25 replies to this topic

[BlowJoggs]

New to running and did c2s in 1:31:42. Would like to celebrate. My 30th bday by running the SMH half. Would I be able to make the strict 2:45 cut off?

[Unlikelyrunner]

I would say yes.

You averaged 6 min 30 secs per km in the C2S.

7mins per km = 2hrs and 30mins or thereabouts over a half distance.

The half course is much flatter than the C2S.  Keep training for the distance and my bet is you will make it quite comfortably.

Dont train properly and you may struggle.

Edited by Unlikelyrunner, 10 August 2010 - 09:55 AM.

[Laimelde]

I did my first HM in May and finished in 2hrs 20 mins. I ran the C2S last weekend in 1:32:24.

You'll be fine =D Like unlikely said, the Half course is much flatter, so providing your training goes well you shouldn't have any problems with the cut-off.

Edited by Laimelde, 14 August 2010 - 06:46 PM.

[rohan]

Unlikelyrunner, on Aug 10 2010, 12:54 AM, said:

You averaged 6 min 30 secs per km in the C2S.

you'd want to know how the run was constructed.
eg. did blowjoggs start out running 5mins/km slump to 7mins/km and wind up walking home, or was it a more even effort.
If the last few km were walked home then some time has to be spent on endurance before thinking about a half M.

[BlowJoggs]

Good feedback guys, here is my Garmin details of my C2S run. http://connect.garmi...tivity/43604017

My biggest concern is going the distance. I don't incorporate long, slow runs into my workout and I know it's imperative that I do.

I'm a basketball player (albeit a very short one) and my strength does tend to lean towards interval training and generally anaerobic runs. Ie I can manage a 6:30 or 6:45 mile at my peak but can't sustain a decent pace once I start running 5kms +.

That and I know that it's only 4 weeks away. The easy way out is to run the 9km Bridge Run instead but I'm pretty hell-bent on doing my first half-mara the day before I turn 30, just a bit of a mental goal I've always had.

Also re: my C2S, I don't think 1:31:42 represented my best effort, that toilet break added a decent 3 minutes to my time and i also felt that I could have gone much harder in the last 3 kms but felt a bit overwhelmed by it all and probably lacked the mental strength to push.

Shaking off a persistent virus at the moment but soon as I do, I'm going to be training hard until September 19!

Thanks again.

[BlowJoggs]

A lot of cut off points to be mindful of. How does one remember all that whilst running? Any tips?

[Gone2thepack]

Mate,
         Your pace seems to be quite erratic which suggests to me that you are finding it hard to settle down into a rhythm. Perhaps you are trying to race the pretty girl next to you or you are being caught up in the moment, im not sure. What you really need to do is find out a pace that works for you, that you can maintain over distance. Its obvious that you have a garmin, so set the virtual runner to something like 6.45 and just stay with it. Anyway you look at it, your mind is going to be the biggest obstacle in getting you over the line.Its always going to be a bit painful.
Do get a couple of longer runs in before the time, because you are starting to ask a bit much of your body, and its only fair that you prep it as well as you can.
At the end of the day, you are running for an audience of one, so forget about everyone else and just enter and see what happens. In a perfect world youd be all trained up and ready to go, but it doesnt always work that way, so just have a go and see what happens. Just bear in mind that if you are not trained, you may be risking the chance of injury.
I reckon you can do it mate.
Good luck

[Lindyk]

BlowJoggs, on Aug 10 2010, 09:19 AM, said:

New to running and did c2s in 1:31:42. Would like to celebrate. My 30th bday by running the SMH half. Would I be able to make the strict 2:45 cut off?

BJ,
some long runs would add confidence but I can't see a problem. A couple of weeks ago I walked just under 21km in 3:11. Not pushing & it included some hills. I have early onset Parkinson's disease & walk with a stick!  I'm consistent not fast & just keep moving. Go for it!

Lindy  

[Running Angel]

BlowJoggs, on Aug 10 2010, 09:19 AM, said:

New to running and did c2s in 1:31:42. Would like to celebrate. My 30th bday by running the SMH half. Would I be able to make the strict 2:45 cut off?

If you can do C2S in low 90s I can't see that you would have a problem with the half marathon cut offs, but as mentioned above you will need to pace yourself and try not to go out too quickly. Also try and get at least one longer run of 16k+ in, or 2 hours if you can manage it. This will help you mentally on the day

Good luck

[BlowJoggs]

Bit of an ignorant question. Is steady pacing absolutely essential? I've always: started hard, lull in the middle, get a refreshing second wind, then finish at the pace I started or faster.
Ive always chalked it up to my basketball training and racing middle distances.
As I mentioned, 6:30 for 1.6km is usually my norm when healthy.

[Running Angel]

BlowJoggs, on Aug 15 2010, 08:29 PM, said:

Bit of an ignorant question. Is steady pacing absolutely essential? I've always: started hard, lull in the middle, get a refreshing second wind, then finish at the pace I started or faster.
Ive always chalked it up to my basketball training and racing middle distances.
As I mentioned, 6:30 for 1.6km is usually my norm when healthy.

Many people find it hard to run an even pace, myself included. All I will say is that the longer the distance, the more important it is to ease into it and not go out too fast. I've gone out too hard on many occassions and paid for it. But it's all down to personal preference and fitness and if you are able to recover sufficiently to carry on then maybe it will work for you. I'm just not sure I would be trying it on your first half

[slowshuffler]

I did my first half - the SMH Sydney 1/2 last May in 2:39:42.  That year I did the C2S in 97:47 so I don't reckon you have too much of a problem, I am a VERY slow runner (although did improve both times significantly this year).  I did follow the on-site training program from around 9 weeks out though

[BlowJoggs]

All registered and ready to go. Bib C11776 running in the 2:05-4:00 group.

I really don't know what to expect but I think I'll be fine to make the 2:45 cut off. I find it hard to find 2-2.5 hours to fit my long runs in and when I do my normal 1.5 hour runs (at about 70% effort) I tend to run 6:30 pace on hilly terrains.

I hope this all translates to a fairly decent time, I do still have a bit of bronchitis but I'm hoping to kick this pesky distraction and finish strong on the day.

Thanks all for the positive input.

[BlowJoggs]

Did a 2 hour tempo run, managed 18 kms, somewhat hilly.

[Lindyk]

BlowJoggs, on Aug 28 2010, 08:48 PM, said:

Did a 2 hour tempo run, managed 18 kms, somewhat hilly.

Add race conditions & you'll be flying!

Lindy

[BlowJoggs]

Let's hope so. I definitely need to keep pushing out the kms, I can feel my legs saying "hey mate I'm not used to this" when I hit 16 kms.

I pull up really well after so it is very tempting to just do a 10-15 kms daily but I have to ensure I do enough recovery.

[ican]

You're laughing!!  
It is very rewarding, for me, when I run a half to improve 1) my consistency and 2) run a faster overall pace.  It feels better, for me.  As said, for longer distance running less explosive speed is required for bursts but to ration that energy out over the course of the distance.  Has something to do with anaerobic/aerobic thresholds and lactic acid build up. I got into all this a couple of years ago and now I just run so I don't quite remember the detail, sorry.

Hope you shake the cough,  I'm just on the tail end of the swine flu and it's left me with some bronchial stuff to get rid of, so I know how you're feeling....really annoyed!!??

Good luck and have fun.

[plodder42]

Hi Blowjoggs,like you are new to running and I've started about 14years later.Got a similar time to you in first C2S (1:29:40)  and was so impressed I managed to finish 14km without stopping (with several months of training mostly over 5kms with a sprinkle of 10km and 15km runs thrown in.Recently upped the ante and ran with a mate in my first 1/2marathon at Lake Macquarie.Was nervous that I had never run more than 16km previously and wanted to use this as an acid test for finishing under the cutoff time for the Sydney Half marathon in Sept.I'm not a fast runner by any stretch of the imagination but managed to finish in 2:01:22 (and peeved that I didn't push myself a bit more and get under 2:00).So cutting to the chase you should be fine and get well under the 1/2M cutoff (and theres no heartbreak hill!!!! ).Hope to see you in the crowd I'll be up the back with you C11312    !!!!!!

[Tiger Boy]

Firstly, your times seem to indicatethat you should make it in cut off, even if your pacing is somewhat inconsistent.
But in all seriousness, if you doubt you can complete a race that has cut off times, why would you enter?

[BlowJoggs]

2 hours 13. Did the polar opposite of going out too hard, probably could have gone harder the first 5kms.
Nice day for my first half.

[ShaunL]

Good work, just finishing the first one is an achievement.

I did the Perth version a few weeks ago, first attempt at a half also. Struggled at the end had to walk/run last 5 km's. Our version is quite hilly which makes it tough but managed to get in a few minutes under 2 hours.

Next step, full?

[Angharad]

BlowJoggs, on Sep 19 2010, 10:41 AM, said:

2 hours 13. Did the polar opposite of going out too hard, probably could have gone harder the first 5kms.
Nice day for my first half.

And you still had more than half an hour before cutoff!  Well done and next time you'll have a better sense of how to pace yourself.

[Kay1968]

BlowJoggs, on Sep 19 2010, 10:41 AM, said:

2 hours 13. Did the polar opposite of going out too hard, probably could have gone harder the first 5kms.
Nice day for my first half.

Well done! What a great result, imagine the time you'll achieve in the next one...

Edited by Kay1968, 19 September 2010 - 02:18 PM.

[JonDogg]

Great result! Miles under the cut-off....

Now if you're anything like me you'll be thinking about how you could have done it so much faster because of the start, toilet stop, hills, temp...........(add endless list   )

Going to enter another one???

[BlowJoggs]

Thanks heaps guys.

Not really keen on working towards a full mara at any stage.

I would prefer to get faster at 10Ks and Half.

I was sore for 2 days but am feeling quite refreshed now. I definitely feel that cracking 2 hours is well within reach, my heart rate was relatively modest throughout the run and I didn't really start to push until about the 16 km mark.

Will be entering most of the SMC runs this season but am not sure if I'll be focusing on 10K or Half.

I started off on this running journey to try and get fitter and faster for basketball and initially was just looking to get faster in 1.6 km fitness test (usually do about 6:30) or the 3K, 5K etc.

Then somehow it just got longer and longer.  

Now that rep basketball season is about to start again, I might focus on getting faster in the short/mid distances but hopefully still maintain enough legs to run the longer ones in a decent time.

I'll set some soft goals of:

C2S 2011: 1:15
SMH Half 2011: 1:49
SMC 10K series Oct/Nov/Dec race: 49:00

Lofty I know but we'll see how it goes.

[Lindyk]

BlowJoggs, on Sep 24 2010, 12:07 AM, said:

Thanks heaps guys.
Not really keen on working towards a full mara at any stage.

I would prefer to get faster at 10Ks and Half.

Will be entering most of the SMC runs this season but am not sure if I'll be focusing on 10K or Half.

Now that rep basketball season is about to start again, I might focus on getting faster in the short/mid distances but hopefully still maintain enough legs to run the longer ones in a decent time.

I'll set some soft goals of:

C2S 2011: 1:15
SMH Half 2011: 1:49
SMC 10K series Oct/Nov/Dec race: 49:00

Lofty I know but we'll see how it goes.

Good result BJ  
I think those goals should not be a problem
Don't increase speed sessions or distance too quickly or you'll get injured.
But to put it very basically, work towards:
Run longer 1x wk
Run faster/stronger 1-2x wk
Always run easy after the harder sessions
Have at least 1 no run/other sport/other activity day.
Don't run sick or injured.
Get decent shoes!

Good luck

Lindy