Hey all, this is in my free hal higdon plan and my town has a 15k race this weekend. The thing that worries me is running on all the pavement and possibly getting injured four weeks out. Is running this a good idea? How much will it help to sharpen my fitness?
Thanks!
Dan
www.aiatriathlon.com
The thing that worries me is running on all the pavement and possibly getting injured four weeks out.
By a 9 mile run? I should hope not.
That seems to me like a good build-up race towards a half. If you are concerned about injury, wear your training shoes (not lightweight flats), and don’t race it, but rather run it a good training run with the goal of starting out moderate and building your pace to a strong last three miles.
I’m not Fleck, but I did sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last nite, eh? 
15k = 's 9.3m.
Aren’t you already running that far perhaps once a week as a long training run?
If so, then substituting this event for that week’s long run should be fine. Yes, you’ll have more residual soreness due to running at a faster pace, but it’s only 9 miles.
I personally like to do local race events as glorified training days, even if it doesn’t neatly fit into my training sked. Racing is the best training. But, you can also do the local race and take it a bit easier too, if you have injury or recovery conerns. I for one like to race at a race, so there’s no taking it easy in my book, once the gun goes off. YMMV.
Disclaimer - if you are injury prone, or the half mary is your AAA race, then skip the 15k. Otherwise, why not do it?
I’m with ML…do the race and “go hard or go home”. It is a horrible idea to “take it easy in any race”. This is the foundation for bad “bailout psychology” when you hit your A race.
If your training is good for a half marathon, you’ll have no issues doing a 15K 4 weeks out. Judging from your 3:04 to 3:12 800m splits on the other thread, you’ll be fine.
Dev
I think I am somewhat injury prone and my half mary probably is my an a race though not AAA (hopefully chicago marathon in the fall with my best friend).
I am running much farther than that weekly but slower and on trails/grass. My long run is 1:45-2 hours right now.
Thanks for the advice.
Dan
www.aiatriathlon.com
Thanks Dev, I appreciate the confidence builder. I think I will do the race and go out hard. If I blow up or feel an injury coming on I’ll use the rest as a cool down. I just started speedwork this February in preparation for this race and my 5k has already come down 1:30. So I am improving rapidly and still have a long ways to go. My little brother still blows my doors off at any distance.
four weeks?
you’re fine, do it.
If you have no nagging injuries there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to race 15K and recover in time for your half.
Think about doing a mini-taper into the 15K. Make sure you warm-up and stretch before the race and take a few easy days afterwards.
You should be fine.
FWIW…I love 15Ks. A great challenge of both speed and endurance. Good luck!!
Dan,
Others have expressed more or less my feelings on the matter - It’s a good thing.
Racing a 5, 10 or 15K before a 1/2 marathon is a good thing. 15K is a great distance. There should be more 15K or 10Mile races. For many, 13 miles, hard, does chew them up a bit, if you are not a strong runner. There seem to be lot’s of 5K races some 10K and then a yawning gap up to the 1/2 marathon. Problem is that for many rec-runners and triathletes “racing” a 1/2 marathon is going to have them on their feet going hard for 2 hours - that’s slightly too long to push( time-wise) at that effort and the recovery is going to take more than just a few days.
Treat the 15K as a race. Make a serious and honest effort of it. Note your average pace and how you were feeling at certain parts. This should form the basis of your plan for the 1/2 marathon.
Best of luck.
Fleck
Fleck, thanks for your response. It was on the basis of one of your posts that I decided to do this run focus. it has really helped. I am hoping to run this half marathon at a faster pace than I used to run a 5k in. I’ve dropped 1:30 off my 5k and hope to drop another 1:30 before the end of the year.
I will post my experience on the forum and hopefully get some advice based on this 15k for the half marathon a month later.
thanks!
Dan
www.aiatriathlon.com
As others said: A 15k four weeks before a HM is a great tempo run. I did a 6 of shorter races (7-12k) to prepare for my main goal a 15k run.
The last races were 11ks 2 and3 weeks before the 15k. And I had a great races and a PB by 4 minutes at the 15k.
I think this races helped a lot to make me fast.
My next run race will be a HM (other main goal) followed by a hilly 10mile run a week later.
Felix
Thanks Felix, That experience is encouraging. Another good thing about this race is that it is on the same course as the 1/2 so I think it will get me mentally preprared.