Half marathon - any one doing one?

Congrats on the HM Sven, sounds fun, ouch about that wasp sting early in the race, what a trouper for carrying on.
I am now in double digits! Did 10 miles yesterday. Hot weather has meant I didn't run as many times as I would have liked. I did think about running after dinner at 9pm-ish when temp is 23 degrees but didn't fancy running in my area at that time in vest and shorts. If it continues to be this hot, I might have to set my alarm for 5am and go running before work.

I'd been thinking of signing up for the Great South Run at the end of October - only 10 miles so should be a doddle after Royal Parks.......not. My plan was to stay in taper mode after the HM - might that work?

How has training in the heat been - I managed to squeeze in 2 training runs and a very grim (hot and hilly) parkrun yesterday. Still hoping to get a long one in tomorrow but might have to get up very early to beat the heat....

New forest looks good and I too am thinking next year probably the half but maybe the marathon.
They are a week before the purbeck 16 so too close for my liking.

Enjoy today Sven. I found my last trail hard work, I'm eyeing up one the week before my half but I'm not sure. Can enter on day so at least I can keep my options open!

You've got it all planned out. Good to have a plan. I was also thinking about a local HM in December - I figure I could try and keep the mileage topped up! Bournemouth should be good though. Have you ever done the New Forest ones in September? They keep popping up in my FB feed. It'll be too tight this year, but was wondering about next.

Coaching session this morning was hard work. We were doing planks, sit ups, press ups, hill and speed work.
I feel great chutney I think where I took it slow and steady recovery has been easy this time
I am doing a 10k race in the morning another trail one. Really liking trail at the moment.
I'm not in any other races then until September for the 16 miler.
I am booked in for my next half in October thats Bournemouth half then possibly two 10 milers one end of October the other mid November. And finally possibly another half in December.

Enjoy the change of scene chutney.

I managed to get out for 5 miles or so tonight - temperature dropped a bit and I stuck to the Embankment so got a bit of a breeze. Have lost both Dc and DH off for a long weekend so I might try out a Parkrun on Saturday having been signed up for ages and never done one. I've also drafted out a flat hm route long the Thames so I might try and get one under the feet to see how it feels before looking at the rather more testing gradient of the Royal Parks themselves.

Sounds like you rescued the situation Fifty!

I just about managed a 'speed' session last night - ha ha. Breach of trades descriptions. But glad I got out. I toyed with a hill session today but couldn't face it so did an evil HIIT from fitness blender instead. I'm going to miss parkrun on Saturday so I'm feeling all out of kilter. I'm at my parents next week but they've been thinking about good running routes for me while I'm there so I just need a bit of willpower.

How are you feeling Sven post HM?

I got all the way to the park last night and had the wrong key for my bike lock , so I cycled the 5 laps instead of running them . Was probably about 9 miles in total including getting there and back.

Managed 5 plus a bit last night in an hour, not my finest running but I'm glad I went out. I tried to concentrate more on form, running tall and using my arms more. They certainly ached after!

Aiming for early morning speed intervals Wednesday now, should just about struggle through Pilates tomorrow.

I was aiming for 2.10 but starting to feel like I'll be foiled by the heat in training and possibly on the day, we'll see.

Thanks emummy I'm just aiming to finish although under 3 hours would be nice... I took a leaf out of your book and headed out early but even at 6.30am London is pretty hot and I ended up trying to hug the shade. Still 5 miles under the belt is a good start to the week!

I think you're fine londonmummy1966; I have decided to use a harder plan, aimed at improving your half-marathon time,as the one I am doing will be off road and quite tough. I was a bit worried that I would struggle unless I trained harder. Mine is on October 2nd but I have started training a little early as Dh will be travelling for work and it will be difficult to run when he's away - he's off to the US on Sunday for a week.

emummy when is your half - I thought 4/5 miles was OK at the moment with a half in early October but maybe I need to be a bit more ambitious? I've drafted out a route that does the full distance for some point next weekend and which goes up and down through the Royal Parks so I start to get some idea of what I have let myself in for. I'm just hoping for a spell of bad weather as there was no way I could have run anywhere today as it is very hot and humid in London at the moment.

chutney I am following a plan at the moment and the runs range from 6 to 9 miles on weekdays.

Sounds fantastic Sven, very well done. Hope your poor lip isn't too sore!

Might changing seat position help a bit Cherry? I know a friend has been having dreadful hip trouble and it made an instant difference.

Hope the run went ok Fifty. I've had an early dinner and aiming to get out for an hour later.

What sort of distance do you manage to get in in the mornings emummy?

Well done Sven, sounds like you got the full trail experience! Funny to hear of everyone running in the heat, it hasn't reached us yet! Think it warms up in the next few days, my usual early morning runs should escape the worst of it. Good hydration important, sounds like you have that sussed FiftyNine!

Well done Sven, that sounds like quite an adventure. Hope your lip is not too sore.

I'm heading out now to run a few laps of my parkrun park. 5 laps = 10K, but I don't know if I will manage that much in this heat. I'm taking a drink and will stop each lap for water.

I had a very hot half marathon yesterday.
If any of you get a chance to do a white star running race do it!
The atmosphere was fab and everyone so friendly.
The first 4_5 miles were a bit stop and start as being trail we were on narrow trackways.
The highlights for me were doing the Mexican wave, oggie oggie oggie, the hokey cokey and the conga whilst waiting to get over a style
I was a lot slower than I thought for but being off road is so different to on road so was expecting to be slower.
The cut off was 4.30 hours and it certainly was a no pressure race.
I had walk breaks as it was a struggle in the heat.
I also got stung by a wasp on my lip at the second water station so had to wait until marshalls were happy for me to carry on.
All good and got going again finally finishing in 3:29 which I'm happy with

Well done cherry and Chutney. Definitely get the hip checked - I left one to fester and it led to knee problems too and I had to pull out of a run I'd been training for for months.... If you haven't found it already the Mapmyrun website is good for planning runs in new areas - it will usually also indicate other peoples' routes in the area and show you the elevations.

Took an easier week this week as my calves were aching a bit even after rest days - so had 2 consecutive days off and have only run 15 miles this week. Losing my dds on a choir tour on Thursday so think I'll try and pace myself for a very long run next weekend. Hope it isn't as hot as today as my 6 miler was pure hell.

I'd definitely go get that hip things checked out Cherry. Did you manage the six miles? I've got an hour on the list for Sunday and parkrun tomorrow. My friend at work forced me out to do my hills yesterday and I felt so much better for it. It was a really good circuit up and down part of the course.

I've got a week at my parents coming up and a week with other family. Last year I was aiming for a 10k so the long run wasn't very long so routes weren't so tough. Beach front may be the way to go. I hate having to think about it when I get going, the canal is so handy at home.

Hopefully it's about as hot as it gets for running and the shoes will be perfect for October. The support sounds very important. I always find that with intervals, I'm hoping to be a bit more strategic about taking walking breaks. I never want to do them in the real thing at the start but know I ought to start them ahead of when I feel I need to, if that makes sense.

I'm very jealous of the course though, takes me back. Although my recollection is not all it could be, I thought it'd be pretty flat but obviously not! I might be tempted to try the ballot next year depending on your reports.

I reckon the big thing with up and downing is how much of the other runners you can see. That was what was so dispiriting yesterday , that and I've just worked out that there was one bit I passed 8 times. It looks like that's towards the end for you as well.

One thing I wondered after yesterday was whether I'd found the pacer any help or not. I know she did a great job for everyone who kept up but I'm not sure whether it made it harder seeing her sail off eventually, probably wouldn't have been an issue if I'd been feeling spot on.

Thanks for the route 5908 does look a bit of a killer with all the upping and downing in Hyde Park (and a pretty tough hill coming back through Green Park too). Will have to start practicing some of those uphill sections I think.