Half marathon HELP!!!

kimmycj13

So I took a step and signed up for a half marathon in October. I'm nervous, excited, scared, anxious...you name it I feel it. Does anyone have any tips or training suggestions to help me along my journey? I don't want to just finish, I want to be able to say I ran the whole thing without walking!

Floridaboiler

There are a lot of training plans available online. Look for Hal Higdon, he has some good ones.

Find a plan that feels comfortable to you and just follow it. If work or life makes you alter the schedule a little, don't let it bother you, it won't hurt you. The biggest thing is to be safe as you bump your weekly mileage.

If you have any specific questions post them here and I can try and answer them.

I am by no means an expert but I have been running for 10+ years now and I have completed a bunch of 1/2 marathons and marathons.

Good Luck!!

dsak

Check out ACTIVE.COM and RUNNERSWORLD.COM.... they always have great articles, tips, etc. for running and training... no matter what distance.

bert16

As mentioned above, a lot of people use Hal Higdon's training programs; others swear by Jeff Galloway's. I'd search both of those on Google and pick whichever one looks good to you. The main thing is to increase your weekly distance and speed *gradually* to prevent injury, which can keep you from running the race.

Just find a training plan and follow it - I'm sure you'll do great!

Happy running!

kimmycj13

Thank you. I will be sure to look at those sites.I figure 9 months should be plenty of time to slowly increase my distance and speed, which is why I am starting now and not 10 weeks before the race!!

bert16

You definitely have plenty of time - smart planning! :-)

Remy11

I'm currently training for the half in May. I joimed a group to train with for my long runs and it makes a huge difference- at least for me. You may want to see if there is a group in your area. It's a great support sytem as well since everyone is working towards the same goal. Good luck!

kimmycj13

I didn't know that they had groups like that! Awesome!! I will look up area ones!!

zippo32

There are these threads as well..........
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/429328-anyone-crazy-enough-out-there-to-take-on-a-half-marathon
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/417844-mfp-half-marathon?hl=half+marathon&page=2#posts-6187961
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/444780-any-one-doing-half-marathon?error_user_id=9949627&error_username=zippo32&hl=half+marathon
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/154624-half-marathon-help?hl=Half+marathon+HELP!!!#posts-2079825

CallmeSbo

I am signed up for one for the Feb 25th. I did 15km yesterday. To my suprise and shock, im not even feeling stiff today.

kimmycj13

I have done some 5k's in the past but nothing ever over that. This how now become more of a personal challenge to prove to myself that I can do it. But with all the encouragement I have received from people today my confidence has been elevated significantly!!!

Remy11

I just saw that you are from Columbus too. I am currently training with Marathoner in Training (MIT). It's a great place for beginners!

Scoobiesnax

Best of luck with your first half marathon ! My best tips would be to not try to do too much too soon, gradually increase your distances and don't increase your total distance by more than 9% or 10% a week, you risk injury that way. Your body will need time to adjust to the extra miles.
Also I highly recommend pullback weeks, instead of increasing your lon g runs every single week, increse them for 3 weeks then pull back the next week. This again will help your body to recover and strengthen itself.
As far as training plans go, I used Hal Higdon's half marathon plan for my first one and it worked well. I have also used John Stanton's training plans for a full marathon as well and that worked for me too. Basically find one that you think will suit your time constraints, lifestyle, and running preferences.
Good luck !

kimmycj13

Thank you all! Remy11 are you from Columbus too?

Remy11

Kimmycj13-Yes, I'm from Columbus too. Feel free to add me to your friends list if you would like.

FunRun08

It has pretty much been said. Find a training program that you are comfortable with. Make sure you are adding miles slowly to avoid injury. Hal Higdon and Jeff Galloway have great programs. I do my own special mix of the two of them lol. I also suggest finding a partner who has done the distance before to help you with long runs. I have some friends that run much more than I do and they were invaluable in my training helping me pace myself and know what to expect.

The only specific advice I would give from personal experience is if you do a test race make sure you have plenty of time in between your test race and the actual race. Last year I signed up for a half mary in October. In September I ran a 14 mile trail race thinking it would be a good test run to not worry about time and complete the distance. I ended up hurting myself and not being in top form for my race. Good luck

mlawilm

There is a program called Couch to Marathon. It walks you day by day from being a couch potato to running in a marathon. It takes you in realistic steps.

aTROOPSTER

As someone else said, see if you can find a runner's group. I joined one that was actually training for a half (though some people, myself included, didn't actually run it).

We had one day of long runs, two days of timed runs, and a couple days of cross training thrown in.

i_am_asparagus

Bump.

bcraig26

1. Find a training plan.
2. Don't do too much too fast.
3. Have fun!

themedalist

Welcome to the world of half-marathons! I've walked nine halfs all over the US and will do #10 this May at Cincy's Flying Pig. It's been a life enhancing hobby for me and the race organizers and fellow marathoners are AWESOME!

I'd strongly recommend you read John Bingham's Marathoning for Mortals. Very helpful guide.

Good luck!

adjoa84

Aww i did a half marathon back in 2010 BEST thing ive ever done, such an achievement you're starting nice and early so youll be fine no big deal if you miss a day or two. I started training 6 months before the half marathon and i completed in 2h 17mins so it's perfectly doable in your time frame. Enjoy! Get fitted for proper running shoes, drink plently and fuel the body before AND after running....

mikeyrp

Agree with the above. Half Marathons are my favourite distance at the moment - they are a challenge but they are not the sort of distance where you are likely to hurt yourself as long as you build up to them slowly. Right now I'm doing at least this sort of effort every week (either in distance or when fell/trail running in time/calories). This time last year I was starting to train for a 10K and it seemed like a big challenge.

So, advice:

1) Pick a program, tailor it to your personal needs and stick to it

2) Sign up for loads of races. Race experience is important as running in a pack is different to running alone - Most people who burn out in a race do so because they go off too fast at the start following the crowd. As the race progresses your body warms up and speed comes naturally - so going fast at the end of a (long) race is less effort than the same speed at the start. Furthermore, at the start you have to put a lot of effort into weaving around people whereas towards the end the crowd has generally thinned out. I normally overtake a lot of people in the last 3-4 miles of a half!

3) Try to find a training buddy. Running with someone is fun, it helps keep you motivated and being able to chat as you go helps the time pass more quickly. You will be out training for a couple of hours in your longer distance sessions

4) Get used to drinking whilst running. I try to take a small sip every half mile: drinking a large amount in one go gives me stitch.

5) Once you are running for over an hour start taking Energy Gels... A Gel takes about 10 minutes to kick in and you should take one every 20-30 minutes. It takes some time to find what works for you. The difficulty is that when you use them properly you never feel 'out of fuel' so they seem kind of pointless... Its only when you don't take them you notice the difference they have been making.


6) Get quality trainers. Get new ones after 300 miles and throw out your old ones at 400 miles (you will need several short runs to break in the newbies, so keep the old ones for long runs in this period. I also try to use my old ones when I know I'm doing some mixed road/trail running because they get muddy and I'm vain). Good trainers reduce the chance of injury significantly.

7) Read up on running technically. There are several lines of thought on the best way to run. If you can mentally filter out the hippy blah blah from the good stuff I recommend you read about Chi Running. A running club will also help you out massively in this area. Good technique = less injuries, less effort and more speed.

8) Don't be afraid to eat your exercise calories. A half ~1650 cals for a 164lb guy (i.e. me) and if I don't eat properly before & afterwards I feel rubbish all week.

9) Run outside whenever possible. I'd rather run in the cold and wet than run on a treadmill. I'm not against treadmills exactly but they are depressing if you are on them a long time, plus they generally shorten your stride which is good for improving your cadence - hence your speed work - but tough for longer runs.

10) Enjoy it. Whether its all about listening to music, or the scenery, or chatting with friends - enjoy the journey.

newlmhlife

BUMP

kimmycj13

You guys ROCK!!! I have never felt more motivated then I do right now!!! I will take this week to research and make a plan. I guess I just thought if you go out there and run, gradually increase distance you will be fine. But I am learning there is much more that needs to be taken into account! Thanks guys!!!

mikeyrp

Yeah, most plans have you increasing the distance in a non-linear way. Most people do one long run a week. The pattern for the long run always goes something like (miles) 3, 6, 7, 4, 7, 8, 5, 8, 9 etc...

abbewebber

Hal Higdon is the best training plan out there. I followed this religiously to train for my first half. I not only completed it, but completed my goal time of being under 2 hours. It is fool proof!!

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

SWilland

Bump