newbie runner/half marathon question

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ashleep423
ashleep423 Posts: 11 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I recently started running and have decided to sign up for my first half marathon. It's something I've wanted to do for the past few years but was always in the mind frame that it wasn't an attainable goal and it would never happen. But I finally decided that I was actually going to do it.

The race is in June of 2018 so roughly 8 months from now. The race has a pace requirement of 15 minutes/mile. Right now I'm up to 2.5 miles, and my average pace is around 13min/mile (I can't run a full mile without walking a little bit yet).

So here are my 3 questions:

1. How much will I realistically be able to get my pace time down? I'd like to be able to run 1 mile in less than 10 minutes, and then have my half marathon pace at about 11.50-12.50 miles/minute. I'm currently running 3-5x per week and doing cross training on other days that I don't run.

2. It can get pretty hot, humid, and miserable in June here. How much should I plan the heat to affect my pace?

3. Any tips/advice from any of you who've tackled the half before?

Replies

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,682 Member
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    At this point you have no way of knowing what your HM time will be. Don't worry about it. Right now the focus needs to be on building your base. As you run more miles, you will get faster. You have plenty of time, as long as you don't get injured, so your focus now should be to increase your base without getting injured. That means doing your runs slowly and not increasing your distance too quickly.

    Most HM plans are about 12 weeks, so you would start training for it in March. I suggest you do some racing over the winter/spring. Start with 5ks, but you might be able to get in a 10k or 8k or two. It will get you used to racing, so when your goal race comes along you aren't overcome with nerves. It will also give you a chance to do some fast running. It will give you some idea of what you should attempt for race pace. You might train specifically for a 10k (Higdon has plans, among others) which will get you used to doing some planned speed work.

    Heat will affect your time. How much depends on how accustomed you are to dealing with it. Where are you? June is iffy. It can be comfortable or miserable. If you train in similar conditions, you'll be okay on race day, especially if the race starts early.
  • ashleep423
    ashleep423 Posts: 11 Member
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    I'm in the Chicago suburbs. And yes, I've been looking and have a few 5k's and 10k's in mind for the next few months. I've done three 5k's in the past. I'm hoping to be ready for the 10K polar dash this upcoming January. If not, I'll just do the 5K.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
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    I'll chime in with my 2 cents...

    I agree with @spiriteagle99 - Do not be concerned with pace right now. You first have to get your body ready to run 13.1 miles and that happens gradually. It also happens while running slowly. At this point, all of your runs should be easy (you should be able to sing while you run - if you can't, you're running too fast). As a beginner, you will get faster.

    Get a beginner 5k plan, then move on to the 10k before tackling the half.

    Good luck.

    PS - If you haven't already, now is the perfect time to visit a specialty running store and get fitted for the correct shoes. Your legs will thank you.
  • missykatrinky
    missykatrinky Posts: 2 Member
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    Adding to the advice above... Even as an experienced runner, I use run/walk training to increase my mileage without injuring myself. Hal Higdon has great plans. Make sure to do core and hip strengtheners while you train. Most women have week hips and this can lead to injury. Planks, bridges, Pilates hip strengtheners (google them) are helpful. If you want to increase speed, add speed workouts. I'd do this after you increase mileage a bit. They aren't as bad as they sound! There are lots of speed workouts where you pick up speed for a certain distance/time and then slow down and repeat. Just remember to run a little faster than what you want to race at, no sprinting!!! That, too, causes injuries. Good luck!!!
  • djanvk
    djanvk Posts: 5 Member
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    I just ran my first half about 2 weeks ago and it was amazing. Like it was said before don't worry about pace get your body used to moving for 2hrs+, look into a half marathon training plan like Hal Higdon's it's a good one. Really only once a week do you need to do a long run and you will be good. When I ran the half it was the longest I've ever ran straight and I felt great, there is a motivation factor during the race with other people around and you actually will run faster. I am a 10-11min mile runner when I train and I averaged 9:25 for the whole half and felt great.

    On thing that helped was learning to train with my HR in the aerobic zone, I had to start off running quite a bit slower than I was used to but then my HR became trained to stay in the 130s and I was able to increase my pace while keeping my HR in my aerobic zone.
  • ashleep423
    ashleep423 Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks for all the advice! I'm really looking forward to doing this.

    And yes, really good running shoes are going to be my Christmas present to myself lol.
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
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    Congrats on deciding to enter a half marathon. That is my favorite distance to race. You got rock solid advice from several posters above. Build your base while running slowly, pick a plan, follow it and enjoy race day!
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    I would not wait until Christmas for running shoes! I don’t know if you meant that literally or not, but you really need proper shoes if you’re going to be running.

    You absolutely can do it. You have plenty of time to train. Find a 10k and then a half marathon plan (there are many; I’ve used the Runkeeper plans) and train with them. Think about endurance first rather than speed. Many people have mentioned that getting used to running 2+ hours is especially important.

    You will probably want some kind of fuel for your long runs, like energy gels or blocks. Try some out during your long training runs to see what you like and get your stomach used to eating while running. Talk to the folks at your local running store to get a sense of what options there are and how much you might need.

    As far as hot weather, the best thing to do is acclimate to it before the race. You’ll be tapering for the race in the weeks immediately before it, which should help your body acclimate. Be sure to take in electrolytes, not just plain water, if you’re sweating a lot. Gatorade, Nuun, or other electrolyte drinks are good.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ashleep423 wrote: »
    I'm in the Chicago suburbs. And yes, I've been looking and have a few 5k's and 10k's in mind for the next few months. I've done three 5k's in the past. I'm hoping to be ready for the 10K polar dash this upcoming January. If not, I'll just do the 5K.

    if you aren't ready for a 10k in January, i think you will struggle with a Half in June. definitely stop thinking about pace and just run easy miles.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Another "don't worry about pace" comment here......with a requirement of 15 minute miles you could walk it (that's 4mph)

    Work on your base, and expect heat & humidity to slow you down. We had record temps here in September & I ran my worst ever half-marathon (running a 5K first my not have been a stroke of genius either...) but I finished.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    You should be ready for it, but you should be following a plan. There is no shame in walking (many experienced runners do - check out the Galloway Method).

    Personally I have been following a run/walk schedule in my longer runs of 9 minutes run/1 minute walk. As a beginner you may prefer to run a couple of minutes, walk 30-60 seconds etc.

    For your first half you want to finish. That means only worrying about pace in terms of 'am I running too fast to maintain this pace?'.

    You won't be able to judge how well you can maintain your pace until you have tried some longer distances - definitely get in a couple of races, get to the 10k in January and get some experience.

  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    edited October 2017
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    Distance distance distance. Make sure almost all of your miles are easy for now. Don't worry about pace at all.

    Once you can comfortably run 5K then you should find 10K pretty easy to achieve. After that, you should be able to get yourself to 10 miles in two to three months, and 10 miles on your own is pretty much as good as 13 in a race environment (sounds crazy, but it's true). Any reasonable training plan will provide structure to the mileage build up.

    My main concern is actually the Chicago winter and if that might constrict your ability to train for the next 3-4 months. I'll echo the above and say that in terms of benchmarks, if you can't run a comfortable 10K and/or regularly manage a training schedule of 15-20 miles per week by the end of the winter, you might want to reconsider the half and postpone until the fall.

    That said, the risk is pretty low because there's a decent chance that you could actually walk the entire 13 miles at 4mph with a bare minimum of training. No fun in that though - you might as well walk 13 miles without paying for the right to do so.

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