Calling all Runners...

emmaleigh47

I need some assistance ... perhaps from those of you who are experienced.
A good friend (and my massage therapist) wants to train for the half marathon with me (the next one that is)
She is a little itty bitty thing (about 120 pounds) and in good shape, but has never run before.
I told her to register for her first 5K on 2/13

What distances should I tell her to go? Start with 2 and then work up to 3 in 2 weeks?

superjarrod1616

Runners world had a routine that only had you run 3 times a week. It was great because you could train without overtraining. Great for first timers. I used it for a marathon it was great! Just search their site I am sure you will find it. Have fun!

michelle_mareshfuehrer

Maybe have her start C25K--It's a 9 week program, though which will not give enough time for the date she signed up for, but if she's in shape she may be able to skip a few of those weeks...

TaraMaria

About a week into December I decided I wanted to do a half marathon in April. I had just started running two weeks prior. Ha ha! I thought I was completely crazy because in order to being doing the Half Marathon training I wanted to do, Hal Higdon, you needed to be able to run to run a 5K already. So in the month of December I made it my goal to run a 5K or 30 minutes straight. I'm around the same size as your friend and I ran 30 minutes straight about 3 weeks in. Right after the new year I ran my first 5K in 40 minutes and on Sunday I ran it in 30. Its completely doable.

Interval training is key. HIIT. I made it my goal to run that first mile straight. Every time I went in I tried to hit that one mile mark. In this stage of the game I was running pretty frequently because I wasn't running for very long, sometimes every day. Once I hit that I concentrated on doing intervals for two miles, building up to as fast as I could. Then I alternated intervals and trying to run that two miles straight. Once I hit that I alternated intervals, running as long as I could and then doing the fastest mile I could. All on separate days of course, usually every other day.

When is your half marathon? )

countryrunner

I ran my first half marathon last year. Here is a link to the training schedule that I used.

http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm

TaraMaria

I ran my first half marathon last year. Here is a link to the training schedule that I used.

http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm

I'm using Hal Higdon for my Half Marathon as well, only the intermediate because of the interval runs. ) For sure let us know when the Half Marathon is! )

mollymoo89

I would recommened Hal Higdon's training program. I used it for my first half marathon last october and loved it.

Barneystinson

+1 for Hal Higdon's plan. I'm using it for a half marathon in April. Got my first 5K in 27:13, next one at 26:20, 5 miler in 42 minutes. I'm definitely seeing improvement.

superjarrod1616

Here is the Runners World Program. Very Easy and non intimidating. Worked Great!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--9369-1-1X2X3X4X5X6X7-8,00.html

wxsarah

I tried Jeff Galloway's method for my first half last April. It was a great way to get ready: http://jeffgalloway.com/training/half_marathon.html, and finished in 2:47

For my second half, ran in August, I used Hal Higdon't training schedule, linked in a post above. I improved my tyime by 27 minutes, coming in at 2:20:13.

For me, run/walk is the way to ease into running. Others disagree, but I like the break it gives my body and it keeps my metabolism high.

KCmom

I'm using Hal Higdon's half marathon for novice program (google it and it'll come up). I started running for the first time (ever!) in November and did a 5K in December and am signed up for a 12K in Feb, a 15K in March and the half in May. It's a good program.
It's going good - we were so far out from our half we did each week twice up the first 8 weeks.
Good luck!