Too soon to run half marathon?

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

Glad you finished and enjoyed it at the end. Take it easy this week and allow your body to recover.

Just an bit of advice - you want to take the gel before you hit the wall. After is too late. You should practice with gels in your long runs to get used to the routine. I plan ahead on when I will take the gels and do it at the same time in training.

Of course my opinion is still to not do too much too soon. You made it through the half and hopefully it won't lead to injury.

I have nothing to say but CONGRATS!

Do it just don't push too hard

I agree, you should be fine. My first half only had 10 miles as my longest run and I did great. In fact, the race was easier than training runs (yay for adrenaline!)