Beginning to Train for a Half Marathon

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Alexagetsfit
Alexagetsfit Posts: 313 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am beginning to train for a half marathon. Any help would be appreciated, as I am not really a runner, nor have ever been. I am doing it to kick myself into shape and give myself a goal to work towards. (I need a goal pretty badly.) I am also doing it with some friends, so we will all be putting ourselves through the same torture. Again, ANY help and advice would be very much appreciated.

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  • lasha27
    lasha27 Posts: 1
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    Just like you I was/am not a runner. However at the end of September, I completed a half marathon. As long as you are committed to the weekly training, you will be a success. You can do it!
  • lindyboo22
    lindyboo22 Posts: 2 Member
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    Check out Hal Higdon's online training plans. I used those for my first 10k, half, and full marathons! He has plans for every type of race and for runners of all experience. Also, make sure you have a good pair of running shoes! Good luck and have fun!
  • slidemule
    slidemule Posts: 2 Member
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    Hydration is key, if you do not have a scale that measures hydration level I suggest you get one. Males should be 58-60% hydrated and females 55-58%. I am a raw fruits and vegetables type person, I have fish twice a week and a lean steak on Friday. Make sure to take in your whole grains (Eziekiel bread, steel cut oatmeal and golden flax seed). Practice your running for 20-30 minutes 2-3 times a week and twice a week do interval training with your running. Do some sprints or run as fast as you can from say a mailbox or light pole in your neighbor hood and then jog then get another mailbox and sprint then jog for a couple mailboxes and so on. Get some light weight training in there to help burn fat. My biggest advice is hydration, I am a cyclist used to be runner until I found cycling saves the knees. I ride anywhere from 30-50 miles at one time for a 20mph pace if I am not hydrated or have the right nutrition I could not sustain this type work out. Get off saturated fats & trans fats and work on getting good fats like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Hope I did not put too much out there....GOOD LUCK with your goal!
  • Alexagetsfit
    Alexagetsfit Posts: 313 Member
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    I am working on going to get fitted for running shoes. It is actually on my schedule for this weekend. I think it will help a lot.

    I have already started running, but am not up to the 3 miles that I need to be at to really be able to start any of the plans I have looked at yet, I am still working on it. I am running in to the trouble of having time during the week to do the shorter runs once they get to be longer. I don't want to start a plan I can't finish. Any recommendations?

    I also am struggling to incorporate hills into my workout because I live in houston, where there are no hills and I am running the half marathon in austin, where there are a lot of them. I'm thinking I may have to run on a treadmill once or twice a week just to get an incline workout in.

    Thank you for all your input!
  • Leigh_D
    Leigh_D Posts: 356 Member
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    I think Slidemule nailed it!

    You might try one of the 5K (3 mile) plans to get started, then jump to one of the Half plans. I know we all want to "whip" ourselves into shape, but be kind to yourself!! There is NO SHAME in taking your time. "Slow and steady wins the race!" Your goal should be to have fun and stay injury-free. Everything else is bonus!

    In addition to Hal Higdon, another great source for running plans and advice is Jeff Galloway. Try checking out a whole bunch of books from the library before committing to purchasing one. Runner's World also has one called "Run Your Butt Off"

    For hills, you might locate a school or such that has a stadium with ramps to the upper bleachers. Those make GREAT hills!

    Congrats on trying running! :happy:
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    Higdon is a good plan for a new runner. Follow his plan, or almost any other and do not over train. Remember, the first goal is to get to the starting line. If you over train, you can screw that up.

    I did some of my half training when I was on a low calorie diet (800 to 1k net cals/day) and then upped it to about 1700 cals. Water consumption is a non-issue because your body will tell you when you need water — it's called the thirst mechanism and that's what the international association of marathon medical directors says to go by*.

    The biggest challenge is called "miles in the bank" and a training plan will do that for you. If you follow the plan, it will get you where you want to go.


    PS - I do long distance motorcycle rides such as 1500 miles in 24 hours, border to border to border in 48 hours, and coast to coast to coast in 48 hours. My motto for those endeavours is "Plan the ride. Ride the plan. Enjoy the ride."


    * The international medical directors association for marathons changed their recommendations about drinking recently. They used to recommend "prehydrating" and drink X ounces per hour. They changed their recommendation that you drink water - gasp - when you're thirsty! Their reasoning? The phrase "overwhelming medical evidence" was used.

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