I'm thinking of doing half marathon in May?

taraneedham73
taraneedham73 Posts: 28 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

I am currently running 10K but I am really interested in doing a half marathon in May but its only 6 weeks away and I am not sure what to do!! Is it possible to get from 10K to half marathon in 6 weeks? A guy keeps telling me to do it and that I can do it and told me to enter it but I am really undecided. I think if I did it then it would be a great achievement. I know you have to complete the course in 3 hours and that another thing I am worried about, they close the course if you havent completed it in 3 hours and I feel I would be checking the time all the time and feel there would be pressure.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Tara

Replies

  • ShiraDarling
    ShiraDarling Posts: 232 Member
    Your body needs more time to prepare for a long run, Half marathon- or Full. If you went into a half marathon without the recommended 12 weeks of training than your risk of injury is high. I would say, start training now- you can find various programs online- and run a half marathon in the summer or fall.
  • twinmom_112002
    twinmom_112002 Posts: 739 Member
    What is your weekly mileage? Do you want to race it or run it? What does your week of running look like (how many days and how many miles each day)? The answers to these questions will guide many peoples responses.
  • taraneedham73
    taraneedham73 Posts: 28 Member
    Well I would like to run it of course, not race it! At the moment I can run about 12k. The race is still 6 weeks away so I dont see why I cant do it. I spoke to a guy about it and I know people suggest 12 weeks for a half marathon but he thinks I can do it providing I build it up. Last week I managed to run about 20 miles in a week.

    I run about 3-4 times a week and I intend to do at least one long run each week. I see posts on here that people have trained to do a half marathon in 6 weeks.
  • ZenInTexas
    ZenInTexas Posts: 781 Member
    Well I would like to run it of course, not race it! At the moment I can run about 12k. The race is still 6 weeks away so I dont see why I cant do it. I spoke to a guy about it and I know people suggest 12 weeks for a half marathon but he thinks I can do it providing I build it up. Last week I managed to run about 20 miles in a week.

    I run about 3-4 times a week and I intend to do at least one long run each week. I see posts on here that people have trained to do a half marathon in 6 weeks.

    I think you can do it, you have a good enough base. Just add a mile a week to your long run and you'll be good to go. Have fun!!
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
    Running is Mental (at least 90% of it anyway)
    How long is your 10k taking you, if you can comfortably manage 12k then in theory all you're doing is tacking on an extra 10k.

    You've said yourself that you're not looking race it just complete it, with 6 weeks to go I don't think there's any reason why you can't managed it.

    Look at some half marathon training plans and go to half way (i.e. 6 weeks before the start date) and look to see what the training involves and if you feel it's acheivable, I'm training for a marathon and my mileage in the run up to it tops out at 20miles as on the day the crowds etc will help you over that last bit.
    Think worrying about the time is just part of it as I'm also worried about the sweeper bus at 6.5hrs, if you've never done that distance before you just don't know what to expect from a time point of view.
    I say try it, you don't really have anything to lose and as long as your sensible with your training and don't suddenly crank up the mileage from 10k to 22k in a week I don't think the risk of injury is any higher than normal (I tore a muscle in my calf a couple of years ago just walking)!!
  • taraneedham73
    taraneedham73 Posts: 28 Member
    Hi guys,

    Thanks for replying. Yes I am thinking of adding 2km each week if I can. If I can get up to about 17, 18km in 6 weeks time then I will be happy. No I am not looking to race it, its not a race, I dont think you can race a long run, I tend to start off slow, if you start off fast then I tend to get a stitch and all of your energy is used up!!

    I was doing 10K and then I went for a run on saturday and I added an extra 2km and I didnt suffer too much which is good. At the moment 10k is taking me about an hour and 10 which I think is ok, I would like to get that down to about an hour at some point but I think there is plenty of time for that.

    I see one person replied on here and said 6 weeks is not long enough to train for a half and I have a high chance of injuring myself which is the last thing I want!! I think as long as I dont do too much in one go and I try and do an extra mile each week then I shouldnt injure myself. Is using the cross trainer good for when training for a long run? I have looked at training plans on runkeeper and it doesnt mention of doing any long runs longer than 10 miles and I think a few people have said they tend to use the cross trainer when training for a long run.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Sure. Just do a gradual build up of your long run. You're not going to set any speed records, but nobody says you have to run 100% of it. If you were going to try a full I'd say you're nuts, but this is doable.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    You should be fine. Yes, most training plans are 12 weeks, but you are already half way through it. Just add a mile to your long run each week, and taper that back 1-2 weeks before the race. You can probably get by with a maximum training run of 10 miles, but some people like to do more just for the mental aspect. 3 hours should not be a problem. That is almost a 14 minute mile. You can probably walk some of the course if you had to and still be okay. I would go for it. Have fun!
  • taraneedham73
    taraneedham73 Posts: 28 Member
    Running is Mental (at least 90% of it anyway)
    How long is your 10k taking you, if you can comfortably manage 12k then in theory all you're doing is tacking on an extra 10k.

    You've said yourself that you're not looking race it just complete it, with 6 weeks to go I don't think there's any reason why you can't managed it.

    Look at some half marathon training plans and go to half way (i.e. 6 weeks before the start date) and look to see what the training involves and if you feel it's acheivable, I'm training for a marathon and my mileage in the run up to it tops out at 20miles as on the day the crowds etc will help you over that last bit.
    Think worrying about the time is just part of it as I'm also worried about the sweeper bus at 6.5hrs, if you've never done that distance before you just don't know what to expect from a time point of view.
    I say try it, you don't really have anything to lose and as long as your sensible with your training and don't suddenly crank up the mileage from 10k to 22k in a week I don't think the risk of injury is any higher than normal (I tore a muscle in my calf a couple of years ago just walking)!!

    What do you mean by the sweeperbus?

    Thanks for all your lovely positive comments!! I am really determined to do it and I am really tempted to enter into the race today and then I have a target and something to look forward to. I have done a 10k race for mo running and I think now I want to progress and do something further. I think I would feel so happy to cross that finish line and say to myself wow I did a half marathon. When I was running 5k I could only run 5k and I never thought I would run 10K and now I can run 10k quite comfortably. Yes I do feel I am already half way there. Yes I know you dont have to run all of it but I want to run most of it if I can, I like to just try and walk for 20 to 30 seconds, I find the longer I start walking for the harder it is to get running again.
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    The "sweeper bus" is the vehicle that follows behind to make sure you are at the cut of pace for certain miles. I believe the slowest you can run and not get picked up is a 15 minute mile.

    If all you are looking to do is run the race and you're not concerned about time then of course you can do it.
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
    Edinburgh Marathon use a sweeper bus at the 6.5hr point, a bus basically makes a sweep of the route and anyone still on the route is 'encouraged' to get on the bus to be taken to the finish because the roads will be getting re-opened behind the bus.
    I believe that in the Edinburgh Marathon it's optional to get on it (but they will not be liable for anything happening to you if you chose not to), the Great Scottish Run which is the Glasgow half marathon you don't get a choice (they close a lane of the motorway and it has to be reopened) you must get on the bus.

    I've got 8weeks, 5days and 17hrs until my marathon and I know I can do the distance, it's just the time, I go between being ok that I can do it in the 6.5hrs to having real doubts about it (practicing on the trails where I'm about 3min a mile slower probably isn't helping as it takes over 3hrs for my 13mile runs, but the marathon is very flat & fast route).

    Good Luck
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Your body needs more time to prepare for a long run, Half marathon- or Full. If you went into a half marathon without the recommended 12 weeks of training than your risk of injury is high. I would say, start training now- you can find various programs online- and run a half marathon in the summer or fall.

    I dont agree with this entirely, given you are half way there with the 10k runs. 10k is 6.21m. Try upping that by a mile each week. more than achievable, and then in 6 weeks you will be more or less there.
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    Your body needs more time to prepare for a long run, Half marathon- or Full. If you went into a half marathon without the recommended 12 weeks of training than your risk of injury is high. I would say, start training now- you can find various programs online- and run a half marathon in the summer or fall.

    I would agree with this if she never ran a mile in her life but that's not the case. She can absolutely gradually increase her mileage every week on her long runs and run the race

    The first half marathon I did I followed a 16 week training program my friend gave me simply because I wasn't that big of a runner at the time. The most miles I ever did was 4. Also I had a goal time in my head that I wanted to hit so the program helped me prepare for it. The OP just wants to run and finish the race so with her running experience it is 100% doable without a long program.
  • sportzmom23
    sportzmom23 Posts: 103 Member
    http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/running/training-schedules/half-marathon-training-beginner/

    this is an 8 week beginner plan, but if you are already running, I think you can easily adapt to suit where you are
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I'm with Sonic, 6 weeks should be enough if you're already comfortably running 10km. If you're already running 20 miles a week just extend your long run by 2km each week or so (you're still staying below the 10% week over week).

    With a 3hr cutoff you're looking at staying faster than 13:45 miles, you could pretty much walk it and be ok. Treat it as a long slow run and you'll probably have a lot of fun and your first HM medal!

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