Half-Marathon

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Cate4035
Cate4035 Posts: 19 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Just looking for general advice. Currently run 4-6 miles three or four times a week, considering training for a half marathon, but running 13 miles non-stop is beyond my comprehension. Do people walk part of it? How long did you take to train? Just any advice for a complete novice would be appreciated.

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  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    you can find many training plans online - they range from 6-20 weeks - where you gradually build up the distance

    you can walk if you want - personally, i do run/walk intervals and run the same time/slightly faster as if i was running the entire time
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    People of all abilities do them, so yes... lots of people do run/walk combos.

    If you run 4-6mi 3-4x week, I think you're probably closer than you think to being able to do all/most of a half.
  • BrantleyHope
    BrantleyHope Posts: 12 Member
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    I did a combo for my first and plan to keep that mentality for my second. I ran a far as I could for as long as I could which hit me right about mile 9, from there I would walk for a half a mile then run a mile. My second is in November - so I am working through a half training program now.

    Definitely agree with the post above, you're a lot closer than you think.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    edited July 2018
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    If you can already run 6 miles you are just one good plan away from a very successful half marathon. :)

    https://halhigdon.com/training/half-marathon-training/

    Good luck.
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
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    you can already run 6miles several times a week, you might not need a plan ... I run 6 miles 3 times a week it takes about an hour .... half marathon is just running for 2 hours ... do your run, your regular route and then just repeat it.

    you might want to slow your 6mile pace down a bit though so the whole thing is just a cruise

    that said, a good plan will make you faster and reduce the chance of injury ... but your ability to do the mileage ... that is already there
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Cate4035 wrote: »
    Just looking for general advice. Currently run 4-6 miles three or four times a week, considering training for a half marathon, but running 13 miles non-stop is beyond my comprehension. Do people walk part of it? How long did you take to train? Just any advice for a complete novice would be appreciated.

    i used to think that, and then i decided to do one!

    most plans are 10-16 weeks, i tend to go 12-15, though after 14/15 weeks i am just ready to get the race over with!

    as others have said, if you can do 6 miles, you can do 10. and if you can do 10, you can do a half!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    this group is pretty good for questions:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners
  • runnermom419
    runnermom419 Posts: 366 Member
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    Cate4035 wrote: »
    Just looking for general advice. Currently run 4-6 miles three or four times a week, considering training for a half marathon, but running 13 miles non-stop is beyond my comprehension. Do people walk part of it? How long did you take to train? Just any advice for a complete novice would be appreciated.

    I've done over a dozen half marathons. And each one, I've walked part of it. Mostly the aid stations because I can't run and drink at the same time. It's still 13.1 miles no matter how you slice it.

    There are plenty of cookie cutter training plans out there. Some to help you be competitive, others to barely get you across the finish line. I would actually recommend finding a running group/coach who will write up a custom training plan for you and your needs. I started with a coach last year and it was the best decision I've ever made.
  • curtismccall
    curtismccall Posts: 27 Member
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    I was doing the same thing as you a while back and one day decided to just go for it nonstop and see how far I can get. In the end I did the 13 miles but had aching joints for a few days so I would definitely work up to it. Also a tip I got from another runner who does half marathons pretty frequently was to bring coconut water with you. I guess the sugar and carbs give you a little more fuel when running that long and I brought those with me and feel like they picked me up a good bit when I started getting slower and fatigued
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
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    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    People of all abilities do them, so yes... lots of people do run/walk combos.

    If you run 4-6mi 3-4x week, I think you're probably closer than you think to being able to do all/most of a half.

    Strongly agree. It took me months to get up to 6 mile runs and a only few weeks after that I ran my first 10 and really wasn't much more worn out. Once you start doing 10s regularly (once a week or so) you can do a half.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    Use the HH plans. Very practical and effective. Half marathons are great because contrary to initial appearances, they're actually very friendly distances. Long enough to be a challenge but short enough that regular people can train for them without totally disrupting their lives.

    If you can run 6 miles pretty regularly now, you'll be able to finish a HM with minimal training on very short notice with maybe one or two short walk breaks once you get to mile 9 or 10.

    With 8 weeks training from today, finishing 13 miles with no real walk breaks won't be an issue at all. With 12 weeks training, you actually have time to push yourself for a targeted time (that is, go beyond a goal of just finishing the race).
  • mserickson99
    mserickson99 Posts: 21 Member
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    I run Half’s and only train up to 6-8 miles a few times a week. I don’t follow a training plan. They stress me out. My last Half I ran the entire time. It takes me about 2H 20MIN to finish. I focus on endurance when I train.

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