Running a Half Marathon Help

krecee
krecee Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,

I am looking resources to help me run. Specifically regarding breathing ratio, stretches, and form. There is so much information out there that I want to kind of stick to the tried and true basics, but do not know where to start. Also, any and all nutrition help is greatly appreciated. I do bootcamp 5-6x's a week and am looking for a running plan that will allow me to keep doing it. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • Bufite
    Bufite Posts: 55 Member
    have a look at the Runners World website - that has lots of really helpful information.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Do you run now? If so, how often and how far?

    I have my first half in April and haven't been following any particular training. What I try to do (and I say try because it's been snowy and really cold lately so a lot of runs are indoors. When they're indoors, they're short runs only - can't stand the treadmill for a long run) is run 3 times a week. I divide my runs into short (up to 3.5 miles), medium (3.6 to 7.5 miles) and long (over 7.5 miles). I aim to do a short, short, medium run one week and a short, short, long run the next week. My long runs at this point are up to 10.7 miles. Unfortunately, I haven't done over 8.5 miles since December. Ugh. Stupid weather. I'm hoping that March will be much better because I need to run regardless of the weather or I won't be ready for the half.
  • moustache_flavored_lube
    moustache_flavored_lube Posts: 849 Member
    Well if you want to run a half marathon you probably aren't going to be able to do bootcamp 5-6 days per week. You will need to run 3-4 days per week. Hal higdons novice 1/2 marathon does leave quite a bit of time for cross training and strength. Running will need to be your priority though.

    As far as nutrition I found the book performance nutriion for runners to be a great resource.

    There are also some good podcasts you can listen to while you run.
    Endurance Planet
    Marathon Training Academy
    Trail Runner Nation
    Ben Greefield Fitness
    Running Times
  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,420 Member
    There are iphone (and I'm guessing android) apps that are like C25k, but for half-marathons. I love my C25k so much, I'm going to start the 10k one afterward, and half a marathon's not much more than that.
  • runRobin01
    runRobin01 Posts: 10
    google hal higdon and follow his plan
  • lessofkimberly
    lessofkimberly Posts: 98 Member
    This interest me as well. I want to do a mini marithon this year as well.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Well if you want to run a half marathon you probably aren't going to be able to do bootcamp 5-6 days per week. You will need to run 3-4 days per week. Hal higdons novice 1/2 marathon does leave quite a bit of time for cross training and strength. Running will need to be your priority though.

    As far as nutrition I found the book performance nutriion for runners to be a great resource.

    There are also some good podcasts you can listen to while you run.
    Endurance Planet
    Marathon Training Academy
    Trail Runner Nation
    Ben Greefield Fitness
    Running Times

    ^This. Unless you are a super athlete (and even then, probably not), you will have to give up the boot camp in favor of running. Trying to do an 11 mile run and boot camp in the same day would be extremely difficult.

    Are you a runner now? How many days a week do you run? What distances? I'm asking because it's easy to overcommit to a half marathon - many people think "No big deal, I can do that", but I can tell you that it's not that easy.
  • ToddKirkwood
    ToddKirkwood Posts: 3
    First, congratulations on deciding you want to do your first 1/2! Getting over the mental idea that YOU CAN DO IT really is half the battle.
    Many think they can't so will never try.

    I agree Runners World has a lot of plans available. Depending on your over-all fitness level, Jeff Galloway has another great web site that combines running and walking for those beginning runners looking to complete their first goal whether it's a 1/2 or full and more importantly...injury free.

    As far as eating, fuel your body with a mix of proteins, carbs, and good fats found in nuts, peanut butter, etc.
    Find a plan that works for you and stick to it. You can find one that runs 3X- 6X a week. Again, whatever works into your schedule..stick with it and enjoy the accomplishment of going across your first finish line! Good luck and best wishes!:happy:
  • pucenavel
    pucenavel Posts: 972 Member
    For me (age 43 - started running at 40) running more that twice a week is too much. When I'm training for a 'long' race (more than 10k), I try to run a 5k at a hard pace once a week and do a long run (10 miles or more) once a week.

    I also do tri's, so the rest of my week is filled up with swimming (2-6 miles a week) and cycling (100-250 miles a week). The ranges vary by season and at what stage of training I'm in. I'll do a minimum of 2 miles a week swimming and 100 miles cycling as just a normal routine. In peak training, I'll be at the upper end for both.

    Oddly enough, my best gains in speed for running have been when I was focused more on my cycling and less on running (in fact, one major jump in pace happened when I was rehabbing an injury and not running at all, just cycling and focusing on intervals and cadence).

    I will say that as a "front foot striker", I have to run less than other runners because, in my case, it takes several days for my calves to fully recover from a 10 miles or more of running on my toes.
  • goodfido
    goodfido Posts: 127 Member
    Where I am, there is a local running store that has running clinics. Or you could see if there is a local running group in your area. You can then ask questions and interact with other runners who may be able to assist you as well.

    Good Luck and Enjoy running your first 1/2!!
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    i dont understand jumping right into a half marathon. Start with a 5k, then a 10k, and then a half marathon.
  • krecee
    krecee Posts: 9 Member
    HI,

    I have done 5k's and 10k's before, but It was just running, not really knowing "how" to run. You know what I mean?
    :-)
  • IronMan_DuhamNC
    IronMan_DuhamNC Posts: 52
    You might want to try Beginner Triathlete. Com plenty of great advice there.
  • albosler
    albosler Posts: 16 Member
    I also love the Hal Higdon plans, there is one for everyone!!! They are easy to understand, and reasonable to do. I used this for training for my 1st and 2nd half marathon, and I know some others who used it to train to walk a 1/2 marathon. If you're just starting out you can also look into the "couch to 5k" or "couch to half marathon" programs or apps, I have a friend who used that to train up to 5k, then switched to a hal higdon program to train for the 13.1
  • juliec33
    juliec33 Posts: 238 Member
    Hi! I run and do bootcamp 3x's to 4x's a week. I don't think you have to give up bootcamp but you may have to scale it back to less times per week. If I'm in heaving training for a race, bootcamp may get cut back to 2x's or 3x's a week depending on how I feel. I take at least one rest day a week and my long runs are usually on Sunday. Bootcamp is T,T & S. I try to fit at least two 3 miles runs in during the week but that doesn't always happen. I know people who run half marathons with no training other than bootcamp 3x's a week and one long run on Sunday.

    Good luck on the half!! Running is addictive :-)
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    HI,

    I have done 5k's and 10k's before, but It was just running, not really knowing "how" to run. You know what I mean?
    :-)

    While I haven't done a half yet, I haven't had much trouble getting up to 10.5 miles (I'm not a natural runner, it's still, and likely always will be, hard for me). But I haven't changed my nutrition or my plan or done anything different really. I just gradually increased my distance. Though I made some big jumps too - going from 7.5 to 9.5 miles in a week.

    I really think the nutrition and training are much more important if you're aiming for a certain performance level. My goal is simply to complete it according to my plan :-)
  • PurpleTina
    PurpleTina Posts: 390 Member
    i dont understand jumping right into a half marathon. Start with a 5k, then a 10k, and then a half marathon.

    why not? If people regularly run 8-10k three times a week why would they want to run a 5k race? Surely you choose a goal that is a challenge, but achievable for you as an individual?
  • melaniemiller2002
    melaniemiller2002 Posts: 7 Member
    I started running (and I use that term loosely because I am slow...current 1/2 marathon times are around 2:30; 10k time is around 1:10 and current 5k is around 34 min) about 2 years ago. I had to take about 6 months off after a knee injury (not from running but from a boot camp!) and then subsequent surgery on said knee. I'm back to running again, albeit slow. Anyway, I have run 6 half marathons and I follow the Jeff Galloway method. Some people don't consider it "real running"....whatever. My pace is faster when I use intervals of run/walk/run than when I run straight through. Also, for me...knowing I will be a candidate for knee replacement surgery in my mid-50's (I'm 40 now) makes me want to stay injury free and this helps tremendously. I love intervals because I actually enjoy running now as opposed to feeling like it was torture in the past. I have 4 half marathons scheduled for this year, one of them will be a 10k the day before and then a half the following the day (Disneyland Half). I plan on a full marathon in December at the California International Marathon and will be done by the Galloway method. Different strokes for different folks but to me, it is all running :smile:
  • jpomroy34
    jpomroy34 Posts: 6
    Hi,

    First of all - great goal to have!!!! It was one of my best accomplishments so far. When I was training for a 1/2 marathon with a group of 5 of us, we loosely followed a beginner's schedule that was on Runner's World while also doing a bootcamp 3 times a week. During the week we would usually run up to a 7k and also do bootcamp and then schedule our LONG runs during the weekend....I also followed the calories on this website trying to stick with the carbs and proteins. After a run we would either do a shake with protein powder or chocolate milk. I found that the chocolate milk was better for me since I seemed to lose more weight while getting some protein after our run. Besides that we didn't really do anything different except follow our calories and made sure that we got some run time in. I found that is what worked for us and all of us finished!!! Good Luck!
  • katscoots
    katscoots Posts: 255 Member
    half marthon rookie.com or jeff galloway
  • NavyKnightAh13
    NavyKnightAh13 Posts: 1,394 Member
    Bumping.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    Thank you!!
  • squirrelzzrule22
    squirrelzzrule22 Posts: 640 Member
    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
    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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