Half Marathon Training Spring 2024

I feel you on the shoes @Trickedbyadoughnut I ran in Sauciny Triumphs for years, and then the design changed just a bit too much and they no longer fitted. I’m a recent convert to Ghosts thanks to the lovely people at Run and Become.

I don’t mind being last, it’s happened a couple of times at my local marathon challenge (when you run a 5, 8.1 and 13.1 over a weekend). Last year I walked in with a runner who wasn’t feeling well and we were almost last. Because people make a weekend of it there are always people left to clap you in. Not sure if there will be anyone around on Saturday as we start and finish in a car park. Oh well.

Edited to correct the name of the running shop

thanks @Ponks ! It is a minefield and can get expensive quickly. I insisted a bit in the shop that I wanted to find a New Balance shoe (they have a massive range) as I have weird feet that are really wide at the front and narrow at the heel and I have run fine in NB for years. The Saucony Tempus have brilliant reviews, should have been my ideal shoe based on the analysis in the shop and yet, no.

Good luck if you need to look for a new shoe option!

@ponks no speed work yet!
My running is a long run once a week (90mins) in zone 2, a shorter zone 2 (45 mins) and either a parkrun or some longer intervals (2kms), plus a short 20min run before or after a bike session.
Most weeks 3 main runs plus a quick pre or post bike session. Never more than 20miles a week. But, I do intervals in the bike which I think helps.

Ps @brooksghost that's an amazing pb! Do you do a lot of speed work in with the slow running?

@Trickedbyadoughnut keeping my fingers crossed for your horse. Very interesting to hear your reviews on trainers. I've been using Hoka Clifton for the last few years as got fitted for a pair in a running shop and loved them so have just kept replacing them. However in the last mile or so of my race yesterday one foot was very uncomfortable and I'm thinking of trying other shoes. It's such a minefield though isn't it?

@MirandaWest thanks for the detailed response about improving your PB - my HM "PB" (admittedly the only road HM I've done) is about a minute slower than your time, so it's really encouraging to me personally how well you made progress as I feel like that means I can make progress too!

@brooksghost wow! That is so fast. I have aims to improve my PBs at all distances before 50 so that is also so motivating for me!

@Ponks brilliant, well done! Enjoy the post-HM high, you deserve it!

@BogRollBOGOF it is tricky getting trail miles in over winter. I've been able to seize a few days where the ground has been drier, but too slippy most of the time. Road hills will do well for the training too though.

@OhOneOhTwoOhThree oh I feel you about the cut-off times - I've been last and there abouts more than once and only enter stuff with long cut-offs (and not too steep downhill, as I lose so much time in the downhills). Hopefully you can enjoy the run and it won't be too stressful (I am stressing about making the three hour cut-off for my road half, so that is very much " do as I say, not as I do" advice ...)

Well, things got a bit hairy here, as one of the horses fractured a bone in her leg and had to be rushed to hospital, operated on and then of course came down with colic ...

So I went for a 10k tempo run on Friday, thinking I would just take it as I felt it, not push things, but actually it felt good to run and get rid of some stress. Same for yesterday's long run of 18k - kept it very easy and for once was actually in zone 2 most of the way. Hoping I can catch up a bit on sleep the next few days to avoid any injury worries.

In the ongoing shoe saga, I used my 860s for a 6.5k on Tuesday, thinking that I would have to run my HM in them - lots of thigh pain, outside of foot etc. the next day. I really think because of all the physio I've done on my hips, they're just overcorrecting the pronation now (I bought the shoes last July). So I think they're out definitively.

Having spent money I don't have on the Saucony Tempus, which I hated and made my legs very sore, I was going to run in my NB Prisms, which I love for speed and tempo. They are not very cushioned for longer runs, but at least don't make my legs hurt, but DH insisted that we go to another shoe shop as my anniversary present (I think partly so he doesn't have to put up with a grumpy me if I can't run ...).

So now have the NB Supercomp Trainer. Tried out for a whole 5k treadmill run in the shop (after the Tempus debacle, I think the shop people thought I was a bit mad), then used them for the 10k tempo.

They are very cushioned, high stack and have a carbon plate, but they're not super shoes in that they're not meant for racing, but more as a "daily trainer". But all the reviews say they're better at slower speeds and heavier runners, but as I AM slow and heavy, that seemed fine by me. Very odd sensation walking in them, felt high and squishy, but felt great running immediately and oddly, I felt like I was hitting my tempo pace very easily, much easier than usual. It was the first time I wasn't desperate for the tempo portion to be over and actually felt like I could have kept going! I felt like my legs were very well recovered the next day too. Only eek was that I was doing an out and back, so did an about-turn mid-run and definitely felt a big wobble then - will definitely be careful of that.

So going to do a few more runs in them the next few weeks to make sure they're definitely right, but otherwise will try to save them for the HM, so that I get all the benefit from them in the half.

Sorry all for writing a novel 😆

Four hours is tight for just shy of 18mi, and on trail! It's a fairly mainstream pace/ time.

Last year I did a trail HM in 3:30. It was quite a hilly one though and really got to my calves. I really enjoyed it though. It was more like a quick power hike than running running.

@MirandaWest thank you for writing down your reflections - really inspiring to read your running journey and well done again on making so much progress.

@MartineBIT - welcome to the nicest thread on Mumsnet! @brooksghost have given you some good advice.

@brooksghost well done on on smashing your parkrun PB.

@BogRollBOGOF similar challenge here with soggy trails.

@chutneypig hope the canicross goes well!

I've stuck to the plan this week - ran 5 miles home from work on Tuesday, 5 miles before work on Friday (should have been Thursday but no time), 5 miles yesterday (parkrun plus an extra lap) and 7 today (although I was ridiculously slow and tired - decided to channel brooks and chalk it up as a slow pace run).

Next week I go off piste - the plan has a 12 and a 5 mile run at the weekend, so I have foolishly entered a 17 mile trail event, which is now turning out to be 17.7 miles. What I thought was a 6 hour cut off when I entered has become 4 hours (I wouldn't have entered it if I'd clocked the cut off as I am not sure if I will make it). My neighbour is also doing it and has promised to grab me a medal if the event organisers start packing up before I finish!

Well done @Ponks great work and well done on finishing strongly. Glad you are feeling pleased with yourself!

Well done Ponks and Brooks!

I've just done an averagely hard parkrun this weekend. I went for the hilly route as my HM is trail and I've not done many hills recently. It's too soggy to join up most of my usual trail long runs.

Did my half marathon today, the atmosphere really carried me round and I was even able to open up a bit in the last few hundred yards to the finish. Hugely pleased and shattered!!

@brooksghost wow - that’s great! I recently set a new parkrun PB of 27:54 but as old one had stood for nearly 12 years it felt very good 😃 I like being able to run my best at getting nearly to 50 😊

@MirandaWest thanks for that link. I had a play with it last night...and then promptly ran a parkrun PB this morning which meant I had to put in new numbers!

I smashed my 5km parkrun this morning with a 19:40. I'm nearly 50 and never really thought a sub 20 or even sub 21 was possible for me, but somehow it was. I've not started speed work yet so this is mostly from my beloved zone 2 runs.

Long run tomorrow for me with a section at half marathon pace...which I have no idea about!

That's my league.

I got a HM pb of 2:09:55, and the following week, a new 5k pb of 28:19 and achilles tendonitis for the next few months

I recovered, rehabbed and have been gentler with the long runs since, but done 5k plans and brought that down to 27:12 but haven't pushed a hard HM since; most have been trails anyway.

The pb was a bit of a fluke as it was late 2021 at the end of a congested race season of regular and postponed events, so I was racing every other week. I was fit, but not well rested, hence the injury. That particular race is a fast course but nornally in summer so heat tends to affect performance and the cold made it easier than usual.

I've recently done 10k in 55:50. I don't think it's a true pb, as I think early on- like 9 years ago, before I had sports watches, I was slightly faster in a race, but hey records are thin on the ground and I was a newbie in my early 30s 😂

This one is pretty accurate for me

https://sporttracks.mobi/labs/race-finish-time-predictor

My comfortable ish but trying quite hard 5k is around 28 min which gives me just under 2 hour 9 min for half marathon and I did it in exactly 2 hiur 9 min last Sunday

@gm2023
I wonder how accurate those calculators are...bizarrely I was looking at quite a few today seeing what times they'd give me. Has anyone used them and found them accurate?
I have a 10miler in 2 weeks followed 2 weeks later by my half. My last race was a 5km so predicting from 3 miles to 10 miles seems a range.
Anyway, all calculators spat out similar times for both the 10 and half. I'd love for them to be accurate!

Hi! I’m doing my first in October - about a year after I started Couch to 5K.

My comfortable pace is 13 min/mile and I can run 12 min/miles. I’m just a 5km runner for now but I have run/walked 8km. I’ve put my predicted finish time down as 3h15m - which is 14:53 min/mile. I’m hoping just to finish it but my secondary goal is to do it in under 3 hours. I’m focused on the distance rather than the time.

How fast can you run 5km? There are calculators that can extrapolate your time to complete a half-marathon based on that.

I agree, don't specifically aim for time right now. But as you progress in your training you might get a feel for a time you can aim for as you have a good window between now and October.

Longest run for me for months, 90 mins was on the plan. The time actually passed really quickly, and the sun even came out. Not sure how my legs will feel tomorrow but managed 8.5 miles in the time. Forced myself to stay strong in the last 15 minutes and keep my knees up. I'm such a shuffler when tired and start tripping over my own feet.

Hi @MartineBIT
I wouldn't worry about times at all for your first one (there will be others). Focus on enjoying it, get used to following a plan, use this to sort out fuelling/drinking on long runs, getting the right equipment for you etc. After that, look at what you'd like you to improve on.
Consistency is key as well as a slow and steady build up of miles.

Welcome @MartineBIT! What sort of distances/times are you doing currently?

Hello, can anyone give me some advice? I’m training for a half marathon in October. I’m a novice runner and it’s my first HM and I’m nearly 50.

What sort of time would you suggest I aim for? At the moment just getting round seems a huge deal but I’d like to have an aim to work towards. At the moment I am a very slow runner.

"That's another annoying feature aggravated by running, frequent tiny mini-wees."

I get them on the day before my period/on the first day. And they are so annoying!

I too hate the mud, and wet squelchy feet, and filthy trainers.

100 minute run today.

I tend to use a cup and period pants if I know I need full coverage. I often use (cloth) pant liners anyway- mainly because they're handy after a bush visit. Indeed the chaffing started as I didn't quite get my pants pulled up right in the best position after a short pause.
I think the period pants have shunted to the back of the drawer. Last month running wasn't an issue because my period kindly turned up on holiday for most of it. Sigh.

At least a couple of days in, the heavy, sluggish feeling passes, and I start peeing out the water retention like a horse. That's another annoying feature aggravated by running, frequent tiny mini-wees. Like cystitis but minus the burning pain.

Being female is annoying!

At least I can move these days. In my youth, I had overwhelming, curl-up-on-the-foor, writhing cramps that radiated into my legs and were incapacitating. So it could be worse!

I use a mooncup, and as it's fine to use it on those days in the run up when you aren't sure if it's going to come on while you're out for the day etc It's honestly been a game changer for me, not just for running. Doesn't need frequent changing (lasts me a work day).
Urgh, the dip in energy but huge increase in appetite just before a period though get me down. Can you tell it's that time for me now?!
@BogRollBOGOF I'm with you in wishing the trails would dry up, last week it started to get a lot better. But rained on and off most of this week. I have a 90 minute run on my plan tomorrow (will be my longest in ages) and was hoping to go off road so I don't get bored.

@gm2023 period pants in the run up really help with any surprises and they are quite comfortable to run in. I'm at the age where I can have a cycle of 16 days or 46 days...who knows! Garmin tries to predict and was often spot on, but nowadays, it has no chance of getting it right!