2021 Fretboard Running Club

Bidley

GavRichList said:

Bidley said:

I've signed up for Cambridge half! Bit nervous as I've never done a half marathon before, let alone an event. But I did 11 miles last Saturday and will am for 12 tomorrow. 5 weeks to go. Any advice?

Entirely pace related for me. Set out slower than you think necessary. Try and tune out mentally. I also try and make sure my foot strike is nice and straight and even… I’ve done a couple now, and your legs start to hurt around 16k ish - so it’s about minimising the strain for that last 5k. I give myself a little pep talk around that distance too, as daft as it sounds; reminding myself that as hard as it currently is, if you offered me a 16k head start on completing 21.1k on any given day I’d snap your hand off. That last little bit of focus got me over the line both times. My second one came in at 1:56, which was tolerable… though at the moment just completing is all I aim at. 

That makes sense, I definitely see where you're coming from with the pain around the 16k mark. Pace is something I feel I'll struggle with, what with the adrenaline at the beginning but I'll try and tune out like you say. If I get in under 2 hours I'll be over the moon but completion is the aim! Thanks mate.

munckee

Bidley said:

GavRichList said:

Bidley said:

I've signed up for Cambridge half! Bit nervous as I've never done a half marathon before, let alone an event. But I did 11 miles last Saturday and will am for 12 tomorrow. 5 weeks to go. Any advice?

Entirely pace related for me. Set out slower than you think necessary. Try and tune out mentally. I also try and make sure my foot strike is nice and straight and even… I’ve done a couple now, and your legs start to hurt around 16k ish - so it’s about minimising the strain for that last 5k. I give myself a little pep talk around that distance too, as daft as it sounds; reminding myself that as hard as it currently is, if you offered me a 16k head start on completing 21.1k on any given day I’d snap your hand off. That last little bit of focus got me over the line both times. My second one came in at 1:56, which was tolerable… though at the moment just completing is all I aim at. 

That makes sense, I definitely see where you're coming from with the pain around the 16k mark. Pace is something I feel I'll struggle with, what with the adrenaline at the beginning but I'll try and tune out like you say. If I get in under 2 hours I'll be over the moon but completion is the aim! Thanks mate.

My brother used to train with marines and found the have a word with yourself mentallity very useful for marathon running.  When you are struggling you tell yourself to take the wussy look off your face and pull your shoulders back and concentrate on your breathing.  It works very well.

GavRichList

Bidley said:

GavRichList said:

Bidley said:

I've signed up for Cambridge half! Bit nervous as I've never done a half marathon before, let alone an event. But I did 11 miles last Saturday and will am for 12 tomorrow. 5 weeks to go. Any advice?

Entirely pace related for me. Set out slower than you think necessary. Try and tune out mentally. I also try and make sure my foot strike is nice and straight and even… I’ve done a couple now, and your legs start to hurt around 16k ish - so it’s about minimising the strain for that last 5k. I give myself a little pep talk around that distance too, as daft as it sounds; reminding myself that as hard as it currently is, if you offered me a 16k head start on completing 21.1k on any given day I’d snap your hand off. That last little bit of focus got me over the line both times. My second one came in at 1:56, which was tolerable… though at the moment just completing is all I aim at. 

That makes sense, I definitely see where you're coming from with the pain around the 16k mark. Pace is something I feel I'll struggle with, what with the adrenaline at the beginning but I'll try and tune out like you say. If I get in under 2 hours I'll be over the moon but completion is the aim! Thanks mate.

No worries at all. One thing I’ve found helpful re pacing… on the days I just do a 5k and have ran with some pace / intent, I make sure I do a little 1k trundle home directly afterwards. Basically next to no effort involved, just making sure I’m holding a decent form, that kind of thing. Once you get used to what that pace feels like, you can use that as your starting pace for your half marathon attempt. Your body has to get used to running at slower speeds just as much as it does the quicker ones. 

djspecialist

Bidley said:

I've signed up for Cambridge half! Bit nervous as I've never done a half marathon before, let alone an event. But I did 11 miles last Saturday and will am for 12 tomorrow. 5 weeks to go. Any advice?

I'm doing the CHM this October as well!  The previous one (March 2020) was my first HM, and I really enjoyed it.  I hope you do too.

Before that race the longest I had run was about 18km - so roughly the same as you now.  I'd say if you can do that distance a couple more times between now and the event, you'll have a good feel for your target pace.  On race day, check your watch about 0.5km in, to make sure you're not getting carried away with the excitement!

There are pace runners who each carry a big flag showing their target time.  Look out for one of these near the start, and keep an eye out during the race - that can be easier than constantly looking down at your watch.

Alternatively, look around for other runners who are going at a steady pace which is close to your target.  Last time I latched onto someone about 5km in, and basically followed him for the next 10km.  That really helped me when I was starting to tire around the mid-point.

The CHM route starts by skirting the north and west sides of the city, then heads out of town, and finally comes back in via Grantchester and Trumpington Road.  That last section is nice because it's very slightly downhill, and also as you come into town there are quite a few people at the side of the road cheering runners on.  That definitely gave me a bit of a lift, and then quite soon you're going through the centre and onto the final stretch.  Smile for the camera!

One other tip: come to the start line wearing a hoodie (and maybe tracksuit pants) that you don't mind never seeing again.  I bought one from a charity shop last year and plan to do the same this time.  There are big bins just before the start into which you can dump clothes, and which the organisers donate to a charity.

Bidley

munckee said:

Bidley said:

GavRichList said:

Bidley said:

I've signed up for Cambridge half! Bit nervous as I've never done a half marathon before, let alone an event. But I did 11 miles last Saturday and will am for 12 tomorrow. 5 weeks to go. Any advice?

Entirely pace related for me. Set out slower than you think necessary. Try and tune out mentally. I also try and make sure my foot strike is nice and straight and even… I’ve done a couple now, and your legs start to hurt around 16k ish - so it’s about minimising the strain for that last 5k. I give myself a little pep talk around that distance too, as daft as it sounds; reminding myself that as hard as it currently is, if you offered me a 16k head start on completing 21.1k on any given day I’d snap your hand off. That last little bit of focus got me over the line both times. My second one came in at 1:56, which was tolerable… though at the moment just completing is all I aim at. 

That makes sense, I definitely see where you're coming from with the pain around the 16k mark. Pace is something I feel I'll struggle with, what with the adrenaline at the beginning but I'll try and tune out like you say. If I get in under 2 hours I'll be over the moon but completion is the aim! Thanks mate.

My brother used to train with marines and found the have a word with yourself mentallity very useful for marathon running.  When you are struggling you tell yourself to take the wussy look off your face and pull your shoulders back and concentrate on your breathing.  It works very well.

Can definitely see myself needing to do that - makes sense as well, definitely the pulling back of the shoulders!

Bidley

GavRichList said:

Bidley said:

GavRichList said:

Bidley said:

I've signed up for Cambridge half! Bit nervous as I've never done a half marathon before, let alone an event. But I did 11 miles last Saturday and will am for 12 tomorrow. 5 weeks to go. Any advice?

Entirely pace related for me. Set out slower than you think necessary. Try and tune out mentally. I also try and make sure my foot strike is nice and straight and even… I’ve done a couple now, and your legs start to hurt around 16k ish - so it’s about minimising the strain for that last 5k. I give myself a little pep talk around that distance too, as daft as it sounds; reminding myself that as hard as it currently is, if you offered me a 16k head start on completing 21.1k on any given day I’d snap your hand off. That last little bit of focus got me over the line both times. My second one came in at 1:56, which was tolerable… though at the moment just completing is all I aim at. 

That makes sense, I definitely see where you're coming from with the pain around the 16k mark. Pace is something I feel I'll struggle with, what with the adrenaline at the beginning but I'll try and tune out like you say. If I get in under 2 hours I'll be over the moon but completion is the aim! Thanks mate.

No worries at all. One thing I’ve found helpful re pacing… on the days I just do a 5k and have ran with some pace / intent, I make sure I do a little 1k trundle home directly afterwards. Basically next to no effort involved, just making sure I’m holding a decent form, that kind of thing. Once you get used to what that pace feels like, you can use that as your starting pace for your half marathon attempt. Your body has to get used to running at slower speeds just as much as it does the quicker ones. 

Yeah this is something I've been working on - at the beginning of the week I'll do a chill 5k and try and stay in HR zones 3 and 4 at a stady pace, then I'll do a longer tempo run, then try and merge the two on a big run at the weekend. Not starting too strongly is a constant battle for me but I'm getting there!

Iamnobody

If you’ve done 11 then you’ll piss the HM @Bidley. The extra distance shouldn’t be an issue unless you were crawling over the line at 11. 

At this stage I’d say you’re now training to produce your best effort. 

Are you following a plan? I’m currently half way through what I think is a great marathon plan. The plan is 3 quality runs a week with cross training. I’m happy to share the half training plan with you as the book includes that. 

It’s very specific down to the pace of each run. I love the structure and variety it’s providing me.

Do you do any core strength exercise? Strengthening the core will serve you well on longer runs. Something I also picked up recently is a lot of runners neglect their protein intake. I’ve always had a decent amount of protein in my diet anyway so haven’t changed my consumption but if you don’t currently get enough protein it’s worth supplementing. 

All the best with it!

Bidley

Iamnobody said:

If you’ve done 11 then you’ll piss the HM @Bidley. The extra distance shouldn’t be an issue unless you were crawling over the line at 11. 

At this stage I’d say you’re now training to produce your best effort. 

Are you following a plan? I’m currently half way through what I think is a great marathon plan. The plan is 3 quality runs a week with cross training. I’m happy to share the half training plan with you as the book includes that. 

It’s very specific down to the pace of each run. I love the structure and variety it’s providing me.

Do you do any core strength exercise? Strengthening the core will serve you well on longer runs. Something I also picked up recently is a lot of runners neglect their protein intake. I’ve always had a decent amount of protein in my diet anyway so haven’t changed my consumption but if you don’t currently get enough protein it’s worth supplementing. 

All the best with it!

Cheers @Iamnobody that's reassuring! Managed 19km this morning and felt decent, though I was flagging for the last couple of km.

Not following a specific plan, just a slow 5km at the start of the week, then a quick 8ish-km, then a long steady run on a saturday. The days in between I go to the gym for core and upper-body training. Over the past couple of months I've started using protein blends before and after working out/running which seems to be doing the trick.

Be intrigued to see what plan you're using! It's probably a bit late to change things up (HM is in 5 weeks) but no doubt I'll want to go beyond after that.

Appreciate your tips mate

Iamnobody

Bidley said:

Iamnobody said:

If you’ve done 11 then you’ll piss the HM @Bidley. The extra distance shouldn’t be an issue unless you were crawling over the line at 11. 

At this stage I’d say you’re now training to produce your best effort. 

Are you following a plan? I’m currently half way through what I think is a great marathon plan. The plan is 3 quality runs a week with cross training. I’m happy to share the half training plan with you as the book includes that. 

It’s very specific down to the pace of each run. I love the structure and variety it’s providing me.

Do you do any core strength exercise? Strengthening the core will serve you well on longer runs. Something I also picked up recently is a lot of runners neglect their protein intake. I’ve always had a decent amount of protein in my diet anyway so haven’t changed my consumption but if you don’t currently get enough protein it’s worth supplementing. 

All the best with it!

Cheers @Iamnobody that's reassuring! Managed 19km this morning and felt decent, though I was flagging for the last couple of km.

Not following a specific plan, just a slow 5km at the start of the week, then a quick 8ish-km, then a long steady run on a saturday. The days in between I go to the gym for core and upper-body training. Over the past couple of months I've started using protein blends before and after working out/running which seems to be doing the trick.

Be intrigued to see what plan you're using! It's probably a bit late to change things up (HM is in 5 weeks) but no doubt I'll want to go beyond after that.

Appreciate your tips mate

No worries, its sounds like you’ve got most things covered and it’s only bits I’ve picked up along the way, having been running for less than a couple of years myself I’m not that knowledgable (yet). 

I don’t think you need a plan to get through a HM really, but to do your best or PB the next one it’s worth having a look. 

The last 5 weeks of the HM plan in my book are below, the pace of each run is listed in tables within the book, and based on your 5k times and if you wanted me to look them up for you I will. 

I’ve benefitted from the speed work - in the table below where it says 2 x 1200, 4 x 800 etc. That speed work is supplemented with an easy warm up run and cool down run of a mile or so so it’s usually a 5/6 mile outing. 

This is the book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0593232232/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_D25EQ791PVPAGY5SWPB9

munckee

Re protein I got a tip from a rowing club website, buy skimmed milk powder and make it up with semi instead of water and add a spoon of cocoa powder and you have a protein shake for much less than the pre made ones. 

Bidley

Cheers for taking the time @Iamnobody I've ordered the book! Something else to work toward.

Iamnobody

Bidley said:

Cheers for taking the time @Iamnobody I've ordered the book! Something else to work toward.

Good work. I hope you get as much out of it as I have mine. Opening the book and being told what I’m doing down to the exact pace is ideal for me, as is just 3 runs as it allows me good recovery and the chance to do other activities as cross training. 

If my marathon training was 5 or 6 runs a week I wouldn’t make it to race day! I’d be injured, bored or both.

26.2

Brighton Marathon organisers apologise over course that was too long

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-58538441

26.2

Re: Brighton.  It was insane - all the mile markers were in the wrong place, which indicates that the measuring error was early on. But psychologically you’re still expecting that overall the course will be 42.2K and that it’ll have been corrected. It wasn’t and I ran 43K! 

26.2

Great advice above and good luck @Bidley ;

russpm

Bidley said:

I've signed up for Cambridge half! Bit nervous as I've never done a half marathon before, let alone an event. But I did 11 miles last Saturday and will am for 12 tomorrow. 5 weeks to go. Any advice?

There has been some great advice already.
To help with sore joints make sure you do some pre run routines. They only take a few minutes but make a big difference. Don’t do static stretches as these can have an adverse affect. Do things such as glute activations, hip openers, leg swings. You can Google them and will find plenty.
Also invest in time in stretching after running and also on non running days along with foam rolling, especially your calfs.
To help with the mental battle I suggest having a caffeine shot and also get some little routines to help keep your mind occupied and stay in the zone. Treat everything with a curious mind and take your time to assess the situation.
for example sometimes when you are 10 miles in or so and you feel a little niggle, your mind can run off with this thought and panic sets in. Just check this process and keep positive thoughts. Most things like this on a long run are usually temporary and go after a mile or two. Just control your mind with a little routine of slowly exploring how you feel and monitoring it over the next half mile or so with a calm and curious mind. The more times you come through this the easier it is.
If you are trying to get a certain time then one of your weekly runs should be some sort of speed session such as a tempo run, intervals, fartkek or a combination. These should be sandwiched with easy efforts on the same run.
Finally make sure you do a good taper to ensure you benefit from the training you have done and to be fresh and raring to go on race day.
Good luck.

Bidley

Thanks @russpm and @26.2

Great advice there Russ, will look into doing more stretches. The mental side is something I can definitely improve on.

Iamnobody

26.2 said:

Brighton Marathon organisers apologise over course that was too long

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-58538441

How do they know! Over that distance there will be a margin of error in just about any measuring tool? Genuine question as my Garmin finished my HM about a minute before the course organisers. 

Iamnobody

Closed Sept with15 Runs - 123 miles.

How was the Manc half @Bidley ?

GavRichList

133.8km for September for me, including getting my default for 5ks in the 22s, and doing a half marathon. (I’m going for one a month, so will potentially try for October’s tomorrow morning). 

And as if to close the month perfectly, one of my two black toenails fell of last night