Half-marathon training: Hanson’s week 11

Cooler weather hath come to South Texas!!!

The program is really starting to show the results, making me wonder if I set my target too low on my half-marathon pace. When I was first starting out in this program, it was hot and humid in Houston (over 80 dew point). I had also started running six days a week to determine if my body could hold up. Now the long run pace seems too slow.

As for injuries, as the program says, I am tired and sleeping longer than usual. My achilles and heels are sore, but not swollen. And I can occasionally feel the arthritis in my left knee, but not pain, just aware of it. So everything is good.

This week the speed runs change to strength runs, this first one is 6 x 1 mile on Tuesday, tempo run on Thursday goes up to 5 miles. It also has a 10 mile Long Run on Sunday. Total target mileage 44.5 miles.

The previous week’s log is here.

Week 11 schedule:

  • Monday: Easy 5 mi – EASY RUN 5 mi in 48:24, 9:40 pace. Nice and cool, early run through McAllister park in San Antonio. A bit of fatigue after Sunday’s long run (and subsequent Guinness watching the Packers test my heart!).
  • Tuesday: Strength 6 x 1 mile with 1.5 mile warm up and cool down – STRENGTH RUN 6 mi in 51:00, 8:40 pace. EASY RUN warm up 1.7 mi in 15:36, 9:23 pace; NO cool down 1.5 mi, 15:00, 10:00 pace. First Strength run, and the book is adamant about maintain pace to get the desired results. According to the pace chart, I should be targeting 8:13-8:25 pace in these runs.
    • In Austin for this, so finding a FLAT place with no traffic lights/crossings to navigate was a challenge. But I found a course along Jollyville and Great Hills that worked out.
    • First 50 degree day, so, yeah, I went a bit quick.
    • Got out late, so only did 5 x 1 mile and no cool down.

Strength Run 6 x 1 miles

  • Wednesday: off day
  • Thursday: Tempo Run 5 mi (with 1.5 easy warm up and cool down runs) – EASY RUN to warm up 1.5 mi in 14:57, 9:50 pace  TEMPO RUN 5 mi in 42:07, 8:26 pace, EASY RUN to cool down, 1.75 mi in 18:04, 10:20 pace. Ran through McAllister Park in San Antonio, cool early, also dark which I think affected my time a bit in the beginning.

Tempo Run

  • Friday: easy 6 mi – EASY RUN 6.5 mi in 1:02:33, 9:35 pace. Nice run, had to run the slow easy pace in the cooler weather.
  • Saturday: easy 5 mi – EASY RUN 5 miles. 46:25 at 9:17 pace. Got to slow the pace down, but this pace (which is the long run pace) feels pretty good.
  • Sunday: LONG 10 mi – LONG RUN 10.5 mi in 1:30:11, 9:01 pace. Yet another cool front came through, should be running at about a 9:15 pace according to the “manual”…but it felt like the right pace. I wonder if because I started in the heat and humidity, and because I ran for eight weeks before I started the program, if the target pace I set is a little too slow?

Long Run 10 miles

Plan total: EASY (5+3+3+6+5+10) = 33 miles + TEMPO 5 + 6 x 1 mile  =  44.5 miles

Actual total: EASY (5+1.7+3.25+6+5+12) = 32.95 miles and TEMPO 5 miles + 6 x 1 mile (6 miles) =  43.95 miles

Included running in San Antonio, Austin and Houston.

Next week, week twelve, has a 4×1.5 mile Strength run (need to read up on that) and the Long run goes back to 12 miles.

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