Memory is hazy. But yeah maybe they were pint cans. I just recall them seeming to be massive. But maybe I was smaller. Or very drunk. Probs both true! 
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Club mate went sub 75 at the Hampton Half yesterday. No wonder he beat me in our club duathlons…
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I used the below plan to go 1h23m comfortably in 2022. Could easily adjust this to match sub-80m which = 6:06 miling. For ref, this was aimed at ~1h24/25m
| w/c | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T - 10 | 40 minutes easy | Strength 1 | 30 sec hill reps x 10 with very slow jog down recoveries | Strength 1 | 40 mins @ 7.20/mile | Rest | 8 miles comfortable (aerobic - zone 3) |
| T - 9 | 40 minutes easy | Strength 1 | 60 sec hill reps x 10 with very slow jog down recoveries - | Strength 1 | 40 minute progression run. Start at 9/mile, gradually increase each mile to finish at 6.30/mile | Rest | 10 mile run. 7 miles @ 7.30/mile, 3 miles @ 6.50/mile |
| T - 8 | 40 minutes easy | Strength 1 | Fartlek 1/1 x 12 | Strength 1 | 45 mins @ 7.20/mile | Rest | 90 minute run. 30 minutes easy, 30 minutes @ 7.30/mile, 30 minutes@ 6.50/mile. |
| T - 7 | 40 minutes easy | Strength 1 | 400m reps x 10 w60 sec rests. Target time 90 sec per rep (6/mile) | Strength 1 | 50 minutes easy | Rest | 12 miles aerobic zone 3. |
| T - 6 | 45-50 minutes easy | Strength 1 | 45-50 minutes easy plus strides x 6 (10-20secs, not too fast) | Strength 1 | 40-45 minutes easy | Rest | 60 minutes easy. |
| T - 5 | 45 minutes easy | Strength 2 | 1k x 7 @ 6.16-6.20/mile w90sec rests | Strength 2 | 50mins @ approx 8/mile | Rest | 15k @ 7/mile |
| T - 4 | 50 minutes easy | Strength 2 | 2k x 4 @ 6.30-6.40/mile w 90sec rests | Strength 2 | 60 minutes easy | Rest | 18k run with 10k @ 7.20/mile plus 8k @ 6.40/mile |
| T - 3 | 60 minutes easy | Strength 2 | 800m x 8 @ 6.10/mile w 60sec rests | Strength 2 | 60 minutes approx 8/mile | Rest | 22k steady (aerobic) |
| T - 2 | 45-50 minutes easy | Strength 2 | 3k x 4 @ 6.25/mile with 2 mins rest | Strength 2 | 40-45 minutes easy | Rest | 25k at 6.50-6.55/mile |
| T -1 | 60 minutes easy | Strength 2 | 1 mile x 5 @ 6.10/mile with 90 sec rests | Strength 2 | 50mins @ approx 8/mile | Rest | 15k with 10k @ 7/mile and 5k @ 6.20/mile |
| Race week | 50 minutes easy | Strength | 400m x 8 with 90sec rests. 80-85 sec per rep (should feel easy) | 30 mins easy | Rest | 3 miles easy plus 4 strides | Half marathon Good Luck! |
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That’s a nice consistent plan, but I question the value of “speed work” that is slower than goal race pace. I would have thought the long reps (miles, 2k, 3k) should be at 10K pace, the shorter stuff even quicker. And if splitting the long run 2/3 easy, 1/3 pace, then make the pace your HM target.
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Fark me.
Thats nuts.
I didn’t go over 14km (12km to 13.77km was the top) for my 80min HM. I’d did three of them in 56-63mins.
Max speedwork session was 40mins total time.
That was probably 4 x 1mile at 5:20 off 8:00, with a four minute jog to the road I used to run up and down.
I’d do 400, 800, miles, recovery week. And just repeat that. Getting a bit quicker each block.
I ran an easy one with the dog (30-50mins) and a long one (as above) that was it.
You lot make things well complicated
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the question is one of efficiency…if that flying through the air may increase vertical oscillation, then possibly no…
as far as stride length is concerned, the longer the better within reason…if it is as a result of increased hip extension, increased horizontal flight and increased knee drive if the foot lands with a vertical shank…
That’s going back a fair way!
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yes…for some reason it popped up and so I started to reply before I saw the date…and then thought I may as well finish what I was writing…
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The below race pace speed work is mainly ‘tempo’, allowing myself to stay somewhat fresh for the threshold and above stuff. I also had a patchy injury record and was concerned leaning into the fast work too much would push me into the red.
The general premise was to build strength in the gym and hills (strength sessions were core and single leg stuff, not high weight but highish reps), establish good run form, move that base into above race pace to get comfortable with higher turnover before moving towards at/around race pace. The sub-threshold work, especially longer progressive runs, at least by feel really made me comfortable at holding a higher intensity towards the back end of a long run without the same recovery demand.
Funnily enough, writing the above out and thinking about the feedback I got in the sub11 IM thread, it’s ironic to think about how (in my mind) sound a plan this was and how I’ve literally disregarded my own advice when looking at the IM build up. I am reincorporating ~race pace work in the coming weeks. One of the key reasons I felt sluggish in Barcelona was because I’d polarized too much, added too much intensity late, scattergun, got ill and struggled. I need to add it in a structured basis, much like the other comments I received suggested.
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Preparing for an IM run?
How did you get on? What did you do?
No, this relates to the HM plan I posted above.
1h23m but as a training run and not max effort
Ah…sorry, didn’t read back…
i meant with developing form…
Gotcha.
Form
Hill reps - slow walk down and turn around - strength sessions (single leg), strides and faster/ shorter reps helped establish better form. Forward lean, using your arms with relaxed shoulders, feet landing below your hips, becoming comfortable with cadence of 180 +/- 5ish.
I didn’t focus on changing my form as a target. I think people need to be careful there. I did, though, target some of the training on areas which should provide the environment for better form to materialize. Hill reps in particular were good here. It’s hard to run fast uphill with bad form. Also don’t get the same impact as doing it on the flat ….
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Sounds good…
it is also hard to run fast down hill with bad form…
why under the hips?
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Running with your feet above your hips just looks silly.
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good for hill climbing… 
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Paraphrasing other more learned people’s explanations but to prevent over striding. But as I said, this wasn’t a conscious effort to change my form. I had a lot of injury problems a few years ago and saw a number of physios as well as running gait analysis which ostensibly showed no visible structural problems. Maybe I’ve just got glass legs and should probably get back on the single leg stuff!
….Who knows, if that fails and I find myself out of the running game for a while I may just learn to swim more / thrash less
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a much overused and misunderstood term…
Alistair about to ‘over stride’…
Isn’t almost every term in sports overused and poorly understood?
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Not so poorly understood as this particular term, i hope…
certainly coaches should at least take some moments to accurately describe what they observe…
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