Is this stupid?? Half-marathon training....

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workoutqueen628
workoutqueen628 Posts: 220
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all!!! So i was just recently checking out some races in my area and I saw that there is a half-marathon coming up pretty soon. I have never ran one before, but I really want to!!! I do not know that I have enough time to fully train for the race, so I was wondering if it would be bad if I just started to increase my mileage slightly each week up until the race and just kinda winged it. The most I have ever run is probably about 8 miles, but it's been a while. I kind of just want to sign up and give it my best shot, get a feel for the mileage in general, and if I have to walk parts then I will. Is it stupid to do a half marathon without training? Will my body punish me afterwards?

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  • Herewego
    Herewego Posts: 49
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    Why sould that be stupid if you want to try.
    Take your time to train and increase slowly. On the day do your best and hopefully you will manage but if you don't well at least you will have tried.

    Good luck

    HWG :happy:
  • DanOhh
    DanOhh Posts: 1,806 Member
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    On Active.com you can find information on 'How to train for a half-marathon'.
  • Disciplined74
    Disciplined74 Posts: 298 Member
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    Go for it !!

    It will be good to test the limitations of your body. At most you'll learn what they are and can get better prepared for the next one.

    Enjoy and let us know how it goes !!
  • AndriaLL
    AndriaLL Posts: 162
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    There are a lot of people who have to walk in long distance races. They are usually cheaper to register for several months in advance, so people register before they know if they will be able to get the training time in. There are injuries, illnesses, and many reasons you will likely not be the only one walking. Some people plan and train for walking from day 1. So I say go for it! Just don't get injured trying to run more of it than you have trained for...
  • SaraTN
    SaraTN Posts: 536 Member
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    I am the "wing it" type... I say go for it! If you are currently running and you increase your weekly miles by 10% each week you should be fine. It will give you a "baseline" -- there is no shame in walking... and then you can plan and actually train for your next one with the goal of beating your previous time...
  • pniana
    pniana Posts: 254 Member
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    Try Hal Higdon's training. Here's the site: http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/index.htm.

    I used this to train for my first 1/2 last year and it served me well. Good luck!
  • Natural
    Natural Posts: 461 Member
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    i say go for it...as long as you have done some distance running. my first real run outside w/o stopping was 7.63 miles and i wasn't training for anything, just running because i could.

    you can always stop if you can't continue.
  • ttbayarea
    ttbayarea Posts: 5 Member
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    How soon is pretty soon?

    I'd suggest checking with the organizer of the event and see if there is a time limit to finish some races are more aggressive than others to weed out the fun runners. Compare that to your current pace time if it seems reasonable that you can slowly but gradually increase your distance ( a runners magazine may be a good source for articles on increasing distance methods/plans) and still finish within the limit I'd say go for it. Registration fees can be $$ so and if your not really ready then I'd say wait for the next one. 1/2 Marathons happen often enough.

    The best advise I can give is listen to your body. If your in pain or if training too much of a struggle, slow it down and adjust. Its best to prevent unnecessary injury which will only delay your desire to complete a 1/2 marathon. Good luck.

    From a zero experience runner it took me approximately 7 months to train and I completed the Rock & Roll in under the designated 4 hour limit. The finish was a joyously tearful event and the accomplishment is so rewarding. I have my eyes set on the http://www.runsantaynez.com/.
  • minnesota
    minnesota Posts: 204 Member
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    Sounds like you are pretty trained up if you already have ran 8 miles. I do half-marathons and use the rookiemarathon.com training guide. In between 1/2 marathons I don't train to the exact training schedule and end up just winging it. It's not ideal since I don't do as well, but if you really want to run won GO FOR IT! Just don't over do it and be aware of injury.

    How much time you have? If you have four weeks you have enough time. Just make this weekend a 10 mile and next a 11 and then a 12. I'm sure you will be fine and if you need to walk you need to walk.

    GOOD LUCK!
  • emersoam
    emersoam Posts: 179
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    You shouldn't add more than 1 mile to your runs each week. Adding too much, too fast increases your odd of injury significantly. Personally, i wouldn't run the half marathon...look for a 10K or something. I'm looking to do a half by next summer/fall, after I'm able to actually train and do a nice job! If you're fine with walking parts of the half marathon...go for it.
  • ArchyJill
    ArchyJill Posts: 548 Member
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    If you've done 8 you can easily do 13.1. I would suggest a water/gatorade break every two miles (actually walk through the water station, drink slowly, thank the volunteers) and some gel at mile 6 or 7.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    You can definitely do 13 if you've already ran 8!!! Go for it, babe!! I've heard it said that you should increase your mileage 10-15% each week until you get up to the # you need to run. If you have enough weeks for that, go for it! If not, I think you'd be okay by just adding one mile each week. If your body doesn't like it, back down and find something else that works for you.

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