Too soon to run half marathon?

Most beginner training plans only have you run 10 miles for your longest run.
My thoughts - you can probably do it. It isn't going to be fun if you were exhausted but you can probably do it.
And there is enough time for you to recover for your March half.
It's really up to you. I think you *can*. It might not be the best choice but I don't think it is a huge cause for concern either.

I agree, run it! I kind of hate that beginner programs will only pull you up to 10 miles. When I was training for mine (I didn't end up running it) I was planning to train up to 14 miles just to give myself the confidence on the number.

Marathons are bad in general. Less is better.

Don't do it. You are increasing your long run by almost a third. But it's not just about the distance races are hard on the body, your pace is usually faster than what you run while training. It's too close to your real race that you don't want to risk getting injured. I really think you should let this one pass by.

Until you get up to full marathon distance, it's not a problem at all to train at more than the race miles. You've done 10, it's only a 5k more! There's no question you can do it, just have a big bowl of pasta the night before and a bagel with peanut butter and a big glass of OJ that morning and you'll destroy those 13.1 miles!

I am in a very similar situation to you... I ran my first 10 miler yesterday, and found it pretty tough... i would only advise that for me, I don't think I would be capable of another 5k on top of that run, not within such a short time frame... give me a month, and then I'll smash that half-marathon! It is also increasing your total distance by 33.3%, so you massively increase your risk of injury! Be careful....

Aed0416 wrote: »

Don't do it. You are increasing your long run by almost a third. But it's not just about the distance races are hard on the body, your pace is usually faster than what you run while training. It's too close to your real race that you don't want to risk getting injured. I really think you should let this one pass by.

The 10% "rule" applies to total volume not just a single run, by taking a few days to recover and keeping the pace slow the OP should be ok.

OP....if you decide to do it watch your pace and have fun, it will be good mental prep for the race in March.

BrianSharpe wrote: »

Aed0416 wrote: »

Don't do it. You are increasing your long run by almost a third. But it's not just about the distance races are hard on the body, your pace is usually faster than what you run while training. It's too close to your real race that you don't want to risk getting injured. I really think you should let this one pass by.

The 10% "rule" applies to total volume not just a single run, by taking a few days to recover and keeping the pace slow the OP should be ok.

OP....if you decide to do it watch your pace and have fun, it will be good mental prep for the race in March.

Also that 10% rule applies less so when the person has already been running a bunch. Sure you don't want to jump from 10 to 20 miles, but just going to 13? That's fine.

It's a really good time to work on nutrition and liquids before your goal race. Try to eat and drink something every 30-45 minutes. Many people use the gels. Try drinking water or electrolyte drink and see what works for you. Some people use salt tablets that you can find at running stores.

Somebody_Loved wrote: »

@Aed0416 - I hear what you're saying. I'm going to treat it as a training run and be sure to run a very comfortable pace. It's a really informal race - no bibs, no chips, and only 150 people, so I don't think I'll be tempted to run race pace. Thanks for the feedback!

This is what I was going to suggest, although it's really hard not to run too fast in a race if it's your first time and you get caught up in the excitement.

Back in '14 I did my first half marathon in forever after only doing 10 miles -- I'd intended to do a full 13 or 14 in advance but my training got pushed back due to an injury -- and it was fine. I just took it slow and aimed to finish.

I am going to go against the crowd here and say don't do it. Your plan probably has you doing less miles next week and then alternating to more the following week. This is typical and the best way for your body to adjust to the longer distances. Going longer when you should be running less is a good recipe for injury.

I speak from experience unfortunately.

My two cents worth:

1. The mental aspect is huge. I really, really wanted to run 13 miles in training before my first half. Got that done, the training run went well, and the last 4 miles of that first half were still a mental challenge. But at least I knew I could go the distance, even though it's different running in a crowd that gets you to run faster than easy.

2. The physical aspect isn't as big a deal. 10 miles is probably enough to prepare you physically. I say "probably," because you said the 10 miles was hard. If the 10 miles was no big deal, I'd say 13.1 is possible. If 10 was hard, 13.1 might be a bit too hard.

3. After my first half, I got a stress fracture. I came back, and only built up to 10 miles the week before my second half. I wouldn't have done a half that soon, except I was salvaging what I could out of a marathon entry fee. I ran that half, didn't run it hard, slowed down at mile 9 for the recovering foot, and it was still a mental challenge for the last 4 miles. Take that example for what you will; it may or may not have anything you can use.

4. One of my running buddies has been doing iron man tris for years. He tells me that taking gels on training runs is important because you're training your body to digest food on the run. The natural impulse of the digestive system, absent such training, is to shut down so more energy can be devoted to running. That only gets you so far, but "so far" might be enough for something as short as a half marathon.

5. The 10% addition rule is a very rough guideline. You need to pay attention to how your body feels to see what works for you. Canned plans can be helpful because they give you a pattern that has been good enough for many runners; but if you happen to need more recovery than the plan calls for, take the recovery. Couch time is No Fun At All.

6. Running easy in a race is a great plan. I've never been able to totally follow that plan. I had planned to run easy for my 2nd half, but ended up running most of it at what I now regard as marathon pace. After a sprained ankle, I planned to run a 10 mile race easy; I ended up accelerating close to marathon pace after mile 7 and finishing with a cosmetic sprint. It's harder than you might think to get yourself to run easy when there are other runners around you.

7. Those last 4 miles weren't a mental challenge for my 3rd and subsequent half marathons. I attribute this to having trained up to 16 miles or more on long training runs by the time I entered my 3rd half marathon. (I trained up to a 22 mile long run before my first marathon, and the last 4 miles of the race were a mental as well as physical challenge; but I don't think I'll go for any 30 mile runs before my 2nd marathon. There are physical limits.)

I would run it, slow and steady