UKC

I have just done a training run that is 13.2 miles. I went over a hill near me along forest roads for maybe five miles and about 500meters of climbing. The time was exactly 107 minutes. What could I expect to do a flat half marathon in ??.

In reply to goatee: how are you at running on flat, very fast for a long period? Comfortable or not?

The main difference for me when it comes to elevation is that I'm happy going up hill relatively quickly, because gravity helps me out going down on the other side and I seem to recover well. However, I find this doesn't translate well into running quickly on flat for ages - that's just me though.

One of my local routes is similar to yours. 12ish miles but more like 850 meters total climb and I complete this in about 1 hour 45 min. My only flattish road, also first road only, half marathon came out at 1 hour 42 min. I would maybe add upto 20 minutes onto that if it hadn't of been an organised event, the presence of other runners helps me. Road running can be so dull...

In reply to Voltemands: I am certainly no speed merchant, 50 years old etc. I can plod uphill and I obviously run faster downhill but again I don't really eat up the ground. On the flat I can do 10 miles in 70mins at my best and I guess I am relatively comfortable at 7mins 30/ mile pace. It would be intresting to try a flat half marathon to see what is do-able.

In reply to goatee:

It can be very difficult to judge really, it partly depends what sort of runner you are. I have run nearly as fast on tough hilly road routes as I have on flat courses, but I train mainly on hills and I am strong on them, I actually find flat courses quite hard work.

In reply to goatee:

You can probably do a flat half in 1:31/32 based on your 10 mile.

In reply to goatee:

You can use naismiths rule (or some modified variant thereof) as a very approximate yardstick by which to convert height gain for distance. The trouble is that it can be complicated greatly by gradients and running surface (especially on descents). I tend to work on the principle that 100m ascent is equivalent to 1km on rough ground where running downhill isn't necessarily efficient...

Anyway, I guess 80-85 mins is a passable number to pick out of the air. Try 6.5 minute miles and if you're feeling fresh past half way, ramp up the pace?

In reply to goatee:

I'd say stick with hills - you sound much better at them!

In reply to goatee:

It definitely means I am slower if there are lots of hills, I was recently away at a conference (and with quite a horrible cold) but the running was flat and I was much faster than I ever am at home where there is usually about 200m of ascent every 4-5 miles wherever you run.

I read somewhere that a gain of a 1000 feet was equivalent to an extra mile. HTH Steve

In reply to goatee: A rough sum is 1000ft = 1 mile..

so 13.2 miles in 1:47... - 1500ft = 1.5 miles.. say 12 mins..

1:35 ish... 1:30 - 1:35 is probably a ball park figure..

In reply to parkovski: Ahh, if I could do 6.5 minute miles I would have done em in a 10mile run. I wouldn't be that optimistic.

In reply to IainRUK: Thanks guys. I was wondering what the formula was. It gives me an idea what to look out for. Cheers

In reply to goatee:

I am a bit dubious of this formula, best way to know how fast you can run a flat half is to run one.

In reply to The New NickB: Its very rough.. depends on surface etc..I use it to keep track of weekly/monthly efforts of differoing heights and distances..

Of course the best way is to go out.. hence why I race such a wide window.

In reply to The New NickB: Agreed the only sure way to find out is to do a flat one. Just looking for a rough guide as to what to expect. I won't take the formula as set in stone.

In reply to goatee:

I asked a similar question on this thread http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=490642 a while ago: there wasn't a consensus answer, but the thread does contain a couple of interesting links.