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?

And copying and pasting the list.

@JoanDarc : end of April

@Lamontaine : 7th May, Geneva

@shamoola Battersea Park, 13 May

@Jumbojem : Weston-super-Mare, 14th May

@Cantdoitallperfectly : Edinburgh, 28th May

@OhOneOhTwoOhThree : %+8.1+13.1 Marathon Challenge, 23-25 June

@chutneypig : Robin Hood, 24th September

@SomeMonstersEatTelly : Royal Parks, 8th October
@Sammysquiz : Royal Parks, 8th October
@chutneypig : Royal Parks, 8th October

You are right @OhOneOhTwoOhThree I can't wait to bin coach Amy! She sent me a video message today telling me to build endurance slowly as I still have plenty of time. My half is in three weeks!

What a boost with the fast 4 miler, well done!

Definitely a boost on the 4 miles @OhOneOhTwoOhThree. It must take a lot of planning for the ultra training for routes. Hopefully it will all have dried out - the Thames path is still a bit soggy round here!

I'm getting fed up with Coach Greg @Jumbojem. I'm only aiming for general 5k pace improvement rather than a race,so it must be frustrating. He's had me doing 3 easy runs a week and one with 10-20 minutes at high aerobic. Suddenly that's lept to 4 x 600m at goal pace. I'm considering binning it and just following my watch suggestions for the moment.

I hope the calf is easing up @brooksghost

@chutneypig I watched a Running Channel vlog where one of the presenters just followed the daily suggestions of her watch and I think she got a 10k PB at the end.
Nothing to report here bar my running buddy is injured so it will be solo running for me for the foreseeable.
Oh and I'm constantly looking at new shoes but can't decide what I want! I would love to get in with Hokas as they look so nice but when I tried a pair they didn't feel right. They were road shoes though would love to try their trail ones.

@Jumbojem I tried some Hokas on in the running shop as I wanted to see why every other person seemed to swear by them. Whilst they looked great, the treadmill said otherwise!
I have some super cushioned Brooks Glycerins that I finally tried out yesterday...they are bouncy and I think, will be great for 10+ miles.

I've done 2 x 5km this week but the calf still isn't right. I'm icing, stretching and massaging it 2-3 times a day as I need it right for Monday. It's now not hurting when I walk which is good news. No parkrun tomorrow for me as it needs to rest.
I have a big triathlon (my bucket list race) in two weeks and then after that, I'll be back mainly running for the Ultra. I've ridden the Ultra route twice now and can now picture each section in my head which I'm hoping will make it easier on the day. I keep thinking it's just 6x5 miles with a picnic (feed stop) after each 5 miles! The 6th stop is the finish and apparently there is icecream!

Hello everyone. Sorry to hear about your running buddy @Jumbojem and that your calf still isn’t right @brooksghost Remind us what you have coming up on Monday?

I ran a speedy (for me) 5 miles yesterday morning - Strava tells me I was half a minute per mile faster than this time last year, when I was training for the Edinburgh marathon, so I’ll take that.

And had a lovely swim today. As the water is warmer we were allowed to do a bigger loop than usual so I did half a mile all told, bimbling along head up breast stroke in the sunshine with a friend. Lovely!

parkrun tomorrow and I will be postponing my Sunday run to Monday as we’ll be watching DS2 play his sport several hours away. DS1 also competing in his sport this weekend so it will be a busy one.

@OhOneOhTwoOhThree how warm is the water where you are?
I need some open water practice for the triathlon (wetsuits allowed) but the local lake is only 11c which is a bit chilly for an open water phobic person like myself!
I ran past a local open water group having a swim in the Thames a few weeks ago; they all looked like they were having such fun.

I have a sprint triathlon on Monday as a trial run of kit for the Big One...hence needing the calf to be up for a 5km run off the bike. It's my second triathlon in 18years (the last one was August 2022 and before that 2005)!
Once the Big One is out the way, I can start running again properly for the Ultra though knowing me, I'll want to keep going with triathlons as well.

@brooksghost just over 12 degrees today. I wore a wetsuit but didn't wear my neoprene gloves today - I wear booties all year round as I don't like the squish between my toes. I swam for 35 minutes, then took my wetsuit off and dunked at the end and it didn't feel any colder than with the wetsuit on. My pal swam the same time/distance in skins, but has been in skins all winter as she is training for a Channel swim later this year, and wetsuits are not allowed.

Good luck with the tri on Monday. I want to do one this year.

DH and I have just entered a half marathon in June, as it fits in with my ultra training plan. And it gives us any excuse for a weekend away 😀

PB klaxon 🔔

Got a 5k PB at Parkrun this morning - whoopee!! And second women. Pleased with that - but now I'm only a few seconds away from breaking into the next minute. Never satisfied but a realistic goal to aim for.

Wonderful out there this morning sunny but not too hot. Hopefully it stays like that for the rest of the weekend.

Off for a meal and the theatre tonight. It's all about balance 😁

Ooh well done Shamola! I'd love a parkrun PB, my PB is from a random place we stopped overnight on the way to Scotland and is a couple of years old now (I rarely do park run tho for various reasons).

Thanks for the link @Jumbojem, interesting to see it all laid out and how it adapts. My watch decided I had a bad nights sleep so suggested a recovery run today of 15 minutes. I was going to ignore it but maybe I need to listen to it more!

Fantastic work on the PB @shamoola!

I'm loving hearing about the swim and tri side of things, plus the ultra training too.

I did some parkrun tourism yesterday, a tough course but very enjoyable. It really lifted my spirits.

Well done @shamoola ! My parkrun PB is many years old, pre-injury/tine off running/menopause/weight gain - pick any excuse, they are all part of the reason. Hope you enjoyed the meal and theatre.

I hope @brooksghost is having a good time with the sprint triathlon - looking forward to hearing all about it!

Glad you enjoyed your tourism @chutneypig.

We've had a successful weekend so far - DS1 did well in his comp yesterday, DS2's team won and he got man of the match, and I'm about to go and run 10 miles (there, I said it, so I have to do it now). I'm a bit stiff and sore today, both from swimming on Friday, although I jogged that off on Saturday at parkrun, and too much car time over the weekend so not planning to push it speed-wise today. The lake is open this afternoon so if I get a move in I could also go for a dip later.

Well done @shamoola on the PB!
Hope the 10 went well @OhOneOhTwoOhThree

My triathlon went very well considering I've mostly been running. Swim was as expected (not great), bike was a bit of a struggle; I just couldn't get in a rhythm. Run was good; I knocked out sub7 min miles (just) which, given that my legs were a little dead from cycling, was a good run for me. Overall 4th lady from about 60.
Lessons learnt- I need speed work on the bike and in the swim but that will come back with more sessions.
Im now itching to get started on the Ultra training so have a week of hard stuff, then a taper week before my Bucket List Triathlon...and then im going for it!

Hi All :)

@Jumbojem have you decided on the shoes yet? I’m on my 3rd pair this year. Do like new shoes :)

@brooksghost amazing work on the triathlon! I would love to do the one in my home town in August. Or just do the running part in a team.

@OhOneOhTwoOhThree hope you had a good ten miler, well done on your sport achievements this weekend!

@shamoola well done on the PB! Hope you enjoyed well earned the meal out.

@chutneypig park run tourism sounds good. Nothing like a good run to boost spirits.

On my side I am mainly panicking about my race on Sunday! Just want it over with now! Did a comfortable 12k on Saturday and then a 2k with my 5 year old. My dd also ran a 2k race and did so well! And then DH did 20k yesterday and despite no training did got a good time.

I have a slow and steady 5k planned for tomorrow and Thursday, pilates on Friday, rest Saturday and then the big day. It’s the second race of my life following a 10k race last year and I only started running during covid so wish me luck!

Congratulations @brooksghost !

@Lamontaine sounds like you are well prepared and ready for next week.

My 10 miler was OK until halfway. I was trying a newish bit of path which was a. bit overgrown and full of nettles so was quite slow for that mile and never caught back up. Oh well, you can't have it all - and it has been a busy week with a lot of rushing around and some late nights, and I hadn't had enough to eat either last night or this morning before going. Still good to get the headspace before work tomorrow, and I enjoyed listing to a podcast for a change.

@Lamontaine good luck for Sunday! I'm sure you'll love it once you get started.
Yes, I love new shoes but I'm also indecisive and keep changing my mind. It's too late for new race shoes (my half is the 14th) so I might get new trail ones instead as I'm planning a trail half in the autumn.

My race number arrived yesterday so feeling nervous now and my watch says it's time to taper.
I'm not feeling confident I can run sub 2, but I did run a 5k PR yesterday (27.14) after a day of back to back work meetings. @brooksghost I can only dream of sub 7 min mile, and you did yours within a triathlon, they is awesome!

@OhOneOhTwoOhThree I hear you on the undergrowth slowing you down! I was getting stung through my leggings on Sunday. The perfect gap between the trails being dry and the undergrowth going crazy hasn't happened this year. I had a 14 min/mile downhill section on my part trail 10 miler as it was so muddy and overgrown I was forced to walk picking my way through. I did make it up the massive hill to see the beautiful bluebell woods though and was rewarded with a fantastic downhill trail run home. I do love trail running!

Bluebell trail run sounds glorious @Jumbojem .

Your 10 miler also sounds good @OhOneOhTwoOhThree . well done!

I finally received my race number yesterday, it was meant to come through on Sunday so I’ve been stressing about that all week 🤦‍♀️. Now just trying to relax and iron out a few leg niggles, knee is a bit sore.

I don’t live in Geneva and the race is at 8am so I was going to stay with a friend on Saturday but DH has booked a hotel for us all so it’s easier for him to get the kids up and onto the sidelines to cheer me on. I know I can do it, but I do get nervous and despite saying I didn’t care about the time, I do have a target in mind. Thanks for the well wishes!

Trail and bluebell woods sound lovely @Jumbojem. You are right about there being no sweet spot this year - one of the swimming lakes I go to has a 5km walking/running route and one of the swimmers was saying how overgrown it was earlier in the week.

I ran 5 miles including some big hills on Wednesday morning, and another 5 miles around my parkrun park yesterday. Also swam yesterday evening, so I slept very well.

@Lamontaine it's funny isn't it how we always feel those little niggles in the few days before a race. Hope your knee will be OK and that you have a fab run this weekend.

I'm definitely going to catch up with this thread this weekend. I promise.

It's all about the short races for me this summer (10K, 5 mile and 5K).
I'm running at lunch time - no bluebells but I will go off road a bit and through the grounds of a beautiful Elizabethan country house. Part of the route gets very muddy so I only go when it's hasn't been raining too much.

Best of luck for tomorrow @Lamontaine - it all sounds wonderfully glamorous! This pre run but definitely messes with your head.

I've been a bit erratic on my running this week. A lot of stress and it's trying to find the balance between genuinely needing to rest and whether a run will help. I was supposed to do a threshold run yesterday but couldn't get anywhere near the target pace. But I still boosted my heart rate so I'm sure it did some good, much better than a few junk miles.

Tailwalking today as we've got a local 10k tomorrow, looking forward to that kicking the weekend off.

Good luck @Lamontaine

I've eased back into running after the calf issue- 2x6 miles this week and a parkrun sandwich (5miles). Picked up 2nd female at Parkrun in less than ideal conditions; had a good morning despite no PB (or even close)!

Pondering another trail half in a few weeks...anyone done Windsor Trail? They have a 10km, a half and a marathon all running on the same day. It's probably the flattest trail run around but I do love running by the Thames.

Thanks for the well wishes, I did it in 2h7 which I am pleased with! It was a great experience although the last km was a killer, I thought it would never end.
Now for a beer!
Hope everyone has had a great weekend.

Loop loop @Lamontaine great work, well done. Hope you enjoy your beer!

@Lamontaine well done fabulous stuff!!

I'm in the taper for my race next Saturday - I did a Parkrun on sat. It was very congested so my paces were all over the place which probably made it harder then it needed to be. A nice slow 40mins this morning. It was getting pretty hot out there.

The heat will be my excuse for next weekend!

That should of course have been "woop woop" and not "loop loop" in my last post. I didn't spot it had auto corrected before posting.

Hope you are enjoying your taper @shamoola. My distances have dropped back a bit this week, with the longest run only 7 miles. I skipped parkrun to do that yesterday. Today DS1 was competing in his sport, so I took advantage of a gap between rounds to get in a lovely five miles of my favourite trails. It made a nice change from my usual routes. Rest day tomorrow.