Started training for a potential half marathon

I mentioned last week that I might do a half marathon in 2014 and Sue AKA SBG356 threw down a challenge and got me thinking, her challenge "why not this year" so Monday over a cup of tea I chatted to a colleague and we are gonna give it a try, current plan is an August HM, but if we are ready earlier then we will look out for a different race.

So today we did an 11k easy pace run, the longest I've run yet and another first my first fall (superman style) luckily it was on soft trail in a local wood called Witch Wood, I got tripped up by an exposed tree root at about 8K, so had to have a minute to recover, I'm pleased I still have moobs as I think this may have helped when I landed, still a little tender but nothing hurts too bad - maybe just my pride

Looking forward to next weekends 12K. It will be tempo and pyramid midweek.

Enjoy your weekend runs

Garmin stats - connect.garmin.com/activity...

[magpie363]

Wow go for it Phil. I cant imagine ever saying those words "An 11k easy paced run"

Linda

[Hidden in reply to magpie363]

Might have to change easy to slower

[SBG356 Graduate]

Excellent news Phil! Glad I have been of some help in moving you on to your next goal You will be fine if you are doing "easy pace" 11k runs already!!

Sorry about your fall but hey, I think you are not a real runner until you have one ( well that's what I told myself when it happened to me!! )

Best of luck to you on your new journey!

Sue

[Hidden in reply to SBG356]

That's what I said to my friend when it happened, that I must be a proper runner now!

Cheers for spurring me on

[DeliaItaly Graduate]

If anyone can do it you can Phil! Here's rooting for you

[Hidden in reply to DeliaItaly]

Cheers Delia

[notbad Graduate]

I'm sure you'll do it Phil, I'm in for the gnr in Sept & at a similar stage in my running, I'm doubting myself but know deep down I can do it (I hope!). Sorry to hear you took a tumble but your moob line didn't half make me smile.

[Hidden in reply to notbad]

We can definitely do it, injuries permitting

[Pat184 Graduate]

Good on you Phil and as SBG356 said good luck on your journey Pat

[Hidden in reply to Pat184]

Cheers Pat

[AliB1 Graduate]

Good on you! You have plenty of time till August... I wish I had that much time!!!!

Sounds like the training is going we,, already

[Hidden in reply to AliB1]

Thanks, I read your blogs a while ago where you were a bit behind, hope your getting out there and not falling any further behind, good luck with your training

[123456789 Graduate]

Oohhhhh now that sounds an incredible distance, and easy!!

Sorry about the moob bounce, hope you are not to sore.

I Hope your training goes well, and no more witch wood curses.

All the best

Dale

[thinnerandfitter Graduate]

Well done Phil! What a great distance - didn't know you'd decided to go for HM but you seem to be increasing distance more than steadily. Looked at the stats and am very impressed by both the pace and how even the pace is. Wish I could get below 7min/km, let alone 6.4 or whatever you did!

Bad luck with the fall - I guess it happens to us all eventually. Hope you don't feel too battered in the morning!

Ann

[Hidden in reply to thinnerandfitter]

Thanks, I promise I am only increasing the Ks one at a time, so definately less than 10%

[sfb350 Graduate]

Sorry, I'm chuckling at your moobs

You've got plenty of time for training, sounds like it's going well. I'm sure you'll be great !

[Hidden in reply to sfb350]

I often chuckle at that thanks

[janda Graduate]

Hi Phil. Well done and hope you are over the fall. Fantastic run and a model for the sort of thing I am looking to do now. Interested in two things if you can advise: what are you doing for your tempo and interval runs and, second, what do you need to do to get onto a half marathon. I was given a bit of a challenge by the other half of one of my colleagues to go for one next year. I don't really know where to start. Another thought I had was that i am a roads, pavements and paths man only really. Not sure about the soft trail stuff. Any advice? Cheers. James

[Hidden in reply to janda]

Some good ideas for percentages per week, to mix your training sessions. here - goodrunguide.co.uk/Training... only used as a guide.

Another link here runnersworld.co.uk/general/... where you put in your race pace, I put in my best 5K and it tells you the paces you should be aiming for in the different training sessions.

So for my tempo runs, I run hard, but so I can finish without stopping, slowing if I need to.

For intervals I do Pyramid training, I got it from audiofuel I definately recommend this.

If I've got any niggles I listen to my body and don't push it and run another easy pace run instead of a tempo/pyramid.

As to HM training, not following an official HM plan because I have loads of time, so the plan is to run one easy long run per week, adding 1K per week, which is now 10% or less increase, one tempo of 5-6K and the 22 mins of intervals, which includes 10 mins of warm up /down time. If I want to add another run then it would be an easy pace one.

I might follow something more official nearer the time, to improve pace.

On my long runs I either listen to whatever I fancy, nothing (a new one for me and not as bad as I thought it would be) or audiofuel 'feelin free' as I like the repetitive beats to get a good rhythm on the pacing.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Forgot to say, I normally run on roads, pavements and the beach, so this was new to me and look what happens must remember to lift feet an look where I'm running!

[janda Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for all of that Phil. I had looked at the Good Run Guide pages before and have mentally started to do a bit of prep on that one. I'll look over that again and do some more calculated planning perhaps. Have you registered with the website? I was thinking I might do but it may be that the free stuff is enough for me. I don't know if there is any point at this stage.

I'll try the Runners World calculator to get my pace sorted. Sounds helpful. And Audio Fuel of course!

I found Good Run Guide useful for finding runs but perhaps there are more: they mainly seemed to be Parkruns. I am hoping to do the HM sometime next year but don't really know when.

Thanks again. Cheers! James

[Hidden in reply to janda]

No I haven't registered, just used free online resources up to now.

[janda Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Cheers Phil I am doing a bit of reading around this now. Thanks for your help.