First Half Marathon: weight and time?

twopeas2 · June 2014

I'm currently 105kg/231pounds and I am doing a half in September. Honestly, my goal is to finish it lol I ran (no walk breaks) 11k last week in 1hr 31mins, so I hope to scrape in under 3 hours. I'm also hoping to be down between 6kg and 10kg by then too, as I'm hoping it'll make it easier on my body. I have a training plan in place and am excited about getting stuck into it

Good luck and have fun!

badbcatha05 · June 2014

Last Sunday was my first half marathon... 144lbs finished in 2:07:40.

bttrthanevr · June 2014

Congratulations and good luck! What a wonderful decision you have made. I was 230 pounds (Female and 5'8") when I started C25K December 28th, 2013 having asthma and never having run in my life. I followed the program faithfully. Once I completed it, I continued to run three times a week and add distance gradually over the course of last year. I just ran my first half marathon four weeks ago weighing 165 and no longer needing my inhaler. I ran the whole way and I finished in 2:20:37. The choice you have made for yourself is a path to better health, both mental and physical. God Bless and God Speed! I am so happy for you!

dwh77tx · June 2014

Just do it!! I was 135 and did it in 2:13. I would have gone faster, but was stuck in multiple porta potties! Never again!

umer76 · June 2014

Congratulations and good luck! What a wonderful decision you have made. I was 230 pounds (Female and 5'8") when I started C25K December 28th, 2013 having asthma and never having run in my life. I followed the program faithfully. Once I completed it, I continued to run three times a week and add distance gradually over the course of last year. I just ran my first half marathon four weeks ago weighing 165 and no longer needing my inhaler. I ran the whole way and I finished in 2:20:37. The choice you have made for yourself is a path to better health, both mental and physical. God Bless and God Speed! I am so happy for you!

Thanks for the positive thoughts. Although I am not losing weight for past 8 months or so but I am able to run longer and walk faster as well. This gave me the idea to do half marathon after successfully completing 10K in over 100 mins and now I am doing it in 92 mins. I am hoping with HM my body fat might give up and finally starts melting away:)

rdrage73 · June 2014

It's not about your finish time.It's the experience.Good luck. 172lbs, 1:45

sonyalebo · June 2014

I havent done one yet but im planning on it!! Im not gonna worry about my time for my first one just that I finish it..Good luck to you and happy running!!

umer76 · June 2014

Yessss completed the full distance i.e. 21kms in 3 hours and 33 mins (just 3 mins over the target). I ran for 75 mins and almost did 9 kms which is 43% of the total distance. Feeling very satisfied:) I did the preparation in 4 weeks only.

My current weight is 309lbs which makes this first run even more special. Maximum distance I have jogged in one workout was 46 mins and today I was able to do 75 mins. If my blisters didnt hurt today I would have done more but it was painful and I could see blood on my right shoe. Loved the whole experience though.

snikkins · June 2014

Yessss completed the full distance i.e. 21kms in 3 hours and 33 mins (just 3 mins over the target). I ran for 75 mins and almost did 9 kms which is 43% of the total distance. Feeling very satisfied:) I did the preparation in 4 weeks only.

My current weight is 309lbs which makes this first run even more special. Maximum distance I have jogged in one workout was 46 mins and today I was able to do 75 mins. If my blisters didnt hurt today I would have done more but it was painful and I could see blood on my right shoe. Loved the whole experience though.

Congratulations! :drinker:

b0bbystewart · June 2014

260lbs in 2:20:05

lsuatmospherics · June 2014

Just saw you had completed your run. Awesome. Congrats.
Hope you had fun and sign up for many more.

fat2fitdancody · June 2014

217 lbs in 2:06:04, I was 306 lbs at the start of 2012 and can't imagine taking part in a half marathon at that weight, well done.

umer76 · June 2014

217 lbs in 2:06:04, I was 306 lbs at the start of 2012 and can't imagine taking part in a half marathon at that weight, well done.

If I can be under 250(hopefully in this year) I can definitely reduce my time by one hour I am sure. Important thing for me was to complete this distance which I have never done before. Point to prove was that I can do it while still over 300 lbs with 4-5 weeks training only.

caracrawford1 · June 2014

Hi everyone, I am going to attempt my first half marathon on 21st of June. I will be brisk walking mostly and may be jog the 25% of the distance only. I currently weigh 309lbs. I am interested to know your weight when you had attempted your first half marathon and what was your finishing time?
This question is not just about the race day. I am asking about the first time when you did 21km distance in your life:) I just want get the idea for beginner's time.

138 pounds. 1hr45min I didn't walk though. Be sure to put Vaseline in between your legs, under the bust (for ladies) on the nipples (for men) these can and do chafe at any size

umer76 · June 2014

Hi everyone, I am going to attempt my first half marathon on 21st of June. I will be brisk walking mostly and may be jog the 25% of the distance only. I currently weigh 309lbs. I am interested to know your weight when you had attempted your first half marathon and what was your finishing time?
This question is not just about the race day. I am asking about the first time when you did 21km distance in your life:) I just want get the idea for beginner's time.

138 pounds. 1hr45min I didn't walk though. Be sure to put Vaseline in between your legs, under the bust (for ladies) on the nipples (for men) these can and do chafe at any size

Thanks for the tip I put a kt tape on my nipples. It is no fun when they hurt after every long run. With the tape on I was pain free today:)

TheRedEyedDevil · November 2017

I just ran my 1st Half Marathon for the 2017 Chartway Norfolk Harbor Half Marathon in 3:11:22 and I am 6'4" and weigh 250 pounds. I ran the 1st 9.5 miles straight and then did half and half of walking and running to the finish line. I only trained for a little over a month for it, so I wasn't as prepared as I should have been, but with my busy schedule, 12 days of training was enough to get me there.

I originally planned to do the Shamrock full marathon last year when I was fit and healthy but with a job that required me to be on my feet 8-10 hours a day, marathon training was causing too much pain. But now I have my career job of a lifetime and I can get away with 2-3 days of running a week for training. I can say that running alone even 2-3 miles a day doesn't make you loose weight. Running a long run over 7 miles without stopping, you can feel your body burning the fat, but ultimately a good diet, and lots of exercise and different types of exercise is the deciding factor to really loose wight.

I was on low a low carb diet and went from 300 to 215 last year. This year I'm at 250. The low carb diet does work, but another thing that also works is the burn more than you eat method on a daily basis. But I wouldn't do that method unless you were already in decent shape because your body when you are big needs lots of energy or you will get fatigue real quick. Drink water only, little or no caffeine, and eat lots of veggies and protein. Stay away from supplements.

A few good tricks to keep the grumbles away is to drink 16oz. of water before each meal, eat a 70% and above piece of chocolate the size of your thumb nail 15 minutes before a meal and 5 minutes after a meal. (Don't get a Hershey's bar, look at other brands that use less sugar for your own benefit). I did this method for breakfast and usually drank a hot cup of green tea without sugar. It's a fact that green tea helps you burn fat if you drink it 1 hour prior to exercise. (User beware, it also flushes your bladder). Eat 5-7 small meals a day instead of 2-3 big meals.

Back to the running question, run at your own pace, make a realistic goal for yourself. 13.1 miles is a long distance on foot and at mile 7 I was in a ton of pain. My feet were burning and I could feel my blisters poping. I wear knee compression braces so I don't feel pain in my knees tell after the run which is pretty severe usually for two days then I'm fine. Take it slow, nothing wrong with a slow jog, maybe aim for 13-15 minute miles. Time is irrelevant your first time, the distance is what matters most in my opinion, especially if your not in for the competition like me. The reason I run may differ than why you run or why the fastest person runs, but you have to have find your reason, your purpose, and make your own goals.

Most Half Marathons have a time limit of 4 hours and let you walk. Of a matter of fact I would say from experience that walking a mile in 12 minutes is harder than running one in 10 and there are people that can walk 6 miles per hour which is a 10 minute mile. I can tell you from my experience that to run or jog long distance takes more mental determination than physical fitness. But I promise no matter how big you are or what thoughts are going through your head that you can do whatever you set your mind to and that my friend(s) is the determining factor!