I'm certainly not averaging 7:30! In fact because I do a lot of trail running my average pace over the week is 9:20. But yeah, the extra time does add up. I run about 10 hours a week, which I would not be able to do if I did not have a flexible job.
Calf cramps are usually due to running too fast for your fitness, but I have a hard time believing that in your case since you ought to have a good handle on your capability by now after so many marathons. Looking at your Athlinks record it looks like your DC Rock and Roll half lines up pretty well with a 5:10-5:15, so you're not all that off unless you're pacing for 5 hours and then having trouble late....which looking at your Chicago splits, yeah, you ran the first half at your half marathon pace, so no wonder things went bad late.
I mean, it's hard to tell with your times, because you are a Maniac and run so many so close to each other! But repeating this exercise with the Providence half and Wineglass last year, and looking at your half split, suggests you're trying to run way too fast for your fitness. For this one it looks like you were targeting about 4:55, which is what the online calculators suggest for your half - except the online calculators are way optimistic unless you're running ~65-70mpw on average, which you are not.
Also, if you are training at 11 minute pace, that's awful close to your half marathon pace. What kind of training program are you using?
I would be happy to make suggestions by email if you'd like. I think you're capable of a faster half, and also a faster marathon. (And if you want I can screen this - it's a lot of sort of specific stuff out here in public.)
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Date: 2013-11-12 05:04 pm (UTC)Calf cramps are usually due to running too fast for your fitness, but I have a hard time believing that in your case since you ought to have a good handle on your capability by now after so many marathons. Looking at your Athlinks record it looks like your DC Rock and Roll half lines up pretty well with a 5:10-5:15, so you're not all that off unless you're pacing for 5 hours and then having trouble late....which looking at your Chicago splits, yeah, you ran the first half at your half marathon pace, so no wonder things went bad late.
I mean, it's hard to tell with your times, because you are a Maniac and run so many so close to each other! But repeating this exercise with the Providence half and Wineglass last year, and looking at your half split, suggests you're trying to run way too fast for your fitness. For this one it looks like you were targeting about 4:55, which is what the online calculators suggest for your half - except the online calculators are way optimistic unless you're running ~65-70mpw on average, which you are not.
Also, if you are training at 11 minute pace, that's awful close to your half marathon pace. What kind of training program are you using?
I would be happy to make suggestions by email if you'd like. I think you're capable of a faster half, and also a faster marathon. (And if you want I can screen this - it's a lot of sort of specific stuff out here in public.)