Half Marathon!!

Imperfect_Angel

Hi guys. My sister and I have signed up to do a half marathon in June, however, we don't have any experience doing races and our running pace is pretty rubbish - 12 min/mile lol. We would like any tips on how to train etc before the big day. We run 5Ks outside as well as on treadmills but this is a longer run and we're both so nervous but excited!

One last thing, is June attainable or have we been too ambitious?

Thanks x

MeanderingMammal

Five months should be fine. Try the Hal Higdon plans, or Runners World.

AngInCanada

Don't mock your running pace running is running. My goal for my first half marathon would just be to finish it so I'd just work on my distance rather than my pace to be honest. Good luck!

GreggC1968

I ran my first Half Marathon last year at a turtle like pace of 14:08 minutes per mile. I'm working towards beating that pace this May. I was self conscious about my pace until I did the race and realized that everyone that shows up and finished is overcoming a personal hurdle that really erases any hint of embarrassment. I found my slept surrounded by heros and support that was astonishing. Work hard and you'll be proud of your race regardless of your final pace.

dewd2

Is 12 min pace for a 5K? Don't expect to be as fast for the HM. You're still fine though. Don't worry too much about pace at this point. Just work you way up to the distance.

Definitely look at a structured plan. As mentioned Hal Higdon is a good place to start.

Good luck.

lporter229

Congrats on taking the plunge. Definitely doable by June. As others have suggested, find a structured plan for beginners. Also, as @dewd2 pointed out, don't expect your half marathon pace to be as fast as your 5k. For your first half marathon, your goal should be to finish without any real time expectations. You may end up doing some walking and that is okay. Depending on the size of the race, there will be plenty of people behind you. Most half marathons have participants who walk the whole thing.

As you progress in mileage, you are going to want to experiment with fueling. Gels, chews and sportbeans are popular, but you can also do simple fruit chews or dried fruit. Make sure you test out your fuels on training runs prior to the race. Most races will have something available at one of the stops. Find out what they are offering and try it in advance. You do not want to find out on race day that something messes with your stomach.

Many races offer pacers. Take advantage of them. Find the pacer that is closest to your expected finish time and line up with them at the start. Aside from offering motivation, they will ensure that you are starting at the right place as well as keeping you from going out to fast. It's not really good form to line up near the front of the pack if you don't plan to finish there, as faster racers will need to be dodging you as they go by. Most races are chip timed, so where you start has no impact on your overall finish. Also, if you do need to take a walk break, move to the right side of the course to let other runners pass by more easily.

As far as tips, I think that pretty much covers it. Good luck and have fun!!

TavistockToad

Don't worry about your pace, you just need to get on with increasing your mileage

spiriteagle99

Start gradually increasing your mileage now, then start a plan 12 weeks before your race that fits your schedule and the mileage you are doing. Higdon's plans are good and free. I think you'll find that as your mileage goes up your pace will go down.

bshedwick

+1 for Hal Higdon's plans. I used his Novice 2 plan for my first Half. I was able to follow it pretty closely and had great luck in my race. Good luck!

crreature

I've now run two half marathons and when I've trained for them I tried to do two short runs (my route is ~4 miles) on the weekdays and a slower, longer run at the weekend. I try and up the distance of the long run by a mile every few weeks (depending on how much time until the race!) and aim to have run ~11 miles by maybe 3 weeks before raceday. I'm by no means an expert at running (and also very slow paced!) but I find sticking to set online training plans difficult and this has worked for me

xBobbieJo

Imperfect_Angel wrote: »

Hi guys. My sister and I have signed up to do a half marathon in June, however, we don't have any experience doing races and our running pace is pretty rubbish - 12 min/mile lol. We would like any tips on how to train etc before the big day. We run 5Ks outside as well as on treadmills but this is a longer run and we're both so nervous but excited!

One last thing, is June attainable or have we been too ambitious?

Thanks x

Im training for a half in march! Contact me ill add you to my group! [edited by mods]

juliet3455

@Imperfect_Angel June is attainable. As many have said start increasing your distance now.
In fact don't wait until 12 weeks out to start the training plan. I would suggest you could start it now as suggested by this Blog
I might even double the plan. That is do each week twice ( especially the early weeks ) giving you lots of time to slowly increase your distance and allowing you to have extra down/recovery-taper weeks. Time on your feet is more important than Pace at this point in your running training. Most people I interact with in my little club use a plan as a guideline and modify it to fit their life.
Another good reference is this compilation of Links.

If you can find some local 5k and 10k races you should register for them just for the experience of a race, especially the start and the Pack Dragging you out at a pace that is to fast for you to maintain through the event. Pay attention to your pre-race meal timing and Bathroom routines based on expected start time. If you have a "regular" 9:20 bathroom routine and the race starts at 9:00 you need to make some adjustments.

Most important note; Nothing New on Race Weekend/Day. Wear the clothes and shoes that you have been training in/comfortable in for the temperatures. The Race shirt, put it aside for Post Race wear and future short training runs. It's a rookie mistake to wear the race shirt and find out that it has material or a seam that irritates. I had a Race shirt that had a Chevron of Reflective Material on the Back and Chest that looked great for night running. It was a disaster as the seams irritated the nipples and the shoulder blades. I believe it ended up in the Sally Ann Bin. Its not the time to experiment with that new Mexican/Chinese/Italian restaurant that you have never been to.

Imperfect_Angel

Thank you guys for all responses. Is it OK for me to screen grab some of these to send to my sister as she is not on MFP?

The weather in Scotland is terrible ATM to run outside so the most I can do is an indoor track and the gym, might be a few weeks of that too since there's a storm coming etc.

@lporter229 What you said about chews......what are these meant to do exactly? Please excuse me but I'm a bit lost, if you could kindly explain x

juliet3455

http://running.competitor.com/2014/08/training/running-101-how-often-should-you-run_12188?utm_medium=whats-hot

http://running.competitor.com/2015/07/training/pre-race-dos-and-donts-for-beginner-runners_132707

http://running.competitor.com/2015/10/training/how-to-train-for-your-first-10k_137447

http://running.competitor.com/2015/05/training/how-to-train-for-your-first-half-marathon_128475

copplemi

Achieving the next goal of running is definitely exciting. I talked with my trainer when I did my first half marathon a couple years ago and they provided me with my plan with motivations each week to keep me focus on my goal. Good luck with your training.

MeanderingMammal

Imperfect_Angel wrote: »

The weather in Scotland is terrible ATM to run outside

You're in Glasgow, the weather is better than it is here in the South of England, at the moment...

As far as nutrition is concerned, personally I wouldn't worry too much for a half marathon, but if you do need something on the move you can either get chews or gels. I've used both, and find either effective.

The main thing is to be adequately fueled before going out; porridge & banana or something like that.

helloyukihayashi

June is totally do-able! The best way to train for a half is to use a training plan geared to your experience level. You can train to run-walk, or to run it straight. Google half marathon training plans and Runners World or Jeff Galloway. You got this!

spiriteagle99

Imperfect_Angel wrote: »

@lporter229 What you said about chews......what are these meant to do exactly? Please excuse me but I'm a bit lost, if you could kindly explain x

Chews are something like Cliff Shot Bloks - a small chewy square a lot like a dense gumdrop. Three small pieces have 90 calories, 23 g. carbohydrate, and (for the one I like best, Margarita flavor) 150 mg. sodium and 20 mg. potassium. Some people eat Swedish Fish, jelly beans, etc. for the sugar boost, but those don't have the added sodium or potassium. There are other chews, just as there are a multitude of gels to try out.

Start training with some sort of fuel when your runs get up to 9 or 10 miles if you plan to use something during your race. Many people don't, because you should have enough stored glycogen to keep you going for 13 miles, but there is both a physical and psychological boost to ingesting something sugary every 45 minutes or so in a long race. I had a hard time getting my stomach used to eating concentrated sugar when exerting, but eventually I found some Gus etc. that my stomach tolerates. Shot Bloks were easier to digest, but can be harder to chew, especially if they're old. I've also used dates and raisins.

kelssskay

That isn't too ambitious. Hal Higdon has great plans. Good luck.

Philtex

I use this 10-week training plan:

http://www.marathonrookie.com/support-files/10weekhalfmarathonschedule.pdf

BrianSharpe

It's ambitious but if you're looking to finish rather than worried about a specific time it's doable , check out Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan. It would also be helpful for you to try and fit a 5K and 10K race into your schedule as part of your training plan, running a a large race can be intimidating the first couple of times, this will help with both physical and mental preparation (as a matter of race etiquette slower runners should line up closer to the back of the pack - some races will have numbered or colour coded corrals based on estimated finish times, if they do pick an appropriate one, while the vast majority of racers are age group recreational runners some races do offer prize money and some elite runners will also be running to qualify for scholarships etc, it's considered very bad form to line up at the front unless you're an elite athlete or it's a fun run)

Build up your distances gradually, do your cross training (it really does help with injury prevention) and have fun.