Running a Half Marathon Help

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  • NavyKnightAh13
    NavyKnightAh13 Posts: 1,394 Member
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    Bumping.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    I'll echo what's been said a lot and recommend dropping the boot camp while you're training for the race.

    I'll also echo using Hal Higdon, I used his plans for every race I did from 7-K to Half Marathon and loved his programs. I had continual increases in strength and speed the entire time.

    And I'm also curious how much you are currently running. I'm concerned because starting training for a half marathon probably isn't the right time to just be learning about breathing and form. You should have been running for awhile now, be comfortable with distances up to five or six miles on a regular basis, and know what your goals for the half marathon are before you start the training for one.

    Even if your goal is just to finish, pretty much every program out there I've found recommends that you be comfortable with five to six miles of running and that is where most programs start the distance for the long run days. And if you are just now questioning breathing and form, I'd guess that you aren't comfortable with running any real distance yet and might want to hold off on starting training for a half marathon until you are.
  • spud_chick
    spud_chick Posts: 2,640 Member
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    I'm not a runner at all, but... my husband joins a half marathon training group (run by a leader) that is partnered up with the Richmond Marathon races each November. He pays for the group and gets a discount on the race itself. It starts up about three months before the race. He's done it two years in a row now and has been very happy with the results. For comparison, he normally runs 5-6 times a week including a Saturday group run that's 7-8 miles when he's in the "off-season". I think I'd plan to get to that level before starting a half-marathon training effort, group or not.
  • pucenavel
    pucenavel Posts: 972 Member
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    There is no single right way to run. There are lots of wrong ways to run, but anyone who says, "You must land ____. You must breath _____. You must have a stride length of _____.", is just making note off Best Practices or the most common techniques of the "best" or "better" runners. Those ideals might suck for you.

    I'd suggest reading up on what the variations in running strides are, what techniques of breathing there are, etc., and experiment with them until you find what's most comfortable for you. Google is an amazing thing.

    Think of it like this: I like tomatoes on my hamburger. Some people like pickles. It's still a hamburger. It only stops being a hamburger if you don't have at least one of the following: a bun, a burger patty of some sort (even the vegetable variety)

    Try different "burgers" until you find the one you like.
  • krecee
    krecee Posts: 9 Member
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    I do run now. I do about 3.5 a morning before boot camp. I know this is too much and will adjust as soon as I find a running schedule.
  • krecee
    krecee Posts: 9 Member
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    Thank you!!
  • squirrelzzrule22
    squirrelzzrule22 Posts: 640 Member
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    To train for my first half marathon (which is happening in two weeks eek!) I found a plan called something like "Half marathon training for beginners" that is twelve weeks long. I found it on Pinterest but I believe it is from the "Prevention" website. To be fair it is not really suitable for "true" beginners- you need to start out reasonably comfortable with a 5k distance, which it sounds like you are. With the exception of long run days later into the program, I was able to do other workouts consistently with this program, provided I was good about stretching to not be too sore. I believe it has fully equipped me to (very slowly- shooting to break 12:00 min mile pace) run the entirety of my half marathon. Given that 4 miles felt like a HUGE effort at the beginning, I will be VERY proud of this accomplishment. If you have longer than 12 weeks, should be able to find a program even more forgiving to allow you to do bootcamp as well. Good luck!
  • julialou1979
    julialou1979 Posts: 54 Member
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    I'm training for a half right now - first one after running 10k for a number of years. Using Hal Higden novice http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program and finding it works well. Miss lifting heavy weights 3x week, but still getting to lift them 1x week. Also cross training with swimming. Find something that works for you balance wise, and just be kind. I've met a lot of folks who overtrain prepping for their first half because they wanted these spectacular times and they ended up with injuries and no time at all!

    Good luck!

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