ChrisL's lightweight 2hr HM plan - Fun Beyond 10K & ...

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ChrisL's lightweight 2hr HM plan

ChrisL profile image
ChrisLHalf Marathon
13 Replies

About me:

I am a 55 year old male & have just come back to these forums after a year's absence. I did C25K two years ago, then added a km per week to get to 10k quite quickly and then pretty much stopped running altogether. Last autumn I got into road cycling and did some long (100 mile+) rides.

Apart from that I have only done the odd 3-5k run maybe once a month this year.

The challenge:

2 weeks ago I was challenged to do the St Albans half marathon in mid-June by a much younger & fitter relative. I did a 6k run/walk to see if I still could run at all and then a 10k run/walk at the weekend to confirm it.

Challenge accepted.

The plan:

I have started to follow a 10 week plan I found online at runnersworld.com/race-train...  I will have to skip weeks 3 and 4 as I don't have time so my plan looks like this;

Week 1  4x400 intervals / 3-mile tempo / 6-mile long run

Week 2  4x800 intervals / 4-mile tempo / 8-mile long run

Week 3  3x1600 intervals / 4-mile tempo / 10-mile long run 

Week 4  4x800 intervals / 8-mile tempo / 8-mile long run

Week 5  6x400 intervals / 6-mile tempo / 10-mile long run

Week 6  4x1600 intervals / 8-mile tempo / 12-mile long run

Week 7  3x800 intervals / 3-mile tempo / 6-mile long run

Week 8  4x400 intervals / 2-mile tempo / Half Marathon

The target:

Last weekend (end of week 1) I did 10k in 51:27 (run/walk). The race time predictor at runnersworld.co.uk/general/... suggests I should be able to do a HM in 1hr 54m so my aim is to come in under 2 hours, which I suspect will be easier said than done as all the reviews of the St Albans HM say it is rather hilly (and I really hate hills).

Progress:

I will log my progress here.  This will force me to keep at it.  If anyone cares to read/comment then please do. I will now put my tin hat on in anticipation of JuicyJu's assessment of my mental state and likelihood of success...

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ChrisL profile image
ChrisL
Half Marathon
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13 Replies
ju-ju- profile image
ju-ju-Marathon

Ha ha ... you do love a challenge and this will get you sorted... and I would hardly call that lightweight!! Likelihood of success= 100% unless you get bored then it will be 0%

ChrisL profile image
ChrisLHalf Marathon in reply to ju-ju-

Hmmm. You know me so well.

ju-ju- profile image
ju-ju-Marathon in reply to ChrisL

Juicyju knows everything ☯️

Jaxsy_runs profile image
Jaxsy_runsHalf Marathon

Hi Chris, enjoy your training - will you do all weekly tempos per plan or alternate weekly tempo with hill training?? 

ChrisL profile image
ChrisLHalf Marathon in reply to Jaxsy_runs

Hi Jaxsy.  I have wondered about doing some hills (ugh) but in place of the intervals rather than the tempo runs some weeks.  I have never done any hill training so would need to investigate how you go about it.  Do you do hills?

Jaxsy_runs profile image
Jaxsy_runsHalf Marathon in reply to ChrisL

I always mean to ...but have so many excuses not to! I live halfway up / down a hill but really in run terms they're not hills so much as inclines.  If running from home I might run in circles and repeat and maintain shorter strides, higher knees, staying upright, looking ahead, focus on breathing etc . There's lots of videos on you tube and The run club To used to go to did 2 minute runs up hill, jog down for 1 min, repeat x5 etc... Along with other sessions. 

If you have a hilly long run   it probably would make it more training focused  to include them,  for both physical and mental endurance. I know the theory but in practise I'm a bit lazy!

Bet you would get plenty of feedback if you posted about running hills on another post... I'd read it Chris.

AdamB profile image
AdamBHalf Marathon

If you can do a 51.27 10K you should be ok t get a sub 2 hour HM. When I'm fit (I'm on the injury couch at the moment) I normally do a 10K in 47 - 48 minutes. I've managed a sub 2 hour HM which included a stop at the 10 mile point for a quick half of beer...

ChrisL profile image
ChrisLHalf Marathon in reply to AdamB

Now that is my idea of running!  I have always rehydrated after tennis etc with beer - much to the amazement of my playing partners who all go for some sort of awful orange or purple goop.

AdamB profile image
AdamBHalf Marathon in reply to ChrisL

I'm not quite sure how good an idea it was. It made bladder control for the last 3 miles interesting... If I were to do that again I think I'd be sticking to something a little shorter - a whisky, perhaps. The beer certainly did nothing for rehydration.

Jaxsy_runs profile image
Jaxsy_runsHalf Marathon

Sorry to hear your on the ic @AdamB, crikey you're fast! ... I think I was near to throwing up at my first hm 10mile point - so I guess you've been running for sometime? 

Hope your up and out - feeling better on your feet soon👍

old_git profile image
old_gitMarathon

Hi Chris, my pb for 10k is 50.59 (on the flat) and I have completed 4 half marathons, 3 under 2 hours. My slowest half was 2hrs 4mins, which was my first and quite hilly.

As your 10k was a run/walk, the predicted time seems reasonable and achievable.

Good luck!

ChrisL profile image
ChrisLHalf Marathon

That is very encouraging OG - thanks.  I just have to ween myself off the walking bit...

Jaxsy_runs profile image
Jaxsy_runsHalf Marathon in reply to ChrisL

Everything you need to know about hill training

runnersworld.co.uk/general/ everything-you-need-to-know-about-hill-training

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