The Big Half
We have the thrilling prospect of more than 50 club members doing the Big Half on March 1st. The event presents a great opportunity for everyone participating to do some of their training with other members and to embark on a programme to improve their running, and to perform as well as possible on the day.
To that end we are delighted to invite members to take part in the DPR Big Half Programme consisting of three elements:
- Tuesday runs and the Handicap. These are your steady runs with the opportunity to mix it up with some faster tempo running. Add in the handicap on a monthly basis to test your pace and build your speed.
- Thursday track sessions – coached by Susan to improve your performance and give your running a bit of a kick!
- Longer runs at the weekend to help you increase your mileage
We’ve provided more detail of each of the components below. If you would like to take part we would really appreciate it if you enter your details below. This is so that we can ask those that took part what they thought of the programme after it is finished and, if you are going to take part in the Thursday sessions, so that Susan knows you will be coming.
Tuesdays will continue to be a social run with pre-planned routes but on the third Tuesday of the month we will include optional ‘tempo’ cards for groups to take with the intention of varying their pace and including bursts of faster running as part of the run. More details about this nearer the time.
The HANDICAP on the first Tuesday of each month is a fantastic opportunity to race over a shorter distance and to build up your speed and stamina which can really help with your performance in a half marathon.
We’ve been working in the background to make the Handicap even more competitive for next year and we really encourage all members to take part. It’s great fun. The new competition starts on January 7th.
A programme of Thursday evening sessions between January 9th and February 27th will focus on preparation for the Big Half. There will be a mix of track and road sessions designed by Susan that will include each week a range of drills and exercises to develop your strength, endurance and state of readiness for the event.
To maximise the benefits from the programme we encourage you to attend as many weeks as possible and really commit to the programme, not only for your own progression but also to maximise the benefits that can be achieved through mutual support and encouragement. If you can’t make every week don’t worry you can do the sessions in your own time.
To sign up for the programme (if you don’t already attend on a Thursday at the moment) please fill out the form above so that you can be sent a schedule of the sessions and so that Susan knows who will be coming and what level of the programme you will be doing.
Based on the success of the pre-planned routes for Tuesday nights, we’ve pulled together several routes for longer club runs at the weekend, with Saturday runs taking in a local park run and Sundays venturing a little further afield in some cases. Suggested runs increase in mileage during January and February to help you prepare for the half marathon distance. This is a great chance for you to arrange to run with other DPR members, especially for those of you who can’t always make Tuesday or Thursday nights, and will help you gradually increase your mileage. Always do this as part of your wider training plan. We would really encourage you to post on the DPR Facebook group and let others know if you’re planning to run one of the routes (assuming you want company!). As a rough guide, most Saturday routes involve a 3-6 miles before a park run so factor this in to your meeting time.
The routes are intended to provide variety for your training programme by mixing familiar or local routes with others to get you out and about in London. For example, some involve getting a train somewhere and running home. Enjoy the company of friends or even listen to music. Running longer distances need not be painful or boring but can be very enjoyable. Finish your run in a favourite cafe where you can reward yourself with coffee and cake afterwards.
Here are the suggested routes for your long runs for the build up to the Big Half. We’ve included suggestions for runs on Saturdays and Sundays.
| Long run route distance | Date | Start | End | Date | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 5th Jan: Tadworth Ten | N/A | N/A | ||||
| 8 | Sat 11th Jan Ladies Cross Country (Check the newsletter / fb for details) | N/A | N/A | Sun 12th Jan: Dulwich & Ruskin Parks | DP Beginners Bench | DP Cafe |
| 9 | Sat 18th DP and Peckham Rye Park Run | DP beginners bench | DP beginners bench | Sun 19th DP, Peckham Rye, Greendale, Brockwell, DP | DP beginners bench | DP beginners bench |
| 10 | Sat 25th Jan DP and Burgess Park Run | DP beginners’ bench | DP beginners’ bench | Sun 26th Jan Dulwich Park and Brockwell Park 10 | DP beginners bench | DP beginners bench |
| 11 | Sat 1st DP and Clapham Common Park Run | DP beginners’ bench | DP beginners’ bench | Sun 2nd Feb Men’s cross country / Dash for the Splash | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | Sat 8th February Ladies Cross country (Check the newsletter / fb for details) | N/A | N/A | Sun 9th Feb London Parks | Green Park tube | Dulwich Park |
| 13 | Sat 15th Feb DP, Brockwell Park Run, Belair Park, joggers loop | Sun 16th Feb Canals and River | Angel Station | Dulwich Park | ||
| 10 | Sat 22nd Feb DP and Burgess Park Run | DP beginners’ bench | Sun 23rd Feb Dulwich Park and Brockwell Park 10 | DP beginners bench | DP beginners bench | |
| 13.1 | Sat 29th Feb | N/A | N/A | Sun 1st March: The Big Half! | N/A | N/A |
We’ve provided more detail of each of the components below. If you would like to take part we would really appreciate it if you enter your details below. This is so that we can ask those that took part what they thought of the programme after it is finished and so that Susan knows who will be coming on a Thursday evening.
Tuesdays will continue to be a social run with pre-planned routes but on the third Tuesday of the month we will include optional ‘tempo’ cards for groups to take with the intention of varying their pace and including bursts of faster running as part of the run. More details about this nearer the time.
The HANDICAP on the first Tuesday of each month is a fantastic opportunity to race over a shorter distance and to build up your speed and stamina which can really help with your performance in a half marathon.
We’ve been working in the background to make the Handicap even more competitive for next year and we really encourage all members to take part. It’s great fun. The new competition starts on January 7th.
A programme of Thursday evening sessions between January 9th and February 27th will focus on preparation for the Big Half. There will be a mix of track and road sessions designed by Susan that will include each week a range of drills and exercises to develop your strength, endurance and state of readiness for the event.
To maximise the benefits from the programme we encourage you to attend as many weeks as possible and really commit to the programme, not only for your own progression but also to maximise the benefits that can be achieved through mutual support and encouragement. If you can’t make every week don’t worry you can do the sessions in your own time.
To sign up for the programme (if you don’t already attend on a Thursday at the moment) please fill out the form above so that you can be sent a schedule of the sessions and so that Susan knows who will be coming and what level of the programme you will be doing.
Based on the success of the pre-planned routes for Tuesday nights, we’ve pulled together several routes for longer club runs at the weekend, with Saturday runs taking in a local park run and Sundays venturing a little further afield in some cases. Suggested runs increase in mileage during January and February to help you prepare for the half marathon distance. This is a great chance for you to arrange to run with other DPR members, especially for those of you who can’t always make Tuesday or Thursday nights, and will help you gradually increase your mileage. Always do this as part of your wider training plan. We would really encourage you to post on the DPR Facebook group and let others know if you’re planning to run one of the routes (assuming you want company!). As a rough guide, most Saturday routes involve a 3-6 miles before a park run so factor this in to your meeting time.
The routes are intended to provide variety for your training programme by mixing familiar or local routes with others to get you out and about in London. For example, some involve getting a train somewhere and running home. Enjoy the company of friends or even listen to music. Running longer distances need not be painful or boring but can be very enjoyable. Finish your run in a favourite cafe where you can reward yourself with coffee and cake afterwards.
Here are the suggested routes for your long runs for the build up to the Big Half if you are looking for a Saturday run.
| Long run route distance | Date | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Sat 11th Jan Ladies Cross Country (Check the newsletter / fb for details) | N/A | N/A |
| 9 | Sat 18th DP and Peckham Rye Park Run | DP beginners bench | DP beginners bench |
| 10 | Sat 25th Jan DP and Burgess Park Run | DP beginners’ bench | DP beginners’ bench |
| 11 | Sat 1st DP and Clapham Common Park Run | DP beginners’ bench | DP beginners’ bench |
| 12 | Sat 8th February Ladies Cross country (Check the newsletter / fb for details) | N/A | N/A |
| 13 | Sat 15th Feb DP, Brockwell Park Run, Belair Park, joggers loop | ||
| 10 | Sat 22nd Feb DP and Burgess Park Run | DP beginners’ bench | |
| 13.1 | Sat 29th Feb | N/A | N/A |
Here are the suggested routes for your long runs for the build up to the Big Half if you are looking for Sunday runs.
| Long run route distance | Date | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Sun 5th Jan: Tadworth Ten | N/A | N/A |
| 8 | Sun 12th Jan: Dulwich & Ruskin Parks | DP Beginners Bench | DP Cafe |
| 9 | Sun 19th DP, Peckham Rye, Greendale, Brockwell, DP | DP beginners bench | DP beginners bench |
| 10 | Sun 26th Jan Dulwich Park and Brockwell Park 10 | DP beginners bench | DP beginners bench |
| 11 | Sun 2nd Feb Men’s cross country / Dash for the Splash | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | Sun 9th Feb London Parks | Green Park tube | Dulwich Park |
| 13 | Sun 16th Feb Canals and River | Angel Station | Dulwich Park |
| 10 | Sun 23rd Feb Dulwich Park and Brockwell Park 10 | DP beginners bench | DP beginners bench |
| 13.1 | Sun 1st March: The Big Half! | N/A | N/A |
For many of you the Big Half may be your first half marathon and we hope that this programme helps you sail through it.
At present you may be thinking how can I possibly run that far, how can I keep my motivation high, how can I prepare? We think the programme will help you gradually increase your mileage and help you prepare in a fun and enjoyable way.
Why not sign up to Strava and register your achievements on the club page? Look out for other DPR members and recognise their achievements – it’s a great feeling when they see yours! Successfully running a half marathon for the first time will be an enormous achievement, but for those of you with experience of running the distance why not have a think about a goal for the event? Having a target time in mind for a big race can help hugely with your motivation, especially in the cold dark weeks of January and February. If you do want to think of a target time, the tables below might be useful.
The table below gives you paces to aim for to cover the 13.1 miles of the Big Half in your target time.
| Target Time | Time per mile | Time per lap (Dulwich track) |
|---|---|---|
| 1:20:00 | 0:06:06 | 0:01:08 |
| 1:25:00 | 0:06:29 | 0:01:13 |
| 1:30:00 | 0:06:52 | 0:01:17 |
| 1:35:00 | 0:07:15 | 0:01:21 |
| 1:40:00 | 0:07:38 | 0:01:25 |
| 1:45:00 | 0:08:01 | 0:01:30 |
| 1:50:00 | 0:08:23 | 0:01:34 |
| 1:55:00 | 0:08:46 | 0:01:38 |
| 2:00:00 | 0:09:09 | 0:01:42 |
| 2:05:00 | 0:09:32 | 0:01:47 |
| 2:10:00 | 0:09:55 | 0:01:51 |
| 2:15:00 | 0:10:18 | 0:01:55 |
| 2:20:00 | 0:10:41 | 0:01:59 |
| 2:25:00 | 0:11:04 | 0:02:04 |
| 2:30:00 | 0:11:26 | 0:02:08 |
| 2:35:00 | 0:11:49 | 0:02:12 |
| 2:40:00 | 0:12:12 | 0:02:16 |
| 2:45:00 | 0:12:35 | 0:02:21 |
| 2:50:00 | 0:12:58 | 0:02:25 |
| 2:55:00 | 0:13:21 | 0:02:29 |
| 3:00:00 | 0:13:44 | 0:02:34 |
| 3:05:00 | 0:14:07 | 0:02:38 |
| 3:10:00 | 0:14:30 | 0:02:42 |
| 3:15:00 | 0:14:52 | 0:02:46 |
The table below gives you paces to aim for to cover the 21.1 kilometres of the Big Half in your target time.
| Target time | Time per kilometre | Time per lap (Dulwich track) |
|---|---|---|
| 1:20:00 | 0:03:47 | 0:01:08 |
| 1:25:00 | 0:04:02 | 0:01:13 |
| 1:30:00 | 0:04:16 | 0:01:17 |
| 1:35:00 | 0:04:30 | 0:01:21 |
| 1:40:00 | 0:04:44 | 0:01:25 |
| 1:45:00 | 0:04:59 | 0:01:30 |
| 1:50:00 | 0:05:13 | 0:01:34 |
| 1:55:00 | 0:05:27 | 0:01:38 |
| 2:00:00 | 0:05:41 | 0:01:42 |
| 2:05:00 | 0:05:55 | 0:01:47 |
| 2:10:00 | 0:06:10 | 0:01:51 |
| 2:15:00 | 0:06:24 | 0:01:55 |
| 2:20:00 | 0:06:38 | 0:01:59 |
| 2:25:00 | 0:06:52 | 0:02:04 |
| 2:30:00 | 0:07:07 | 0:02:08 |
| 2:35:00 | 0:07:21 | 0:02:12 |
| 2:40:00 | 0:07:35 | 0:02:16 |
| 2:45:00 | 0:07:49 | 0:02:21 |
| 2:50:00 | 0:08:03 | 0:02:25 |
| 2:55:00 | 0:08:18 | 0:02:29 |
| 3:00:00 | 0:08:32 | 0:02:34 |
| 3:05:00 | 0:08:46 | 0:02:38 |
| 3:10:00 | 0:09:00 | 0:02:42 |
| 3:15:00 | 0:09:15 | 0:02:46 |
This is such an exciting opportunity for the club. Do please join us whenever you can and have a great time preparing for the big day. If you wish to have individual guidance on how to convert your current running into half marathon training please contact Susan.