First Half Marathon: 1:26:19 using Parker Valby style training

Interesting thread thanks for sharing! I just began implementing something similar. I’ve had 2 stress fractures this year so obviously the high mileage doesn’t work for me anymore at 37. If anyone’s interested, my weekly schedule looks like this

M- 30-60 min easy run, 60 minutes elliptical

T-workout and strength training

W- 30-45 min easy run run and 60 minutes elliptical

Thu- 30-60 minutes Easy run and 60 minutes elliptical

Fri-workout and strength training

Sat-off or 60-90 minutes on elliptical or bike

Sun- long run (capping at 90 mins)

Plan on upping to 6 runs per week in the next few months so may drop off some of the cross training. I don’t have any races planned until August but if anyone is interested, I’ll update then!

Pretty much all race pace intervals/runs are Z4/Z5.

3x 2 miles, 6 mile at HMP, 8 miles at HMP, etc.

Yea, I agree.

I was initially planning on doing a marathon and going for sub 3 in the fall but I think I need more time to build up slowly to more mileage/more frequent running.

Instead, I think I'm going to spend the rest of the summer focusing on the mile and 5k with just 1-2 runs per week.

I have a feeling that Valby is going to have armies of washed up, injury-prone runners thanking her profusely for years for helping us realize that dedicated cross-training can work almost as well as straight running. Summer of Valbo!

I'm surprised as well. After the 5k, I knew that improvement likely could have been explained just by losing some weight and the weekly interval work I did.

But it had to have helped for the half marathon, right?

I can't imagine the 12-18 miles per week of running was solely responsible for me running 1:26.

Yea, I imagine I would have to run 3 days absolute minimum for a marathon. Even that probably wouldn't be enough.

That kind of makes sense, and I'm hoping as I continue buildlng my weekly mileage absurdly slowly, I become less injury prone.

But again, a huge reason I'm limiting my running is so that I can still focus on my strength training without being too fatigued. Even two days per week of running affected my lifting way more than 1 day per week, particularly squatting.

I like it!

I've very recently started trying to eliptical once a week instead of bike.

This style of training has changed my life.

Seriously.

Running was my first love.

I was obsessed with it from ages 12-15 and then injuries ruined me.

I still can't belive I've been able to run the past 6 months.

Not only run, but see massive improvement.

It's awesome.

Nice, thanks for the write up. I am in a similar position where strength work and corresponding body weight (as well as the usual excuses time management and recovery) make anything over 50mpw tough. Might experiment with dropping down easy day mileage in exchange for 20 min or so on the stationary bike after lifts. Probably some added benefit of getting your heart rate up multiple times a day too

You look pretty diced in those twitter photos. You natty?

And still you struggle to break 18 in the 5k.

Good work, OP!

However, I don't understand why this kind of training is associated with that girl, Valby. Many thousand of people, especially older ones (read, injury-prone), are training that way for decades (incl. me). E.g. in April '23 at age 65 I made HM at 1:27 after ten runs only in March. No running at all from Nov. thru end Feb., only XC skiing and elliptical. Then started doing intervals and tempos, one of each per week 5 weeks prior to the HM race.

Wasn’t this thread on Reddit as well and people were angry at this guy’s ability?

Meanwhile: on LetsRun some people say you’re slow

amusing either way

It's almost as if triathletes have been running national class running times for yonks...

More interesting is cross country skiiers can reach almost all their elite running times in their first 2 runs off the skis.

The training translates just about 100% for cross country skiing.

If I was Valby, I’d be insulted by this post.

If you’re training like Valby, you probably should be running closer to 1:07-1:09 for half marathon.

It sounds more like you just jog around a few times a week and then run a time that several HS girls in my area can do for a half marathon.

Think we found the guy with the 85 minute PB.

1:27 HM at age 65 is great! That age-grades at 87%.

I'm 62, and I struggle to age grade above 80%. That said, my (race) training is similar; it has very modest mpw, but it always has one day of high intensity. And I can still have fun (and not get injured) off that level of training.

I don't know why everyone is attacking me.

Am I wrong here?

An 86-minute half marathon requires no specific training methodology whatsoever. Just hobby jog around the block every now and then and BOOM you'll hit your goal.

I mean, am I wrong? No. I'm just telling the TRUTH that YOU PEOPLE do not want to hear.