“raced” my first half marathon this past weekend. my max heart rate is 196 and im 6-2 and about 188 pounds. i gradually increased my heart rate throughout the race to where the last few miles felt like they were as about as hard as i could run at that point.
based on that max heart rate, how much faster could i run? did i employ the right strategy? other than dropping weight, what else could be done to improve on this time?
here is the data
Train more?
Impossible question to answer based on HR at a alone.
How long have you been training?
Did you specifically train for the HM? If so, how?
Is it your first HM? If so, your next one -even if it was next week- will most likely be faster based on knowledge alone.
What is your average weekly distance (I’m not a firm believer in this when it comes to sub-elite performance)?
How is that divided up into long-slow,race pace, threshold and interval running?
How did you actually feel during the race?
How much are you committed to running faster?
etc…
Impossible question to answer based on HR at a alone.
How long have you been training?
-been running for 5 years, 3rd year in tri’s
Did you specifically train for the HM? If so, how?
-signed up for the race with 6 weeks to dial in training. did last oly tri in mid sept…
Is it your first HM?
-yes, was my first half. i have done 3 full marathons
What is your average weekly distance (I’m not a firm believer in this when it comes to sub-elite performance)?
-Avg weekly distance was probably 25 miles running, 30 on the bike.
How is that divided up into long-slow,race pace, threshold and interval running?
-Ive got roughly 5 hours a week to train, so nearly all of it was at or above threshold, mile repeats, long hard tempos (longest was 10 miles)
How did you actually feel during the race?
-Felt strong, the last few were painful but not terrible. i have a high pain threshold.
How much are you committed to running faster?
committed, as long as i can keep it under 5 hours a week. job has long hours, 2 kids under 3 and a wife i have to… errr… want to keep happy.
etc…
You CAN run a lot faster, it’s whether or not you really ***WANT ***to. From the data, looks like you started out ok, died midway through and finished strong. If you can finish that strong, you could have probably run that fast the whole time. Not too sure where your mental game is, but the old HTFU message comes to mind. Having said that, your HR seems pretty high for someone who’s been running for 5+ years. I’d say you probably need to work on your fitness a little. Not trying to be a hard-ass to you but you need to know that there is lots of room for improvement with what your showing. Hook up with a local track club and learn to simply run. I had been trying to figure out how to get fast with my running for a while, joined a track club and am watching my times drop like they are made of lead.
I’m about your size and build. I am in no way a “gifted runner”
Train more is the likely answer. My last half I focused on (almost 2 yrs ago - and about 2 yrs into my running career), i was running upwards of 45mpw. Ran a 1:30 even. Pretty sure i’m faster now, but haven’t focused on that in some time.
Over the past 4 yrs I’ve seen my speed (and endurance) go up pretty drastically while maintaining the same HR/level of effort. So yeah, train more.
Your max HR really isn’t a performance metric so it doesn’t say much about your speed. In looking at your race times such as 5k and 10k you can draw some conclusions about potential speed at your current fitness and also where you might need to work. In fact getting some even shorter timed efforts will give you some intel. It might be leg speed, or other mechanical issue, or it might very well be your fitness level and a limited V02 max.
Can’t say anything based on HR. Your pace looks pretty fairly inconsistent though. 30 second difference on miles without much difference in elevation, but correct me if you think that was just a terrain swing. Bet you could find a minute there just by being more consistent with your pacing at the start.
Your max HR really isn’t a performance metric so it doesn’t say much about your speed. In looking at your race times such as 5k and 10k you can draw some conclusions about potential speed at your current fitness and also where you might need to work. In fact getting some even shorter timed efforts will give you some intel. It might be leg speed, or other mechanical issue, or it might very well be your fitness level and a limited V02 max.
here are some 5 k splits i did earlier this year. this was at a duathlon (should that be pink?) and there was a 15 mile bike in between these times.
lose weight?
If you are pressed for time you got to focus on the specifics.
1/ You want to run at speed x for distance y.
You got to be running speed x a lot and distance y has to no problem at a speed less than speed x.
For HM, you need to be doing 11 to 13 miles three times a month - there is no getting away from that.
You should have race pace efforts (6:50-7:00/mile) of shorter durations once a week.
You could combine the two by doing a race pace interval at the end of your one run every week. Increase the race pace interval every week.
So, for example:
week 1: 12 miles - steady pace (not to be confused with easy!)
week 2: 12 miles - 10 miles steady pace, 2 miles 7:00/mile
week 3: 12 miles - 9 miles steady pace, 3 miles 7:00/mile
etc… though I wouldn’t go more than 6:6
For time pressured athlete this one workout covers two basic principles of training: Specificity and progressive overload.
You are running the distance.
You are running the speed.
You are training harder every week.
You could also throw in a 20/20/20 run during the week. 20 minutes under race pace, 20 mins race pace, 20 minutes over race pace.
Just some ideas - but be as specific to your race in your training if you are short on time.
The 21min 5k suggests about a 7:41 half mary pace, so you showed a couple of things: your leg speed needs help, and your endurance needs more work. I would suggest continue building your run volume (gradually) and get in some short hard efforts on a track or hills. You might also have someone watch your running gait and see if you have any mechanical issues that impede efficient running. It may also be mental and you might improve a lot if you ran with a running group, who could push you. There are lots of potentials here for improvement.
Your max HR really isn’t a performance metric so it doesn’t say much about your speed. In looking at your race times such as 5k and 10k you can draw some conclusions about potential speed at your current fitness and also where you might need to work. In fact getting some even shorter timed efforts will give you some intel. It might be leg speed, or other mechanical issue, or it might very well be your fitness level and a limited V02 max.
here are some 5 k splits i did earlier this year. this was at a duathlon (should that be pink?) and there was a 15 mile bike in between these times.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/79764399
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/79764414
Looking at your 3 mile runs from the duathlon tells a lot. One, you leave too much for the end or you are slowing down in the middle instead of trying to hold a steady pace. Two things will improve this…speed work and tempo runs. Also, your HR is way elevated. Now, maybe this i just you and not really a big deal–but you may need more endurance miles. Getting a coach who can work with you and your goals will help you. The coach I use has brought my 5k time down about two minutes in less than a year and has improved my overall triathlon performance. He is VERY reasonable too. Gladly will pass along his info. if you’re interested.
Yes you can run a lot faster. DUH. You need to train, and after years doing so the better you will get. Plus, throw the HRM way during the half Mary. Do you see any top runners or triathletes using this device in a half mary? No. Perhaps 2% do. I myself have run a 1:18 (not to brag, because there are many on this site that have run faster), and I would never use a HRM in a Half Mary Race.
your pacing seems to be bad. started fast, backed off too much, only to find out later that there´s still plenty in the tank.
whith only 5 hours a week to train, why dont you focus on 1 sport? if you are committed there is a lot to improve with 5 hours of running.
Collecting data is fun… But doesn’t mean you have to race to the hr numbers real time.
My take is good job. Your splits are a bit uneven. Your HR data show a little variability early on, but clearly you gradually build and put it out there in the end. I had numbers like yours about a decade ago when I was just getting into running. My max is still 196, but it is way harder to keep my HR that high that long now. I am a lot faster now than when my ave HR for a half was in the 180’s. I do not know what changed physiologically over time. If you can take off 30lbs, you will be in the 1:20’s. That is what I did, but you are quite a bit taller. Best wishes. As said, if you want to get faster and are not already doing it, train at mixed paces based upon your condition. McMillan calculator will provide training paces if you would like. Work up to some VO2 max sessions, get in some threshold runs of 20-60 min duration, build up a reasonable long run. You will improve. Again, I think your HR data indicate you put out a good effort (Unless your HRmax is 220), I am guessing it is ~200.
your pacing seems to be bad. started fast, backed off too much, only to find out later that there´s still plenty in the tank.
whith only 5 hours a week to train, why dont you focus on 1 sport? if you are committed there is a lot to improve with 5 hours of running.
well, i enjoy all 3 sports. so… ill probably continue.
My take is good job. Your splits are a bit uneven. Your HR data show a little variability early on, but clearly you gradually build and put it out there in the end. I had numbers like yours about a decade ago when I was just getting into running. My max is still 196, but it is way harder to keep my HR that high that long now. I am a lot faster now than when my ave HR for a half was in the 180’s. I do not know what changed physiologically over time. If you can take off 30lbs, you will be in the 1:20’s. That is what I did, but you are quite a bit taller. Best wishes. As said, if you want to get faster and are not already doing it, train at mixed paces based upon your condition. McMillan calculator will provide training paces if you would like. Work up to some VO2 max sessions, get in some threshold runs of 20-60 min duration, build up a reasonable long run. You will improve. Again, I think your HR data indicate you put out a good effort (Unless your HRmax is 220), I am guessing it is ~200.
30 pounds for me is impossible. 5 probably, and 10 if i really wanted to kill myself but that is it. i tried to get to 175 last spring a couldnt do it. people were asking me if i was sick or if i had cancer. max hr is 196.
all in all, great feedback from everyone. thank you.