Half-Marathon Training: The Beginning Stages & Mental Block

KellyOnlySmaller

Hi Everyone!

I have been running for a little over a year now, and I'm currently training for my first half-marathon in August. I've ran a couple of 5K races and previously worked my way up to six-mile runs before I injured my leg earlier this year.

I'm all healed up now, but I have a mental block. I'm using Hal Higdon's novice half training plan, but my last two runs have been awful... high humidity + a lack of belief in myself = walk/run intervals and a feeling of defeat. My miles are slower, I feel heavy and drained while I'm running despite a much healthier diet lately, and I wind up walking.

I know there is nothing wrong with walking, but I want to run. I'm only on week 2 of the plan, and I know my biggest hurdle is finding that belief in myself and not letting the devil on my shoulder let me believe I need to slow down & walk.

Any tips are greatly appreciated. I know I can do this. Deep down I do. But I'm frustrated that I am fighting against myself. I keep a training journal, and I hope to look back one day & realize this was just a phase in my quest to find my place as a runner.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Kelly

jzammetti

I think what you are experiencing is totally normal and will subside in time...our bodies (brain, too) work in cycles and post-injury running is a typical place to feel what you are feeling. I think just keep at it - do your scheduled runs - even if you are walking a lot - and your rhythm will kick in soon. You have plenty of time to prepare for this race and since it's your first half no matter your time/performance level, you will set a personal record just by finishing!

omma_to_3

When you say you're eating better, what do you mean? For many people this means higher protein and lower carb. But, you needs carbs for running. Other than that, I'd just say keep plugging along. Don't look at your speed at all. You should be going slower while training for a half.

JTick

How much running did you do post injury before jumping to a half marathon plan? Was the weather warm prior to your injury? Are you expecting to jump back in to warm, humid weather at the same pace you were running before?

Our weather turned fast here in Ohio. I went from a very comfy 12 min pace in the cool weather, to thinking I was going to die my first trip out in warm weather. It's normal to have to run slower in the heat. Also, I personally wouldn't jump back into running with a half marathon on my mind if you haven't built your base back up. That seems like it's just asking for another injury.

msthang444

For me... that was where I was when I was training for my marathon, and I had to downgrade to a half. (Best decision ever ,btw... for me at that time...) One of the things I had to keep "mantra"-ing were these:

There are a lot of other people who aren't doing what I"m doing. I am doing great just being out here.

I then sometimes would go through the alphabet complimenting myself
A - You're doing Awesome! Let's go!
B - You're Brave for trying this - come on.
C - You're courageous for being out here. You can do it!
D - You are dangerous!....

You get the idea. cheesy? Yes. Did it help? Yes.

Some other things I did were invest in those gatorade chews and the jelly belly energy beans. Now... I'm not going to tell you they work - because for all I know it could have had a placebo effect. But for me it was enough.

ALSO... I NEVER ran for time. Ever. It just so happened that by the end of my training I got a lot faster, but when I ran for time, it wasn't fun and I didn't enjoy it. It felt stressful and pressureful. The same reason I had to stop running with hubby - he was much faster and I felt like a failure when I couldn't keep up.

So.... DO YOU! Be your best you! Be proud of you and keep goin

Also, if you haven't done so already, I'd sign up for the half, just so you know you have a "fixed" date.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Find a running group to do your long runs with.

Lisah8969

I live in FL so I know how the humidity can just kill you on a run. Do you have access to a treadmill in the a/c? Maybe doing some of your training there where the heat is not an issue will help boost your confidence a bit. Just keep it up. Once you get back into the swing of things and get used to the higher temps, you will see improvement. Good luck! And remember that since this is your first Half Marathon, it will be a PR no matter what your time (I have to keep telling myself that for my first Duathlon next month).

msthang444 - I love the alphabet game you have going on! I will have to try that next time!

thavoice

HOw about this....

The training is much harder than the actual race!

You mentioned how you had ran a few 5k's before and then had an injury.

When you felt better did you just start the HM training? Cardio goes away pretty fast and if you went from running 5k's, and then sidelined with an injury you may not have been quite ready to start the HM training yet.

Believe you me...some of those training runs can just be brutal. There are times the "easy" runs should be easy but are tough but later a tough one seems easier!

Go figure.

Before the long runs you will want to fuel up more than normal an dmake sure you have water along the route. There are water fountains around our town, but on our long runs down a bikepath we would have someon drop off a cheapo cooler with drinks at certain places.

So_Much_Fab

Humidity is a killer - at least for me. It degraded my runs drastically.

Are you able to get your runs in during a cooler part of the day?

ETA: I peeked at your profile and see you're in Ohio (I'm in PA so we're practically neighbors!) so maybe try running in the mornings before it gets too hot. Oh, and you have the most beautiful red hair!!

LearnFromTheRed

Humidity absolutely finishes me, so badly so that last year we had one particularly humid day (96%, I think it was) where I managed about 500 metres before I realised I had no chance!! Up until then I'd been running with no trouble at all.

I would reiterate the advice about finding somewhere less humid to run for a while as I thought there was something seriously wrong with me I'd never run again after that experience, and the last thing you want is that affecting your self-confidence!

plankml

Honestly, the thing about a half marathon is that there is a lot of room for imperfection because you have a lot of time. The biggest thing is make sure you cover the distance on your long run every single week. If you get the distance covered, once a week, just get that done, the rest honestly will take care of itself. Make sure you have a stretching routine when you wake up, go to bed, and before you run and follow it religiously - then you can let go because you will know you are doing your best. It's kind of like being good at putting in golf - half of the battle is having a ritual before you do it.

thavoice

Honestly, the thing about a half marathon is that there is a lot of room for imperfection because you have a lot of time. The biggest thing is make sure you cover the distance on your long run every single week. If you get the distance covered, once a week, just get that done, the rest honestly will take care of itself. Make sure you have a stretching routine when you wake up, go to bed, and before you run and follow it religiously - then you can let go because you will know you are doing your best. It's kind of like being good at putting in golf - half of the battle is having a ritual before you do it.

I concur.

The few that I ran I very loosely followed the plan. Actually, I followed it only by making sure I got that long run in each week. During the week I would do other runs and not really follow the schedule.

Humidity does suck...no doubt about that.

ejoy77

Humidity wrecks me, too. In fact, that's pretty normal, I think. It makes it so much more difficult for your body to regulate it's temperature, and it can be just draining.

Here's a thing to remember: No single run is reflective of your ability to run. You can't judge what you are capable of doing by any single attempt. I know that feeling you're describing, where you start to question yourself and your abilities because you're having a tough time out there. But one run is just that: one run.

I saw someone else recommended finding a running group to do long runs with. I think that's a really good idea. And if that's not possible, how about just finding one running buddy? There are days I would never make it through my run (or sometimes even make it out the door!) if not for my running buddy. We push each other to keep going, and the time goes a lot faster on my long runs when I'm with her, even if we're not talking. Just knowing someone else is in it with you can change the way the run feels.

Capt_Apollo

something that helped me mentally was to work my way backwards on my google calendar. go to you race day, and then the week before you put in 9 miles (taper run). the week before that you write in 13 miles, and the week before that you write in 12 miles, etc etc. working your way back you can go as far back to when your long run is four miles and you can go "oh hell, this is easy."

and having it up on a calendar for me is very motivating. i just kind of tell me self "self, this is what you have to do this week." just like a job or whatever, i don't always want to go, but i have to.

running, cycling, swimming, lifting, whatever won't always be fun, especially if you're training for a race. sometimes you will just have to dredge through it. you will hit snooze. you will be tempted to sleep in. you'll be tempted to have that extra drink the night before.

but you won't. because it's not about the goal. it's about the journey.

SonicDeathMonkey80

And train in the elements you will be racing in. You won't do yourself any favors chilling on a treadmill when you need to be acclimating yourself to the heat.

Capt_Apollo

And train in the elements you will be racing in. You won't do yourself any favors chilling on a treadmill when you need to be acclimating yourself to the heat.

thats been the general theme for the last couple of days.

ETA: even the difference of just two hours can be very very different. my training runs would typically start at 5-6am. two hours and 12 miles later it's 8am and only just starting to warm up. at my half marathon last week i didn't start until 8am, so i was half way through the race when the sun started to really hit.

handyrunner

When you say you're eating better, what do you mean? For many people this means higher protein and lower carb. But, you needs carbs for running. Other than that, I'd just say keep plugging along. Don't look at your speed at all. You should be going slower while training for a half.

This...are you getting enough carbs?

handyrunner

And train in the elements you will be racing in. You won't do yourself any favors chilling on a treadmill when you need to be acclimating yourself to the heat.

And this...when nature and your body are against you...thats a perfect time to run... so it wont smack you in the face on race day.

cwolfman13

I'm not a runner, but I participate in endurance cycling events and training is similar. There are a couple of things that stand out to me generally with not knowing exactly where you are...

For one, you mentioned an injury...how long was the recover and did you just go straight from recovery to this training template? If so, it may be too aggressive and you'd be well served to give yourself a few weeks to ramp up. I have an event this coming Saturday for which I've been training for months...it was actually longer than a standard training template would be for such an even largely because I was coming off of an injury and had to take an extra 4 weeks or so to ramp up to the actual training schedule...**** happens.

I would also ask what your nutrition is like. People get gung ho about training for these types of events without realizing that training is different than working out. If you have a large calorie deficit to lose weight, training can be very much a challenge as you simply will be lacking the nutrition and energy to perform optimally for long distance endurance events. Carb fear is also an issue for many...they try to do these types of events while they aren't getting anywhere close to an optimal level of carbohydrate intake.

To boot, people forget that as workouts turn into training bouts and those training bouts get more and more intense...timing and quality of nutrients become that much more important to performance. Are you eating properly before your long runs? Do you eat during your long runs? Are you getting prompt recovery nutrition after your long runs? These things become more and more important as you train.

Lastly, as Capt_Apollo pointed out...training often sucks...it is completely different than just working out. I can tell you right now, as much as I love to ride, I can't wait until this event is over so I can lay off the miles...I'm tired of riding 6 days per week...I'm tired of riding 100 miles + per week...I want my Saturday mornings back to go take my kids to the zoo or just go to the gym or hit the pool for a few laps rather than spending hours riding around my city.

I'm sick and tired of being in the saddle...that said, I look back now on my training with great fondness and have some great memories...I'm proud of where I am now vs where I started. There were so many times along the way that I thought I'd never make it and times when I thought I would give up...but here I am ready to ride on Saturday morning. I think back to February when I just started training....the cold and the wind and the sometimes light snow or freezing rain...taking my training into spring and my first nice long ride wearing shorts and a regular jersey with no hood to keep my face and head warm...to the more recent rides in increasingly hot temperatures.

It's all be an awesome journey and I can't believe that this particular one is almost over...and as sick as I am of it all, I know I'll soon be starting down the path to my next event...my next round of training bouts...that next bit of love and hate. I will give myself a little well deserved rest and then I will become restless and will be right back at it, most likely *****ing and moaning the whole way....

KellyOnlySmaller

You guys are awesome! Thank you so much!

I live in Ohio, and the weather definitely changed quickly. I'm honestly okay with slower miles. It's just that need to stop and walk that is driving me batty. Humidity is evil, but the negative voice in my head is more evil

I kept up my level of fitness during my injury. I was only completely out of running for about a month, but before and after that, my runs were short and if I started to feel any pain at all, I'd walk. So as I'm writing this, I realize I may have continued that pattern... walk til it's uncomfortable... then run. While I was on running hiatus, I biked and exercised just as much with the help of a physical therapist. I just didn't run.

I hate the treadmill and only use it when I absolutely have to. I have no doubt it's going to be a hot race in August, but it's a 7am start, so at least I won't be dealing with mid-day heat.

I've already signed up for the race, and because of that, I am determined to keep going. I'll be doing a couple of 5K's along the way, and I thank the person who said I have plenty of time to train. I think injuries can happen at any time, but I have to learn not to be scared I will hurt myself again. Maybe mentally I've slowed down my runs at an attempt to avoid another injury.

As far as my diet, I've been eating much less sugar (I'm insulin resistant, recently diagnosed) and eat a healthy balance of protein/carbs/fat. I go to a dietician which has helped tremendously.

I'm rambling, but I wanted to let you know I appreciate your comments very much. You all bring up really good points. I just need to quit being so hard on myself. I may just not even pay attention to time at all right now. I normally use MapMyRun, which used to be a huge motivator, but lately it's making me anxious to look down and see that time.

Thanks again! And thanks for reading my rambles

Kelly

JoRocka

When you say you're eating better, what do you mean? For many people this means higher protein and lower carb. But, you needs carbs for running. Other than that, I'd just say keep plugging along. Don't look at your speed at all. You should be going slower while training for a half.

this.

double check your food- if it's hotter- and you are running longer- you may need more food- and more of those dirty bad carbs people complain about... bring on the bagels!!!!

and yes- training is hard.

I would also recommend slowing down to an almost unbearably slow pace- just to break the trend of having to stop and walk. End game of 'just keep running'