I'm thinking about signing up for a half marathon in 2013!

ccbing
ccbing Posts: 162 Member
edited November 11 in Fitness and Exercise
My husband finished his first half marathon in Dec. 2012. We have a few freinds who are avid runners. Running/jogging/walking is something I keep tinkering with off and on. I usually do good a while then hurt my knee and stop. I am in the process of losing weight. Knee pain is something I have dealt with from time to time for the past few years. I work for an orthopaedic surgeon and he says he is sure it's mostly due to being overweight.....which I knew deep down....just didn't want to face it. Anyway..I have lost 24 lbs. since Jan. 1 and knee pain has improved greatly. It flares up from time to time...but usually after I have jogged/walked 7-8 miles in a weekend. My Dr. says he thinks I can do it as long as I keep losing the weight. I personally don't want to do it unless I'm positive I can do it in under 4 hours (the allotted time for the half). I do have a great support system. My husband and some of our friends(all male) have already registered for the Myrtle Beach Half in Feb. 2013. If I register before midnight tonight I will save $15 on the fee. lol...anyway I keep getting txts for my hubby and our friends encouraging me to go for it....I told them they have more faith in me than I have in myself. I wish I had a crystal ball to see if my knees were going to hold up over the next year. If it was only a matter of wanting to.....then I'd sign up now....I think I'm just afraid of failure :( I'm prob. am going to sign up...I just wanted to write out what's going through my mind. Thanks for reading my venting process...lol

Replies

  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    Do it!! I registered for my first half marathon with about 4 months to train and as soon as I registered I thought "What the hell have I done?" But I worked my butt off, and finished that first one in about 2 hours and 40 minutes. Then, I continued to work harder for another year (although my diet was a big failure---hence why I'm now on MFP) and did my second half marathon a couple weeks ago in 2 hours 32 minutes. I'm doing another one at the end of March, and I have noticed a huge difference since losing even just 9 lbs. Every little bit helps, and a race like that is an awesome motivator to get going. 2013 is totally realistic, you can do it!!
  • Justine13
    Justine13 Posts: 78 Member
    That is great you have such a supportive husband! I think you should register.
    I am doing my first half marathon this fall and I have always worried about my time as well. I didn't want to sign up for one unless i knew i would have a good finish time.
    I was hit by a car when i was younger and it messed up my knee pretty bad. I had to wear a brace for 2 years.
    But i love running so i couldn't quit. The knee brace i had was bulky so i went to walmart and got a thinner one (it has a hole opening for your knee cap) It helps so much!
    You do have alot of time to train for this run and a bonus is while training you will loose weight from the workouts.
    I wish you the best of luck
    Justine :0)
  • ccbing
    ccbing Posts: 162 Member
    Okay...I just texted my hubby and our friends....I'm going to register for the 2013 Myrtle Beach Half Marathon tonight! :happy:
  • kstone70
    kstone70 Posts: 19 Member
    I was exactly where you are a couple of years ago. I couldn't even jog ONE lap around the track. For a New Years resolution I decided that I would run a 5k. I started that day. In May of that year (5 months and 13 days later), I finished my first 1/2 marathon in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Since then I have ran 5 more, with my best time of 1 hour and 48 minutes. YOU CAN TOTALLY DO THIS!! You will never feel such satisfaction when you complete it, knowing you worked so hard for something. I highly recommend either Hal Higdon or Jeff Galloway training schedules. Take walk breaks when you need them. I am so proud of you!!!! The weight will come off as you train (if you are eating healthy within your calorie level). One of my biggest problems in the past while training for a 1/2 is that I thought "I ran 9 miles today, I deserve to eat what I want". Your body deserves to be fed healthy.
  • ccbing
    ccbing Posts: 162 Member
    My 5K time is about 41:41 right now....I figure in a year I should be able to complete the half in under 4 hours.....I cld maybe walk it in under 4. So I just need to stop being afraid of failure and just do it. lol
  • dsak
    dsak Posts: 367 Member
    You CAN do it!!! A year is a long time.... plenty of time to train and get in shape!!!!

    I plan on also signing up for my first 1/2 marathon next January 2013.... at Disney.

    I haven't been running too long, but I have done two 5Ks and one 5-mile race so far. My plan is to sign up for at least one race a month from now until January to keep me motivated. I started my running program by doing C25K, and can now run almost 7 miles. I've reviewed the Hal Higdon Novice 2 training program, and I may begin with that later this year. Until then, I'm just going to keep running and trying to increase my distance. I'm not too worried about speed at this point. I figure it will come.

    Good luck to you... and CONGRATS for taking the plunge and signing up!!!
  • sheepiegail
    sheepiegail Posts: 56 Member
    I also have been thinking about setting a goal to help motivate me but not a half marathon. I was thinking a 10K this coming June but have no idea about a training schedule. I have currently been doing 5 miles a day in my work out sessions. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to go from there???? I would be doing it on my own since my husband doesn't like to run. Is shooting for a 10 K crazy and do I have enough time to get ready?
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    Just remember that every pound you lose is equal to relieving 4-5 pounds of pressure from your knees, so the more you keep at it the better they'll feel. (from someone that injured both knees at a young age and has chronic knee problems)

    Also, get yourself signed up for that half! I've found that nothin is more encouraging to keep me on schedule than having an actual race that I'm signed up for an it quickly approaching.

    As for keeping pain in check. I was constantly dealing with pain and injury when I was trying to just run pretty much every day. Then I found Hal Higdon's training plans that were a mix of run days, cross-train cardio days, and strength days. From the moment that I got on that plan I haven't had a single injury from working out and my times and endurance have just continued to improve. I ran a 5-K, a 7-K, and a 10-K each just one moth apart last fall and set personal bests on pace and overall time for each one.

    I've got my first half marathon coming up in April 8 and I'm following slightly modified Hal Higdon plan for that as well. And even with almost two months off regular training (holidays and then illness), I'm right back to improving pace and endurance week over week. Just finished my first double digit run distance on Sundat, ran the whole thing (and no abnormal pains).

    So get that registration in and good luck, you can definitely do it!!
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I also have been thinking about setting a goal to help motivate me but not a half marathon. I was thinking a 10K this coming June but have no idea about a training schedule. I have currently been doing 5 miles a day in my work out sessions. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to go from there???? I would be doing it on my own since my husband doesn't like to run. Is shooting for a 10 K crazy and do I have enough time to get ready?

    http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51121/10K-Training-Guide

    I swear by his training plans. They're the ones I mentioned in the post above. I used the 10-K plan to train for my 7-K and my 10-K. By the time I ran my 10-K I was faster, stronger and more toned than I'd been after the previous year of working out before I did just eight weeks of total training for the two runs.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    My 5K time is about 41:41 right now....I figure in a year I should be able to complete the half in under 4 hours.....I cld maybe walk it in under 4. So I just need to stop being afraid of failure and just do it. lol
    This is exactly what I was going to point out. You can walk a half marathon in under 4 hours. That's a 3.25 MPH pace, not even a fast walk. This past year I went from never running (EVER!) to running my first half marathon in 9 months time. When I started Couch to 5K, I was going about a mile in 30 minutes. I finished the half marathon in under 2:45. You can easily do this!
  • ccbing
    ccbing Posts: 162 Member
    Ok...it's official...I just registered for the 2013 Myrtle Beach Half Marathon!!!
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