Approximately how crazy is this idea?

a_stronger_steph

Hey all,

I just ran my first 10k race yesterday, and totally exceeded my expectations for it (I was hoping for sub-60 and ended up running 53:29!). I've been running since last summer, but only really picked up the training during the past couple of months.

The 10k just felt *amazing.* The race bug has wormed its way even further into my system...

A friend of mine is running a half-marathon on October 14th - a month or so ago she asked me if I wanted to run it with her, and I balked, knowing there was no way it would be enough time for me to train (at the time she asked me, my longest run was around 5 miles). But now... I kind of want to try it!

So how crazy is it, to commit to a half-marathon with just a month left to train for it? My longest run to date was 7.5 miles, and it was fraught with stops because I got horribly lost, so it took me about 90 minutes. If I ran the half, it's an automatic PR for me (haha), so I wouldn't really have any expectations for a time (WELL I say that now, but really I'd probably want to be under 2:30).

Should I do it? Or is it a bad idea? Thanks in advance, you knowledgeable folk!

runrockclimb

Sounds to me like you have a pretty decent base and you could go for it as long as you don't have any expectations other than finishing. I can tell you from experience, the mind is more than half the battle with longer races, I went into a marathon, very poorly trained, my longest run being only 10 miles. I finished, and could not have been more proud of myself. I also got bit by the bug on that run and am currently training for my third half marathon. I think its a great distance and I bet you'd love it.
Focus on increasing your mileage (slowly) for the next few weeks and go into it as a learning experience for your next one. I would also say when you actually run the race listen carefully to your body, walk breaks are not the end of the world, especially if they mean preventing injury.
Have fun and I look forward to hearing about the results.

bonjour24

i say do it too! my friend ran a 10k last week, and asked if she thinks she'll be able to do a half on 23rd sept. i said i don't see why not- my farthest run before my 1st half was 16k, and i managed the half just fine.... well, it was a challenge, but a doable one iykwim. increase your long run slowly, but you've got heaps of time, especially if you think of the 10k as part of the training, and your next run is 11.5k or somewhere around there.

good luck with it!

CarsonRuns

Congratulations on your excellent 10K result.

I think attempting that HM in less than 5 weeks is a little too ambitious. There is a good chance that you would be able to get through the entire distance if you run slowly enough, but going from a long run of 7.5 miles to 13.1 miles in 4+ weeks is potentially injurious. That's almost a 50% increase in mileage. If you were to increase your long run by 10% per week (which is too much if you don't do a step back week every 3rd week), that still only brings you to around 11 miles.

I certainly understand the excitement that comes with nailing a race and wanting to get out there to race again, but I think this race and this distance is too soon for you. I would say 3 months minimum for a HM for you. See if you can find another 10K and go out there and knock some time off that PR.

Best of luck.

a_stronger_steph

Hi, all!

Thanks so much for all of your input. I appreciate it a great deal!

I slept on the idea (probably for the best), and decided that, while I probably *could* try the half in a month, it probably wouldn't be very pretty. Carson is probably right - increasing my mileage that quickly would likely lead to some sort of injury, especially considering that I have a bit of a history of unhappy knees. I've been thankful that I haven't injured myself this season, and I think I owe that in part to being smart about how much I increase my distance each week.

I will, however, register for a half that takes place in May! That should give me plenty of time to work up to it. And who knows - maybe I will do more than one next year. In the meantime, I think I'll definitely check out some more 10k's, and there's a 10 miler in November that I might try as well!

Thanks again, everyone!

BrianSharpe

Hi, all!

Thanks so much for all of your input. I appreciate it a great deal!

I slept on the idea (probably for the best), and decided that, while I probably *could* try the half in a month, it probably wouldn't be very pretty. Carson is probably right - increasing my mileage that quickly would likely lead to some sort of injury, especially considering that I have a bit of a history of unhappy knees. I've been thankful that I haven't injured myself this season, and I think I owe that in part to being smart about how much I increase my distance each week.

I will, however, register for a half that takes place in May! That should give me plenty of time to work up to it. And who knows - maybe I will do more than one next year. In the meantime, I think I'll definitely check out some more 10k's, and there's a 10 miler in November that I might try as well!

Thanks again, everyone!

Good idea. Take your time building up the distances and you'll have a much more enjoyable experience. Running is one of the few activities where the journey is just as much fun as the destination.