Preparing for a Half Marathon?

stephabef
stephabef Posts: 936 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a fairly new runner - I've been running for under a year. I'm signing up for a half marathon in November. How should I prepare? I definitely intend to participate in a number of 5Ks prior to it. How did you prepare for your first half marathon?

Replies

  • christinehetz80
    christinehetz80 Posts: 490 Member
    I'm also a new runner and also planning on my first in November. I've been looking at a lot of different race training programs and joined a womens running group today. I'm curious what answers you get. :) What are you plannin gon running for your first half?
  • jacquiroxx
    jacquiroxx Posts: 68 Member
    I'm running my first half marathon in the end of May. I'm using Hal Higdon's 12-week novice training plan, as recommended to me by many members on DailyMile. I like that it uses tapering and doesn't increase weekly mileage too fast. A quick Google search will pull his website up :)
  • CaptainSwab
    CaptainSwab Posts: 53
    I agree with the Hal higdon comment. It will prepare you.
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
    Thanks! Before I spend money on this, though - is there a way to shift around the schedule? I'd rather my rest day be on Sunday than Monday, since I work a long bartending shift for Sunday brunch.
  • nickyeatrunread
    nickyeatrunread Posts: 173 Member
    I found a plan on RW--then tweaked it to meet my needs. You can definitely shift things around for your schedule, etc. I tend to try and stretch out a training plan so I can get at least one run in 2-3 weeks prior that is the race length for the half (not everyone likes doing this). In the end, my advice would be to take a plan you like and then make it fit your life and your goals. :) Best of luck! Running your first half is such a great feeling!
  • CaptainSwab
    CaptainSwab Posts: 53
    The Hal higdon plan is online for free. Well, all his plans used to be butnim pretty sure they are still up there. And it shouldn't be a problem at all to adjust the schedule. If you go with his novice plan it is running three days a week.
  • Hornet4Life
    Hornet4Life Posts: 47
    There are a ton of website that will create a training guide for you. Just "google" half marathon training. I am currently training for my 2nd one. Its hardwork but a lot of fun. Good Luck!
  • IronmanPanda
    IronmanPanda Posts: 2,083 Member
    I used Hal Higdon's plan for my first 1/2 and it worked out great.
  • LaRuse
    LaRuse Posts: 3 Member
    You can also check with your local running specialty stores and see if there are groups in your area that run together or are training for the same half marathon you signed up for.
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    I'm still pretty much a newbie, ran my first 1/2 this past December. Like most of the suggestions, find a training program that suits you and go for it. You have plenty of time, so you should be OK. And when you find a program you like, don't be afraid to tweak it as you need to in order to meet your goals. I had to do that with the program I found, it was great for the first 5 or so weeks, but the middle weeks were a bit much for me, so I just reworked them to suit my fitness level and the time I had.
    Good luck and God bless!

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