Half marathon - any one doing one?

[Cherryminx]

There was a thread last year which I looked at in admiration as I struggled through C25K and then went on to run a 10K. So I can hardly believe that in a fit of madness I've signed up for a half Marathon in May.

Training starts tomorrow! Would anyone like to join me?

Hi London mummy. I am ! Just did the required 5 miles on their plan and it didn't feel great. Hotandsweaty. The one I printed off from their site has 5 days a week running Not sure that's doable on top of full time job, 2 kids and cycling 8 miles to work and back. I'd like a nicer one. Including some days of sitting on the sofa with a glass of chilled white wine.

Hello londonmummy . I know I found some of the plans quite daunting and complicated to look at. What's putting you off?

Thanks for replying - chutney - I think dino has hit the problem on the head - I really don't think I can run so many days a week. I'm overweight and end up with injuries if I try to run too many days in a row and feel I need to aim at every other day. Also I suffer when its hot (pale skinned Celt here) so there will be days (maybe even the odd week) when it is not possible. I've been trying to slowly up the distance I run on a regular basis - now 8km up from 5 at the beginning of the year and trying to get a long run/walk in once every 3 weeks or so. The 8km is sort of where the basic Royal Parks training plan seems to think I should be. I managed 11 miles in just under 2 hours this week so I think I'm on target to finish but I'd dearly love to not be the last person over the line....

Any ideas on HM plans that might be more manageable?

The one I did last time was very doable. Essentially three runs a week. One ramped up from 3-5 miles (I used parkrun for that so only ever did 5k), one interval session (I never did more than half an hour for that, on a treadmill) and one long run. That essentially started at four miles and pretty much increased a mile a week up to ten miles. The speed intervals had a massive impact on my pace for parkrun really quickly, I was amazed.

But with three runs it was flexible - I did most a the weekend and had no injury problems.

yes I am too heavy too. all that chilled wine right? . I did a HM about three years ago and followed a guardian 10 week plan that my friend sent me on a piece of paper. I can't seem to find it now on the internet but I'm sure it was a run or two in the week and a Sunday that went 10k, 12k, 14k, 16k etc so that by the end you could do the distance and went in feeling that you would make it round..

All I have ever done is three runs a week.
One long slow run this is the one I up the mileage on just by one mile a week.
The other two runs I stick to 5k which one I do as a tempo run the other I do as an easy run.
All my routes include hills so I don't tend to set one run out for hill work I tend to loop back on one or two hills and do them again.
I ran a half in March using this plan and I am running a hilly trail half on the 16th of this month.

Thanks everyone - so if I try to slowly increase my normal runs by .25 km a week and make one tempo (they all have hills in them) and do a longer run each fortnight increasing by .5 of a mile each time do you think that sounds sensible?Trying to find the time and weather to do a weekly long run over the summer holidays might be a bit tricky?

That sounds ok.
Summer holidays are always a grey area for me running wise. Especially now as dh works away regularly.

I got my last long run done today. 13 miles of on and off road.
I will do my usual two 5k runs wednesday and friday. Then a 5k next week and that will be all until the half on the Saturday

Good to get that under your belt Sven. How did it feel?

That sounds sensible to me londonmummy. I know what you mean with the weather. I found daylight a problem in spring and now it's warmer it still seems a challenge.

First run done for me today. Nice easy run which is just as well as I didn't feel too awake this morning.

Hope it goes well Sven. I managed 5 miles today but I went out at 9.30 this morning and it was so hot I hated it. Rest day tomorrow (something to do with the wine I had at dinner tonight) but hopefully another 5 on Wednesday and a longer run on Friday. Chutney - when you trained for your last HM what sort of speed work did you do? Is it feasibly if you are heavy and injury prone?

My programme called for one mile easy, half a mile fast, half a mile slow. Started with a couple of repeats and gradually increased. I'm a. slow and b. rubbish at pushing myself so did it in km instead on a treadmill. I kept the slow very slow and gradually increased how fast I was doing the fast sections. . It really only took 20-25 minutes (I'd get very bored otherwise) and I knocked nearly a minute off my parkrun PB in three weeks - it had stood for 8 months.

It's not a huge session and I think the key thing is to tailor it to you. If you started off very carefully and saw how you felt that would work, gradual increases and all that. I'm sure you could do it out and about too if you don't have access to a treadmill or like them. I've read the important thing is to really slow in between faster sessions.

Thanks Chutney - that sounds doable as part of a normal run as I'm doing 3.5 mins running to 1 min walking so I could do some of the run sections fast and some not.Otherwise I could hit the dreaded treadmill on a day that is too hot to run outside. Nursing a hangover today and want to do a long run tomorrow but could give the intervals a shot later in the week and see how they go.

How is the training going? I managed 8 miles today as this weeks long run but it is really hot and sticky here today so it was pretty grim. Also had to nick a pink top from my daughter so now my face matches it - not a good look.

I've kept to my training plan this week so far. Had a very soggy parkrun this morning - I volunteered as I'm doing a 10k tomorrow. I've just been trying to plan out next weeks runs. This plan had an extra run a week in which I'm sure will help but there's a real timing challenge.

I think the heat is going to be a pain this time of year. Hot and sticky is grim but good on you for getting eight miles in londonmummy

Well done london, it can be hard work in the heat.
8 miles from me this morning, was meant to be 10 up a hill I hadn't done before, but I got a bit confused, thanks to the logging company's efforts which changed the tracks completely! Was still nice, will make it to the top another day.

Hope the 10K went well Chutney - don't you deserve a rest after that rather than an extra run? emummy - your running routes sound a lot nicer than mine - the nearest you get to logging on the London streets is someone pruning a tree - although I did come back from a run with huge armful of lilac trimmings a few weeks ago....

Ugh that was dire. Hot and windy and two laps. First 5k was OK and stayed with the 60 minute pacer but it went to pot after that. Three minutes slower than I was hoping, very deflating. It was round where the HM starts, luckily the half doesn't go round and round and round the same bit. Still I did see a lot of the DC because it kept doubling back on itself . DS ran a bit at the end to keep me going.

I'm aiming to fit in a speed session and a hill session this week plus an hour on Sunday. But nothing as exciting as your run sounds emummy. London always seems muggier than elsewhere in the summer too that must be a challenge londonmummy

Hello londonmummy, I am also doing Royal Parks. I try to run a couple of times during the week plus parkrun on Saturday and an longer (up to 10 miles, but it's a while since I've done that regularly) on Sundays. I have been a bit injured recently so not really running as regularly as I should.

I'm planning 8 or so miles later this afternoon. Just been out for a stroll with DH and it's cool and breezy here so I hope it stays that way .

Well done on your 10K chutney

londonmummy and Dino I am thinking of a recce run or two before the Royal Parks - I work near Green Park so sometimes run there and around St James'/Hyde Park. Have either of you done it before?

Chutney hats off to anyone who runs today - it is terribly muggy here today - also I haven't run a 10K in less that 1hr 5 for ages so I'd have been very happy with your time.

5908 hello - I was planning on a recce nearer the time - have they put the route up yet? I did part of last weeks long run in St James's and Green Park to remind myself of where the hills were but haven't ventured into Hyde Park yet this year. I might get that far next week as I'm packing the dds off on choir tour so my time will be my own for once...

Did you make it out Fifty? Recce is a good plan. Im not too far from the hilliest part of my HM route so I'm planning on doing my hill intervals there. I'm told it catches a lot of people out. It stood me in good stead on a 10k recently where there's a very sneaky hill near the start and a few near the end.

I'd have been very pleased with 62 minutes a couple of months back londonmummy but I bizarrely managed a PB of dead on an hour, to the second, a couple of months ago on the hilly course I just mentioned. So I'd hoped with this being dead flat.... my family missed me finish that time as I was ahead of where they thought I'd be so it would have been nice today. It'll encourage me to focus a bit more on the training schedule when life gets in the way!

Let me know when the route is up for your half, I'd love to have a look. I worked in London for a long time but very much before my running days.

Hi chutney yes I made it out, a bit later than planned but at least it was cool. I took my new trails out for a spin (I bought them for the second and third days of my marathon challenge and haven't worn them since). They are a bit snug, especially in the heat and with thick socks, but they have lots of support which is what my foot needs. Hopefully they will give a bit, and my feet might shrink a it when it gets cooler . I had a good 5 miles through the local country park, and then inspired by your advice upthread I did a mile of intervals - I ran a minute/walked a minute and my overall time was almost the same as my running time for some of today's miles . It all felt really good, and reminded me of how much I miss running when I don't do it.

here is the route - quite a lot of zig zagging by the looks of it. I might try and get out on Tuesday lunchtime for a bit of it.

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.

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.

Hello HMers. Haven't been around for a while and have been rather stuck in a running rut but this week have managed 10 miles over 3 days and planning a 6 miler tomorrow in the build up for my September half.

Its a bit dispiriting how I have got slower but its partly because I have something going on in my hip/ groin. Not exactly sure what - is made worse by sitting for a long time and may have to consult a physio. Its doesn't actually hurt when I'm running but this might be because I haven't been running very far.

Anyway chutney I'm with you now for the summer. Have more time to run as DCs can be abandoned for the odd hour and I work less days in the summer so more free time. The only thing that could throw it out is summer hols as not sure of routes for long runs but I'm sure they can be worked out.

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.