Strength training has become almost a default recommendation for runners. Spend a few minutes looking through running content online and you’ll see runners squatting, deadlifting, lunging and jumping, accompanied by claims that strength training will make you faster, improve your running economy and prevent injuries. There are good reasons for runners to strength train. But…
As a half marathon approaches, training needs to become increasingly specific to the demands of race day. The aerobic fitness, running strength and threshold fitness developed earlier in the build-up now need to be converted into the ability to sustain the intensity required for the half marathon itself. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the…
It was another busy weekend of half marathon racing around New Zealand, with runners taking on everything from the trails around Kinloch to the roads of Auckland’s North Shore. We’ve got three sets of results to work through this week, including a new course record at the North Shore Half Marathon. There is also some…
It sounds logical. You’ve got a goal time for your half marathon. You know the average pace you need to run. You’re feeling fantastic over the opening few kilometres, so you decide to run a little faster. Maybe you can put a minute or two “in the bank”. Then, if you slow down later in…
You have done the long runs. You have completed the tempo sessions, built your endurance and accumulated weeks or months of consistent training. Now, with your half marathon getting close, it can be tempting to think there is still time to squeeze in one more big session. There isn’t. One of the most important parts…
Threshold training plays an important role in half marathon preparation because it develops your ability to sustain a strong running intensity without allowing fatigue to accumulate so rapidly that your pace falls apart. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is 3×8min Threshold Runs. After warming up, you’ll complete three eight-minute efforts at Level…
Kia ora and welcome to another edition of the Half Marathon Hub Weekly. We’re into September, and there was plenty of half marathon action around New Zealand over the weekend. We had racing from the Far North to Central Otago, including a very quick 1:08:53 at Mount Maunganui. This week on www.HalfMarathonTraining.co.nz, we’ve also been…
If all your training runs are roughly the same pace, you’re leaving fitness on the table. It’s a common pattern among half marathon runners. You head out for an easy run and settle into your usual pace. Your long run ends up at roughly the same intensity. Then your supposedly harder session isn’t actually that…
One of the easiest ways to make a half marathon harder than it needs to be is also one of the most common: running too fast at the start. You’ve tapered. You’re rested. You’ve got fresh legs. The adrenaline is flowing, everyone around you is moving quickly, and goal pace can suddenly feel ridiculously easy….
Long runs are a cornerstone of half marathon preparation, but as an athlete develops, some long runs can become much more than simply accumulating easy kilometres. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is 2:00hr Long, Progressive Run A. It begins with a full hour at Level II before progressively increasing the intensity through…