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?

Did my last set of intervals before my race on Sunday.
Only a short gentle run on Friday left to do, volunteering in Parkrun this weekend, then race on Sunday.

@tommyspud
This is a screen shot of my Garmin plan. 1min intervals fast x6 followed by 30sec faster x6!
Sounds a bit too much like hard work.

My Garmin plan gives me my work out a week in advance and it follows the same pattern. Tues easy run, Thurs speed work, Sat easy or tempo and then long easy on Sunday.

When you first start a Garmin coach plan you have to do a benchmark run which lasts 9mins including warm and cool down this then sets the pace for the rest of your plan and the details of the next week should appear in the calendar.

Thanks @shamoola

3 nice miles this morning. Far better weather than yesterday’s pouring rain. My pace is improving gradually (now I’ve said that I bet tomorrow will be super-slow!)

It was lovely out yesterday morning want in @OhOneOhTwoOhThree? I genuinely enjoyed my run and it's the first one I can really say that. Everything felt under control, even my faster pace at the end. Hill reps for me today - I've got Bodybalance first then I'll head into the gym. Either do the reps on the treadmill or try the stairclimber like you said. It depends what's available. I stuck my head in yesterday and they seem to have replace some of the treadmills with stair climbers.

I quite like intervals. I find a treadmill great for them as it means I can't slack off, they really helped my pace.

How's everyone who's doing Adriene's 30 days finding it? I love her and most of the challenges I've done, apart from one I stopped. I was wondering about picking the recent one up next month when I'm in a good rhythm for my runs.

So glad you enjoyed your run @chutneypig and hope the gym session goes well. I ran another three miles this morning. Had to walk a bit more than I would have liked in the last mile but all three runs this week have been faster than last week. Off tomorrow, and have agreed to parkwalk on Saturday so debating whether I will need to run as well

I'm still going on the YWA and enjoying it, a good counterbalance to the running.

After my 7 miles on Tuesday, I felt surprisingly ok yesterday so did some bike intervals. Oh my...my legs this morning had been filled with concrete. Lumbered round 4 miles at a slower pace than Tuesday.
Parkrun this Saturday...it's going to be another wet and windy one so I may pick one with more hard packed paths to avoid a lot of the mud.

What does everyone run in shoe wise? I keep getting ads for the carbon plated shoes and wondering if they are worth the hype (but only with a 50% discount)!
I currently have Brooks Ghosts that are lovely and a pair of Brooks trail shoes that are great up to a certain mud point!

@chutneypig today's (day 11) yoga is a fab one for runners, esp runners with desk jobs, lots of hip openers. Really enjoying it.
I only had a 5 minute time trial on my plan today, which I managed in between the rain storms (horrific here today). Was going to run round the local park but the paths were flooded. I'm in the SW and it's done nothing but rain since new year I'm sure!
@brooksghost my OH and DS have saucony endorphin carbon shoes (they are cheaper than Nike I think). Used for race day or speed work only. There is some talk of them only benefiting already fast runners as they will be the ones getting the benefit from the plate return but you'll see runners of all ability in them at events. Personally I can't afford to have a shoe for "best" and I'm also injury prone so prefer a shoe which suits my running style rather than just one which might make me faster (but I'm a slow plodder at the moment- working on it!).

That's great you're seeing progress @OhOneOhTwoOhThree. With what you're doing in the week maybe you don't need a run but can see if you feel like it?

I use any Saucony stability shoes I can get on sportshoes site @brooksghost. Which reminds me .... could do with another pair. I'm hoping they've given up on their pretty white options which look ok for about 5 minutes.

The rain isn't helping @Jumbojem very disruptive, half my local routes are underwater. Thanks for the pointer on the yoga, I'll give that a look.

My treadmill attempts didn't go badly, but I should have pushed the pace a bit more. I think I got the physical benefits from working my muscles but not the heart rate increase. I didn't want to fiddle around with changing the pace and elevation for short intervals. I'd have flown off the back! I don't have many hill sessions in so probably need to be a bit more creative. I might well chuck in a couple of extra stairclimber sessions on top of my plan. Plus our local parkruns are quite hilly generally, I've resolved to balance up my volunteering with more running this year, as it didn't help last year. Timekeeping tomorrow though!

I've been lurking for a while. I'm really slow at the moment, having a bit of a dip, which is very demoralising. I'm thinking of giving jeffing a go. I'm planning to try a 4 mile 60/30 interval tomorrow to see how that goes.

At this rate, I'm fairly certain that I won't be able to run the whole half I'm signed up for in April.

@brooksghost I run in either Asics GT 2000 or Brooks Adrenaline on hard path and road.

I have recently treated myself to a pair of Vaporflys for a forthcoming race which is carbon plated. They don't have a lot of mileage, so I would only ever use them if I was going fast. I did manage a 5k PB when I first tested them out.

If running trail, then I have a pair of Scott Supertrac.

I used to have Saucony Triumphs but they tweaked the design over the years and they became a bit too narrow for me. I went to Run and Become on the advice of a friend who sold me some Brooks Ghosts, which I've been using for the last couple of years. It's the friendliest running shop I've ever been in.

Can I join? I'm an experienced runner, but my performance has nose dived in the last couple of years.
I've got Cambridge HM early March and really want to be back where I should be.
My long run is up to 9 miles, done today. It felt ok.

Sorry @Velvian I didn’t say hello and welcome. Slow and jeffing is good if that’s what gets you round in one piece.

Hello @TheOrigRights. Well done on your nine miles. Have you done Cambridge before?

Thanks for the welcome @OhOneOhTwoOhThree
Yes, I've done Cam HM a few times. I'm fairly local. It's my PB course. HM is my favourite distance. 🤞🏼my training will go well. I'm 52 and get a bit more achy than I used to.

Welcome to our new joiners!

@Velvian I think jeffing would be great to try - I did my training for my first half run/walking 3 minutes/30 seconds as I'd not gone across Jeff's more structured approach.

What's the Cambridge half course like @TheOrigRights? One of my friends offered me a place but my family is all doing a 15 mile trail run the day before - I was tempted though!

I'll need to be in better shape to benefit from carbon tech! I didn't realise they had lower mileage thanks for the heads up @xsquared

Currently listening to the pouring rain and wondering if I can timekeep with my phone in a plastic bag!

Thanks for the welcome @OhOneOhTwoOhThree and @chutneypig Went out earlier in the wind and rain😭. Jeffed it 60/30 run/walk for 6.5K. My time was 7:37 mins per km, which is only 2 seconds slower than the 5k run I did earlier in the week.

I think I'm going to carry on with 1 or 2 5k runs each week and do a longer, increasing distance of intervals at the weekend.

I have a 10k in 5 weeks and then the half marathon in April. 😱.

Well done @Velvian! I was doing 5 and 1 intervals, went up to 6 and 1 this week, and will go to 7 and 1 next week. I quite like 10 and 2, but need to work back up to that. My HM times are all within a few minutes of each other whether I run or run/walk. So while I'd like to get back to old form and be able to run the whole way I think that's a bit of a way off still.

I park walked this morning in the rain, came home feeling cold and damp so did my yoga w/Adriene, and decided I still had enough energy for a run(and it wasn't raining) so did 3 miles. The first mile was pretty fast as it was downhill and on pavement, the middle one was slow as it was on a muddy path with puddles, and the third wasn't too bad as it was a mixture of the two.

That's a good day's work @OhOneOhTwoOhThree . I do the Yoga for Beginners with Adrienne, when I can find the time. I've never felt the need to progress from the beginners, although there is a lot of waffling. Can you recommend one of shorter videos that is not too strenuous?

@Velvian I've been following this year's 30 days of yoga. I've tried in previous years but haven't managed to finish it for one reason or another, and then just dipped in and out. This year's 30 days is good so far, quite gentle and fairly short - 20-25 minutes or so.

Did my usual run to Parkrun, parkrun, run home for a nice round total of 5 miles today.
Total of 16 miles this week (7/4/5miles)...aim is to do the same next week and then increase the long run to 8 miles the following week.
Pondering starting intervals in place of the second run but can't risk over cooking it yet thanks to the covid recovery taking its time.

I think I'm going to take a step back from running and pause the plan for a couple of weeks. I only ran 2 miles on Thursday and my shin was aching overnight and the following day. I'm going to stick to the yoga with Adrienne and have restarted Caroline Girvans beginner strength training series, which is very hard going.
That is other than runs I've committed to with others (4-5 miles tomorrow with a friend and a 1 mile treadmill run for two days with a RED JAN colleague when we're away next week).
Just think it's better to rest and recover now while I still have time to pick up training in Feb rather than plough on, my half is mid May.
Maybe I will look into new shoes myself and once it's dried out a bit do more trail which is gentler on joints than road running.

@Jumbojem definitely look at new shoes...and see if the shop will check gait etc. keep stretching and hopefully the injury will be ok soon

@chutneypig
Cam HM is pretty flat. It's a good PB course. Great sights of the City and excellent support for most of the route.
It's quite a large field so race day needs planning (parking, loos, bag drop etc).

@Jumbojem and @brooksghost that sounds very sensible. No point over cooking it and having to stop completely.

4 miles this morning, after another open water swim. It was really cold this morning and the wind made it quite choppy in the water so I think the swim took a bit more out of me than I realised (I used the post-swim brownies as running fuel but they didn’t quite last all the way round). Now for yoga, lunch and some sofa time with my crochet.