half marathon training advice needed PLEASE

tonilizzy88
tonilizzy88 Posts: 920 Member
edited December 24 in Fitness and Exercise
okey doeky so ive been running since january and couldnt do 30seconds let alone 13.1 miles. im up to 7 miles at the moment and i love every moment of it. im competeing in my firt 10k on sunday that ive actualy prepared for.

im looking for any advice on how to train for it??? things to eat??

cheers in adavnce

Replies

  • Amy_B
    Amy_B Posts: 2,317 Member
    My biggest piece of advice, after running my first half last year, is to train for maybe 14 miles as your long run (or more). I only trained to 10 miles, per the program I was following, and it was tough to get those last few miles out. Definitely also train with aides...GU, Gatorade/water mix, Swedish fish (what I did), etc. You'll need energy to get you through.
  • Tiddle
    Tiddle Posts: 762 Member
    Google Hal Higdon - he has great training plans for beginners.. I used his plan for my first half marathon.
  • shgreen612
    shgreen612 Posts: 6 Member
    That is fantastic - congrats on your accomplishments!!!

    In terms of what you eat (and what you wear!), don't do anything totally new or out of the ordinary. You want to stick to things that you typically eat before you run (for example, what you eat before your long run on the weekend). The same goes for what you wear - wear what you know is comfortable (no chaffing!) and works for you.

    For working up to a half marathon, just keep up the great work! Gradually increase the mileage of your long runs and stick with it. It sounds like you are already on the right track!

    Good luck with your 10k!!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I followed Hal Higdon for the half I'm running next week, but as the poster above said, I had some extra weeks, and took my mileage to the half marathon distance in training. I feel a bit more confident now, having done that.

    Runnersworld has some good plans you could have a look at.

    What did you want to know about eating?
  • autumn_mix
    autumn_mix Posts: 34 Member
    Congrats to you on training for a half! My best advice is food-related. You might find that you need to fuel up properly before, during, and after your long training runs. My plan has always been to eat a bagel with full-sugar jam about an hour before a run, eat a couple Powerade gummies along the way (some of them are caffeinated, which is great for early morning runs, and they can easily stuff in a key pocket), and a protein shake with a banana afterward. The carbs beforehand help my endurance a lot, especially consider I'm not usually a big carb-loader. The Powerade gummies or Gu are for when your legs start to feel a bit like jelly. The protein afterward is essential for muscle repair - you will find that you are much less sore in the days following a long training run than if you don't do protein.

    Also, If you want to stretch your mileage, consider letting yourself walk or run slower if you need to. I had to abandon the idea that running at a constant pace was the "right" way to run, and everything less than that was a failure. The first time I really let myself do this, I went form running 7 miles to 11 miles, with much less strain.
  • Time2Thrive
    Time2Thrive Posts: 161 Member
    I agree Hal Higdon has a lot of great resources. I just got the latest Runners World Magazine in the mail and it is talking about half marathon in this issue. Haven't had time to look at it yet but they do an awesome job as well.

    I did 3 half marathons last year and never did well at training schedules but did what I could. The greatest advice I got was don't look at a training schedule as in stone. Do what you can and if you miss days just move on.

    Best of luck to you!
  • bridies01
    bridies01 Posts: 57 Member
    not sure if you are looking for advice on the 10k or the half? I don't eat before morning runs, so I don't eat much before a morning race, maybe one piece of toast and a little coffee.

    For half training, are you following a plan? If you google "runner's world smart coach", they have great free plans that tell you exactly what to do. Your 10k time from this weekend you will input into the program to determine your paces. I really liked that plan it made for me, except I got overzealous and looked at the training paces as something to beat instead of follow. Just stick to the plan and don't try to go any faster even if you feel you can. I got injured (torn calf) and couldn't do the race I was training for.

    I don't like the gu's, gels, etc that are on the market - I like to do long runs with fruit snacks! I usually don't drink during a run unless it's summer and super hot. I will plant a small frozen bottle of water or two at the end of my street, and make sure my route passes by a couple times. Or you can take a couple dollars and stop by a gas station on your route for water or gatorade.

    Good luck on your race, and great job getting to 7 miles! I was a new runner 2 years ago, and about this time last year I was venturing up towards 7-8 miles on my long runs. The first year was tough and slow progress but I have made great gains in the last year - I do remember the days where I could not run an entire mile without stopping to walk. Keep up the great work!
  • kimbly71
    kimbly71 Posts: 188
    Google Hal Higdon - he has great training plans for beginners.. I used his plan for my first half marathon.

    Definitely this! I used Hal's program and completed my first mini on 4/28/12. It was the best feeling ever! The morning of the mini I ate oatmeal and a banana about 1.5 hours before the race. I also folowed the advice of one of my experienced running friends and ate a gu pack about 30 minutes before. As always, stay hydrated and have fun!!
  • dswroth
    dswroth Posts: 1
    If you're running the 10K on Sunday, my best advice to you is don't change anything dramatically between now and then. Most importantly, keep your diet "normal" on Friday and Saturday. One mistake many people make is to change over to a new diet (pasta, more carbs, etc.) and then find out something doesn't agree with them the day of the race.

    You've run the 7 miles, so you know you can do this! Just keep doing what you're doing, maybe take a rest day late this week and take it easy on your workouts the latter half of the week to get strong for the run. Then, enjoy the experience and soak up the feeling of accomplishment.

    For your half marathon training, I suggest Hal Higdon's training plans - use the novice plan if this is your first. He got me through my first marathon! www.halhigdon.com
  • lamerek
    lamerek Posts: 18 Member
    Congrats on doing your first 10K!!! That is amazing! :)

    I'm a new runner (only been at it 10 months), and haven't yet started training for my first 13.1 (in April, 2013). But, I have read Hal Higdon's "Marathon" (I'd recommend it—includes info on the half, as well!), as well as other running books (Bingham's "Running for Mortals" is great!).

    Google "Half marathon training program beginner" and you'll hit lots of stuff. I'm going to use the training program described in "Train Like a Mother". You can find the book on Amazon, and the preview shows the half "Finish It" training plan (e.g. for beginners). I like the plan the best out of all I've seen because it includes some speed work, which I'll be up to once I start training in January. But, in the end I'd suggest picking a plan that appeals to you!

    Train Like a Mother also includes info on nutrition for a half (or full) marathon. Runner's World is also a great source for useful information, and their most recent issue is dedicated to the half! Pretty cool!

    FYI, I blog about running and just posted about picking my half training plan. You can find it here:
    http://pinkmonsterruns.com/

    Congrats, again!
    kate.
  • HeartME511healthy
    HeartME511healthy Posts: 163 Member
    okey doeky so ive been running since january and couldnt do 30seconds let alone 13.1 miles. im up to 7 miles at the moment and i love every moment of it. im competeing in my firt 10k on sunday that ive actualy prepared for.

    im looking for any advice on how to train for it??? things to eat??

    cheers in adavnce

    Hi, I did my first half in May it was awesome I ran with a friend @bizeebec150 and she assisted me in my training, the method was awesome each week we added 1 mile to our Saturday run. I was too up to 7 miles but not a straight run, I was walking/ running during this 7 miles. So come game day, we did great I did my first half in 2 hours and 40min... since I had nothing to measure it by other than my training weeks it was a good ending... Food, we have to eat carbs.. it is vital along with lean protein, and lost of rest and water. I will also add soaking in tub, and if shower then at the end of your shower try cold water to cool the body down and muscles (this was great)
  • mortyfit
    mortyfit Posts: 354 Member
    The best thing you can do is the following:
    1) if you haven't already done so, go to a specialty running store and have them analyze your foot and your running form. They will tell you exactly what type of running shoe will give you the best results (meaning most comfort and least chance of injury), and they will do that for free whether you buy anything from them or not.

    2) Go to www.runnersworld.com and build your own training plan! All you do is enter your finishing time on a recent race, with its distance; then enter the date and distance of the race you are training to enter, then the average number of miles per week you are running NOW. It will give you a day-by-day training plan right up to race day. If you don't follow it exactly, don't worry, just stick pretty close to it (I'm in week 12 of my marathon plan I built, and sometimes I have to shift days, or alter the mileage by a mile or two depending on how I'm feeling). I've seen my times drop, I have more energy during the day, and I LOVE my run days!

    3) Stick with the same website above and go to their nutrition section. Lots of excellent recommendations by certified sports nutrionists, running coaches, and professional runners for what types of foods are best for training, when and how to properly "carb load" for longer runs (something it took me a long time to be successful with!), and even a good number of REALLY good recipies to try!

    4) MOST IMPORTANT: Set a realistic goal and ENJOY working toward it. Don't be overly tough on yourself if you don't run as fast as you feel like you should be able to--the point is you are out there running while a lot of other people are sitting on the couch! Enjoy that open road!

    ONLY do what you are comfortable doing--if you push too hard too soon, you stop enjoying it (and risk injury), and the training won't take hold and won't last. I've stuck with my training for two years now (minus 42 pounds in that time!), and I ran my first half-marathon at about the 8-month mark. I did not do terribly well (2 hours, 12 minutes), but I finished it. Then I ran one 6 months later, and improved my finishing time by half an hour (1 hour, 44 minutes). I ran my first marathon in December, and I did not train consistently for it. Again, I finished, but didn't do great (4 hours, 19 minutes). This year I am on a training program and I expect I will easily be able to improve that by about 45 minutes.
  • dward2011
    dward2011 Posts: 416 Member
    I've only ran 2 half's but I trained the same for each one. The longest run I did to train was a 12 mile trail run (because both of my races were trail races). I did the long runs about 10 days before race day (both times). The week of said race, I ran 5 miles at the very beginning of the week (6 days before) and ran a quick 2 miles 3 days before the race. I took the last days completely off from all exercise. The night before, I ate a meal that I knew would "sit lightly" in my stomach (for me that is a salad and lean protein). The morning of said race(s) I ate an early breakfast (I always eat before running, so this wasn't new) that I knew would cause me no stomach discomfort (for me that is yogurt, 2 eggs, and a piece of fruit about 2 hours before start time). It is super important to stay hydrated (that has never been a problem for me) but I did stop drinking water about an hour or so before start time (so I could potty one last time and not need to go during).

    Lessons I learned after my races (which may or may not be helpful for you):
    1. Never wear anything new or that you haven't ran long distances in before (I ran in a random tshirt and the seams at my armpits rubbed me completely raw; and the shirt was soaked in my sweat which clung and became quite heavy).
    2. Always stop at the aid stations and drink water/pick up GU packs. Even stretch if you feel tight while there.
    3. It's okay to walk for a minute or two if you need a break, or if "something hurts or doesn't feel right".
    4. Bring sandals/flip flops, and a set of clean/dry clothes for the ride home.


    Most importantly, have fun and good luck!

    Edit to add: My goal for both races to finish them and not be the last one to finish. I achieved both of my goals and it was a great experience.
  • tonilizzy88
    tonilizzy88 Posts: 920 Member
    omg thank you everyone fro your advice so far i will take on board what your saying and shall look into the sites given
    thanks again
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