crumpyb1
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Posts: 9
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« on: February 08, 2008, 02:15:23 pm » |
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On April 12th I am running in the Capitol City Half Marathon in Columbus, Ohio. I've only run in one half marathon, Hobble Creek 2005. I think my time was 1:52, but I don't remember. I'd like to run it in under 1:50, but maybe I should shoot for a faster time. I imagine the course is a little hilly, but not too many people--3,000 last year.
Here's the week by week plan.
9--a tempo run of 3 miles, a long run of 11 miles, and run at least 5 miles each day. This is next week.
8--a tempo run of 3 miles, a long run of 12 miles, and run at least 5 miles each day.
7--a tempo run of 3 miles, a long run of 13 miles, and run at least 5 miles each day.
6--a tempo run of 4 miles, a long run of 14 miles, and run at least 5 miles each day. This is the first full week in March. I'd like to run in a tune-up race in March, but I haven't found one that is on Saturday and less than four hours away. If I could find a 5k, I could run three miles before and after the race like Sasha suggested to Lybi. But, I haven't found a race yet.
5--a tempo run of 4 miles, a long run of 15 miles, and run at least 5 miles each day.
4--a tempo run of 4 miles, a long run of 15 miles, and run at least 5 miles each day.
3--a tempo run of 5 miles, a long run of 15 miles, and run at least 5 miles each day.
2--a tempo run of 5 miles, a long run of 12 miles, and run at least 5 miles each day.
1--Tempo run of 3 miles on Tuesday, run 6 miles on Wednesday, and 4 miles on Thursday and Friday.
So what do you think of my nine week plan? I'd love suggestions of how much gu to eat and when to eat it during the race. And how many training runs should I practice with gu? My ten race last fall I didn't use any gu. And what kind of race plan should I have? I do know I like to start out a little on the slow side.
I am excited to read y'all's thoughts.
Adrianne
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Paul Petersen
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« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2008, 02:34:21 pm » |
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Looks pretty good to me. If you could do some tempo miles, or a progression, during the longs runs, that will help you greatly. Try to throw in 6x100m strides @3k pace during 2 or 3 of your runs each week as well. That will help with form and economy. Try not to taper too much for the race. Tapering hasn't been shown to be that helpful for half marathons and shorter. You can feel rested by just backing off on the intensity during the last week, or breaking your runs into shorter two-a-days.
Regarding gu, since this is only a half marathon, it is unlikely that you will run out of glycogen, unless you are out there for over 2 hours. I would consider taking one around mile 8, but that's it. Personally, I think if you eat well the week of the race, and then just take Poweraid at some of the aid stations, you will stay fueled.
Regarding race strategy, take it easy the first mile, and then assess where you are at by the mile marker. Adjust your pace accordingly to hit your goal pace, and then just stick to it. The best performances tend to be even splits. A negative split means you could have run faster; a big positive split means you lost time by going out to hard. The best way to know your proper goal pace coming into the race is to run a 10-K about three weeks before the Half. You can use your 10K time to project your half marathon time (using a race calculator), assuming the terrain is similar.
Good luck!
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Michelle Lowry
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« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2008, 07:39:59 pm » |
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I agree with Paul. I would suggest that you move up your first 4 mile tempo to week 7 so you can do a six mile tempo, if your 3 mile tempo on weeks 9 and 8 feel good.
A good plan would be to make this an 18 week plan and keep the training going. The results of your tempos, increased mileage, and strides will show through better in a race 18 weeks out than one 9 weeks out.
Good luck!
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crumpyb1
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Posts: 9
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« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2008, 10:22:33 pm » |
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I found a 20K on Memorial Day Weekend. It's seven weeks after the half. Michelle, would seven weeks work as well? And 1:52:22 was my time in the Hobble Creek Half in 2005.
About the strides, I don't have a garmin. I'd be guessing at the 100 meters and how fast my 3K pace is. Usually, I just try to run as fast as I can until a certain landmark. Will that work for strides?
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« Last Edit: February 08, 2008, 10:41:10 pm by crumpyb1 »
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Jon Allen
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« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2008, 11:21:43 pm » |
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That will definitely work for strides- they are just to get your pace up for a short while, nothing official. I usually do them for 20-30 seconds or so. Or sometimes to the next telephone pole. No garmins are required.
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crumpyb1
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Posts: 9
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« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2008, 06:17:44 am » |
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Thanks you guys. I am glad that my version of strides will work and that I don't have to eat tons of gu. I thought of another couple questions.
1) What pace should my tempo runs be?
Usually, I just try to run the two or three miles as fast as possible. For example, this past Tuesday my 2 mile tempo run was a 7:41 and a 7:20. But, I was wondering if I should keep my pace around 8 minutes per mile since that's the pace I want to run in the half.
2) What if I can't find a 10K race to run in March? Can I just keep to strides, tempo runs, and long runs with some faster miles?
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« Last Edit: February 09, 2008, 06:20:38 am by crumpyb1 »
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Paul Petersen
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« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2008, 01:05:49 pm » |
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Yeah, strides can/should be run just by feel. Don't worry about exact distance or whether it's really "3K pace" or not. It's more of an approximation.
In response to your questions:
1) Don't run your tempos any faster than your half marathon pace. I tend to lean toward doing longer tempos at slower paces, rather than shorter tempos at faster paces. Fast tempos tend to burn people out. Stick with half marathon pace or marathon pace. In general, no training should be done "as fast as possible". I rarely train at race pace or faster than race pace.
2) If you can't find a 10K, then a 5K, 8K, or even 15K would be good as a substitution. If you can't find any race, just do a 6 or 7-mile tempo run on that day, and use it to get a feel for what you can do for a half marathon.
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crumpyb1
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Posts: 9
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« Reply #7 on: February 09, 2008, 08:20:38 pm » |
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Thank you for your reply, Paul. But, your answer raises another question. What is my half marathon pace? Is 8:10 too fast or too slow?
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Jon Allen
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« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2008, 11:08:36 pm » |
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Based on what I see of your goals, 8:10 seems fine for a tempo pace. Depending on run length, you could do a tempo anywhere from 8 to 8:30.
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crumpyb1
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Posts: 9
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« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2008, 07:22:43 am » |
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Thanks again, Paul, Jonathon, and Michelle.
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Paul Petersen
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« Reply #10 on: February 10, 2008, 02:11:44 pm » |
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Thank you for your reply, Paul. But, your answer raises another question. What is my half marathon pace? Is 8:10 too fast or too slow?
I think Jon hit it on the head. Use that range of paces, and vary it on how you feel that given day, as well as the heat, topography, and wind. |
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Michelle Lowry
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« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2008, 04:19:42 pm » |
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You'll learn your correct tempo pace by doing tempos. I remember reading somewhere that tempo paces should not have a risk of failure (so if you feel like you are going so fast you might have to quit, you are going too fast). You have many weeks to go faster on subsequent workouts, so just run by feel, and you will be able to pinpoint your half marathon race pace, especially as you increase the distance of your tempos. Best of luck!
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Sasha Pachev
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« Reply #12 on: February 12, 2008, 04:12:01 pm » |
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I love this board. People ask questions, and get very good advice, and I do not have to respond to every question by myself and give my biased opinion - FRB team beats me to the punch. I hope more people use this board. This is truly the place where you can get a lot more value than any personal coach you would hire. The response was quick - the first reply came in 20 minutes. It was from a sub-2:20 marathoner who ran in the Olympic Trials, and it was very detailed. As if that was not enough, others shared their opinions as well giving their unique points of view, and answering follow-up questions. I hope everybody makes a note of that.
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Paul Petersen
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« Reply #13 on: February 12, 2008, 04:29:25 pm » |
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I love this board. People ask questions, and get very good advice, and I do not have to respond to every question by myself and give my biased opinion - FRB team beats me to the punch. I hope more people use this board. This is truly the place where you can get a lot more value than any personal coach you would hire. The response was quick - the first reply came in 20 minutes. It was from a sub-2:20 marathoner who ran in the Olympic Trials, and it was very detailed. As if that was not enough, others shared their opinions as well giving their unique points of view, and answering follow-up questions. I hope everybody makes a note of that.
And we did it without swearing or insulting each other. Truly a beacon to all message boards. ;-) |
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