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Help with Half Mary Target Pace

kimmydctkimmydct
in General Training Discussions
Finally, great run today!! 11 mi in just under 2h. Felt great most of the time. Huge diff. Vs last week. This week, 3 days rest before (due to work travel) and moved run from sun to sat so no 30mi bike the day before. Had some near 10 min miles (when the trail had a slight decline) My 5k pace is about 9:20 but my 5k and HM vdot are about 5 pts apart.

Last year, I finished at about. 11:30 pace. So based on this, what would a good target pace be for me on race day? I don't want to sell myself short, but I don't want to push too hard, ESP early on and blow up. Any thoughts from the "real runners" out there?

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/379129375

I think mile 6 got screwed up because I lost satellites going under an overpass and I think overall, it may have been a minute or so less than garmin showed. Take note of the paces and terrain. Able to hit 10's when the trail was a slight decline but slow down quite a bit with just a slight incline. Half Mary is fairly flat, with a couple hills.

I'm thinking 10:45 is realistic, but is 10:30 doable and "safe" to shoot for?

Comments

  • Peter GreaggPeter Greagg
    Hi Kim
    Do you use heart rate? 93% of your 5 km TT average heart rate is a good half mary target.

    Cheers
    Peter
  • MattAaronsonMattAaronson
    Aim to go fast. You've made a lot of improvements this year in running and you should see the payoff of that. You will need to feel uncomfortable during this race. If you wait until mile 10 to feel like you're unsure you can maintain your pace then you waited too long. I'd suggest you spend 3 miles settling in then hit your 10:30 target. Whatever you do, don't walk at any point. If you blow up (which you won't !!), just jog a "recovery interval" like you might during a workout to regroup, then resume a bit slower.
  • cgres123cgres123
    As both have pointed out ... very good stuff and here is that HR thingy again. Have you got into that yet?

    If your running a HM for a race and it is not for fun...per say... why are you running trails?

    The wiki sez for the first 3 miles build , exp 1120, 1110, 1100 then the next 7 drop about 5 sec off your race pace to start making up that time exp is 1055. For the last 3 miles go for it which may mean holding on or bumping it up by seconds.
  • kimmydctkimmydct
    David- It isn't a real "trail"... It is a flat "rail trail" near my house. Straight, flat, non-technical. No traffic, etc. That is just where I run, for safety and convenience.
  • Robert SaboRobert Sabo
    Don't even think about your HM vdot unless all you want to do is repeat your old you pace. I agree with Matt's advice. Now go kick some ass.
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