Week 1 Schedule: From Non-Runner to Half Marathon in Four Mo

bjshields

Okay, campers, welcome to 2011! I've done some research, and now that I'm feeling better after a few days of antibiotics (and may I just say, God bless the makers of augmentin) here's the schedule for Week 1 of a 12-week training period for a half marathon.

FYI, I am NOT a runner, so this is for people who don't have a background in running. I got this off about.com's website.

They want you to run 4 days a week, preferably not on consecutive days (although my fitness level is such that I could run/walk this amount consecutively). I would say gauge your own fitness level and plan accordingly. You need to warm up 10-15 minutes before and cool down 5-10 minutes after, then as previous posters have emphasized, stretch, stretch and STRETCH a little more.

And how to read below: "2/1 run/walk intervals" means run 2 minutes, then walk 1 minute, and repeat that cycle until you've reached the day's mileage.

Week 1:
Day 1: 2 miles - 2/1 run/walk intervals
Day 2: 2.5 miles - 2/1 run/walk intervals
Day 3: 3 miles (long run) - 2/1 run/walk intervals
Day 4: 2 miles recovery walk

On non-running days, it's recommended that you bike, swim, lift weights, etc. to avoid injury. I am also training for Iron Girl in August, so I'm going to continue biking in the cold with my biking buddy, Linda.

Again, I'd like to check back with everybody on Tuesdays. That's when I weigh-in, and so this can be a check-in AND b@%#h session (double for your money, right?).

Cheers, and happy running!

emmaleigh47

Can I offer some unsolicited advice as someone who went from doing nothing to running a half marathon yesterday.
PLEASE only start this program if you are capable of walking for about 3 miles without significant difficulty or you will pay for it.
You should NEVER run 2 days in a row especially when starting out...
And new runners should never run more than 3 days a week until they have built a consistant running base for at least 2-3 months. That walking on the last day is perfectly fine though. Oh and crosstraining is crucial (although it is something I suck at).

If I can offer anyone help ... please PM me or be my friend!
Good luck to you all!!

bjshields

Thanks for the advice. How'd your half marathon go? And CONGRATS! By the way, my knee hurts. :frown:

emmaleigh47

Thanks for the advice. How'd your half marathon go? And CONGRATS! By the way, my knee hurts. :frown:

I survived! LOL! That is about all I can expect at this point I think.
I started out great and I remember at 8 miles I felt pretty great.
At 9 miles I could feel a blister developing on my outer L foot that was starting to hurt pretty bad and my quads were sore but otherwise I was ok.
At mile 11.5 I really ran out of gas and slowed down quite a bit .... but I did finish!!
Time... well nothing too impressive. But I did beat 3:30 which was my original dream time for the actual race... so I was excited about that one. Now I guess I have to change my dream time for the actual race?

ashley0616

I have a really hard time doing run/walk intervals. I have found that if I stop running, I really won't start again. I've tried it. I actually did the same route two times - once running and once wtih the run/walk - and I made it further and felt better on the time that I just ran.

I'm a really slow runner, jogger really, and I do about 1.5 miles in 20 minutes. That's as far as I've gone so far. I want to be able to last longer and be faster (don't we all?) but I think last longer is definitely on the front burner. This schedule I think will help that, especially with the cardio/weights on the off days. Thanks!!