Running 1/2 Marathon advice!!

homemomfreda

A friend of mine wants me to run a 1/2 marathon with her May. I have never run more than 7 miles straight in my life!! I started running close to 5 months ago now & have run 2 5ks. My goal this spring is to run a 10k. She said if I slow my pace I could run longer. Any thoughts? I also struggle with shin splints but have found running every other day has helped immensely - have compression socks, good shoes, slowly increasing my distance, etc. I do not want to be back to that place where I was icing my shins every night!

fasterandbetter

if you did a 7 mile run then you should be able to run a half without problems provided you train for it, you also have plenty of time to train for it, since it is your first half marathon I would advise you to google beginner training plans and follow one of them, most beginner training plans do not require you to run every day, regarding your shin splints you should go to a running store and get properly fitted if you have not done it already, hope this helps

chocolatecroissant

^^^ all good advice.
I ran halves from a starting point of not being able to run for more than a couple of minutes - I went from my first 5k in the July to my first half in December so having done 7 miles you are well on your way. A good goal for a first half is getting round and not worrying about time. You're likely to get hooked so you can focus on time on the 2nd, 3rd, etc! (That said, I haven't run one for a while due to injury and am back to 5k!) Take care of those shin splints - check your shoes (have a proper assessment of your shoes in a specialised shop) and watch your form (try to avoid stamping when running) - just some ideas based on my experiences. Good luck!

SteveTries

You have a good aerobic base already so increasing your mileage to 21kms in 5 months isn't going to be a difficulty. I went from fat and unable to run around the block to a half mara in 6 months. I'd suggest not doing it unstructured like I did but rather that you find a training plan you like and follow that. All the decent ones are built around generating the physiological changes to your body that you will need.

One thing I personally don't like about many of the plans though is that they often have your weekly long run top out at 16km/10mile leaving you to use the adrenaline and atmosphere of race day to find the final 5km/3mile. I hear a lot of people talk about how very tough it is to complete those final 5. I think it's because the body just isn't used to it so it starts to protest and you find yourself in mental torment at the end leg of the race. Your first half mara race is a great achievement and should be enjoyed. For that reason I believe you should train for the distance (or very close) and then on race day your target is pace.

M_lifts

I agree with the other posters. You are halway there, find a good training plan and get started. You have plenty of time. I am currently training for a 10 mile race on the 20th of this month. Up until yesterday the most I had run is 7 miles. I went out with my running club yesterday morning and managed 11.4 miles!

I have been doing a mixture of interval runs, easy runs, 5k and a long run once a week. I would suggest looking for a running group in your area- It is great motivation and they will spur you on to do better. I need company on a long run to keep me going. I know now that I can manage 11 miles, so my 10 mile race doesnt look so scary. It has also tempted me to sign up for a half!

If you havent already, get yourself fitted for proper shoes as they make a world of difference. I had really bad pain in my hips and piroformis which was corrected with well fitted shoes.

Happy running!

reggie2run

You can do this. Ditto on what the others have said...build slow and follow a training plan...for my Half back in Sept. I followed Hal Higdon and I am following his plan again for my Half in two weeks.

I, like you, didn't think I could run 13.1 miles but I did. And you can too.....all you have to do is train for it. If you can do 7 miles, you have plenty of time to build to the other 6.

Good luck!! And if I can be of any help, just ask.

homemomfreda

Thank you for all the advice!! I have been fitted for shoes, stretch before & after runs, have compression socks, changed my strike to midfoot, shortened my stride & run every other day. My shin splints are so much better - only flare up once in a while (I like to do hills). I only have to ice them once in a while. I will look up training schedules. I read last night that easy runs are important - I've never done one! I just run the pace my body is comfortable at - never have purposely slowed down. I am going to try it while increasing my distance. I appreciate all the votes of confidence & reading your success stores!! I probably should join a running group, live in a small town - plus I am not a talker when I run. I like to listen to my music & just go!

Carolyn_79

You have plenty of time as others have stated. I'm also running my first half in May. I joined a half training clinic in my area to help me prep for it. Perhaps you could look into something like that in your area. If not, there's training programs on the net that you can find and you'll be more than ready if you train for it. Good luck!