Train for a Half Marathon..need some advice

jennipooh0324

Seriously considering doing a half marathon this summer (June). I have recently started running 6kms in about 45 mins, but as my weight decreases I hope that the time decreases and the distance increases.

What I was wondering, is how long approx does a half marathon take?

What is the best way to TRAIN for a half marathon??

The one I am looking at is the WOmen's Half Marathon in Niagara Falls Canada (45 mins from me) and it is a run/walk. It is almost completely flat they say.

Anyone a little larger that has ever completed a half marathon? Just needing some encouragement (I am 225 right now, but hope to the Good Lord that I am in the one hundred's by January.)

Thanks everyone.

Mrscanmore

Why don't you look up the race results from the race you are thinking of doing from previous years? That should give you a time line. I use John Stanton's book Running From Start to Finish. It gives you training programs for half and full marathons based on the time that you are wanting to finish in. You can also look up on line and find similar training programs. If your goal is just to complete the half, then it is usually just running. If it is to finish in 2:15 or less, then there are usually hills and sprints involved. Stanton's program also uses the run/walk method. You run 10 minutes, walk 1. This is really nice when you feel like you can't go on, instead of thinking about how many km are left, you think about how many minutes left until you get to walk. Also, make sure that you don't increase your km too fast. You don't want to injure yourself.

sjp_511

If you are able to do a 6 km then you can definitely be ready for a half in June. I am a little bit lighter than you, but I was running half marathons back when I was your weight. If you stick with a decent training plan, you should have no problem finishing in less than three hours. Your goal for your first half should just be to finish, no focus on time. You should just focus on getting in the miles to build a strong base and endurance. After you get a few halves done you can look for more intermediate training programs that incorporate speed work. Good luck!