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8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon?
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Been running for years as part of triathlon training, but since the pandemic stopped racing at first, I really dropped off on training. Would have spurts of running but then stop. Got back into the swing of things on 6/1 and have taken my time progressing and getting back at it.
Thinking of doing a 13.1 on 12/3 and trying to go sub 2. Longest run since starting again is 7mi @ 10:30 pace mostly in Z1/2. Feel pretty confident I could go run sub 2 pace for 4-5mi right now, if not a little more.
Am I crazy to try this?
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [teichs42] [ In reply to ]
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Crazy seems like an awfully strong word. It's just a HM. Are you injury prone? You still have some miles to build. But, adding 6mi to you long run in 6 weeks is aggressive, but not crazy.

Will you break 2? Dunno. Adding pace work while also building miles is more risky.
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [teichs42] [ In reply to ]
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Adding 7/8 miles at that pace in as many weeks is probably ambitious, unless you were quite a bit faster before stopping running.

That said, 13.1 isn't too difficult to race/recover from so I don't see any good reason against trying. Ramp up mileage cautiously to avoid getting hurt and have a go
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [ In reply to ]
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People always say it's you, not the shoes, but these days technology is pretty good, so find some good carbon shoes for yourself. You can run more efficiently and run faster with less effort and lower heart rate for sure. Go to a local shoe store and try different shoes to find right ones for you. Many people praise Adidas Adios Pro 3, but I'm more like a Nike person. Alphafly 1 works great for me during HM.
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [s13tx] [ In reply to ]
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s13tx wrote:
People always say it's you, not the shoes, but these days technology is pretty good, so find some good carbon shoes for yourself.

For a 2-hour half marathon?

"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [kajet] [ In reply to ]
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kajet wrote:
s13tx wrote:
People always say it's you, not the shoes, but these days technology is pretty good, so find some good carbon shoes for yourself.


For a 2-hour half marathon?

Why not? I'm not that fast either, but I love to run in carbon shoes because they give me pops, bounce and legs are not that tired next day. On a good training day, I feel like I can run forever in them too. Everyone is different so there's no definite rule saying 2-hour marathon runners are NOT allowed to use super shoes. I'm just giving him an idea that might help him achieving his goal. It's up to him to try them or not.

P.S.: kajet, please let's not turn this thread into another super shoe debate. We already have enough in here.
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [teichs42] [ In reply to ]
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The thing that always surprises me in a half marathon is the ability for most to run at a pace that doesn't seem that sustainable over a long duration in training. I often have a hard time putting together more than four miles straight at goal HM pace, but come race day it seems to be attainable. Maybe it's a bit of a taper or the competition, but I feel the HM distance is great for running a pretty fast time related to training paces. I generally find that my HM race time is 80-90 seconds per mile faster than easy pace.

You have eight weeks to do this, which is a good chunk of time.

I'd ramp up the long run by a mile or so each week to get to a long run of 2 hour or so - doesn't have to equate to the distance. I'm more of a believer in time on feet as opposed to mileage for running.

Running frequency is crucial to be able to sustain your speed over the course of the race. Try to get up to 5-6 days or running a week, even adding some short doubles to bump the volume up. Even something like 30-40 minutes in the morning, then another 20-30 min in the afternoon will help with that frequency and development of mitochondria.

I'd add in some tempo running, which is pretty close to HM effort. Start with something like 2-3x 8-10 minute intervals, and eventually build up to 15-20 minute intervals at goal race pace. If you want to do a 30-40 minute straight run at goal pace within a longer run go for it.

The key to getting your goal time will be consistency over the next two months. If you develop a daily routine it is so much easier and you don't even consider not doing a run.

Hope it goes well!

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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [teichs42] [ In reply to ]
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No, you aren't crazy - but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll break 2 on the next attempt.
I think a much better goal is to PR the race, but there is nothing wrong with being ambitious.
In my opinion, a sub 2-hour stand alone half marathon is not an overly ambitious goal for someone who is willing to really train hard for it.
I genuinely mean that as an encouragement.
There are many variables, how old are you, how long have you been running, are you a very large person, injury history, etc...
Pick a plan ( I recommend 80-20, but opinions vary) and give it a go, just make sure you don't abruptly/drastically increase mileage or intensity to avoid injury.
If you don't get under 2 in 8 weeks, try again in another 8 weeks...

As far as "super shoes" go - as long as they fit and you don't have stability issues with them, they will never hurt, BUT
If you are running 9 minute miles in Vaporflys and you weight 140 lbs, the energy return is negligible..
If you are running 9 min miles @190 lbs, or 6 min miles @ 140 lbs it makes more sense...
Its just a spring and if you dont compress the spring very much, the relative return is small..

Hope this helps, be sure to check back in and update when you knock out a great race!
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [s13tx] [ In reply to ]
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s13tx wrote:
kajet wrote:
s13tx wrote:
People always say it's you, not the shoes, but these days technology is pretty good, so find some good carbon shoes for yourself.


For a 2-hour half marathon?

Why not? I'm not that fast either, but I love to run in carbon shoes because they give me pops, bounce and legs are not that tired next day. On a good training day, I feel like I can run forever in them too. Everyone is different so there's no definite rule saying 2-hour marathon runners are NOT allowed to use super shoes. I'm just giving him an idea that might help him achieving his goal. It's up to him to try them or not.

P.S.: kajet, please let's not turn this thread into another super shoe debate. We already have enough in here.

Just as it's ok to use wetsuit, fins and paddles in a swim race to get under 3min/100. Even though I hate the tech, I think it should be reserved when you plateaued fitness via decent consistent training, and you are racing
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [MidPack4Life] [ In reply to ]
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Quote:
As far as "super shoes" go - as long as they fit and you don't have stability issues with them, they will never hurt, BUT
If you are running 9 minute miles in Vaporflys and you weight 140 lbs, the energy return is negligible..
If you are running 9 min miles @190 lbs, or 6 min miles @ 140 lbs it makes more sense...
Its just a spring and if you dont compress the spring very much, the relative return is small..

So true. 200 pounds at 6'7" and Vaporfly give back more than 2% without a doubt. Big impact bouncy castle shoes
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [s13tx] [ In reply to ]
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s13tx wrote:
P.S.: kajet, please let's not turn this thread into another super shoe debate. We already have enough in here.

Fair point, and after reading synthetic’s post I agree doubly 😂

"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden
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Re: 8 weeks for sub 2 half marathon? [teichs42] [ In reply to ]
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teichs42 wrote:
Been running for years as part of triathlon training, but since the pandemic stopped racing at first, I really dropped off on training. Would have spurts of running but then stop. Got back into the swing of things on 6/1 and have taken my time progressing and getting back at it.
Thinking of doing a 13.1 on 12/3 and trying to go sub 2. Longest run since starting again is 7mi @ 10:30 pace mostly in Z1/2. Feel pretty confident I could go run sub 2 pace for 4-5mi right now, if not a little more.
Am I crazy to try this?

So many similar threads start this way.

If you want people to take some time to give you some meaningful, please be courteous enough to take some time to provide some meaningful info.

How fast are you? eg. 5km and 10km PRs
How old are you?
How many years have been running?
What weekly mileage are you running now?
What weekly mileage have you comfortably sustained in the past?
Do have an injury history from running?

The answer to your question is remarkably different if you're 30 years old, used to run 45 minutes for 10km off 15 miles/week, no injury history, etc, compared to if you're 55, have a 10km PR of 58 minutes from 10 years ago despite your running peaking at 40 miles/week at time, but have spent a lot of time injured when you've run over 20 miles/week.

The best tips I can give you is:
  • consistency is key.
  • remaining uninjured is essential to consistency.
  • easy mileage is your friend. There will be a strong correlation between the mileage you run in the next 8 weeks and your improvement.
  • fast runners aren't fat. Eat well.
  • suck it and see.

Good luck.
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