Half Marathon thread

[Pikachuwithyourmouthclosed]

Anyone up for a bit of half m support?

I'm registered to run my first half m in early September.

I'm struggling a bit with motivation tbh. I think I peaked too soon - could have done it 6 weeks ago. I've got time to get prepared though - it's 8 weeks away and I'm not starting from scratch. The most important thing for me is to keep up the strength work or my knees go kerboom.

Anyone else?

Wine can't find a run I want to do til next year so should be in amazing shape by then !! Lol

I did a 4 mile run this morning and it felt awful! My pace was okay in the end but it felt a real struggle from the start. Tomorrow I'm meant to do 5 miles. I hope it goes better.

I also found about 9 miles to be the worst point on my half - and seems to apply to training runs too. Did 10 miles on Sunday and had basically had it at 9 miles. In the actual half the 12 mile marker revived me massively though!

Interestingly a 10 mile Obstacle run which took longer than a half (3 hours 20 odd) I didn't have any bad patches - just walked the really slippery bits and obviously the obstacles broke things up quite well too. No obvious wall so clearly a running thing for me.

Am trying pre breakfast runs (including Parkrun) and not having any issues -Parkrun PB by a minute on our flattest local course where I had really pushed before and managed 5 more km that evening plus the 10 miler the following morning so clearly managed not to kill myself too badly (although the final hill was a bit of a killer...)

Well done to everyone getting out there. Im hoping to get out and do a quick 3 miles tomorrow pm. My foot still has a hole in it but think it will be ok. It's all gone to pot!

Great efforts from you all!

Good luck minesapint and with your foot too. I've just done 3 miles with faster intervals. I absolutely hated it . Give me a long, easy-pace run any day!

Did a 5k with a group tonight. 2 seconds off my pb. Aaarggghh!

Great to read all about your runs. I try and do a 10k at least 3 mornings per week, 5 ideally ..... but that 5.30am alarm is a killer.
I much much prefer running in the morning, I can't run in the heat at all, so lovely and fresh early on.
Finally getting over yet another cold, really hope that's it for a little while.
Feeling really motivated for the half, 7 weeks on Sunday eeeeekkkkkk

Just on my way back from an absolutely pathetic run. After 2 weeks off was aiming for 16km which was much too ambitious! Ended up being a 8km run/walk with a lot more walking than running

The conditions are perfect but I hated every step. My legs are so tired,I couldn't catch my breath, and my mojo is absent!
I'm walking the next 2km home in defeat!

On the plus side my foot is fine!

So I'm hoping it's just a fitness issue and as of tomorrow I'm going back to my 4 times a week routine,sprints tomorrow which I haven't done in a while. My half is in 7km and disappointed I couldn't push the distance this week but going to try and get in a 10mile and 11mile in over the next month. That should be ok right?

Ive been training for a half sinice January (because I pulled out of the other one) yet I'm starting to feel like I'm never going to be able to do it.

7 weeks not 7km

C'mon mines - 8km after a 2 weeks absence is more than respectable and it's great that your foot is holding out. I'm struggling on motivation too but I have started telling everyone and anyone that I'm doing the HM so there's no backing out! Yesterday I made the mistake of taking the dog with me. She sat down after 4km and could barely be persuaded to walk back with me. I need to catch up that missed run later today and somehow get one in tomorrow if I'm to stay on track. I hadn't quite bargained on the commitment this requires!

This is an easy week - phew! All my runs have been hilly so far though.

Starting to wonder if my shoes are wearing out though - have suddenly started getting sore heels on both feet. Possibly a higher percentage of road miles but not by much but they are probably getting close to 200 miles. If they are I need to get more sooner rather than later.

There is a tiny bit of visible wear on the soles too.

Am clueless as have never worn out any trainers before - my last pair were too narrow and the pair before that were 10 years old and I deemed them dead when I started really upping the mileage.

Hello HM'ers. I was on this thread about a year and a half ago. C25k graduate who moved on to 10k and then did a HM in quite a good time for my age (over 45). However then everything went pear shaped and now I am almost back to square one again - hardly run at all and have weird hip pains that seem to move around all over the place and wake me up at night.

I'm really determined to do another HM and have come to the conclusion that I need to just get back onto the running routine and do lots of hip strengthening excercises at the same time so the plan is to redo the last bit of c25k, do a 10k at end of Oct/ Nov/ Dec (have a local National Trust free one which is v nice) and then aim for a HM in next March. Its a long term plan but it might work.

I love racing even though I'm never gonna be a champion. I'd love to do parkrun but DS does football on Saturday mornings so always miss it.

So I''m going to keep track of all of that on here if you don;t mind and hope to be inspired by all you hard core HMers and your training plans

Welcome cherry and I admire your determination!

Mines - you did well, that's for sure.

How's everyone else doing?

I'm TAAT (tired all the time!) with the kids being home, but I've just done 5 miles; half a minute per mile faster than usual 👍

I have got to do a 10 mile long run on Sunday so I'm hoping the faster run will make it seem easier to run at HM pace. There's only 4 weeks to go 😬

Welcome cherry you have a good plan! I don't like races,hate them in fact, but I like getting the medals! I can't do park run either cos of the dc but I can see it pushes people in their training routine. Im a really antisocial runner just like being on my own in my own head

wine well done on the run! I'm also taat (and I'm wondering if you work for the NHS? As thats what was written in patients notes in the surgery I worked in!) and it's definitely sucky.

Thanks people for boosting my 8km blues. I'm my own worst critic but it really was abysmal!

I had a really good speedwork session this am with a 400m please, so it's given me a bit more confidence. Although the long runs still scare me after all the post run fatigue and vomiting! Going to get back into routine now and keep pushing the distance

HRH can I ask about your dog? What age and breed is she? Has she run with you before? I ask because I have a 10 year old Borders Collie that I would like to take for an easy 5km. She is fine running off lead on walks but tends to suffer a stiff arthritis in back leg so I've never tried it.

random my trainers are definitely worn and definitely over 200 miles. Not good to run half in, but I can't afford to replace them at the moment. Story of my life.
I have some Nikes that never actually wore out before I replaced,probably have less mileage in them,so I'm tempted to try them out. If I'm going to do it it needs to be asap really.

Do you all have a plan for the day? I tend to start off races at the back and pass a few people until I get behind a runner that looks steady and stalk use them as a pace marker! I like slow and steady for long runs. I'm planning on walking through the water stations as I can't drink and run without sloshing it everywhere,but are planned stops sort of cheating? I'd like to say I've done it in one go can I still say that? Anyway I'm practising stopping for a drink (only a few seconds) on my long runs now.
I'm also trying not to think about the fact that I'm definitely going to need a wee.

400m pb always typos

HRH - if you think a dog is bad try taking your teenage daughter with you - that will really blow you mind. She got stitch after about 5 mins and then moaned for the rest of the 20 mins that we eventually managed

No mines, I don't work for the NHS! But I am definitely a TAAT person

To pace for the race, I try to ignore other people and go by my GPS watch & Strava in my ears to make sure I'm going at my planned pace.

I am a "sipper" so I carry a bottle of water in each hand and sip (whilst continuing to run) as necessary. When I run out, I get a bottle from the drinks station and tip it into mine (because they have handles!).

I was so worried about having to stop for a wee in my last HM, but in the end, I managed to wait till after I finished. Surprised myself!

You guys have fallen off threads I'm on I was on holiday & ran once.
4.25km

Doing a 10K on Sunday then 4 weeks to half marathon

Good luck with your 10k mammy!

Thanks mine
Local running group has restarted so twice a week with them now, my long run & whatever else I manage. It's mon & thurs eve so I'm thinking wed morn & sat/sun for my own running.

I'm not brave enough to start my own thread, so jumping in here. I've got my first half tomorrow and I'm bricking it!

I've been running for over two years, and regularly run 5-6 miles. I got up to 10 miles solid end of July, but haven't managed a long run since. I'm planning to take it easy, and slow, but I'm so nervous! It was on a whim, and I've told no one apart from the lady I'm planning to run with.

Eeeeek!

Good luck bubble! Let us know how you get on!

Thank you! I am sorting my kit out now. Next door are having a party, hope it doesn't go on too late so I can sleep!

Good luck bubble I know you must be nervous but you won't be alone you'll have us and the lady you are running with. Plus think how you are going to feel.this time tomorrow having done it!

Good luck @BubbleAnimal you can do it!!!! So excited to hear how you get on, I will be checking this thread for an update.
Your circumstances sounds much like mine ..... I have been running 18 months. Do 10ks no problem but am trying to build up ready for my first HM in October.
Have only ever done one 5k event last year so any event tips from anyone, what I need to bring / do etc would be much appreciated