Training for a half marathon-anyone else?

@Happierwithouthim havr you got your bib? I haven’t received any thing and now am wondering do I just collect it race day.

I just got back from an 11km run. It's my longest so far. I think I could've gone further but it got dark so I was worried I'd trip as the pavements are very uneven here.

I'm still really slow. I'm not convinced I'm going to make my goal of less than 3 hours.

I did 9 and a bit miles today after not eating and it wasn't quite as good as last week so going back to having a couple of slices of toast before I go out I think. It's 3 Mondays till the race so I'll do another long one next week then keep them about 5/6 miles till the big day.

That's great, everyone's doing well with the distances!

I saw some training plans advise to run the full distance before the day but I'm not planning to do that, I think 10 miles is the most I'll do, I figure I can always scramble through another 5k even if I need to massively reduce my speed.

You make a good point about start time. I wasn't waning by the end of today's run but it was only 9.30am when I finished. My race doesn't start til 10 so fasting til at least 12 o'clock will probably be way too much.

I think next weekend, I'll eat then run and see how it feels and trial how much my stomach can take.

I managed 16k in 1h33 this morning, I'm so pleased! It felt a lot easier than the 14k two weeks ago as well for some reason.

The half is starting to feel manageable, I'm just worried about nutrition. I didn't eat before the 16k this morning and felt fine but I'm not sure it's a good idea to do a half marathon running on empty?

I just tend to have bowel issues after a long run and it feels safer not to eat anything. Really not sure what to do on the day.

Did 18km today on a pretty flat route, took 2 hours 19.

I feel like all I've done is eat today though, had a big bowl of porridge and a coffee before, 3 gels, 1 energy drink, 1 recovery drink. Then I picked at food during a party including a cupcake and a muffin and since I've been home had cake, Doritos, dip, cheese and a cheeseburger. I feel like such a blob!

I've been put down for 20km next week with some tempo sections. 5 weeks tomorrow until the half and I'm feeling a bit better about it. After today I know I could run a flat half, this one will be tough with the hills and the terrain but if I can just stick to walking up the steep hill only then I will feel like I've achieved my target.

Good luck to any Great North Runners for tomorrow.

@Happierwithouthim hopefully just the half. They are so much better today thankfully so I’m running to the hospital, to work, to the shops just to keep training and getting everything done, am just exhausted now.

I’ve had a family emergency so I’m not sure I’ll even get to run. All depends on the next 5 or 6 days. I’ve only missed one day of training though so I’m on track if I can run. No pun intended🤣

My race has a lot of hills too 🙁

My training isn't going as well as I want it to. But I've convinced myself that's a good thing, as I'm only doing this to raise money for vulture conservation as I'm not a runner and if I was actually good nobody would want to donate. I'm sure it makes sense somehow.

I did 5km today. I have electrolytes after my run but haven't tried them before. I think I might try that next time as anything that helps is definitely a good idea!

My race has lots of hills in, the bastards changed the course since the first time I did it a few years ago and I was completely taken by surprise last year when I was expecting a nice flat course 😅 Hills are my nemesis too!

Luckily (well, unluckily normally!) it's quite hilly where I live so I had at least a bit of practice. And all the hills in the race are in the first half if I remember correctly. Hoping I'm more ready for them this time!

Good thing Charleville is flat as a pancake🤣🤣

@Whiskeyandkittens thats a great time for a practice run. Am sure its really boosted the confidence.

@Fishingforworkideas have you tried slowing down a bit to see if it feels more comfortable?

26 days til race day for me (aaargh!), and I just successfully did my practice run in 2 hours 16 minutes, such a relief! I did a dry run on the nutrition too - more carbs than normal yesterday, electrolyte tablet and a banana before I set off - plus an energy gel half way through mile 10, never tried those before but pretty sure it gave me a good boost for the last couple of miles and I managed to pick up the pace a bit. Might try and do a practice run of the actual hill on the race route than nearly killed my last year at some point too!

Also, cannot believe it finally is September!! We are officially in half marathon month ( for most of us)

@Fishingforworkideas what was your fueling and your general schedule like before that run? Or were you feeling off/Covidy ?
if it’s a one off then it might be a fluke, secondary to fueling or hydration. Sometimes I feel absolutely horrendous after a long run the week before a period but never any sweats. Just intense nausea and pain.
If it’s a regular thing you need to see your GP sooner rather than later for an MOT and some bloods.