Anyone else training for a half marathon?

[golemmings]

I graduated from c25k earlier this year and ran my first 10 race in June. A friend has told me that I can do a half marathon in the autumn so I've signed up for one.

I'm a week into the training programme (using the rw one for 2:00-2:15 finishes) and I'm finding it really hard going.

Is there anybody else who is doing a half who wants to share moral support/abuse/highs/lows?

This is written by a friend of mine who is also training for a half marathon.

thirteenpoint1.blogspot.co.uk/

Hi golemmings

I too started running earlier this year and have signed up for my first half marathon on 28 Oct.

I am happy to share the ups and downs.
I have been running about 4 times a week recently but that will reduce over the school Hols as its not so easy to find time without the kids unless I go at 6 am!

Having said that I did go out at 6 this morning and pushed myself to do 16k (10 miles). I felt ok but my speed was not good. I tried to take it easy for the first 5 k then speed up a bit for the next 6 and a bit faster for the last 5. The first 11 k went to plan but then I couldn't speed up for the last bit and ended up going slower than the first 5. Maybe I set off too fast and need to slow down a bit. My legs feel like jelly tonight!

How is the training hard going. Is it distance or speed you are struggling with? I struggle to follow a plan properly as I have to go out when it fits in with family life and I rarely run alone so have to take account of what other people want to do.
Do you have company or do you run alone?

I'm doing Cardiff half in oct, did it last year in 2.08, so hope to do it in :2 this yr. sounds like your doing well with your training. I run 3 times a week. I only have one pace, 9.30 mins/ mile.

Am planning on going at 6.30 am tomorrow to avoid the heat.

Good luck!

Went and did w2r4 today. 7miles in 77 minutes. It might have been that speed too if I'd chosen a flatish road route but I decided to go off-tossing instead, climbing 100m on several occasions. In places it was beautiful, too, coming out at the top of the hill with the county laid out below or running through the meadows by the stream looking at the woods to one side and up onto the hills the other way in the evening sunlight.

The terrain was a Bugger though. Lots of steeps, cattle fields with ankle wrecking holes left after the recent rain...bogs that were more than ankle deep, paths overgrown with nettles and brambles, fields planted with maize where the footpath used to should go diagonally across the middle causing a 200m hurdle course...

It took a little longer than it should. The intended 11min/mile pace was nearer 12 1/2 min/mi but when I finished, I could have gone further. I speeded up towards the end too but that was mostly because i'd left too late and it was getting really quite dark in the woods and my phone was running out of battery... Not sensible but done and a day off tomorrow.

Hi golemmings
Sounds like a lovely route and the hills will be doing you good. I did just under six miles on Sunday morning with my club so pace was reasonable at 9'42.

Had a rest on Monday and then did some speed training again with the club. It was hard work but I felt better then the last time so my stamina must be improving.
Hoping to do a long run early tomorrow morning. Going to try for 11 miles but it will depend on what time I manage to get out and how I feel.

Wow annie, what time are you hoping to finish in? 9'42 sounds pretty fast!

Ran about 4 1/2 miles today. I'm using a rw programme which sets out training type, such as intervals and suggests a pace. So today was 3 x 1200m, 400m jog (5M total) at a 5K pace and should have taken 55 minutes.

Now.

Is that pace the pace I should be aiming for for the 1200m intervals or what I should be doing overall?

I ended up doing 10:57 min/mi overall which is a bit slow. I messed up a bit because all the speed intervals ended up being uphill - I could have scheduled them later and done them down hill at which point they would have been at the appropriate speed. I'm working on the theory that it's probably good for me to keep pushing myself on harder terrain. Am I right? It must be doing something because everytime I run on the road I get a new pb which is nice. Might treat myself to a flat road run at the weekend!
Tomorrow should be 5M (inc 2.5M THR).

Hello again
I am aiming for a time under 2 hours but that would mean a pace of about 9'9" which is faster than I can run at the moment but I am hoping that with some more endurance runs under my belt I will be able to go a bit faster on the long distances.
When you do intervals I think the pace given is just for the fast bits and not the average pace. If you had done 5 miles in 55 minutes then your average pace would have been 55/5 = 11 mins per mile which is exactly what you did!

I think there is somewhere on runners world where you can put in a recent time and distance that you have done and it will work out the actual paces you should be doing for different types of run. Will look it up and post the link for you.

Uphill intervals are very good training and you will feel the benefit once your body has had time to recover. You are right to push yourself but do be careful not to overdo it and end up with an injury!

Managed to get my long run in early this morning but only had time for 10 miles. Might try to do a slightly longer one on Sunday as its hard to do more than 1 1/2 hours in the morning. It felt good today, the weather was nice and I did the same route as last Thursday but 2.5 mins faster. Must have been that speed training on tues night! My time over the first 10 k was almost exactly the same but the last 6k was quite a bit faster so hopefully my stamina is improving!
Enjoy your 5 m tomorrow (not sure what THR means)

I found 2 pace calculators as follows

www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/rws-training-pace-calculator/1676.html

And

www.mcmillanrunning.com/calculator

Hello can I join the thread? I'm training for my first half and tbh its not going as well as I had hoped!

I've had a couple of set backs including cellulitis from a insect bite (took me out for 4 weeks) and was back up to 4 x week with long run at weekends and then developed a terrible chest infection which has knocked me for 6. Went out this am and could only manage 2.5 hard miles so I'm feeling a little despondent.

I think I still have time to get there - I'm doing the worksop half at the end of Oct but could do with some virtual motivation!

Oh colleys you have had a rough time. I'm so impressed that you're still getting out and training. With that attitude and better luck over the next 8 weeks I don't see that you won't manage it!

I've seen half marathon programmes which take 8 weeks start to finish so I think you've got the time.

I went out this morning too. I'm doing the rw sub 2:15 programme which told me to run 8 miles in 88 minutes. Because we were heading out this morning I needed to make it as quick as possible so I ran on the road. Don't think I got a pb but rather than finishing a couple of minutes slower than the programme suggests because I'm off road, I finished about 9 minutes ahead of schedule which I was pleased with.

Next run is supposed to be Tuesday but we're only back from the olympics tues pm and have visitors arriving on Wednesday so need to shop etc so it may not happen.

I counted this morning and its 12 weeks so hopefully still manageable!

I was a bit shocked at how tough it was this morning but still not going to give up. I like running off road too - I find muddy fields are good for my stamina and more enjoyable than just roads.

Dh is away weds night so might need to tweak my plan for this week. I might add in an exercise dvd too to try and get my overall fitness back up.

Hi am just watching the women complete the Olympic marathon. Wow I have no idea how they manage to run that fast for so long!!

Colleys well done for getting going again and I'm sure you will manage to build it up again soon.

Golemmings - that's sounds like a good pace you should be well on the way to a 2:15 time if you can build up the stamina to keep that going.

Used the local parkrun to do a tempo run yesterday morning. Was a bit disappointed with my time which was almost a minute slower than last time and it felt hard. The course is three laps round a park with a killer of a hill right at the start and i went out too fast as usual.

Had another tough run this morning. Did 7.5 miles at just under 10 min pace. I think I was suffering from yesterdays run and a long bike ride with DS in the afternoon.

Next run is with running club on tues and hopefully it will be a nice easy one!

Hello everyone how is it all going?

I'm feeling remarkablely upbeat today. Been out early and managed 5 miles over fields - my furthest distance in what seems like months! Admittedly not a record pace as I was aiming to see what distance I could pull but didn't need my inhaler which was a relief.

Yay colleys! That sounds great. I've missed 3 runs this week due to being away, having visitors and children deciding that 5am and 3am were sensible times to start the day on Monday and Tuesday.

I am going out today, though, just to run 10k plus warm up and cool down. I should run it faster than my last 10k effort which took 61:02. the programme says I should run it in sub 60. Dunno whether a week off (and feeling shattered) will make that easier or harder. I ran that course (plus more - 7.93miles) last week in 79mins so it will be interesting to see how today compares.

and I did it. 58:58. Actually not by best 10k time (the only race I did was 57:44 but endomondo wasn't convinced it was 10k.

The first time I ran it I started off quite fast - pbs for cooper test, 1k and 1 mile but then broke myself on the hill in the second half and the off-road section and ended up with interval times of between 8:09 and 11:40 for a mile. Today I ran more steadily and my times per mile ranged between 8:55 and 10:02 which seems far more sensible - and there was only one interval where I didn't beat my fastest previous times which pleased me.

now... I wonder what I could have done if I'd not had a week off...

And I get a day off tomorrow which is great.

Colleys I am running the worksop half too! Just over a week into a 12 week programme. Longest run (tonight) only 5 miles so far and felt exhausted but was pleased to have done it! Not run for that long in almost a year.

Louwn that's exciting! I've heard its a good route but to be prepared for a big hill at the start.

I went out last night but the old legs were complaining a bit - I walked a new route on Sunday which is a much more trickier footpath of about 6k which after Saturdays 5 miles perhaps tipped me over the edge!

So night off running tonight although I tend to miss it on rest days. Might dig out the wii or a davina dvd to stop me being restless!

Hey just wondered how everyone is getting on.

Been a good week here - got out 3 times in the week and managed 10k this morning so I'm feeling a tad smug but pleasantly surprised! Looks like things are getting back on track but just hoping I stay well and injury free.

Hello all - I'm training for my first half-marathon too. It's the Blenheim Palace one in early October. I'm a bit scared about it! I've only been running for a couple of years and never thought I'd get beyond 5k. Plus Blenheim's a bit hilly - I did a 10k there, so I know the course. Still, some lovely scenery to take my mind off the slog! Do any of you use an iPhone running app btw? I have tried Nike+ and Endomondo and have found them both pretty unreliable, so am hoping to find a better one.

hello everyone.

I have been very very lazy today and not managed to get out pounding the pavements. I am hoping for a good end of the week and weekend.

holmes i am not very technology minded (no iphone!) but use Map my run on an android phone which even though it moans at me saying the GPS signal is poor still seems to work ok. I struggle retrieving the info on timings but I think thats me not the app? I'm hoping someone might buy me a ishuffle as you can get a gadget that attachs to your shoe laces for recording data :) I'm dropping hints but dh doesn't seem to be biting yet!

Issy I am not very experienced either - I did a 10K (my second with a 4 year gap) and also make it up as i go along to be honest.

I did splash out and buy Women's Running magazine Sept edition as it has a bit in it about half marathons (I ignored the bit about Ultra marathons - 13 miles is quite enough for my knees)

Holmes - I use endomondo which works fine for me but dh has struggled with it - mind you, we've since discovered his phone - htc desire S is pretty crap with gps.

Issy - I'm with you on the timescales. I love your idea of your first half before 50. I want to do my first half before ds turns 1 and a marathon before I'm 40. Infact I'm planning on doing 40 things in my 40th year and a marathon will be one of them so once I've done my half (the day before ds's birthday) I'll have to stick with halves for 8 months until I turn 39...

I finally managed to get out today - todays run should have been 4 miles with speed work 6x 300m intervals with 200m recovery at my 5k pace - 8.57min/mile. It was supposed to take 45 minutes.

I finished in 44:48 so that bit was OK but the intervals... jeez. I can't do intervals. 8:51 (flat), 10:38, 11:32, 14:18, 15:17.

Ironically my average speeds when I don't try to do intervals are much quicker -
todays mile splits were 10:21, 12:27, 13:01, 9:00.

Previous runs around the hill were 10:03, 12:33, 12:14, 8:46 and last week 09:44, 11:47, 11:27, (and I came home a different way).

Its just frustrating that as soon as I know I have intervals to run I find it much harder to maintain the same speed (not even increase it) that I spend much longer recovering than if I'd just run the bloody thing without intervals.

Not sure I'm going to get this weekends runs in either; we're off to a festival at the weekend and I'm not sure its fair to leave dh with the dcs for an hour on saturday and 2 hours on sunday... but at least after this weekend our lives become more sensible and I can concentrate on the last 6 weeks of the programme...

By the sounds of it, Annie and sixtyfoot are the only one with much experience? What about Louwn?

I started running for cross training 4 years ago, just got to 10k by running once or twice a week for 4 months and got pregnant with dd, didn't really pick it up again until ds was 6 weeks old last November. I did a 5k mud run in March, a 10k in June and the race for life with ds in the buggy in July so I'm pretty new to all this too.