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?

Hello all. Training is chugging along. I'm upping the miles a bit now - doing a couple of 4 miles and a 3 miles this week. Meant to be doing cycling this week but might just do some swimming instead.

As for speed - well I was meant to be doing a fartlek run last week but I have to say that the fast bits were minimal. I did a training programme last year to get up to 10k which involved uphills and intervals and only succeeded in pulling a muscle during the intervals bit and really hating them but am better at doing uphills - basically find that the hills bit lets gravity do the work for you. So once it gets lighter I will go and seek out my favourite training hill and run up and down it. I'm no spring chicken so not so worried about being uber speedy.

Going to running club is a bit tricky as it involves rushing out of the house and leaving everyone to fend for themselves. I've got ages until my HM so might start going again when I am back up to 6 mile runs.

chutney I have 2 DC runners. One very good (in the school team) and far to fast for me to ever keep up with but my DD has been inspired by DS & me and is doing C25K. The plan is to have a go a junior park run in half term and maybe do sport relief 3 mile in March. I think she's quite fast but is nervous about being slow so I'm hoping that junior park run will be a good place to start.

Jelly babies it is fiftynine seriously though I'd not thought on snacks for the long run, maybe I should think about it. Not that I'm near 10 miles but I'd like to get there!

Early bird sounds good Sirona as long as you like it last year of course. I'm impressed you battled on with the wind, I think it must be the toughest weather to deal with.

As far as the children went Sirona, they hauled me out to the school field the afternoon of my first run and I let them run round the field for around 2k. They did a couple of junior runs then the adult. DD only did the first lap but DS finished. He's not looked back. DD was a bit nervous like your DD CherryMinx so kept up at juniors then did the Race for Life with me a couple of months later. The atmosphere at the juniors is fantastically supportive.

Speaking of parkrun, I've been using it as the easy three miles in my training plan but it will up to four miles soon. How do you all fit the runs in round commitments? I'm flagging Sunday's for the long run as I guess a lot of people do, it's the ones in the week. Just about managing to fit in the intervals at the gym but I do need to go today, yesterday I was just shattered at lunchtime. I can't wait for lighter mornings to give me some options.

Honestly I struggle fitting it all in with commitments sometimes chutney and spent one particular summer very stressed out and snappy until I realised I wasn't enjoying it and there was no point - and then I injured myself anyway pushing too hard to try and make up for falling behind.

I'm a single parent but very lucky to have supportive parents who live a mere few doors away well until they clear off for the summer months abroad. Ddad is a runner so knows the score I used parkruns as my fast one but if you're wanting to keep it an easy run and increase it, is running to or from it an option to add the miles on? I have even been known to take the dc to a field, leave them in the middle with a ball and run around in a circle.

Very wise words on not enjoying it. I'm feeling very good at the moment and don't want to lose that or injure myself. We're a good twenty minute drive from our parkrun so the only option there is to stay around after, which could work some weeks. I'd quite like to space it out with the long run though, so I think I'll just have to bite the bullet and run before work. Last year I could fit in six miles before work by stopping in the way at our parkrun park but it's not light enough yet. But I could get to work, park and run from there. Watch it start snowing now .

How important do you think the easy type run is compared to the long run and hard/intervals?

Last week at junior parkrun we kept an eye on a couple of children who weren't running while their mum did just that. She had a daily run challenge.

Thats the 10k out of the way and I got a pb of 1:09
Now two weeks until the 10 mile race. I'm as prepared as I can be for it.
I was out on Monday last week for a 10.5 mile run so I know I can do it.

Well done Sven

chutney a lady at my parkrun is using it to train for the London marathon. She has invited people to run extra laps with her at the end of March, as she needs to do a 20 mile run, which is 15 or 16 laps of our park I think I will volunteer that day and run with her later in the morning when other people have gone home.

I ran 7.5 miles today, wanted to do ten miles, but there wasn't time.

15 or 16 laps - I feel faint! Good idea though - creative!!

Well done Sven, that confidence is so important to know you have done it.

I managed six miles yesterday, which I haven't done for a while. I enjoyed it but definitely ran out of time, it was getting so dark. I also made the mistake of not eating right after, I felt dreadful an hour or so later and had to beg the kids to fetch their Halloween sweets. Possibly was flagging the last mile anyway, so I think I'll investigate the jelly baby option. I'll get some little packets or else I'll eat my own body weight. Do you just have one or two every so often when out?

I use jelly babies. I find I'm ok up to 8 miles anything over that I have a jelly baby every mile
That's what got me through my 10 mile race back in November.
I was thinking of getting some gels to experiment with although I have no idea what to go for.

I thought I might give the Clif book things a go that were mentioned up thread. I guess the main thing is to try in advance. And I absolutely must remember to keep a snack in the car for straight after. I think that as my biggest mistake Sunday, rushing out of the house and not taking something.

I normally use jelly babies myself but have been experimenting with gels. I got a High5 race pack in Wiggle Sven so you can try out different types/favours. My thinking was most of the events here use the High5 brand. I've read they can upset some peoples stomachs but I'm ok with them - the Mojita flavour was 'orrible though. Well done on your 10k, fantastic.

Don't know about the difference in easy runs with long or intervals chutney. I only did one long run and one easy run per week for my hm and got a time of 2;08 which I thought was decent enough for the training I didn't do. Think if I want faster times I will have to do fast/interval runs and I have been attempting the odd one but it makes me quite injury prone.

I haven't done any exercise in three days now as my knees were giving me a bit of jip and then dd wasn't well. Am either going to hit the gym or do my long run later today. Will see what the wind is like as I don't particularly want to go out in 50mph+ gales. Am soo over all this windy weather now. Always find it hard getting out after a few days off, I seem to lose all motivation.

I tend to do one long run (mondays) one fast/interval 5k(wednesdays) and last run of the week on a Friday is an easy 5k.
This seems to suit me. I have in the past got too carried away and done too much. Which ended up with injuries.
So far since keeping a strict eye on what I am doing. I am injury free and actually feel a stronger runner.
This week I will only do my two usual 5k runs and next week nothing.
The week after the 10 mile I will just do two easy 5ks on the wednesday and friday. Then start back the following week.

Hello

Can I join. I've buzzed around this board for a while having been a runner of sorts for years. Joined a club in 2014 and ran my first 10k race last April - now done 4 (from one of which I retired hurt ) and have now booked a place in my first half marathon in November - there is one here in September too which I might do.

I run 3 or 4 miles on Monday, Tuesday and on a club run on a Thursday night. Saturdays is my long run - did 10 miles last weekend and I have a day off on Friday with plans to try for the full 13! But we'll see,,,,,

I am 51 on Saturday and beginning to feel it - I have plenty of minor aches and pains but learning to ignore them as they never seem to go away completely. I am sloooooow but I don't really care about that.

Welcome IrianofWay! Know what you mean about the aches and pains, I just carry on regardless now! And being slow is fine, slow and steady wins the race as the great Mr Wogan used to say.
Have started my training this week for April, being a bit mixed up though as have to take dd to Glasgow for an athletics competition this Sunday, so may miss a run to fit it in.

I'm still lurking about this thread too, not yet brave enough to commit! I'm back to 5k distance now. Just need to keep eking out an extra k each week or so.

It's the 'loo issue' that scares me with the longer runs. Urgh. I had a terrible time that time I did the Edinburgh HM because when you finish you are so far from civilisation with the long walk back to the train station, and then the infrequent Sunday train service, to get to a loo that's not a portaloo!

A jelly baby every mile sounds like great motivation Sven!

Regarding emergency loo stops I resort to immodium for races. Normally I run in the middle of nowhere so I can pop behind a hedge when the need arises which it often does! Can't do that in a race hence the tablets! It#s worked so far but it might be a coincidence...

thanks emummy

Hi and welcome Irian. I like slow myself, it suits me and I enjoy it more. I hate doing fast runs which is probably why I don't make parkrun very often. Yep with the vague aches and pains but considering I sometimes wake up with a sore back from the way I sleep, if I stopped moving with all the various niggles I'd never do anything I'm ok toilet wise thank goodness, I've read in places about looking at the fiber you eat a few days before if it does bother you?

Maybe I should keep a food diary to see if I can spot a pattern. It doesn't happen every time, in fact it's quite infrequent these days but I still have The Fear that it'll happen again! It's worse on longer runs and I'm only doing short ones these days.

Immodium is also a good plan!

Right! I have a day off today as it's my birthday tomorrow. I am going to try a practice half - have the route mapped out, have a new audiobook on my phone to listen to, garmin charged....See you later (probably MUCH later)

Enjoy your run IrianofWay.

I haven't run all week . And we are going away for the weekend, so apart from parkrun tourism I don't think I will be running.

Aye there was quite a bit of discussion on the running thread about tummy troubles a few months ago - from memory, the recommendation was to stick to pasta, ham and cheese for a few days before a big run, but you might want to see if you can find the thread in case I'm making it up . I find that I can have problems if I run too soon after breakfast but I can't run on an empty stomach. I suspect that it might be linked to the large mug of strong coffee I drink in the morning

Sirona have you experimented with your gels yet? I accidentally bought a pack with extra caffeine in them a while ago and they made me feel very funny

Back again after a few weeks away from this thread! Great to read about everyone's progress!
I've signed up for the Sydney HM on 15th may (our anniversary break has been postponed!) and started training mid Jan.
I'm in a group so it's easier to stay on track with training. Our coach is slightly obsessive and the group run every day At 5.30am It does mean my training it pretty varied: I do my long runs on Sunday (doing 16km this week), recovery run (6km) Monday, 7km Wednesday and then hill repeats on Friday.
DS(7) and I have started to do Parkrun every fortnight, we have only done 2 so far but he is doing really well, he only walks a little bit.
Did the same HM last year and went from being a non-runner at beginning of Jan, to starting training beginning of March, so I think I'm definitely in a better position this year after running for a year, and starting training earlier!
Last HM I somehow ended up running the whole way with my coach and I had a couple of gel sweets, must find out what they are, but generally I don't eat on long runs, and seem to get through somehow! I usually have a banana before I start, but even that is tough when it's 5.30am!

Oh wow LadyCassandra that is dedication running at 5.30am every morning. You sound like you're in a really solid position this year.

Enjoy your run today Irian

I'm so glad you said that FiftyNine. I sometimes use the electrolyte tablets in the gym and ordered the wrong ones by mistake with caffeine in them. They made me feel very weird, kinda spacey and wired - and I'm no stranger to lots of super strong coffee per day. As a result I haven't tried the caffeine gels yet just the normal ones. Honestly don't really notice a difference but maybe I'm not out long enough yet. Was going to try a caffeine one tomorrow as I've to do an 11 miler - will report back but if they make me feel the same as the tabs I'll probably just bin them.

This thread gave me the shove to do a fast run yesterday. Was only 5k and I hated every second However I missed my 5k PB from 2014 by mere seconds so now the competitiveness has kicked in and I'll definitely be doing one next week. Must beat my time!

Sirona believe me, it's the only time to run here, it's hitting 25•c by 10am, and I just can't run in the heat! It also means I can go totally guilt free, everyone is just getting up when I get in after a run and a sneaky coffee!

Just checked my email and much to my surprise I have a place in the Royal Parks HM