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…
Kia ora and welcome to another Half Marathon Hub Weekly, your Monday round-up of what’s happening across the New Zealand half marathon scene — along with practical training advice to help you become a better half marathon runner. This week, however, we’re going to start well beyond New Zealand. On Sunday, one of the most…
Your long run is one of the most important sessions in your half marathon training. It’s also one of the easiest to get wrong. You head out feeling good. The first few kilometres are comfortable. You glance at your watch and notice you’re moving faster than planned. So you keep going. Before long, what was…
When runners think about periodisation, they often think about the big picture. You might have 12, 16, 20 or 24 weeks until your half marathon. Over that time, the emphasis of your training changes as you progress through different phases and move closer to race day. That’s periodisation across your training programme. But there’s another…
Hill repetitions are one of my favourite ways to develop running-specific strength and aerobic power without needing to chase an exact pace on your watch. This week’s Coach Ray’s Workout of the Week is 3×3 Minute Hill Reps. After warming up, you’ll complete three three-minute uphill efforts at Level V, with three minutes of easy…
Kia ora and welcome to another Half Marathon Hub Weekly, your Monday round-up of what’s happening across the New Zealand half marathon scene. This week we’ve got results from three very different half marathons around the country, plus the results we were waiting on from Auckland last weekend. On the training side, we’re looking at…
At some point during a half marathon, there’s a good chance things are going to get tough. Your legs become heavier. Holding your pace requires more concentration. The finish line still feels a long way away. And a little voice starts suggesting that slowing down would be a very good idea. This isn’t necessarily a…