Are you seeking how to bypass a good half marathon time and run a great race instead? If so, I am glad you have made it here to rundreamachieve.com. We have three choices in this life. We can choose to be average, good or great. I find that the majority of runners are seeking to move past just going after an average half marathon time and are seeking greatness. Normalcy surrounds us all. So, the athletes seeking rundreamachieve coaching are seeking more out of themselves. They want to know how to sustain their goal half marathon race pace more efficiently. How can they slow down less than their competition.
Pace sustainment is vital for anyone seeking to run a great half marathon time. You have to teach the body to rely on what it has a massive store of and that is fat. What we have little of is carbohydrate storage. In fact, we only have between 1700 to 1800 calories of carbs stored up any given time. So, it does take time, proper planning and intense training to get legitimate results in the half marathon. Remember, it takes between 3 to 4 weeks for the body to adapt to any stress load you are placing on it. A common mistake I see runners making is trying to rush the process of getting into race shape. You have to be extremely patient and have a belief in delayed gratification in order to get stellar results in the half marathon distance.
What is a Respectable Time for a Half Marathon?
I think anyone who can start and finish a half marathon has accomplished a lot and should be respected. That being said, most runners are going after specific times for this event. I believe a major milestone for many runners is to break the sub 2 hour half marathon. I created a course called the Sub 2 Hour Half Marathon Domination course to help speed up the process for runners. Again, the goal is aiming to slow down less than your competition. So, you have to teach the body to clear lactic acid faster than it is building up. In addition, you have to spend a higher percentage of your weekly mileage training at or below sub 2 hour half marathon race pace.
What I see runners doing is conducting their long runs every weekend at far too slow of paces. Remember, it isn’t about the amount of mileage as much as it is about the quality of the work you are doing. So, you have to work on your speed as well as your endurance. I am a firm believer in doing faster, varied pace long runs. I used this tactic to lower my half marathon best from 1:10:31 to 1:07:06. In addition, I lowered my marathon PR from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. No, it didn’t happen overnight but stayed consistent and dropped time. Why do the best long distance runners make it look so easy?
CHECK OUT OUR RUNNING COURSESIs 1 Hour 40 Minutes a Good Half Marathon Time?
Yes, a sub 1:40 half marathon time is a highly competitive race time that a small portion of runners achieve each year. The athlete seeking to run under 1 hour 40 minutes for a half marathon needs to sustain 7:37 per mile or 4:44 per kilometer over the 13.1 mile or 21.1 kilometer race distance. The best runners make it look easy because they spend a higher percentage of their weekly mileage training at much faster speeds. In fact, world-class runners spend about 40 percent of their weekly volume training at or below their goal race pace.
So, you have to start making these changes in your training. I can promise you that if you do you are going to start seeing some massive gains in your fitness. In addition, will start dropping new personal bests. Remember, it isn’t about just the workouts. You also have to spend time mentally rehearsing what it is you are going after. Mental training is just as important as physical training. The problem is most often times runners just focus on physical training. The best runners know that training the subconscious mind is vitally important to running a good half marathon time.
Is an 8 Minute Mile Good for a Half?
Yes, if you hold 8 minute mile pace for a half marathon you will run a 1:45:00. So, running under 1 hour 45 minutes is a highly competitive time. Again, you have to look at your weekly training plan and see how much time you are training at or below this effort. Is your goal to run a sub 1:45 marathon? If so, we do have training plans available here for athletes such as yourself going for this type of time. Do you want to run faster or have a slower time in mind? We also have training plans catered to athletes of all ability levels.
I also believe the athlete seeking to run a good half marathon time also has to review how he or she is doing their long runs. What happens if you run too slow too often? Will you have a high likelihood of sustaining goal half marathon race pace over the entire distance? I think not. Yes, you will have a strong endurance foundation built. That being said, you will not have trained sufficiently at high enough, anaerobic efforts to hold goal race pace. So, running a good half marathon time comes down to how you are setting up your training. Again, it isn’t about running higher mileage that is going to guarantee you a fast half marathon.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR TRAINING PLANSHow Do I Run a 90 Minute Half Marathon?
Running a sub 1 30 half marathon is much more aggressive and requires a great deal of work to achieve. You will need to sustain 6:52 per mile or 4:16 per kilometer in order to run a 90 minute half marathon. Can it be done? Absolutely. The concept is the same. Increase the amount of time you are spending training at or below these efforts. Of course, you also still need to run slow and recover. You cannot continue to push the body hard anaerobically and expect a high return on your time investment.
When excellence is in sight, good is not enough
Dr. Joe Vigil
Remember, time is priceless and we can never get it back. So, if you are going to train you might as well learn from the very best. Study what they do and how they think and duplicate their work habits. I have followed this philosophy myself and have made massive gains in my own fitness. You are more than welcome to visit the about page if you would like to know more about my background in this sport. The best know that physical training by itself is not enough.
How Many Weeks Do You Need to Train for Half Marathon?
All training plans and running course here focus on 16 weeks. Of course, you can still prepare to run a half marathon in 4 to 8 weeks. That being said, to race one in a very good half marathon time you need to think long-term. 4 months is plenty of time to prepare properly to race a half marathon correctly. Again, it takes between 3 to 4 weeks for your body to adapt to the stress you are placing on it. So, fitness cannot be rushed. Are you interested in running an average, good or great half marathon time?
Greatness takes time and effort. In addition, it often asks more out of us that we realize it will take. My objective here at rundreamachieve.com is to ensure you get results. My goal is to help the athletes I coach online to use leverage. Leverage means working smarter, not necessarily harder.
The hardest working athletes don’t always get the results. So, you have to think outside the box. What can you do differently than your competition? Are they mentally training for their races? Are they running slow enough on recovery days? Does studying what the world’s best middle to long distance runners do matter to you?
I am sure it does otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You are already seeking what it takes to be great at this race distance. Remember, the majority of your competition are focused only on physical training and not always on the other details that go into being great at this sport.
How Do I Run a Half-Marathon in 1 Hour in 30 Minutes?
- Faster, varied pace long runs (followed the following week with an easy, relaxed long run
- Mental training (spending 10 to 15 minute DAILY seeing yourself getting across the finish line with 1:29:59 on the clock)
- 1 vo2 max workout per week i.e 16x400m@1:45 or faster, 6×1 mile@5:48-50, 3x2mile@12:00-05 etc.
- Longer tempo runs (6-9 miles in length)
- Longer, long runs (17-19 miles in length)
- JOGGING on easy days to ensure you are recovering
You also need to ensure you are practicing running well below 6:52 mile or 4:16 kilometer pace. The aim with the running courses and training plans here are to ensure this takes place. Are you seeking to work with an online running coach on a monthly basis? If so, click on the green button below to learn more about the rundreamachieve private, running community.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIVATE, MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITYClosing Thoughts
The majority of the world may be going after an average half marathon time but not you. My expectation is that you go after a good half marathon time at minimum and seek greatness. I have created products here to help you to become great at this race distance. In addition, to build your confidence in your future races.
Would you like to work one on one with me? I also have zoom fitness consultation calls you can jump on with me at anytime. Of course, if you would prefer monthly coaching simply click on the green button above to learn more. I am looking forward to working with you and helping you achieve your new personal best over the half marathon distance.
