missed 3 weeks of training, can I still run a half in 2 wks?

erin6026

I had a baby in December and walked nearly every day until 6 weeks postpartum, when my doctor gave me the okay to start running. I signed up for a half marathon (which is next Sunday) and was diligent about training runs for about 5 weeks. Then I had some issues with my health/chronic pain that forced me to stop for 3 weeks. So, with two weeks left before the race, can I pick up training runs again and just go for it? I'm not trying to make a great time, just run the whole thing and cross the finish line. The longest training run I've done is 8 miles.

I used to run cross country, and have raced about 15 5ks in my life. This is my first half marathon though.

I'm not a quitter, so it's tough for me to think of skipping the event (and forfeiting $80!).

Advice, experiences, and encouragement welcome.

sulyha

I can't answer for you since there are so many factors but I can tell you about my similar experience. I was diligently following a 12 week plan to prepare for my first half-marathon but 2-3 weeks before the race couldn't do my long run due to being on vacation in a place much warmer than I'm used to and then when I got home got a nasty cold, so no running at all. I wound up following Jeff Galloway's run/walk method for the half, and without having had a long run in several weeks, finished in 2:20. I basically walked for 60 seconds every mile.
I only got to 9 miles in my training before I lost the final few weeks.
Good Luck!