We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Tips for Half Marathon Training

fritch_gets_fit26
fritch_gets_fit26 Posts: 40 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello!

My husband and I signed up to do the Illinois Half Marathon on my 26th birthday in April. I used to be a runner, and I was actually training for this event in college before my second knee surgery. I am bound and determined to get back to running the way I used to, and hopefully that will also get me back to the shape I was in at that point in my life.

Running a half marathon (and full marathon honestly) has been on my bucket list since I was a teenager and I want to accomplish that for my birthday. Right now my workout/training regiment looks like this:

MWF - I am doing the C25K with my husband
TTh - We go to the gym and work on strength training
SSu - I am doing yoga or walking, something less strenuous to rest my body

We have a 5k at the end of October, and once we are done with the C25k training we are going to the C210k training and then the half marathon training they have.

I have dialed in my nutrition and am feeling physically better than ever, focusing on proteins and complex carbs, lots of fruits and veggies, and drinking a TON of water. I have also purchased some great running shoes - seriously they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn! The brand is Brooks and was recommended to me by a family member who has done long distance running since he was in high school.

I feel like I am covering my bases and approaching this from a really healthy place, and I am so excited about it. I feel better than I have in years, and I really feel like I am feeding my body properly while also following a calorie deficit.

So here I am asking all you MFP runners:

Am I covering my bases?
What tips can you give me?
How can I enhance my training?

Anything would be awesome! Thanks!!!

Replies

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    one thing to remember - shoes that work for one person, won't necessarily work for others - I always recommend people go to a running store and get fitting (i.e. I can't wear brooks because of how they rub my feet)
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Looks like you`re approaching this very sensibly, you have plenty of time to prepare for a HM between now and the spring. Once you`ve finished the 10K plan have a look at the Hal Higdon training plans - he has ones suitable for novice to very experienced runners.

    One other thing I may suggest is to make sure your strength program includes hip & glutes for both speed & injury resistance.

    therunexperience.com/how-to-develop-strong-hips-for-running/
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    my tip - the runger is real!!!

    you talk about your protein and carbs, but haven't mentioned fat. when i am half marathon training and my long run gets past 8 miles i have to make sure i'm getting plenty of fat and protein so i am not constantly rungry!
  • fritch_gets_fit26
    fritch_gets_fit26 Posts: 40 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    one thing to remember - shoes that work for one person, won't necessarily work for others - I always recommend people go to a running store and get fitting (i.e. I can't wear brooks because of how they rub my feet)

    I really want to go and do that! That is how I got my favorite pair of running shoes years ago (they have since gone to the big track in the sky lol).

    Unfortunately right now, where I live, I would have to travel 2+ hours to accomplish that, as there are no running specific stores near me. I am planning to do that in the near future (hopefully), but for now I went with the best I could find. They are working really well so far, the support is great and I love the cushioning around the ankle! Hopefully they hold up well and stay comfortable, if not I will be making that 2+ hour trip!
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    When you do find "that shoe" you can always shop online after that. My runtastic app tracks my shoe miles so I can retire them before knee pain crops up. Adding miles gradually is the way to go. when you get your miles up you may want to add a long run on the weekend. I used to do a ten mile on saturday and recover Sunday so I could be ready to run on Monday.
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    Sounds like you have it all covered. Now just enjoy your training. I ran my first Half in May. The furthest distance I ran in my training is 19km before I started to taper. I do have some advice not related to training. Make sure to take a day or two of rest prior to your run and be sure to be well hydrated. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Joanna2012B wrote: »
    Sounds like you have it all covered. Now just enjoy your training. I ran my first Half in May. The furthest distance I ran in my training is 19km before I started to taper. I do have some advice not related to training. Make sure to take a day or two of rest prior to your run and be sure to be well hydrated. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!

    i would do at least a weeks taper for a half - in fact i run my last 'long' run a fortnight before the race.
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Joanna2012B wrote: »
    Sounds like you have it all covered. Now just enjoy your training. I ran my first Half in May. The furthest distance I ran in my training is 19km before I started to taper. I do have some advice not related to training. Make sure to take a day or two of rest prior to your run and be sure to be well hydrated. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!

    i would do at least a weeks taper for a half - in fact i run my last 'long' run a fortnight before the race.

    I still ran a short run 2 days before my half, but @TavistockToad I totally agree that the 'long' run should be cutoff 2 weeks before the half.
  • fritch_gets_fit26
    fritch_gets_fit26 Posts: 40 Member
    edited August 2017
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Joanna2012B wrote: »
    Sounds like you have it all covered. Now just enjoy your training. I ran my first Half in May. The furthest distance I ran in my training is 19km before I started to taper. I do have some advice not related to training. Make sure to take a day or two of rest prior to your run and be sure to be well hydrated. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!

    i would do at least a weeks taper for a half - in fact i run my last 'long' run a fortnight before the race.
    Joanna2012B wrote: »
    Sounds like you have it all covered. Now just enjoy your training. I ran my first Half in May. The furthest distance I ran in my training is 19km before I started to taper. I do have some advice not related to training. Make sure to take a day or two of rest prior to your run and be sure to be well hydrated. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!

    When you guys talk about tapering off...what do you suggest? If I get up to running 10-13 miles how should I taper off before the race? I have never done a half marathon so I don't really know what the prep is the weeks before the race.

    Are there any books you all recommend I read? I am heading to a book store this weekend to look around. Hal Higdon was mentioned above and I see he has a book, is it something I should pick up?
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    I think you're going about it the right way, giving yourself time to ramp up. My wife ran a 1/2 last fall, didn't start adding mileage soon enough so she compressed her schedule (didn't listen to me about making sure she was eating enough either) and ended up with a stress fracture in her femur. Luckily it didn't require surgery but she had to be completely off it for the month of December and really has had to ease back into things. Not trying to be a fear monger-er but just be aware of the injury possibility.

    Now I'm not a serious runner myself; those who are, would you recommend some sort of form check and/or stride evaluation before ramping up mileage too much in an effort to avoid injury? I suspect poor mechanics was also a factor in my wife's injury.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    fritch_gets_fit26 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Joanna2012B wrote: »
    Sounds like you have it all covered. Now just enjoy your training. I ran my first Half in May. The furthest distance I ran in my training is 19km before I started to taper. I do have some advice not related to training. Make sure to take a day or two of rest prior to your run and be sure to be well hydrated. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!

    i would do at least a weeks taper for a half - in fact i run my last 'long' run a fortnight before the race.
    Joanna2012B wrote: »
    Sounds like you have it all covered. Now just enjoy your training. I ran my first Half in May. The furthest distance I ran in my training is 19km before I started to taper. I do have some advice not related to training. Make sure to take a day or two of rest prior to your run and be sure to be well hydrated. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!

    When you guys talk about tapering off...what do you suggest? If I get up to running 10-13 miles how should I taper off before the race? I have never done a half marathon so I don't really know what the prep is the weeks before the race.

    Are there any books you all recommend I read? I am heading to a book store this weekend to look around. Hal Higdon was mentioned above and I see he has a book, is it something I should pick up?

    if you follow a training plan it will include tapering ahead of the race.

    I maxed at 12 mile runs ahead of my last half, and then was forced not to run for 10 days ahead of the race because of an injury!

    ideally i would have done 8/9 miles a week before the race and then maybe 2 2 or 3 mile runs in the week before.

    you can mess around with your carbs and nutrition ahead of your training long runs - essentially i don't worry about any sort of deficit the day before a long run or the day of a long run.
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    I second following a training plan. There are so many free apps for your phone that will help you plan when to taper. I too maxed at (12 miles or 19 km) which was about a month and a half before my Half. I then reduced my km by 2 or 3km per long run. 2 weeks before my half was the last 'long' run, then I just stuck to nice easy 5km or 3.1miles a few times a week. I took 2 full days off of running prior to my Half. The day before was a yoga day!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    A long taper for a half shouldn't be too necessary. A lot will depend on how hard your training is leading up to that point. You shouldn't be "racing" your long runs so even if you do your last one a week out, that should be plenty of time to recover.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,770 Member
    rsclause wrote: »
    When you do find "that shoe" you can always shop online after that. My runtastic app tracks my shoe miles so I can retire them before knee pain crops up.

    The only problem with that is the shoe manufacturers keep changing their shoes, so this year's perfect shoe may not exist next year. If you really like the shoe you're wearing, buy a spare pair now, before the new models come out. Sometimes you can find last year's model online, but if you have hard to fit feet, they may not be easy to find. (I wear wide shoes, and there are fewer of them made.) I had to find a new model of shoe about a month before my 2nd marathon, because the ones I wore for my first had changed and no longer fit my wide feet.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    rsclause wrote: »
    When you do find "that shoe" you can always shop online after that. My runtastic app tracks my shoe miles so I can retire them before knee pain crops up. Adding miles gradually is the way to go. when you get your miles up you may want to add a long run on the weekend. I used to do a ten mile on saturday and recover Sunday so I could be ready to run on Monday.

    I must be one of the luckiest people around, or living in a highly populated area, Northern New Jersey, just leads to good competitive prices BUT, my local running store always has shoes that are right for me (and, I assume, practically everyone else) at prices either competitive with, or below, Amazon. And I get to try them on to see if the new years model has changed. I guess they, the local store, knows that their customers can go to Amazon if they, the local store, is not price competitive.
  • KeepRunningFatboy
    KeepRunningFatboy Posts: 3,055 Member
    I've ran that Half. Its a great course, good logistics. Loved it. You have a great plan - build for the 5K, then the 10K. So you will have a running base. Then it is simply a matter of stretching out your longer runs. You could slowly build from 6.2 miles up to 13.1 by adding a 1/2 mile or possibly a mile every week or so. Hal Higdon's has beginner half marathon training programs that you can get for free on the internet. It doesnt have to be complicated - just run preferably 4 times a week, and schedule one of those to be your weekly long run. I've turned that simple plan into running 68 half marathons and 38 marathons in 4 years.
  • mattiefras
    mattiefras Posts: 29 Member
    Google Hal higdon marathon training tips and/or 1/2 marathon training plans. So much good info on the internet. It's all out there!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories