a half marathon or full????

paruls86 · May 2012

have not been exercising much for past two weeks but it is now the time to challenge myself...
i have to register for a marathon/ half marathon on 30th sept. can any body tell me if i can do a full by then or should i aim for a half....???
I start training from this monday with C25K followed by B210k and the my full/half marathon training... suggest me what should i take up??? or should i follow a different course of training???

bsmith404 · May 2012

What do you mean by "you have" to register for a marathon/half? You want to as a personal goal?

How about running a 5k, then a 10k, another run and then maybe the 1/2. Do you run reguarly?

It's doable. I started out by doing a 5k, then 2-10k's with another in June this year. I am taking a break until about July and then I will start training for the 1/2 Rock n' Roll Marathon in Lisbon on September 30th. While I am not training for anything I still run anywhere between 4-8miles to include speedwork, long runs, slow runs, etc.

Take it one race at a time. If by your first 5k you feel great. Then train for a 10k. Then if you feel great do another and then the 1/2.

rybo · May 2012

A half at best, a full would not be a very fun experience given where you are at now. But I am also with the other poster that maybe a shorter race would be better.

drfalktorres · May 2012

have not been exercising much for past two weeks but it is now the time to challenge myself...
i have to register for a marathon/ half marathon on 30th sept. can any body tell me if i can do a full by then or should i aim for a half....???
I start training from this monday with C25K followed by B210k and the my full/half marathon training... suggest me what should i take up??? or should i follow a different course of training???

I've never done a half or a full-- and I signed up for a full for September 22nd. I figure, the goal is to finish, not record-breaking time. I've ran several 5 and 10K's and had a great time...so why not give it a go? I'm following the Hal Higdon 18 week plan....and I've offically got 19 weeks-- I'm trusting I can do it-- even if I walk much of it. It's all about mindset, commitment to training, and knowing your body/pain tolerance. Good luck!

joehempel · May 2012

Half Marathon, if you just started C25k, you are going to hate life in the full marathon. You may finish it, but would you feel like you accomplished something if you walked over 1/2 of it?

I started running last year in May (I was 225lbs), and ran a 1/2 Marathon in October in 2:12. I couldn't even THINK about doing a full marathon then.

seekingstrengthX2 · May 2012

Half

Definitely.

A full marathon is a Really. Big. Deal.

Do a 5k... then another one... then a 10k... then a Half.

714rah714 · May 2012

You can do anything you set your mind too, but I would go with the half.

jporche77 · May 2012

Half Marathon, if you just started C25k, you are going to hate life in the full marathon. You may finish it, but would you feel like you accomplished something if you walked over 1/2 of it?

I started running last year in May (I was 225lbs), and ran a 1/2 Marathon in October in 2:12. I couldn't even THINK about doing a full marathon then.

I would totally do the half. I started just doing 5K's last year and did a half marathon in March. It was very mentally challenging for a person that has never run that distance.

Even after I ran that distance I don't want to go any further than the 13.1 miles

lichensandseeds · May 2012

I agree that a half is better for a first big race than a full. Training for a long run is a lot of fun and very rewarding, but it also brings challenges. In addition to fitting in all the training runs, it takes practice figure out what food to eat so you don't inadvertently lose or gain too much weight. You will also be more prone to injury when doing long training runs. It's better to get used to these challenges with a shorter distance as your goal and then sign up for a full marathon later once you've finished the half and have a better idea about how your body reacts to distance running.

Also, you probably know this, but make sure you have good shoes! Last year when I was training for a full marathon, I went to visit my parents and brought one of my old pairs of running shoes rather than the ones I was currently using. Just using old shoes for a week was enough to mess up my IT band and slow my training for a few weeks.

paruls86 · May 2012

thanks every one....
I have now broken down my goals... yup i am aiming a half marathon in September and i want to run/jog through it... to know whether i am on the right track i am signing up for another half a month before that and i think i will be walking half of it, my aim is just to finish in time and get my medal (definitely not looking to rank any where)
i am starting a 12week program tomorrow and i have over 13 weeks to go before my first and another 35 days before the second.
I hope to graduate to a full by February next year....

another advice i want is about shoes i did buy myself shoes over a month back when i started with MFP but the are not "running" shoes though they are comfortable. i am thinking that if my training is on track i would buy another pair in July and train for over a month with it... your thoughts???

Awkward30 · May 2012

I did my first half in March, I signed up for it in October when I had not run more than 3 miles in a row in my life. I completed the half marathon in 2:23. Extrapolating out, it would take me at least 5 hours to do a full marathon. That sounds miserable, so for that reason, I've decided to train for a faster half marathon before attempting a full. Not because I don't think I could finish, but because I don't want to have to take 5 hours to do so.

paruls86 · May 2012

what were your training routines?

SavCal71 · May 2012

Ifyou follow a good training plan, you should be able to do a half by then. I think you'd be pushing yourself too much to try a full. Look at some Hal Higdon training plans.

paruls86 · May 2012

I would love if someone could guide me to nutrition plan i should follow for the course of training...

paruls86 · May 2012

bump

paruls86 · May 2012

??

brandyk77 · May 2012

half for sure.

nutition - well, that is harder to say

paruls86 · June 2012

bump

RobynDCrossman · June 2012

How much running do you CURRENTLY do?

Lane1012 · June 2012

A full marathon is a Really. Big. Deal.

so is a Half

lauralizzy829 · June 2012

I started C25K in May and will finish end of this month. Then starting a half marathon training for november. Have a 5K in August, 10K in September, then the half in November.

I think you can complete all the training programs by that date (C25K 9 weeks, 1/2 marathon 12 weeks) but you should def register for other races (5K, 10K) before you do the 1/2.

lauralizzy829 · June 2012

thanks every one....
I have now broken down my goals... yup i am aiming a half marathon in September and i want to run/jog through it... to know whether i am on the right track i am signing up for another half a month before that and i think i will be walking half of it, my aim is just to finish in time and get my medal (definitely not looking to rank any where)
i am starting a 12week program tomorrow and i have over 13 weeks to go before my first and another 35 days before the second.
I hope to graduate to a full by February next year....

another advice i want is about shoes i did buy myself shoes over a month back when i started with MFP but the are not "running" shoes though they are comfortable. i am thinking that if my training is on track i would buy another pair in July and train for over a month with it... your thoughts???

I prefer Saucony Hurricane or Brooks shoes. Go to a running specialty store (not ****'s) they should be able to tell by looking at the wear of your current soles where you need support, etc.

I am doing the C25K Pro app on my phone. Shape.com has a half marathon training guide on their website.
http://www.shape.com/fitness/training-plans/your-step-step-half-marathon-training-schedule

Hope it helps!

lsorensen130 · June 2012

I did my first half March 2011. I didn't train a whole lot, just ran once or twice a week and usually not more than 3 miles. I literally couldn't walk for 3 days afterwards. I agree with the post about whether you would feel like you really accomplished something if you walked most of it. Definitely start with a half

lauralizzy829 · June 2012

thanks every one....
I have now broken down my goals... yup i am aiming a half marathon in September and i want to run/jog through it... to know whether i am on the right track i am signing up for another half a month before that and i think i will be walking half of it, my aim is just to finish in time and get my medal (definitely not looking to rank any where)
i am starting a 12week program tomorrow and i have over 13 weeks to go before my first and another 35 days before the second.
I hope to graduate to a full by February next year....

another advice i want is about shoes i did buy myself shoes over a month back when i started with MFP but the are not "running" shoes though they are comfortable. i am thinking that if my training is on track i would buy another pair in July and train for over a month with it... your thoughts???

I prefer Saucony Hurricane or Brooks shoes. Go to a running specialty store (not ****'s) they should be able to tell by looking at the wear of your current soles where you need support, etc.

I am doing the C25K Pro app on my phone. Shape.com has a half marathon training guide on their website.
http://www.shape.com/fitness/training-plans/your-step-step-half-marathon-training-schedule

Hope it helps!

They just bleeped out D*cks.....dirty MFP...I meant the sporting goods store.

paruls86 · June 2012

i did start with a C25K but twisted my leg.... nothing serious but didnot get back on track.
right now i am aiming to cross the finish line with a half and it doesn't matter if i walk or run. i am building on my running but i walk any where between 20k in a week and i am upping it to 35 from this week ... i have a little over 11 weeks left and i hope to run half of my half by then also i am thnking of getting a bike so that i can train my legs a bit better on the cross training days..

ednabnana · June 2012

I finished my second half marathon yesterday @2 hours 14 minutes (HRM data/unofficial).

I am a runner. Since you already decided to do the half. My only tip is that you spend the money for an insole & the right shoes. Go to a sporting goods store where they test your arches & what kind of shoes would fit you best.

I gotta say that crossing that finish line would be impossible for me without my shoes & insoles. BEST WISHES

ndrenee · June 2012

Definitely get fitted for running shoes at a running store. Everyone's feet are different so its best to get one that works best for you. One additional caveat on the half/full discussion. It can sometimes be difficult to lose weight while training for a distance race. You are burning so many calories and are constantly hungry. Just keep that in mind when figuring out your running goals and how they tie to your weight loss goals. When I am training for a half (or the one time I ran a full), I stop counting calories as I just listen to what my body is telling me it needs. I just try to stay away from processed foods as much as I can.

a half marathon or full????

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