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…
Running harder doesn’t automatically make you fitter. In fact, one of the most common mistakes I see among half marathon runners is not that they aren’t working hard enough. It’s that they don’t have enough distinction between the different intensities in their training. Their easy runs gradually become moderate runs. Their long runs become progressively…
Tempo running is an important bridge between easy aerobic running and the harder threshold work used earlier in a half marathon training build up. Done correctly, it teaches you to settle into a strong, sustainable rhythm and maintain efficient running for an extended period without turning every quality session into a hard interval workout. This…
Kia ora and welcome to the Half Marathon Hub Weekly, your Monday round-up of what’s happening across the New Zealand half marathon scene. Each week, we look back at the weekend’s racing, celebrate performances from around the country, share practical half marathon training advice, and look ahead to the events coming up on the New…
A downhill in the opening kilometres of a half marathon can feel like free speed. Your legs are fresh. Your breathing is comfortable. Gravity is helping you along, and suddenly you’re running considerably faster than your planned race pace without feeling like you’re working any harder. It’s tempting to take advantage of it. After all,…