Run for your lives! The 2021 runners thread

[Bumbles8]

Thanks for being welcoming.

I try to do all my runs during the week, and tend to have other activities during the weekend.   But managed to sneak in a run on Saturday to get to my weekly goal.  Missed my Friday run due to travel.

I have been really fortunate with pain/injuries so far.  I hope this continues for the rest of the year, fingers crossed.   Having mostly just managed minor aches that end up going away. 

The heat has added a whole other factor too!  Man, it slows me down.  And I used to do more running before work, but the runs have gotten long enough that they mess up the morning schedule.  And I just refuse to wake up before 4am for runs.

[jambongris]

Any CityStriders here?

https://citystrides.com

If you log your runs using GPS you can upload your runs and it will keep track of how many of the streets you’ve completed in any city that you’ve run in.

I’m up to 7% of my city. My plan is to get all the streets within about 5k of my house as I’m not really interested in driving to other parts of the city just to collect streets.

I’m seeing parts of my neighbourhood that I was oblivious to before. There’s so much to see out there. 

There are a few people that have 100% of my city completed, including a colleague of mine.

[amberfocus]

I watched a bunch of videos of people trying to maintain Eliud Kipchoge’s 2 hour marathon pace on a treadmill where you can set the treadmill to hold a specific pace. I’d love to try that. (I’ve tried it outside but I can’t hold a steady pace at that speed so it’s hard to gauge if I’m going fast enough. Assuming that I can even run that fast!)

Could you try using a stopwatch on a 400m track? Just keep pace in 100m increments -- you'd have to cover it in 17 seconds for a 2 hour marathon. I'd personally prefer that to a treadmill, because I have never even tried to put a treadmill up to 13.1 mph (do they even go that high?!), and I'd be worried about flying off the back of it and hurting myself. Also, having high enough leg turnover to keep up with a treadmill belt moving beneath you is not exactly the same as actually propelling your whole body forward at the same pace, so doing it on the track would be a truer comparison, to boot.

As for the treadmill boredom question... I'm perfectly happy running in loops forever (either I'm spaced out in a meditative state, or I'm working too hard to care), so boredom on or off the treadmill is not an issue. But my main reason for wanting a treadmill is for backup in case of inclement weather. A blizzard can bury (or ice up) the local sidewalks, shoulders, trails, and track for many days. A long run scheduled during a summer heat wave can be very dangerous. If your feet get soaked through, you can wind up rubbing the skin right off your toes (ask me for my gross photos, I have them, LOL). And for the non-morning people among us, it's convenient to be able to run after dark without risking getting hit by a car, tripping on a curb, or eaten by a coyote.

Treadmills are also nice if your neighborhood has a lot of crosswalks or traffic. The incline feature lets you do hills if you don't have any of the appropriate grade nearby. (The opposite can also be true -- you can be surrounded by hills, but you just want to do some flats.) You can also watch TV while running, keep ample food/drink nearby, and take unlimited bathroom breaks. I believe the belt is also easier on your joints, at least compared to concrete/asphalt.

So there are plenty of reasons to go treadmill, but it's ultimately down to personal preference. But I'm totally with you on the stationary bike, though -- I can't stand them.

[Epor]

Week 0: ~75kg, waking from a 6 mo winter hibernation.
Week 1: 75.2kg, 1min run - 1.5min walk (20min) x4 days.
Week 2: 74.7kg, 1.5min run - 2min walk (20min) x6 days.
Week 3: 75.5kg, 1.5r-1.5w, 3r-1.5w (20min) x6 days.
Week 4: 75.8kg, 3r-1.5w, 5r-2.5w (20min) x6 days.
Week 5: 75.6kg, 5r-3w (20minx2days), 8r-5w (20minx2days), Non-Stop 20min run.

Week 6 goals: 5r-3w-8r-3w-5r (x2days) 10r-3w-10r (x2days), 22min jog (x2days).

[brandon1827]

I still haven't been able to find any consistency with my running. I think it's because my next half is so far out. I'm hoping to get into a routine in the next couple of weeks and then settle into a full-blown training plan when I'm 16 weeks out from race day. Hope everyone else's running/training is going well.

[jambongris]

I set new weekly and monthly distance records yesterday (63 km and 204 km).

My plan going forward is ~50 km/week with one run a week involving speed work and the rest being slow easy runs.

Not interested in following a training plan for now and I don’t have any specific goals or upcoming races. Just looking to improve my aerobic fitness and to enjoy some long meditative runs outdoors.

[Bumbles8]

I set new weekly and monthly distance records yesterday (63 km and 204 km).

My plan going forward is ~50 km/week with one run a week involving speed work and the rest being slow easy runs.

Not interested in following a training plan for now and I don’t have any specific goals or upcoming races. Just looking to improve my aerobic fitness and to enjoy some long meditative runs outdoors.

This is pretty close to what I’m doing.  But no speed work.  And I’m hoping to level out where I am now - with just slightly higher mileage than listed.

Still yet to be seen if I can consistently fit 40 miles per week into my Monday - Friday.  I would assume I come up short one a month or so.  Maybe a planned taper week with lower mileage here and there.

I do have something I am training towards, but it’s not running related.  But running is one of the best ways for me to build the aerobic base

[Epor]

Week 0: ~75kg, waking from a 6 mo winter hibernation.
Week 1: 75.2kg, 1min run - 1.5min walk (20min) x4 days.
Week 2: 74.7kg, 1.5min run - 2min walk (20min) x6 days.
Week 3: 75.5kg, 1.5r-1.5w, 3r-1.5w (20min) x6 days.
Week 4: 75.8kg, 3r-1.5w, 5r-2.5w (20min) x6 days.
Week 5: 75.6kg, 5r-3w (20minx2days), 8r-5w (20minx2days), Non-Stop 20min run.
Week 6: 75.5kg, got hurt on a wednesday (I fell and hurt my leg).
Week 6 repeat: 5r-3w-8r-3w-5r, 10r-3w-10r, 22min jog. I ran only 3 days due to injury.

Week 7 goals: 25 min jog non stop x6.

[Epor]

Week 0: ~75kg, waking from a 6 mo winter hibernation.
Week 1: 75.2kg, 1min run - 1.5min walk (20min) x4 days.
Week 2: 74.7kg, 1.5min run - 2min walk (20min) x6 days.
Week 3: 75.5kg, 1.5r-1.5w, 3r-1.5w (20min) x6 days.
Week 4: 75.8kg, 3r-1.5w, 5r-2.5w (20min) x6 days.
Week 5: 75.6kg, 5r-3w (20minx2days), 8r-5w (20minx2days), Non-Stop 20min run.
Week 6: 75.5kg, got hurt on a wednesday (I fell and hurt my leg).
Week 6 repeat: 5r-3w-8r-3w-5r, 10r-3w-10r, 22min jog. I ran only 3 days due to injury.
Week 7 goals: 25 min jog non stop x6.

Week 7 was ok-ish. Could not quite run all six days for 25min non-stop. If my mornings were humid I had to walk a little.
Week 8 goals: 28min non-stop.

[Bumbles8]

Good job Epor.  Making progress

The last two weeks have not gone to plan.  Legs have not been feeling it and I’ve been super busy.  27 and 26 mile week. 

Going to be another crazy busy week but may be able to sneak in a run early Saturday if lucky.  Hoping for at least 30+.  The 40/week is definitely aggressive

[brandon1827]

Nice work everyone.

I'm in week 6 of my beginner running program. So far the longest run we've done is 25 minutes and I seemed to manage that okay. One thing that has been a revelation to me during this program that I never realized before in all my years of running is the mindset of running with as little effort as possible. It seems intuitive to me know that it's clicked in my head, but I always just ran hard and would sometimes be wiped out after. Now I've been focusing on an efficient running form (relaxed shoulders, arms swinging from the elbows, heart rate at 77 or below) and it's making a world of difference for me. I always used to be of the mind that I needed to go hard all the time...but I'm learning that running "easy" can get me to my goals and I'll be in much better shape. It's just doing the same thing consistently over and over that seems to be yielding results for me now and I'm a bit stunned by it, lol

[jrhampt]

Nice work everyone.

I'm in week 6 of my beginner running program. So far the longest run we've done is 25 minutes and I seemed to manage that okay. One thing that has been a revelation to me during this program that I never realized before in all my years of running is the mindset of running with as little effort as possible. It seems intuitive to me know that it's clicked in my head, but I always just ran hard and would sometimes be wiped out after. Now I've been focusing on an efficient running form (relaxed shoulders, arms swinging from the elbows, heart rate at 77 or below) and it's making a world of difference for me. I always used to be of the mind that I needed to go hard all the time...but I'm learning that running "easy" can get me to my goals and I'll be in much better shape. It's just doing the same thing consistently over and over that seems to be yielding results for me now and I'm a bit stunned by it, lol

How do you get your heart rate that low when you run?? 

[jambongris]

Nice work everyone.

I'm in week 6 of my beginner running program. So far the longest run we've done is 25 minutes and I seemed to manage that okay. One thing that has been a revelation to me during this program that I never realized before in all my years of running is the mindset of running with as little effort as possible. It seems intuitive to me know that it's clicked in my head, but I always just ran hard and would sometimes be wiped out after. Now I've been focusing on an efficient running form (relaxed shoulders, arms swinging from the elbows, heart rate at 77 or below) and it's making a world of difference for me. I always used to be of the mind that I needed to go hard all the time...but I'm learning that running "easy" can get me to my goals and I'll be in much better shape. It's just doing the same thing consistently over and over that seems to be yielding results for me now and I'm a bit stunned by it, lol

How do you get your heart rate that low when you run??

77 is crazy low. My walking heart rate is in the low 80s (resting HR in the mid 50s).

My easy runs are around 6:45/km in order to keep my heart rate below 145.

I started out with the same mindset as brandon1827. I thought runners went all out every time - injuries taught me the error of my ways. Now I relish my long slow meditative runs.

[brandon1827]

Okay...so I'm going to blame this on brain fog from getting up at 4:00 a.m. the day I posted that. I had the number 77 stuck in my head. While that was the correct number, it was in the totally incorrect context. What the trainer was talking about was 77% of your max heart rate...not a heart rate of 77...I'm an idiot, lol. That should make much more sense. It does to me after a full night's sleep.

Like @jambongris I suffered injuries in the past and throughout training, I'd end up getting to race day with a myriad of aches and pains and just thought that was how I was supposed to feel. Trying to focus on my effort level/heart rate is helping me tremendously...and those long, slow, consistent runs day after day are making me feel like I could run forever.

[jambongris]

Okay...so I'm going to blame this on brain fog from getting up at 4:00 a.m. the day I posted that. I had the number 77 stuck in my head. While that was the correct number, it was in the totally incorrect context. What the trainer was talking about was 77% of your max heart rate...not a heart rate of 77...I'm an idiot, lol. That should make much more sense. It does to me after a full night's sleep.

That aligns with what I understand. My slow runs, where I keep my heart rate below ~150, are at around 77% of my max HR.

[RunningintoFI]

I wish I had found this thread a while back as running is my favorite thing to do and something I can discuss WAY too much! For context, I have been a consistent runner (3-5 days/week) for 18 years now and have gone through the gambit of speed, distances, and injuries. 

A couple tips that I have learned throughout the years that I think are relevant for everyone. 

In my experience, if you want to run faster in the moment, the place to focus is your arms instead of your legs.  Your arms are actually driving all of your momentum while running and if you pay attention, your arm form falls apart usually before everything else does.  You want to finish a race strong?? Focus on pumping the daylights out of your arms - your legs will follow. 

My two favorite speed workouts are unbelievably simple but that has what made them stick for years. 

1 minute repeats with 1 minute active recovery between speed sections.  I love this cuz I can pick whatever pace I'm shooting for - 1 mile, 5k race, 8k, etc. - and run it over and over while still getting a good run out of it.  Added bonus - your run goes much faster because you are only thinking about surviving 1 minute instead of 30+. 

30s-20s-10s with 2 minute active recovery windows.  This workout is scalable for distance but I do it around 5k and 10k training typically.  So 30 seconds at 5k race pace, followed immediately by 20 seconds at 2 mile pace and 10 seconds at 1 mile or all out pace.  This forces your body to learn how to adjust pace at various points on short notice.  Great for building up finishing strength.

The last best piece of advice I have ever gotten for running/racing is to remember that 90% of your races are probably going to suck.  It is really hard to get the confluence of all variables to line up perfectly on race day.  But you need to approach 100% of your races like they are going to be the 10% that you crush.  This means that you will get the best results if you go out aiming to run the best time of your life and see how your body responds in the race.  If it just isn't a 10% day, then you tried and there is nothing to regret. 

How I apply the above is running every 5K I participate in like it is a 2 mile race.  I go out trying to run the best 2 miles of my life and then endure whatever I can for the last 1.12 miles.  Disclaimer - you will feel like death most of the time doing this, but when it hits, you will feel like an Olympic champion. 

Sorry for the long list of things but I seriously love running and could type out a whole book here.  I love the process and thinking how friggin amazing it is to be able to float through the air for those temporary moments between foot steps.  Keep on lacing up those shoes!

[brooklynmoney]

I just finished running 8 10Ks in a row in crazy heat and humidity (for a good cause). Running makes you do crazy things in my experience haha. I get addicted to it.

[brandon1827]

Welcome @RunningintoFI ! You definitely sound like an experienced runner, glad to have you with us!

@brooklynmoney You ran 8-10Ks? Like 48 miles? Damn!

[jrhampt]

Okay...so I'm going to blame this on brain fog from getting up at 4:00 a.m. the day I posted that. I had the number 77 stuck in my head. While that was the correct number, it was in the totally incorrect context. What the trainer was talking about was 77% of your max heart rate...not a heart rate of 77...I'm an idiot, lol. That should make much more sense. It does to me after a full night's sleep.

That aligns with what I understand. My slow runs, where I keep my heart rate below ~150, are at around 77% of my max HR.

Ha, ok that makes more sense.  My running heart rate is usually around 150/160.

[brandon1827]

Anyone still running?

I'm a few weeks into my half marathon program and it's still going pretty good so far.

[Epor]

Anyone still running?

I'm a few weeks into my half marathon program and it's still going pretty good so far.

Sure we are! My 5k is coming (end of Sept) and I managed to jog the whole 3.1 miles a couple times. I can jog 2miles ok but that extra mile is uncomfortable; I will be trying to hit the 3.1 miles 3x week starting next week.

I made a switch from audio books to music, and I found it helpful. Maybe I should listen to more upbeat audiobooks. The last one was "The Mosquito" (A history of death, debilitating diseases, suffering and misery in general).

[brooklynmoney]

I'm signed up for the Philly half in November, but most of my running group is doing the marathon or NYC or Chicago, so I'm already running 10-13 miles runs on the weekends and have been since May. I have zero desire to go for the marathon though. Don't want to get injured. I wish there was another distance like a 15 miler or even 18.

[jambongris]

Anyone still running?

I'm a few weeks into my half marathon program and it's still going pretty good so far.

Still running over here. Had to take a week off after I ripped off a toenail that had already mostly fallen off - the removal and recovery ended up being more painful than I expected.

Brought my mileage back up and hit a PB of 76 km this week.

Not training for anything at the moment. I just started running last March so I’m just working on building a good base for now with lots of Zone 2 runs. I may look to train for a marathon or half marathon next year depending on how my winter running goes.

I’m also using CityStrides to track my attempts to run all the streets in my city. I’m up to ~550/8271 streets.

[Weisass]

I'm signed up for the Philly half in November, but most of my running group is doing the marathon or NYC or Chicago, so I'm already running 10-13 miles runs on the weekends and have been since May. I have zero desire to go for the marathon though. Don't want to get injured. I wish there was another distance like a 15 miler or even 18.

Me too! Looking forward to the half in Philly. If you haven’t run it before, it’s a great, flat course. I PRD last time I ran the full marathon there.

[mspym]

Still running every second day with my dog. Today we saw a number of cats so there was bonus HIIT segments of the run.

[Morning Glory]

Did my first good run if the month today. I was knocked down by some respiratory illness for about a week (could have been breakthrough Covid, I didn't get tested but I stayed home so I wouldn't spread whatever it was) right at the beginning of allergy season. After that I could barely run 3 miles at a time for another couple weeks. Today I managed 6 without walking.

[brooklynmoney]

I'm signed up for the Philly half in November, but most of my running group is doing the marathon or NYC or Chicago, so I'm already running 10-13 miles runs on the weekends and have been since May. I have zero desire to go for the marathon though. Don't want to get injured. I wish there was another distance like a 15 miler or even 18.

Me too! Looking forward to the half in Philly. If you haven’t run it before, it’s a great, flat course. I PRD last time I ran the full marathon there.

Ooh good! My PR is 2:03. But from about 11 years ago. I would love to break 2 hours but I hate so we work so I don’t know if I’m willing to do what it takes to get faster haha.

[brandon1827]

Good updates everyone! Glad to hear many of us are still plugging away. My upcoming half is in Chattanooga, TN. and should be pretty hilly. I'm trying to incorporate some hills into at least 1-2 runs per week, but I'm nervous if I'm able to truly replicate what I'll see on race day.

[brooklynmoney]

I hit my longest distance ever yet, about 15 miles. Feel ok so far.

[brandon1827]

15 miles is awesome!

I'm slowly upping my mileage. This past week was my most mileage yet as I did a 4-mile run Sunday, 3-mile run Tuesday, 3-mile run Thursday, then 5-mile run Saturday. My "long" run goes up a mile per week, so this week I'll be at 6 miles. When I was running/training regularly, I could do 6 miles like it was nothing...now that it's been a few years, I'm a little intimidated, lol.

[Bumbles8]

I’m still chugging along.  Took a couple weeks off with moving and vacation.  But been hitting back at it. 

Last couple weeks have been right around my weekly goal.  And the weekly goal will not go any higher this year.  I may actually start dialing back and hiking more.

[jambongris]

Signed up for my first Park Run this weekend.

I set my 5k PB back in April when I was just getting into running. I’ve run over 900 km since then so I’m confident that I can improve on that 5k time. Sub-20 is the dream although I don’t think I’m quite there yet.

[jambongris]

Signed up for my first Park Run this weekend.

I set my 5k PB back in April when I was just getting into running. I’ve run over 900 km since then so I’m confident that I can improve on that 5k time. Sub-20 is the dream although I don’t think I’m quite there yet.

Parkrun went well this morning, weather was perfect.

This parkrun location is only in their second week so the turnout was only around 10 people but it was a nice atmosphere. Looking forward to going back in the future - it's close enough that I can bike there and back as well which doubles as a nice warmup.

Set a new sub 21 minute 5k PB according to Strava although I haven't received my official chip time yet - one minute off my previous PB.

[jambongris]

Signed up for my first Park Run this weekend.

I set my 5k PB back in April when I was just getting into running. I’ve run over 900 km since then so I’m confident that I can improve on that 5k time. Sub-20 is the dream although I don’t think I’m quite there yet.

Parkrun went well this morning, weather was perfect.

This parkrun location is only in their second week so the turnout was only around 10 people but it was a nice atmosphere. Looking forward to going back in the future - it's close enough that I can bike there and back as well which doubles as a nice warmup.

Set a new sub 21 minute 5k PB according to Strava although I haven't received my official chip time yet - one minute off my previous PB.

Chip time of 21:08. Still a lot of work needed to get sub-20.

[cerat0n1a]

Chip time = one of the volunteers using the parkrun phone app, I assume? Well done on the PB - one minute is a big chunk of time, suggests there's plenty more to come.

It's been good having parkrun restarted here after a near 18 month gap. It's been such a big part of my life over the last 10 years, although it's a bit less sociable at the moment as we can't all pile into a cafe for a drink after the run.  Still about 90 seconds slower than pre-pandemic - combination of a few extra pounds and no races.

[jambongris]

Chip time = one of the volunteers using the parkrun phone app, I assume? Well done on the PB - one minute is a big chunk of time, suggests there's plenty more to come.

It's been good having parkrun restarted here after a near 18 month gap. It's been such a big part of my life over the last 10 years, although it's a bit less sociable at the moment as we can't all pile into a cafe for a drink after the run.  Still about 90 seconds slower than pre-pandemic - combination of a few extra pounds and no races.

Correct.

Given that there were only 9 of us there wasn’t really much of a delay between the start and when I crossed the start line. Same for the finish. We were spread out enough that they had an easy time keeping track of everyone’s finish. So maybe +/-3 seconds at most.

It was also a nice confirmation that my watch is reasonably accurate, at least for straight-ish courses. My watch read 21:08 but with a distance of 5.03 km.

[marty998]

:( :( :( :(

Parkrun is cancelled here still for the foreseeable future. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it however.

My running progress basically hit the wall in May and I've had a few months of negative thoughts wondering whether "is this all there is" in terms of my PB's. Apart from a marathon PB in April, I haven't run a best time in any distance since Feb 2020 (5k), and you'd have to go back to mid 2019 to find a 10k and half marathon PB.

And this is despite logging more distance than ever. I finally had a come-to-jesus moment last month realising that all those extra miles were junk and my body had simply adapted to running slow because it was always tired.

So I've cut the distance back by 20%, added two interval workouts per week, and on the weekend doing a ~95% effort longer run.

The paces aren't quite back to my best, but they are most definitely going in the right direction again :)

[cerat0n1a]

My running progress basically hit the wall in May and I've had a few months of negative thoughts wondering whether "is this all there is" in terms of my PB's. Apart from a marathon PB in April, I haven't run a best time in any distance since Feb 2020 (5k), and you'd have to go back to mid 2019 to find a 10k and half marathon PB.

My parkrun PB is 7 years old, there comes a point in your life where you have to start focusing on age-related WAVA scores instead ;-) At least there my PB is only 2 years old.

I think I've managed to get a PB at some distance almost every year of the last 10 (this one excepted) - but that's because there's quite a range and some of them don't get run very often - 1 mile, 5k, 5 miles, 10k, 10 miles, half marathon, 20 miles, marathon and I guess I could potentially add 50K, 50miles, 100K etc. to that.

A lot of people do very well of just lots of long, slow stuff, without the need for much intervals or faster training, but others don't. I guess it's a question of finding what works for you. There's something to be said for just varying things and providing a different stimulus every so often too, rather than doing the same thing for years. And remembering that's it's recovery from training that makes you fitter, not the training itself.

[jambongris]

:( :( :( :(

Parkrun is cancelled here still for the foreseeable future. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it however.

My running progress basically hit the wall in May and I've had a few months of negative thoughts wondering whether "is this all there is" in terms of my PB's. Apart from a marathon PB in April, I haven't run a best time in any distance since Feb 2020 (5k), and you'd have to go back to mid 2019 to find a 10k and half marathon PB.

And this is despite logging more distance than ever. I finally had a come-to-jesus moment last month realising that all those extra miles were junk and my body had simply adapted to running slow because it was always tired.

So I've cut the distance back by 20%, added two interval workouts per week, and on the weekend doing a ~95% effort longer run.

The paces aren't quite back to my best, but they are most definitely going in the right direction again :)

That’s got to be frustrating. Given that I’ve just recently started running I think I still have a lot of room to improve. That desire to improve is definitely a big motivator though and I hadn’t though about what will happen to my motivation once I peak - which is bound to happen eventually.

My other big motivator right now is CityStrides; trying to run every street in my city. I’m up to about ~8% after 1000 km so this could take a while. I’ve also gotten all of the easiest streets near my house.

Another option would be to make a new list of arbitrary PBs. Something like a 5k PB per season, per state, or per holiday (e.g. Halloween - you only get one attempt per year). Most metres of elevation in a 5k. Beer mile. The list is endless.

Your new training regime seems aggressive. I’ve been trying to follow the 80/20 rule although I’m probably closer to 90/10 at the moment. I think you’re a much more experienced runner than me though so I’ll just wish you good luck!

[brandon1827]

Did a 6.5 mile run on Sunday. Focused on going slower and thoroughly enjoyed it. 8 weeks from half marathon Sunday!

[Epor]

Here we go!

Signed up for local 5k (Sept 26th).
...
Is my first ever running competition since high school, my initial goals are:
- Lose 5kg by race day
- Jog/run the whole 5k, no walking.

I DID IT! I ran it this morning with a friend and it was thrilling. I was all nervous at my corral waiting to start I could not believe it; then it started and it was so nice... I kept my pace and kept going... and going! I'm definitely signing up for next year!

[brandon1827]

That's awesome, congrats Epor!

I had a fail of an 8 mile run yesterday...but I covered the 8 miles...so I guess that counts?

Run program bumps up from 3 runs per week to 4 runs per week this week. 7 weeks until half marathon time

[jambongris]

Here we go!

Signed up for local 5k (Sept 26th).
...
Is my first ever running competition since high school, my initial goals are:
- Lose 5kg by race day
- Jog/run the whole 5k, no walking.

I DID IT! I ran it this morning with a friend and it was thrilling. I was all nervous at my corral waiting to start I could not believe it; then it started and it was so nice... I kept my pace and kept going... and going! I'm definitely signing up for next year!

Congrats Epor!

[jambongris]

Halfway through an 8-week Hal Higdon 5k plan. Today was a 5k TT and I've managed to cut another ~50 seconds off my 5k time from a month ago. Today's run reminded me of a quote from Greg Lemonde:

"It never gets easier, you just get faster".

5k races/TTs are always going to hurt.

That being said, I'm remembering why fall is my favourite season. It's forkin' beautiful around here this time of year and running is so much more enjoyable when I'm not melting after 500 metres.

[brandon1827]

Yes! The weather turning is huge for me. I tend to get really hot and sweat buckets during my runs, but with the cooler temps it's so amazing. I did a 9.5 mile run yesterday and made it through with no issues and actually felt pretty good afterwards. My half is in less than a month, and I'm starting to think it'll actually be okay instead of feeling like a death march, lol.

[jambongris]

Signed up for my city’s half-marathon next spring. To date my only real « race » has been a 5k Parkrun.

I’ve run the HM distance twice during Sunday easy runs but I’ve never raced that distance.

I’m thinking about using one of the Hal Higdon training plans since that’s what I’m using right now for 5k training. Not knowing much about the various training plans out there, is there any reason I shouldn’t use them? Or can anyone recommend a HM training plan that they prefer over the Hal Higdon plans?

(My stretch goal is 1h30m if that makes a difference.)

[zygote]

Trying again with the half marathon I was supposed to run in March 2020 before it got canceled. I still struggle keeping my heart rate down during runs since I had covid (also in March 2020). I've been checked out by a cardiologist and pulmonologist so I'm cleared to exercise, but I have to walk twice as much as before. Right now, it takes me about 35 minutes to run/walk a 5k if I want to keep my heart rate under 90% max (ends up at about 80% average).

No time goals, at least. I just want to finish without having to walk the whole way. It was always a one-and-done bucket list for me. It'll just be two years late....

[brandon1827]

I've got my next half-marathon coming up next Sunday. I've done several of them, but this will be my first in a few years. I've done 100% of my training on the treadmill in my garage, so I'm hopeful that won't hurt me when I hit the road next Sunday morning. I feel like my training has gone okay and it looks like the weather will be good for a run.

[mm1970]

I ran my half marathon yesterday.  I swear my last.  HR average was 173, ugh, but I didn't die?  (I'm 51.)

[jambongris]

I ran my half marathon yesterday.  I swear my last.  HR average was 173, ugh, but I didn't die?  (I'm 51.)

I’m still learning when it comes to HRs but that seems high?!

The highest HRs that I’ve recorded over the last 12 months were all in the low 190s but now I have a hard time getting above 185 in the cooler weather.

I ran a 10k time trial last weekend, giving it all I had, and finished with an average HR of 169. I’m 36.

Do you have an abnormally high max HR for your age or are you just really good at pushing yourself?