Tag Archives: Races

Posts relating to races that I have run

Pacing – Negative, Positive or Equal splits?

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Based on my previous running experience I am looking at the possibility of running close to 1:35 for my half marathon this weekend on Sunday 17th.

Taking a closer look at two of my last year’s half marathon times I can see that I had run negative splits on one race and positive splits in the next. Negative splits meaning that the second half of the race is faster than the first. But this may not always be the case depending on the conditions of the day and the course etc.

In February 2012 I ran my current a half marathon PB of 1:37:22. (current PB is 1:33)That time consisted of an average per Km pace of 4min 31secs. In this race my second half of the race was run much faster than the first. It was perfect conditions for running on the day of the event and everything ‘clicked’ for me.

RTB 2012 race splits

RTB 2012 race splits (5k in 21mins, 10k in 46mins and 13.5kms in 1hrs)

In August 2012 I also ran another half marathon, this was in Taupo. In contrast I went out a bit too fast and slowed down significantly and finished in 1:38 which wasn’t too far off but felt different in terms of effort somehow. Arguably I was not planning to run faster and only entered this race at the last minute. It was however interesting to see the splits. The average per Km pace was roughly 4min38secs with the second half of the race being pretty slow going.

Taupo2012August

Taupo Half marathon 2012 August splits

Leading up to this weekends race my goal is to try and run equal splits of 4min 29secs which will put me in with a chance of running a PB and getting close to 1:34:59. I also know that I can sustain 4min 20sec pace over 10-12k if I really push hard. It will all depend on the days conditions and how I feel. Either way I am pretty happy with my overall training so far and it’s going to come down to how I feel after the first 14kms. Then I know that I only need to run another 7kms and that is where (training) endurance and racing pace comes into play. Current weather forecast for Sunday 17th is ‘Dry with southerlies’ which can mean anything from breezes to gale force winds and or low temperatures. The only thing is to trust your training and run your best.

Check out this race pace chart which gives an indication of times based on 4min to 4:59min per Km pace for the half marathon.

What’s your race strategy for Sunday the 17th? Based on above can you predict my final time? Add a comment below with your guess and you’ll go in the draw to win – check out “Keep running and you’ll be winning” 🙂

Good luck to everyone and hope to see some of you after the race!

Keeping yourself motivated for the long run

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So you have done the training – you’re ready to run “THE” event you have been training for – but have you thought about what’s next? For me I’ve always had another event that I wanted to take part in. This has helped me in terms of keeping myself motivated and look forward to keep going on with running.

So if you are about to do your first event here are some tips to get ready and motivated for the next event!

  • Keep a log book of how often and how long you run. – One of the best ways is to sign up with a site such as Endomondo, Run Keeper or Sports Tracker. These also offer ‘free’ apps that you can use on your smart phone and can track your Kms, Heart rate and your route of the run. I find it very motivating to see the daily, weekly, monthly stats and the progress I have made. Check out my previous post on “How much do you run?”
    According to my current stats I have run 4412.79 km which is equivalent to 0.11 Trips around the world and 0.011 Trips to the moon!

    Running Summary

    Running Summary

  • Sign up for local 5k races – there are plenty of races around and these are on each week. The point is not competing against others but competing with yourself to see if you can beat your previous time.
  • Sign up for a longer event, if you have just completed Round the Bays 7km why not target the Wellington 10k that happens in June? This helps you to keep yourself motivated and keep going.
  • Traveling overseas? – Look up a local race in the destination you are going to be at – back in 2011 I was in Ireland in April and I entered a half marathon which happened to be on at the time I was there. You’ll meet some new people and even make new friends!
  • Join a local running group – In Wellington there are many options with professional clubs as well as socially organised group runs. Check out The Wellington Running Meetup Group. They organise runs every week for all levels. The Wellington Scottish Athletics Club also have many options for all levels of runners.

I am also running a small competition to help you keep going – check out my post “Keep running and you’ll be winning” for details.

Happy running!

5km Races are good for you..

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One of the best pieces of advice I ever got early when I started running went along like this.

Person X: So what what race are you training for?
Me: I’m hoping to do a half marathon!
Person X: Have you run a half marathon before?
Me: Yes I’ve done one, I’m hoping to better my time in the next one.
Person X: How fast can you run a 5k race?

I’m wondering at this point – hmm why does it matter how fast I can run a 5k if I’m training for a half?

Me: I think in about 25-30mins..
Person X: well, you should train to run a fast 5k & you’ll be able to run a fast half marathon.

And then he went onto explain why this is.

To run a fast half marathon, you have to be able to run a fast 10k, to run a fast 10k you need to run a fast 5k and in order to run a fast 5k you have to run a fast 1k!

The 5k distance is a good measure for testing your cardiovascular strength. I’ve been incorporating at least one 5k race into my training schedule week in week out to help get my legs speed up.

Since starting to run the regular 5k races my speed endurance has increased considerably. So if you are just starting out sign up for a local 5k race. There are lots of 5k runs throughout the year & for some events you only need to show up ( http://www.parkrun.co.nz ) there is no cost involved. 5k events run by some of the local athletics clubs charge about $5-$10 which usually includes a free drink post race & the chance to meet some other runners. I am regularly at the Wellington Scottish water front 5k in Wellington (Tuesday at 5:30) & Lower Hutt Parkrun (Saturday at 8:00am).

Hope to see you at one of 5k races & happy running!