternoon or evening though and still do mile or two and then some sprints (like it to be hills for road) before the race. For my HM, I'll skip the morning mile given it's early but do the standard warm up. I did that before the 8 mile tester last week. Interesting that it might be best the other way round for marathon. |
Oct 2023
11:12am, 2 Oct 2023
22,162 posts
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larkim
I ran a good HM off a 3mile jog to the start, though that was probably helped by the fact that I wasn't actually targetting a PB for that race. It did however make me aware of how beneficial (and non-detrimental) a 25-30 min warm up could be - prior to that I'd have said doing something for that long was bound to deplete me in some way. Marathon, certainly at my speed, I think you can handle the first mile as a warm up, and even if you're 60s off the pace that you want to be at it's only 1 minute out of almost 200 and can be recovered in full potentially. In reality, marathon pace from the start is not particularly fast anyway so I'd not expect any downside to kicking on without anything more than 100-200m of loosening up. |
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Oct 2023
11:40am, 2 Oct 2023
42,862 posts
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SPR
Warm up is an interesting one. I know my track warm wouldn't necessarily work for champs that have holding pens for example and I ran a ’horrendous’ 1500 in 2020 when we were held in one corner of the track pre race after sign in (and fastest race was last so held longest). Must have been 30 mins and my legs didn't get going in the race. I then did a session after that was better than the last race (luckily it was one of many races so I knew it was a bad race rather than form). I ran a then PB for 800 after a rushed warm up in 2016. Think the panic etc meant adrenaline was flowing so I got out well and legs worked. I mistimed my warm up at the road relays a week last Saturday as I miscalculated my start time. Tried to make up for less time it by making it more intense but it didn't work. I've experimented with short bursts in my warm up but think easy ~ 0.8-mile, drills, then easy to steady/ cruise 0.8-mile followed by 4 10 sec sprints generally does the job for me. |
Oct 2023
1:27pm, 15 Oct 2023
3,408 posts
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tipsku
I'm officially lurking on this thread now as I'm halfway between the 1:45 and the 1:30 half - got a new shiny PB today in Leipzig with 1:37:42. This is almost 4 minutes faster than last year's race (1:41:30) and I shaved 20 seconds off my long-standing PB from the Anglesey half in 2016 (that was 7 and a half years ago!). I'll try to chipping away at my half PB whenever I can so that I'll inch closer to the big goal 1:30. Next stop 1:35. |
Oct 2023
1:51pm, 15 Oct 2023
16,686 posts
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chunkywizard
Good work tipsku!
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Oct 2023
8:51pm, 15 Oct 2023
1,703 posts
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Mark J
So I PB-ed at last weekend's Mount Cook half with a 1:36:18 on an undulating course. Next and final serious race of the year is the Nelson half on November 5th. I'm expecting (hoping) to go around 1:34 based on current training, speeds, course etc. Then its a couple of months of maintenance training over the summer until the marathon training starts and off w go again. Nice work tipsku |
Oct 2023
10:16pm, 15 Oct 2023
48,111 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Are most of you doing half maras during mara cycle or specifically doing a cycle of training for the half? Except for SPR who I know isn't doing marathons.  G
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Oct 2023
10:24pm, 15 Oct 2023
42,993 posts
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SPR
HM at the end of track season for me so not specific but for a different reason. Nice work tipsku & Mark J 🇳🇿, congrats on the PBs. My report is on the 3:15 thread. 79:50 for me today and as has been discussed there started too fast and paid for it in the last two miles. |
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Oct 2023
1:45am, 16 Oct 2023
1,705 posts
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Mark J
HappyG(rrr) Up until now, I had been doing specific half marathon plans for half marathon PB attempts. I'm starting marathon training in January for an attempt at Christchurch, this will be my first marathon for quite a number of years.
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Oct 2023
8:37am, 16 Oct 2023
48,117 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Cracking time anyway SPR, well done. Mark J, I got my half PBs in marathon training cycles. Just sayin'! Best of luck all. G
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