In one of my ‘I need to achieve something in my life moments’, I’ve decided that I’m going to run a half marathon at some point in the next year, the only problem is I don’t know where to start! I wouldn’t call myself unfit (I walk about 3 miles every day) and I eat a relatively healthy diet anyway, so what do I need to do in terms of diet, exercise regime, etc.?
Thanks in advance,
Tuco.
Tuco, the main thing that you need for a starter is some running mileage. You can start easy, running just a mile at a time, or even less. You can them ramp up the mileage per run, but slowly: if you are starting off with 1-mile runs, then you should get comfortable at that distance for at least a couple weeks before you move up to 1.5 or 2 miles per run. And you don’t need a run every day: every other day is plenty, and even just two or three runs a week is good enough if your goal is finishing (as opposed to speed, which requires a little more work).
When your mileage per run reaches about 4 miles, then you can differentiate your runs between long runs and short runs. You need a good long run, at your top mileage, about once a week (although taking a week off from a long run now and then is not only okay, it is a good idea). Your other runs can cover a shorter distance. For example, you can run a 3-mile run two or three days a week, and a long run–whose distance you gradually increase over time–on the weekend.
You should also start running in some fun runs and road races, just in order to get a feel for running a race as opposed to a training run. When your long runs are about 2 miles, you can probably finish a 5K (3.1 mile) fun run. When your long runs are about 4 miles, you can probably finish a 10K (6.2 mile) road race. You need not run a road race as an actual “race”: think of it as just another training run, with a crowd training with you and organized aid stations along the route. But before you run the half-marathon, you should get a little experience with road racing so that you can develop some good racing habits like running in a crowd, pacing yourself properly (since running in a crowd can easily inspire an overly enthusiastic starting pace, which you quickly regret after the first couple miles), and taking advantage of aid stations. And crossing the finish line in front of a cheering crowd, no matter how fast you finish, is a great inspiration.
Speaking of running in a crowd, I highly recommend training regularly–not necessarily all the time, but at least on your long runs–with friends or an organized group. Your running buddies will motivate you to get out there and run on days when, alone, you might not. They will make the experience more enjoyable and make the miles pass more quickly. And you can learn from each other about running strategy and technique as you each develop your own style, experience, and knowledge base.
A healthy diet is as important for running as it is for life, but a particular diet for running is not critical until the few days leading up to the half-marathon, when loading carbohydrates is the traditional approach (which is why most marathoners eat a pasta dinner on the night before the race). There are many theories about what foods are most conducive to good running and good racing, so I won’t go into them here. Any good running guide or magazine will cover this topic.
Good shoes are also critical. Again, any good running guide will cover this topic and tell you in general what you should be looking for, and Runner’s World magazine publishes two or three annual shoe issues that cover and rate the current market. I recommend visiting a local running store–not just a general shoe store or sporting-goods shop–for advice from the resident specialist about running shoes.
Finally, I highly recommend investing in some literature that will educate you and guide your training. There are many good books about beginning a distance-running program, including–[ul][li]The Courage to Start: A Guide to Running for Your Life by John “The Penguin” Bingham[/li][li]Marathoning for Mortals by John Bingham[/li][li]No Need for Speed: A Beginner’s Guide to the Joy of Running by John Bingham[/li][li]Marathoning 101- How To Finish Your First Marathon by Scott Demaree and Eric Steele[/li][li]How to Run Your First Marathon by Andy Friedberg[/li][li]Marathon: You Can Do It! by Jeff Galloway[/li][li]First Marathons by Gail Waesche Kislevitz[/li][li]The Spirit of the Marathon: What to Expect in Your First Marathon, and How to Run Them for the Rest of Your Life by Gail Waesche Kislevitz[/li][li]The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer by David A. Whitsett, Tanjala Mabon Kole, and Forrest A. Dolgener [/li][/ul]Don’t worry that these books are sometimes about marathoning as opposed to half-marathoning: the same principles apply. I especially recommend the books by John “The Penguin” Bingham, which emphasize running as an exercise in enjoyment and health, rather than as a competitive sport. I also recommend a subscription to Runner’s World, a monthly periodical that contains invaluable advice about diet, shoes and other running apparel, running in cold and hot wetaher, and upcoming races in your area.
Good luck!
Tuco, I just noticed that you live in England. The link to Runner’s World in my last post was for the United States edition. You can find the United Kingdom edition at Runner’s World.
brianmelendez - omg, that’s the most helpful post I’ve ever seen on the SDMB, and not just to one of my threads!
Thanks!
Tuco:
If you can afford the trip, head to Vegas to do your first “half.” It’s a slight downhill, point to point course in a warm, dry environment.
Trust me, I did my my first half-marathon in Seattle. That was a mistake. Later, I did the Las Vegas half-marathon and what a difference it was.
Yeah, um, basically what brianmelendez said. I think he pretty much covered it all.
Just know this: if you put your mind to it, you can do it. And when you accomplish a goal such as this, you’ll feel pretty damn good about it.
Shoot, when I finished my first half marathon (and my first two marathons for that matter) I cried like a baby. And only part of it was due to the fact that I was dead tired and sore. Mostly it was because I couldn’t believe I’d actually done it.
I was in a very similar position as you when I signed up for my first marathon (which I’m running at the end of May). I had only ever run a couple of miles but just felt like it was something that I needed to prove I could do.
One of the best things I did was go on the internet and find a training schedule that I liked for the race. I highly recommend Hal Higdon’s schedules http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm since they all have support links that talk about what you should start to be trying to do in the program (like “start trying energy bars or try a race) so it is like having a mentor give you tips every step. There are also some other schedules on the Runner’s World web site http://runnersworld.com/home/0,1300,1-51-55-636,00.html and are also written by Higdon, who is their editor but they have a lot less support than the ones off of his site.
Last, I was able to find a class taught by the Vermont City Marathon people that was very helpful and kept me on track and helped me meet other people who were also doing their first marathon. I don’t know that this is typical but at the very least you could probably find a local running club and get some great advice from people you meet. More than anything I’ve learned (and this is why distance running is tough) that perseverance is the most important piece in training. I don’t mean that you should run no matter what because the training schedule says, but that training consistently and not giving up because of a few days missed from sickness or injury seems to be the key.
Good luck! I know I haven’t regretted my training. At this point it isn’t just about the marathon but also being able to look back and see how far I’ve come. I kept a really detailed running and exercise log through the whole thing and it is really inspirational to read and remember how hard that first 5 miler was just a few month ago and to know that that is a easy training run for me now.
-Rachel:D
brianmelendez’s advice is excellent. Building up your running gradually, running about every other day, getting good shoes, doing about one long run a week, etc. are all good ideas. One more thing that he didn’t mention: be sure to stretch. Every time you run, you should stretch for 10-15 minutes or so, either after the run or after a warm-up.
Another thing you might do is to mix your running with your walking, at least when you’re just getting into running. You might run a couple blocks and then walk a couple blocks, and repeat this a few teams until you’ve done 3 miles total. Over time, you can reduce the length of the walking parts & increase the length of the running parts, or turn the walking parts into slow jogging parts, or increase the total length.
You might find some more good advice/inspiration in the running thread.
*****WARNING! CITELESS POST AHEAD DUE TO BOREDOM *****
Pretty good advice, brian.
However, I havent read the books you cite, but i dunno if the same general principles apply or not to training for a half- versus full marathon, because 13.1 miles is only slightly stretching most people’s exhaustion tolerance.
That is, most healthy people will get exhausted from jogging between 10-15 miles. So, you will still have to stretch that to finish a half-marathon in a decent time, but not by much.
IME, your final training distance should depend on the results you are going for. If you want to finish at a run, you should train so that you can jog 10 miles without getting exhausted. If you want to do well you should be able to jog more like 15 without getting exhausted. It will of course take longer to train up to that level but 10 miles seems to be the minimum.
the most important difference, IME, is that training for a half-marathon should not take as long since the natural tolerance is so close to the desired one anyway! It takes me several months to train for a marathon, and have never run a half-marathon race, but after only a month or so of marathon training, I can run a half marathon at a run (8-9 minute pace…yeah its slow but its not a jog). YMMV, literally. Several months should be preferable in any case.
(I was referring to the once-a-week-or-so “long runs”, of course.)
Get some Body Glide or Runner’s Lube. It’s a wonderful product and saved me from countless blisters while training for my second marathon. It’s sold in most sporting goods stores.
It comes in a container that looks like a deodorant stick. Slather it on all the areas you think you’ll chafe, such as the line around your shorts (waist, bottoms & wherever the elastic on your underwear is), and if you wear one, get as much of that stuff around the edge of your bra as possible. I didn’t get any of it until half way into my marathon and I still have slight scars on my chest. Oh, and you might put it on your underarms if you wear a sports bra - sometimes your upper arms rub up against your bra and you can get small blisters there, too.
I know I’m sounding a bit obsessive about this, but running for hours on end with blisters is incredibly painful and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
You’re very welcome. And thank you–that was the nicest thing that anyone has said to me here!
Oh, I certainly haven’t forgotten that one, samarm! And I still appreciate it, really and truly I do. But Tuco invoked the deity and used a superlative. That’s gotta count for something! 