I’m mainly here to ask for advice and was wondering if people who have done a 1:30 half marathon would care to share their run training routine while still swimming and biking.
Before my 2011 5K in August, my run training consisted of 1 month of base of 30-35 miles (6 days a week) per week then I cut it down to 15-21 consisting of 4 runs (sometimes 3), track, tempo, long, easy (in no particular order) for 2 months. I schedule my runs based on feel since I was also swimming and biking. I am tooting my own horn here and I lowered my 5K time (same race) from 25:31 in 2010 to 18:52 this year. I have not timed nor did a 10K race. I’m probably running 8-15 miles per week inconsistently over the span of 18 months except those focused 3 months and before HIMs. And yes, I discovered the same mileage (15-21) was not enough to finish strong in the run portion of a HIM…
Would the same approach work for a HM? I’m planing on building base for this month and try to hammer it out on December and January in time for Surf City Half Mary. My first stand alone half mary this year (also Surf City) was 1:44 and I had a funny story about that race… All this in conjunction with swim and bike training with a goal to break 5 hours on the HIM. 2012 will be my 2nd year doing tris. I’m also in a 2 week break from running to concentrate on my first double ride which I did on the 29th at Death Valley and decided to week a week off from doing anything this week.
I think the F.I.R.S.T. method may work for you. It is wicked hard…here is the cliff notes.
Tuesday - Track workout (40012, 200/400/600/800 and back down, 8006, 1000*5, work out to 1 mile * 3 with one minute rest - mix it up)
Thursday - Tempo Run (3-5 miles at tempo)
Saturday - Long run, but with a tweak, a FAST long run, average about 20-30 seconds slower than race pace after the first few miles (Start with an 8 miler and work up)
Fit your swims and bike on other days, make sure you take one day off. And I would spend this month working on base, you don’t go into three hard runs a week without some mileage in your legs.
Just run more and you should break it. Don’t worry about speed work, just run lots and lots of miles. 30 a week would be good, building up to 40-50 would be even better. Throw a couple long runs in there. If you want to do something peppy, throw in a tempo run after running straight miles for 6 weks. Hard track intervals won’t help as much as most think.
I’ll second the FIRST method. I’ve used it prodominantly over the last few years with great results. The key to the FIRST method in my humble opinion is that you need to already have your base established as the actual weekly mileage is quite low. If you plan on using the plan for only running then you can use it as if. If you plan on incorporating the FIRST method into your tri training for a HIM or something then you might benefit from doing an additional brick workout or changing the tempo run to after a bike ride and effectively making it a brick. If you are still planning on doing a long bike ove the coming months then I would make sure to not have your long bike and long run on back to back days. Just my two cents. The FIRST method and the 100 runs in a 100 days challenge changed my running dramatically.
Just shift back to a run focus and you should get it.
Well done on the running improvements to date - another data point that the run training does not need to be that complicated. Just run. Try and get in a run every day of the week for blocks of time and don’t worry to much about it.
During the run blocks you can maintain a decent amount of the swim and cycling fitness with a couple of short/hard sessions each week.
It’s amazing to me the numbers of people that think all the training goes to pot after a couple of weeks - it does not!
I recently did what your trying to do. Previous was 1:32 and I Pulled off a 1:26. One month after HIM training all summer. All I did was minimize swim and bike training and do run focused training. 6 days A week 35-45 miles. Remember there’s no swimming or biking in this one so don’t feel bad about cutting your workouts down or out. Get this goal crush 1:30 and you will get it all back after.
I think the F.I.R.S.T. method may work for you. It is wicked hard…here is the cliff notes.
Tuesday - Track workout (40012, 200/400/600/800 and back down, 8006, 1000*5, work out to 1 mile * 3 with one minute rest - mix it up)
Thursday - Tempo Run (3-5 miles at tempo)
Saturday - Long run, but with a tweak, a FAST long run, average about 20-30 seconds slower than race pace after the first few miles (Start with an 8 miler and work up)
Fit your swims and bike on other days, make sure you take one day off. And I would spend this month working on base, you don’t go into three hard runs a week without some mileage in your legs.
Good luck.
Yep, that’s what I have been doing for the last 12 weeks. I haven’t officially broken 1:30 yet, but my training times indicate that I easily will (ran 16 miles at 7:30/mile and 10 miles at 6:50/mile as part of training without any difficulty). I used the book “Run Less, Run Faster” and the corresponding plan with the recommended paces therein. At first I had a really hard time running the faster paces even though it was only three days/week running. Eventually I settled into it and actually was able to run faster than recommended (well the weather helped there too… I started the program in the middle of the San Antonio summer). I will admit, even though I have gotten results the program isn’t fun. I miss those slower running sessions where I just get to zone out. I am going to settle back into a 5-6day/week running schedule after the half next weekend with fewer track sessions (BarryP has me convinced that they are less important than I thought).
ETA: BTW with your 5K time it seems that you should have no problem training to run a sub 1:30 HM. My 5K PR is admittedly at bit outdated from March of this year when I was still losing weight and getting back into training but I only ran a 20:01. Now I think I could go low 19s, but probably not sub 19 (I have a few tempo runs under my belt running the middle 3-5 miles of a 6-8 mile run at 6:30/mile).
Some of the longer runs should be fartlek as that is how you will run in race. Keep swimming to keep the arm strength up which will help over the closing miles of the run. Keep biking as that will keep the leg strength balanced. Both swimming and biking should be aerobic if focusing on a 1/2 marathon. Taper back on mileage three weeks out while boosting speed. Back off both on the last four days before the race. Be hungry to go fast on race day. You’ll feel sluggish up to race time but will appreciated the fluidiness to your stride during the race. Thanks, Doug
Thanks for the advice guys. I will absolutely research them and look into it. I definitely agree that my focus will have to shift from cycling to running just like what I did these past 5 weeks in preparation for Death Valley Double Century. What I did was weekly hill repeats at PV for 5 weeks then a weekly long ride culminating in a 105 mile from Cerritos to Crystal Lake and back. Felt strong after that mother… I also felt strong after Death Valley albeit only having 105 miles as my longest ride.
Regarding running a lot, I will try it again but those 35 mile weeks in combination with swim and run left me exhausted. I probably did it wrong 6 months ago because I don’t remember having a run slower than a 7:45 pace. My track work outs also consisted of 400 repeats at 5:30 pace and 800 repeats at 6:30. It’s funny that I settled at 6:02 miles at my 5K! I dreaded those work outs before starting but absolutely loved them after!!! After falling off the running wagon, my longest run to date at 10 miles was at 7:30 pace although I can still pull off a sub-20 min 5K.
What do you guys of the plan I’m visualizing? Build base from 18 miles to 35 miles on first four weeks running 6-7 days. Weeks 5-8, incorporate speed work outs (fartleks and tracks). Weeks 9-12, annihilate the track.
In my non-expert opinion, what really helped me PR that 5K was the somewhat good base throughout the year followed by a stronger month of 35 mile weeks and 8 weeks of track. My legs and brain got used to running fast I guess?
Not sure about a plan for you. I have done that race for the past 3 years. Great course, mostly flat.
I did 1:43 there 2 years ago. Last year, I was hoping to break 1:40. I surprised myself with a 1:34.
I was “running angry” because of a less than stellar finish at IMAZ last November. So, I had the base of IM training and then really just focused on running thru February.
Definitely get to the first corral at the start. That is a busy race and you can waste some time weaving in and out of slower people at the start. I also like to plan out my pace for each portion of the course (ie - the initial flat few miles, the slight uphill after the right turn, the nice downhill before you get back to the coast, the turnaround and then the slight uphill to the finish).
I ran the first 4 miles faster than I had planned, but I was feeling great. Figured I had some time in the bank if I “blew up” so I just kept at it. I formed a pace line with 3 other guys that were running the same speed. It was nice to have a rabbit to chase or to be the rabbit.
It was my first HM this year. Got severe GI issues on the last 3 miles… Severe… I’m also 13 pounds lighter than I was in February. Same course, higher fitness, lighter body, and all I can see is a definite PR.
I’m in the same boat as you - looking to do about 1:30 in the second week of December. Nice flat course, weather will be cold.
5k PB of 18:30 set in July on a dead flat course, and a 10k PB of 39:40 set earlier in the summer on a hillier windier course.
I’m running 4x per week on a modified Endurance Nation plan (1 short easy brick run, 2 x mile repeat sessions, and one long run of 90 mins at 8 min/mile). Still doing all the FTP bike sessions, swimming 3-4x per week and gym sessions if I can (ok, clearly a highly modified EN plan).
Will start adding in some race pace and tempo sessions in the coming weeks, but will not run more than 4x per week. No idea if this will work.
Good luck to you dude/dudette. Mile repeat sessions? That sounds awfully hard… How many reps? Time of rest in between? My 5K was on a rolling hill course so hopefully I’m faster on a flatter course. I think I really need to get the long runs in consistently. I have never run longer than 10 miles except in HM and HIMs.
I’m in the same boat as you - looking to do about 1:30 in the second week of December. Nice flat course, weather will be cold.
5k PB of 18:30 set in July on a dead flat course, and a 10k PB of 39:40 set earlier in the summer on a hillier windier course.
I’m running 4x per week on a modified Endurance Nation plan (1 short easy brick run, 2 x mile repeat sessions, and one long run of 90 mins at 8 min/mile). Still doing all the FTP bike sessions, swimming 3-4x per week and gym sessions if I can (ok, clearly a highly modified EN plan).
Will start adding in some race pace and tempo sessions in the coming weeks, but will not run more than 4x per week. No idea if this will work.
I ran a 1:26 last year for a PR in 65-70 degree weather. Prior to that I ran a 37:30 10k, my second time under 40 minutes and under 1:30 for a HM. I did it while running 30-40
Miles a week for about 4-6 weeks, swimming about 10,000 Yds a week and biking 1-2 times.
I didn’t do any speedwork, it was all tempo runs,
mainly consisting of like a 3 mile warm up followed by 6-8 miles at goal HM pace maybe once a week or every otter week. It’s not easy and I wasn’t sure about it, bit the results really proved out. I’m a big fan of tempo runs now, especially the long hard ones.
I dont have the magic cure that’s for sure, there are plenty of other people a lot faster than me on here, but te tempo runs reallyade a difference.
I would only I add that I have personally found Kick Swim Sets (no fins) to be a very useful adjunct to running. If performed correctly, they strengthen the hip flexors, teach you to fire those same muscles at a very rapid cadence, and are CV taxing (all with virtually no joint strain).
I would only I add that I have personally found Kick Swim Sets (no fins) to be a very useful adjunct to running. If performed correctly, they strengthen the hip flexors, teach you to fire those same muscles at a very rapid cadence, and are CV taxing (all with virtually no joint strain).
To add onto my previous post and agree, I did a lot of kicking during my swim sets, more than ever before, some of it was upwards 500-800 yards, which was a ton for me
