Well Ill be the party pooper. I started running again in my early forties I was running for two years, then decided to go for a half-marathon, trained up with a group. Did two in 3 months, then my knee gave out.
Increasing distance substantially in a comparatively short time is one of the biggest risks for injury you can take, and you’re already carrying some issues.
Up to you, but Id think about why Im doing it. From a health perspective its not needed, and its so easy to keep increasing distance because its enjoyable or to chase numbers rather than really a good idea.
This has been my concern. If I can increase my speed, I’ll reduce the length of time I’ll have to be putting one foot after the other.
How does one fit strength training into a running training schedule? I do think strength training would help me. I feel like one of the reasons i run so slowly is that I just can’t seem to channel more energy into my legs to have a more powerful stride.
Strangely enough, plain old stick deodorant works just as well for this as body-glide and is a lot cheaper.
Good luck, Frecka. Half Marathons are a nice distance. Long enough that you know you’ve accomplished something, but not so long that you can’t walk the week after the race.
A few pre-race tips, since the training tips have all been good. But if you can find a training partner or two, that’s best. It’s good for motivation. Make sure it’s someone you like though.
Pop a few advils in advance. You’re probably going to hurt sometime during the race, so be proactive.
Drive, or preferably, ride the course beforehand. I like to know where the hills are and how long they are. But it’s just a good idea to be acquainted with the course. It always seems longer the first time, so the more you know it, the shorter it’ll seem. You probably don’t want to run the whole thing, but maybe you could run the last half as one of your training runs.
DO NOT let other people set your pace, especially at the start. Almost everyone will start out much faster than they should. Know your natural pace and stick to it. Don’t get sucked into the “sprint” at the start.
Yeah, it’s going to seem like everyone is flying by you at the start. Don’t worry about it. You’ll be passing many of them later on. Half marathon starts are just crazy fast. I think that in marathons, people are little more respectful of the distance.
BTW, I’m not a guy, so as much as I appreciate all the anti-nipple-chafing hints, I think I’ll stick with a good sports bra. I am concerned about thigh chafing, though. I’ll probably go for a pair of compression shorts.
FWIW I don’t trust all those new-fangled goops, goos, and chews. Seems to me they’re just a scam to get you to spend your hard-earned money on some salts and calories, and maybe a little caffeine. A vanilla creme-filled doughnut washed down with 2 oz of coffee at mile 6, and water/gatorade at each water station seems to do the trick just fine
Haven’t looked at the video yet, but I see the opening image is the dreaded Plank (not to be confused with planking) from Pilates. I HATE those! But…sigh…if I must, I will.
DO NOT DO THIS! Please consult a sports medicine specialist before dosing yourself or listening to someone on the internet.
Advil is an NSAID, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug. They do NOT mix with exercise as the result can at the very least be decreased performance and prolonged recovery time. More serious side affects include kidney damage.
More importantly, if something hurts you need to listen to your body and stop running. Use of painkillers during training/racing increases the likelihood that you’ll continue to pound on damaged tissue. A far more effective treatment is an icebath for the effected areas. Anti-inflammatories are fine when taken properly.
There are a lot of horror stories about Ironman traithletes dropping dead at the end of a race from too many NSAIDs.
“The timing of NSAID use is also a crucial issue. Recent medical research shows that NSAIDs may be harmful to a triathlete’s kidney function if taken within 24 hours of an endurance event. The risk increases as the distance of the triathlon increases.”
9 times out of 10 you’re right. The proper amount of caffeine can provide significant improvements to distance performance. But simple sugars will cause your blood sugar to crash, a term known as bonking. The more advanced products now are designed to avoid that by using longer chain sugars. Proper electrolyte balance is also essential to performance especially when heat is a factor.
In addition to hills and interval training I’ve found running stairs to provide huge gains but at the risk of increasing injury. Stairs help teach your hip flexors to move your legs faster.
Another trick is to alter your pace during longer runs. Just pick a telephone pole in the distance then increase your speed until you get to it, then let yourself slow back down and run easy until you’re fully recovered. The idea is to stay in control, so speed up but only to the point you won’t have to stop. (this is also a nice trick for breaking the monotony of long runs). What’s funny about this sort of running is that often your average pace will significantly improve even though you’ll feel like you’re going slower. There are some new theories about run/walk strategies where guys are averaging 9 and 10 minutes per mile even though part of each mile is walking.
Including speed and hills into your biking sessions will also improve your strength and running speed. Just remember to include that short/quick 15min run after every bike ride.
I’m working my way up to a half marathon, so watching this with interest.
Did my first 10km last month - at 1:00:58 (my target was 1:00:00)
have signed up for my second 10 km in July.
If I break the 60 min, then there’s an 18km race a few months later, after that I’ll do the half.
I’ve been training for coming on 7 months now - and just this month I managed 10.5 km at abt 10km/h, and last night did 5 km in 27:18 - so feel like I’m getting there.
Not experienced enough to give any advice - just wanna wish you GOOD LUCK.
If I may ask, what’s stopping you from gradually increasing your mileage (kilometerage)?
A 1 hour 10km is a great pace (10 min/mile), and you are already over 10km. Why not try adding 1/2-1 km each weekend? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what you’re currently capable of doing.
Even if you’re goal is to increase your speed, your long runs should be a little slower than your 10km pace, and your midweek runs can be faster than your 10km pace. Now that you have a great endurance base the rest is pretty easy.
(note that as I write this I’m procrastinating from my midweek 9 mile fartlek)
Nothing at all - my most recent “long run” was about 10.5km which I did without a hitch.
My biggest issue is a combination of time and scheduling.
I live on the equator - so it means running between 7pm and 7am, then I also have work, kids, kids homework, duties at home etc etc - a run takes at least 2 hours (between running time, the cool down walk and then the profuse sweating afterwards) so my wife gets a little antsy of the time.
Right now I am also trying to build strength / speed by “interval training” based on pace - which is my 5km.
When I signed the 10km race it was a nice time frame (6 months) and an easily achievable distance to provide motivation and a reason to actually exercise. And it worked. I went from 3.7km in 30 minutes to now 10km in 60. Losing about 7kg and a little over 2 inches in the process. (yeah that’s weird - mixing metric and imperial in the same sentence)
No, you aren’t crazy (but then again, I train for Ultras and that’s a special kind of crazy.)
I think first and foremost, remember that you are there to finish–not to win.
Go to a running store, and make sure you get a gait analysis and consultation. You need to be in the right shoes and most people are not.
Stay off pavement–especially sidewalks–whenever possible.
Ice, not heat, when recovering.
Higdon’s plan is good. For my first half I did double workouts, mixing in weights and swimming and speed work (plyo too) into my training. Also, yoga and pilates whenever possible. Cross training is good.
And if the course is hilly, remember that hill work is speed work in disguise!
If possible, see if you can find a running buddy. Makes all the difference, and you can actually become a better runner.
Thanks, everyone, for all the great advice. Ima do this!
Regarding running buddies…I really dislike running with another person. I find running very meditative. I don’t like talking. I don’t like trying to match another person’s pace. Is it critical that I find someone to run with?
I’m due for a new pair of custom orthotics. Once I have those, I’ll see about gait analysis.
I am concerned about thigh chafing, though. I’ll probably go for a pair of compression shorts.
