I'm Behind on my Half Marathon Training

So_Much_Fab

Moving, life, and other stuff has put me behind in my training for my first half on 5/5/13. I'm following the Hal Higdon Novice 1 program. At this point in time I should have been running a fair amount of 4 mile runs - basically I should have more miles under my belt right now than I actually do.

I did 4 miles last night comfortably. I can easily do the same with 3/3.5, but I've not yet ran much over those distances.

My goal is to RUN the entire half, not run/walk. Assuming I continue to train strong and get my miles in, can I expect to reach my goal? I guess I'm just a little intimidated by the distance right now, and knowing I'm running behind (heh) only fuels that intimidation.

Thoughts?

hazymary

That's a difficult one to answer....My 1/2 is the week before yours and my long run was 11 miles this past Saturday. Adrenaline and sheer will power might pull you through....you can't really play catch up at this point. Is a run /walk that bad for your first?

ryanwood935

If you absolutely have to run your half in May, you have to be very attuned to what your body is telling you. Ramping up your mileage too quick can too often lead to bad results. Years ago when I was training for a marathon I got some good advice. Don't ramp up mileage by more than 10% a week. Just like dieting, this is not a one-size-fits-all answer. You may be able to push longer, and sooner. Unfortunately, sometimes you don't know that you are doing too much until you are facing a pretty serious injury.

This applies to a single run as well. If your longest run was 6 miles, don't expect to go out and run 10 the next week on your long day, without the potential for danger. Going from 30 miles per week to 40 can overload your body as well. If you are running the half marathon as a prelude to longer or more intense training in the future, I would be very careful about doing too much too soon. You may put yourself off the trail for much longer than you would like.

Of course, if this is a one time thing to prove you CAN run the half, give it a shot! Don't be afraid to step into a professionals office to have any pains checked up on as you experience them. Better safe than sorry. This is by no means a professional suggestion, just some guy that has a running background sharing what seemed to work for him

runningchick70

As long as you can get close to 10 miles w/ your long run, you're good. So if you add a mile a week to your long run every weekend, you should make it to that distance. Get in a couple of much shorter runs in during the week too. The first long distance race, be it a half or full, is always a little nerve-wracking. You know you can always ask me for advice!

scottb81

You have 4 weeks left to train and one week to taper. If you are only up to 4 miles right now I think it is a pretty big stretch to get to 13 by race day unless you have been there before and are simply rebuilding.

If this is the first time at that distance I think you are setting yourself up for a painful race.

doriharrell

I find when it comes to running, my body adapts very quickly to slight increases. The lowest recommended training long run for for a half-marathon is 8 miles, so if you can work up to an 8 mile long run by adding just one mile a week to that run, you'll probably be fine. Also, for daily runs, I'll increase by running, say, 5 miles two days, 5-1/4 miles two days, etc. Small increases add up big after a couple of weeks.

Also, you might consider looking for a half-marathon that's a little later than the one you're planning. You'll have more time to train and a much better chance of success. Nothing wrong with putting it off for another month or two.

I'm training for a mountain half-marathon, so I'm with ya!

allisonlane61

Ok, you and I have a run the same date, 5/5/13, only mine is a 10-miler. I'm on Week 6 of the Hal Higden Novice training program, and just ran 5 miles Saturday, with pretty much no problem (even in the wind).

I can't tell your age because it's not shown in your profile, but I'm 51, and I'm pretty darned sure if I don't stick pretty much rigidly with the program, I'm not making that 10-miler straight running with no walking.

That being said, in my younger years, when I ran regularly around 25-30 miles/week, I'd have had no problem missing training, drinking on weekends, and skipping meals, and still making that run. Having aged, my body is a little more temperamental and I have to be really careful about injuries.

I also have no problem with 5ks, 4 miles, and now even 5 miles. But say I were to miss this Saturday's 6 miles, I may lose confidence.

Good luck to you.

melmargirly

I'm running my first half marathon the same day as well!!! Good luck... and it is OK to walk if you need to.. don't be ashamed if you can't run the whole thing. I know plenty of marathon runners who Incorporate walking into their training... the most important thing is to listen to your body.. don't try to push yourself to the point of injury because you might NOT be able to run the half at all...

So_Much_Fab

Some good points here, thanks everyone.

To answer some of the questions:

@allison - I'm 46. I'm pretty sure I could run 5 as easily as I ran 4. I plan on sticking to the plan faithfully now until May.

@dori - Regardless of how I do in May, I'll be looking for another half to register for later this year.

@scott - I'm not rebuilding, and I'll be careful.

Thanks all!

bluefox9er

Sherri, as you know, I am behind on my mileage for my full marathon because of injuries. You have 5-6 weeks to go, what's the furthest you have ran so far?

It's tough to say one way or another , as anything could happen on race day, the excitement and adrenaline etc could carry you through...but I would suggest that you don't try and play ' catch up ' mileage and join the Higdon plan where you should be.

The distances might look intimidating, but look to run them, not worry about pace or speed, and I KNOW that Higdon encourages walking breaks, as does Galloway.

Perhaps for the 'longer ' runs you could do the 1's..

ie. Run 5 mins, walk 1 minute, or run 10 mins/walk 1 min, or run 4 mins/walk 1 min or however suits you??

I personally don't believe there is anything wrong in using these walking breaks if they help you cover the distance.

Also, you will have other half marathons to run after this one, there will be lots of learnings for next time..I know there will be for me.

Good luck, keep your thoughts focused, and run thee DISTANCE and do your best!

perfectionisntme

Listen to your body. I pushed through to run my 1st half marathon and many races (including training for a marathon) and now I'm on the injured list. So if run/walk is what has to be, so be it. You will accomplish more distance and won't be so tired if you run/walk. But with patience and perseverance you can run the whole thing if you put your mind to it.

Best of luck to you.

allisonlane61

Some good points here, thanks everyone.

To answer some of the questions:

@allison - I'm 46. I'm pretty sure I could run 5 as easily as I ran 4. I plan on sticking to the plan faithfully now until May.

@dori - Regardless of how I do in May, I'll be looking for another half to register for later this year.

@scott - I'm not rebuilding, and I'll be careful.

Thanks all!

Then go back in to where you should be, which I guess is Week Six, and like someone said, if you can run the mileage, great, if not, do some minimal walking, and by the following week you'll probably be back up to par. What I notice with myself, especially now as opposed to "younger" years, is I have to start at a pace that is so slow it almost feels weird. If I start too fast, the last mile is not enjoyable. I don't anticipate my 8th or 9th mile being enjoyable anyway, but I'm hoping my 6th & 7th are.

Abells

be mentally strong

Maryaly40

bump

montana_girl

Get in as much training as you can, but be prepared to walk intervals of the race if you feel you need to.

With your first half, your goal should be to finish... then you can work on speed for the next one. And if you can finish the race and still have energy for the rest of the day, then you've done great!

I strained a calf muscle while I was training for my first half marathon and ended up not doing anything for two weeks and then having to start over with my training. By race day, the farthest I had ever run was 7 miles. But I did what I could for the race, walked more than I wanted, but I crossed the finish line. And honestly, at that point the time didn't matter. I was just thrilled to be able to say I compled a half marathon.

ctpeace

Hi, I'm not saying you need to switch programs, but you might want to read up on Jeff Galloway, who advocates walk/run. I used it for my first half on March 10, and I did better than I thought I would! I wasn't always on track, but the run/walk helped me go further sooner in my training. You might want to incorporate a bit of this. My advice would be to take care of yourself, but go for it! I would recommend run/walk in training to get up to distance more quickly. My perspective is that time is more important than % run vs % walk, but that's me. (In fact, I was right with this other runner in my last race up until mile 9 where there was a massive 1mi+ hill, she ran up it, but didn't go much faster than me walking. At the top, she was spent and that was the last I saw of her as I breezed by her with energy to spare!) I'd try to increase mileage and see where you're at in a couple of weeks. Also, remember that an injury could cause you problems for future races, so do it smart.