Half marathon training, starting 1/1/23

[JessicaBrassica]

Hi,
I'm planning to start half marathon training in n Jan 1st. Aiming definitely for an event on May 13 but plan designed around a race on 22/4. Just in case.

Anyone want to join me?
I've done several halfs before but not run a good one for a few years.
I'm using the Garmin beginner 3x a week programme.

Anyone want to join me?

Just did a quick scan and see your HM is 10 weeks (or so) away, so you have loads of time. A training plan doesn't need to be complicated, in fact having a plan can make things easier - just do what the plan says, rather than try and figure it out.
You just need to pick a plan that works for you.
I'll come back later and give you some tips if you like.

A watch is great, but remember it's not so long ago we didn't have any of those thing. There's a lot to be said for learning how to listen to your body and recognising that the pace that feels like effort one day might feel more steady another, rather than looking at what the watch is telling us and working ourselves into a frenzy of self doubt.

Thanks @TheOrigRights - I think I am getting jittery! Never know whether I am going slow enough or then fast enough, I do what feels right and try to push myself at times (like earlier this week when I did my 5k fast) and then take it easier at other times. I looked at the Nike plan but it seemed complicated to me but maybe that’s me stressing! Thanks again, so much support here, it’s really useful! 💜

@Lamontaine I found quite a nice set of training plans for all schedules www.womensrunning.com/training/road/half-marathon-plan-every-runner/
You can run 3 or 4/5/6 days a week and follow it to suit your needs. Three runs could be a long slow distance run, an easy shorter run and a focussed session.

@Lamontaine There is a lot to be said for running to feel instead of a prescribed pace from a watch anyway.
Although it might take a bit of effort to know what easy/tempo/fast feel like. It has certainly taken me a while to adapt from everything at a steady push pace to easy runs (much slower than I thought). A lot of plans base it on perceived effort, so 3/10 for easy and 8 or 9/10 for fast with tempo runs at about 6/10. (so some effort, but can hold it for a decent amount of time). Where 10/10 is an all out sprint at your max heart rate (so something you could only hold for a few seconds).

I watched a lot of Running Channel videos, in particular one on the importance of the slow run and the benefits it brings.

Hill reps yesterday for the first time since the summer...thank you covid! Today, after a tough morning getting a DC to school, I went for a gentle 4 miles...and felt much better.

I entered a mountain bike thing this weekend, somehow I completely mis-read the distance so instead of a nice 50km, I'm doing 50miles! I've not ridden that far since the pre-covid days...ho hum; it could be fun! I think Monday will have to be a recovery day!

Thanks so much @brooksghost that link is very useful. And @Jumbojem - thank you too. I am going to head out for a session this morning and will try an easy pace, not easy for me to slow down actually. I will treat Tuesday’s run as a focus as it was 1k easy, 3 pushing it and final one easy. Then, Sunday long run. Next week will try a more structured interval session. 🤞

enjoy the bike ride @brooksghost !

A good week so far for me. Hill reps x 8 on Monday and tempo 5km on wed (shaved a minute off previous time). Recovery 5m run today which I really enjoyed as it was slow and steady. 10m on Sunday again. I’ve also done some HITT training and it’s yoga tomorrow which my legs and back need. I’ve not done speed training this week so must start next week.. good luck with the bike ride @brooksghost
@Lamontaine at the moment I’m really focusing on what feels right for a particular run, ie on my 5km tempo run I know I want to run it fast as possible but keep the pace for the duration, I have a route planned out and know what I can hold steady for that route. Todays recovery run I purposefully didn’t check my watch but occasionally talked to myself to make sure I could hold a conversation. I’m in the v early stages of training so I’m taking it fairly slowly and know that I’ll get there eventually.

I entered a mountain bike thing this weekend, somehow I completely mis-read the distance so instead of a nice 50km, I'm doing 50miles!

LOL....I'd never do anything like that....oh no!
I was meant to be doing a 50 mile night ride thing with my sis, only a wedding invitation came up which has to take priority. Maybe you could get invited to a wedding this weekend?

The last such clerical error I made was thinking I was running 11 miles as part of a team relay event. In fact I was running Leg 11 of the relay and it was 13 miles. DS told me he ran 2.75 miles on the treadmill in 12 mins. Yeah...Usain, I think you mean kilometres!

My lats hurt from strength training on Wednesday and the outside of my foot is sore.

Cantdo it sounds like you've got a really good mix of training there. I think either a hill or a speed session in a single week is fine. It would be hard to give both a hill and a speed session everything you have more than once a week.

Feel really good after a 5 mile slow paced run earlier with a strong finish.
thanks everyone for the great tips! Happy running over the weekend 😊

@TheOrigRights - great thank you, I was wondering how I would fit in a speed session when I’m doing hills, tempo, recovery and long. I don’t want to run more that 4x week at the moment as I’m still doing strength work (much needed after back injury) and also I don’t want to get bored. Although I’ve got my half in May this is about getting back to fitness so I’m not focussing solely on the race but the overall picture. I must admit that the last 5 weeks of getting back to it has been a bit of a slog however today something clicked and I LOVED my run.

today something clicked and I LOVED my run.

And this is why we do it! That's so nice to read. Your consistency and commitment is paying off. I feel like giving you an Atta girls, but I honestly have never done that in my life so it doesn't reflect who I am. I don't want you to think I'm an utter twat.

I was looking earlier for a Pace Calculator. I keep reading about the 80/20 training and what would be an 'easy pace' run based on recent run results.
The easiest calculator to use (less ads, no sign ups) was this one if anyone wants to look www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a761676/rws-training-pace-calculator/
Comparing a few different calculators, most gave similar numbers.

As for applying it to me...my easy long run is about right!

A box of goodies from Wiggle arrived today- my new running/hydration belt, some more gels and some elastic laces in prep for something daft I've entered in a few weeks!

Hope everyone has a good running weekend. It's Parkrun for me tomorrow; after last week's PB, I think tomorrow will be slower. Sunday I have my 'oh whoops, it's not 50km but 50 miles' bike ride!

@TheOrigRights i will take that atta girl with absolutely no judgement (love it)! I had a feeling of spring like joy for the rest of the day after my run. The “”pain” of running is far offset by the balance and wellbeing it brings to one’s life.

Lamontaine

Here I am with my words of wisdom (snort).

With your race 11 weeks away you have time on your side. Hoorah!
I am a strong advocate of doing what you enjoy.
While a plan can be a great way to achieve a certain goal, and take away the thinking, it can become a millstone if you're someone who unravels if you can't follow the plan. Whether that be due to illness, other priorities, or just losing your mojo for a bit. If you're going to be really tough on yourself and convince yourself of failure then following a plan as just a guide or just not bothering at all can really free you up.

Most plans have at least 4 days of running. I have run most of my races on 3 a week. I know I can do 3. Sometimes I can do 4, but if my base is 3 then I pretty much always achieve that, and 4 is a bonus.

It really depends on how much time you have. I do other stuff as well, which is good for me time wise, physically (less stress on the joints) and mentally (I've got a whole different set of friends who swim and who do strength classes).

Broadly speaking, mixing it up is most beneficial, and I think most of us in this group have got that nailed - a short, faster pace run, some sort of intervals/hill and then the long run.

When I'm planning for a race and want a plan I decide on a 10 or 8 week one (depending on the length of race and my current long run distance) then just google about until I find one I like. I increase 1 mile a week on my long run, and with a half I don't train to 13, but 12. Many plans have you train over 13 and that's fine. For me I know the recovery from a 15 miler would impede what I did the following week.

I admit I am rubbish at slowing down my long run, but I don't care, it feels good and that's what most important for me.

Hear hear @Cantdoitallperfectly ! I had a late afternoon run yesterday (with disco essentials on my headphones) and the combination of bouncing along, the sunshine and the music erased all of the "stuff" weighing me down, and enabled me to go back my laptop and finish the working week feeling good.

Despite some plodding runs in the week, I did my fastest parkrun since last May this morning, so all the training must be doing me some good.

Swim and long run tomorrow.

Hope the cycle thing goes well @brooksghost, and lots of good wisdom in your post @TheOrigRights . This is such a helpful thread.

I'm not entirely sure how, but it was another Parkrun PB this morning...but only by 1sec.
I ran my highest weekly mileage this week of 22.22 miles so the legs were tired, it was quite windy and very chilly so I wasn't expecting much. Legs seemed to have other ideas though. I now need 4 seconds off this time to break into a new minute.
A good running week...4 runs, 22 miles and a PB.

Thanks @TheOrigRights - great advice!

i was planning to run this morning but it’s so windy and cold here (-3!) I decided against it and might go later. Did a body attack class yesterday, been doing it for over 3 years but it was painful on my legs after Friday’s run so I might give it a miss for the next weeks and swap it for some strength training. Feels good to listen to my body.

feeling calmer about my progress and planning now so thanks again for the great advice!

have a great Sunday everyone and well done on the super running everyone 🙌

Great to hear about parkrun progress. I did a spot of tourism yesterday and was hoping for a decent time as it was very flat. I've not slept well this week so my watch helpfully told me I ought to do a recovery run - 18 minutes @7.45/km! Ignored that but I did take on board that I should take it sensibly. I could have been happier with my time but it was probably my most evenly paced parkrun ever and I stayed in zone 3, so I guess my efficiency is improving.

This morning was a long run with 0.25 miles in zone 4 and 0.75 in zone 1. I decided 10 miles of that was too much so opted for 6, which was enough. But my intervals were even, so I'm pleased on that front.

Great running everyone.

Like you@chutneypig I've been sleeping really badly which means I have changed my running days around.
I had to move my speedier session to Friday and I could only fit it in while running home from work. Running in the streets while at my limit (albeit for short bursts) is not ideal as you really need your wits about you, what with all the people, traffic etc. Probably didn't manage to keep the pace as consistent as I would have liked - but got it done. I might have enjoyed stopping to cross roads a bit too much.

I used to do Parkrun a lot but haven't been for ages but managed it this sat but went with my partner who doesn't run and we walked at a brisk pace - which was just fine for me having tired legs from the day before.

Then long run today with some race pace Kms in the middle. One of those runs when my nose just doesn't stop running - cold out there!!

Hope everyone else has had a good weekend!

It’s interesting to hear how your watches pick up on tiredness and tell you to slow down. I’m going to have a more relaxed week this week as I’m feeling tired and premenstrual. More yoga and strength work I think. I did my 10miles today and I felt much stronger in the last 2 miles compared with last weeks effort, I think down to eating more prior to the run and also there was no wind (last weeks wind was a b!). Im happy with my time and splits were pretty even but did push it probably more than I should have.

Hi everyone,
Hope everyone's training is going well. My run is next Sunday and my training has had to slow down a bit the past couple of weeks as my daughter has been unwell. Really don't feel as prepared as I wanted to be but life has got in the way! I'm going to do a couple of short runs in the week but feel now like what's done is done. Can anyone recommend some tips for final week prep?

Well done all who went out today. It was pretty cold here whenever the sun went behind a cloud.

I took it super-easy today after my swim this morning. I took myself off along some trails, where it's impossible to go fast, and then did the last few miles on the road so even though I was tired I was able to maintain a steady pace. I had a couple of slow miles in the middle but was otherwise pretty consistent. Thanks for the advice further up the thread about slowing down for the long run.

@theworldhasgoneinsane - hope DD is better now. I think all you can do is take it easy, rest up and eat well this week.

@theworldhasgoneinsane I hope your DD is ok now. This week, I would eat well, drink a lot of fluids and stretch. Do a few short easy runs if time allows...and one run in your race kit just to check nothing runs/chafes/annoys!

I did my 50 mile mountain bike this mornjng. It was fine until 25 miles when the Garmin route and the route signage didn't coordinate...lots of lost annoyed riders. It was a beautiful ride though albeit very hilly (3500ft) so some good mileage and time in the saddle. I also ate my body weight in figgy rolls that were available at the feed stations; I'd forgotten how good they were so made up for lost eating time!

I'm going to have a rest day tomorrow as I'm not sure the legs will appreciate a 10 mile long run!

That sounds hard @theworldhasgoneinsane. I hope she's feeling better. The advice @brooksghost sounds perfect to me.

That must have been frustrating @brooksghost but you're very right about resting a bit! That sounds very hard work.

Sounds like you had a great run @Cantdoitallperfectly - I'd note down what you ate if you're anything like me - I'm sure I'll remember then I never do!

Well done on the bike ride @brooksghost
Good luck for next weekend @theworldhasgoneinsane , agree with the advice you've already had and just try to relax this week.

I came back from my trip away to the cross country nationals exhausted and woke up with a sore throat and headache. DS didn't do as well as hoped and think he was under the weather too (he had to emergency dash to the portaloo post run). So today's planned 10 miles was binned and did an easy 4 miles instead. I have Friday off so may go for a long run then and mix it up a bit this week.
It was so inspiring watching the senior women's XC, not just the lead runners who were amazing but there were women of all shapes and ages who were running, having a great time in the process.