Introduction
Many people take up running to improve their health, or to help meet weight-loss goals. It can be tricky to stay motivated in the beginning, and that is why it can be helpful to have a challenge to be working towards. The half marathon is an ideal challenge for beginners, as it is difficult but within reach.
Why Do It?
There are very many compelling reasons to take up running, Even getting out for a short jog three times a week has been shown to increase life expectancy by as much as five years, but there are many benefits that you will feel before then.
Running has been shown to greatly improve general health. Cardiovascular fitness in particular is very important to maintain in order to live a healthy life. In addition exercise is an essential component of healthy weight-loss Very many people have also found that running can help manage stress.
Just running in itself can bring these benefits, but there are good reasons why you might want to sign up to do a half marathon. The motivation of having to train for something genuinely challenging can help to get you out of the door to train, your competitive spirit may want to see how you match up against the other runners and the distance, and most of importantly of all for the fun of it!
Running has been shown to greatly improve general health. Cardiovascular fitness in particular is very important to maintain in order to live a healthy life. In addition exercise is an essential component of healthy weight-loss Very many people have also found that running can help manage stress.
Just running in itself can bring these benefits, but there are good reasons why you might want to sign up to do a half marathon. The motivation of having to train for something genuinely challenging can help to get you out of the door to train, your competitive spirit may want to see how you match up against the other runners and the distance, and most of importantly of all for the fun of it!
Starting Out
How much exercise do you already take? If it is very little then it will take quite some time to get you ready to run your first half marathon. Even if you do a fair amount of activities other than running it is vital that you take your time in order to train safely.
The amount of time that it will take you to be ready to run a half marathon will depend on a lot of different things. Make sure that you give yourself plenty of time, rushing matters will only place you at risk of injury, but as long as you put in the work you can get there eventually.
You do not need a lot of expensive gear to go running. That does not mean that there will be any shortage of people trying to sell you it. Remember that many of the world's best distance runners train barefoot - so do not be too fussy about your kit, whatever you have will be fine to start. There are lots of things that it is nice to have, but the only essentials are your two feet and your will to succeed. As long as you have these you should not let anything stand in your way.
The amount of time that it will take you to be ready to run a half marathon will depend on a lot of different things. Make sure that you give yourself plenty of time, rushing matters will only place you at risk of injury, but as long as you put in the work you can get there eventually.
You do not need a lot of expensive gear to go running. That does not mean that there will be any shortage of people trying to sell you it. Remember that many of the world's best distance runners train barefoot - so do not be too fussy about your kit, whatever you have will be fine to start. There are lots of things that it is nice to have, but the only essentials are your two feet and your will to succeed. As long as you have these you should not let anything stand in your way.
Run!
In the main, you train for running by running. At the start however you may not be able to run very far. this is OK, and is how everybody starts out at new things. Work out a route of between 2 and 3 miles near where you live and try to gently run it.
Don't go too fast. Before too long you will feel like you cant run any more. At this point you should walk for a bit, and then try to run again. It might seem disheartening having to 'cheat' by walking, but this is the only way to make progress. The next time that you go running you will find that you can go a little further before you have to walk, and before you know it you will be able to do the whole route without having to walk.
Tracking your progress is a very useful thing to do. This will help you set short term goals and will give you a great sense of achievement. You can make a note of your training using a pen and paper, or you can go high tech, it is up to you.
If you have a smart phone, then there are a number of free apps that you can use to track you when you are running. These will record the distance you have run, the time it took and the speed. While it is nice to use something like this (or a flashy GPS watch if money is no object) it is far from essential.
If you do not have any kind of tracker, it is still easy to work out the distance of your runs. The site gmaps-pedometer will let you add a running route and tell you the distance.
Don't go too fast. Before too long you will feel like you cant run any more. At this point you should walk for a bit, and then try to run again. It might seem disheartening having to 'cheat' by walking, but this is the only way to make progress. The next time that you go running you will find that you can go a little further before you have to walk, and before you know it you will be able to do the whole route without having to walk.
Tracking your progress is a very useful thing to do. This will help you set short term goals and will give you a great sense of achievement. You can make a note of your training using a pen and paper, or you can go high tech, it is up to you.
If you have a smart phone, then there are a number of free apps that you can use to track you when you are running. These will record the distance you have run, the time it took and the speed. While it is nice to use something like this (or a flashy GPS watch if money is no object) it is far from essential.
If you do not have any kind of tracker, it is still easy to work out the distance of your runs. The site gmaps-pedometer will let you add a running route and tell you the distance.
Progress
Starting the training process is the difficult part. The first miles that you run will be the toughest that you ever do, once you begin to make progress things will only get easier as long as you carry on.
Being able to run 3 miles without having to walk is a fantastic achievement. Going from doing no running to being able to do this is great thing. It will not be enough to complete a half marathon though. To be able to do the other 10 miles you will have to increase your training.
Once you can do that short run near your house, you should be looking to increase two things. Neither of those things at this stage is speed. You should be looking to increase both weekly mileage, and the mileage of your 'long run'.
Your long run should be something that you do once a week (probably on Saturday or Sunday). You should plan to have the day off running afterwards in order to recover. Remember that it is when you are resting after running that you are getting stronger, not while you are running. Every weekend go out and run about 10% further than you did the week before, do this for about 3 weeks, then take an easier one, then repeat the cycle. Do not consider doing a half marathon until your long run is a least 10 miles.
Weekly mileage is very important to build up. It should be increased at the same rate as the long run, by about 10% a week. Running more frequently is a good way to do this. As you get stronger you will be able to run without taking days of after, but if you do this make sure that you are running 'easy' days.
A good minimum target to aim for with weekly mileage before you do a half marathon is twice the distance of the race, about 26 miles. The more the better here though really, as long as you build up steadily and allow easier weeks to recover. Think of it like putting money in the bank. Everything you put in during training, you will be able to take out when it comes to race day.
Being able to run 3 miles without having to walk is a fantastic achievement. Going from doing no running to being able to do this is great thing. It will not be enough to complete a half marathon though. To be able to do the other 10 miles you will have to increase your training.
Once you can do that short run near your house, you should be looking to increase two things. Neither of those things at this stage is speed. You should be looking to increase both weekly mileage, and the mileage of your 'long run'.
Your long run should be something that you do once a week (probably on Saturday or Sunday). You should plan to have the day off running afterwards in order to recover. Remember that it is when you are resting after running that you are getting stronger, not while you are running. Every weekend go out and run about 10% further than you did the week before, do this for about 3 weeks, then take an easier one, then repeat the cycle. Do not consider doing a half marathon until your long run is a least 10 miles.
Weekly mileage is very important to build up. It should be increased at the same rate as the long run, by about 10% a week. Running more frequently is a good way to do this. As you get stronger you will be able to run without taking days of after, but if you do this make sure that you are running 'easy' days.
A good minimum target to aim for with weekly mileage before you do a half marathon is twice the distance of the race, about 26 miles. The more the better here though really, as long as you build up steadily and allow easier weeks to recover. Think of it like putting money in the bank. Everything you put in during training, you will be able to take out when it comes to race day.
Health
Before embarking on any program of physical exercise it is a good idea to check with your physician. Introducing running into your lifestyle can help ward off a lot of conditions, but injuries are also a possibility. You may possibly wish to consider taking out individual health insurance, so that swift access to treatments and physiotherapy is available if you are concerned.
The best way to avoid becoming injured is to take things easy, even though you keep on pushing. Don't increase distance by more than the magic amount, NEVER run through pain, and rest when you body tells you you need it.
When you are running you should be trying to land with the front part of your foot rather than the heel. While there is no absolute right and wrong here, heel striking is thought to lead to a greater chance of injury.
When we run we put a lot of strain on the feet. The anatomy of our feet is actually very well suited to running, but unless you are used to it you will have to build up strength in them. You can do this by putting in the miles on them, both running and walking. Find some local playing fields and start to run a few laps of them barefoot to increase foot strength. This will have the added benefit of helping encourage you not to heel strike.
The best way to avoid becoming injured is to take things easy, even though you keep on pushing. Don't increase distance by more than the magic amount, NEVER run through pain, and rest when you body tells you you need it.
When you are running you should be trying to land with the front part of your foot rather than the heel. While there is no absolute right and wrong here, heel striking is thought to lead to a greater chance of injury.
When we run we put a lot of strain on the feet. The anatomy of our feet is actually very well suited to running, but unless you are used to it you will have to build up strength in them. You can do this by putting in the miles on them, both running and walking. Find some local playing fields and start to run a few laps of them barefoot to increase foot strength. This will have the added benefit of helping encourage you not to heel strike.
Race Day
If you have prepared properly then there is nothing to worry about. You will have run at least 10 miles in one go before, and hopefully even more. While in a marathon few runners (even the elite) will run more than 20 miles in training, for the half marathon exceeding the race distance is common.
The golden rule for race day is 'nothing new'. Not socks, or shoes, or shorts or sports drinks. This also goes for the distance and the terrain. If there are hills on the route then make sure that you have included hills in your training!
Make sure that you hydrate properly in the days before the event. During the race itself remember that while it is important to drink it is possible to do yourself serious damage if you drink too much water, so certainly don't force yourself to take a drink at every water station if you do not feel thirsty.
Don't worry about time. Your only goal should be to finish. Whatever time you do it in will be a personal best, so just relax and have fun! Afterwards you can think about working on beating that time.
The golden rule for race day is 'nothing new'. Not socks, or shoes, or shorts or sports drinks. This also goes for the distance and the terrain. If there are hills on the route then make sure that you have included hills in your training!
Make sure that you hydrate properly in the days before the event. During the race itself remember that while it is important to drink it is possible to do yourself serious damage if you drink too much water, so certainly don't force yourself to take a drink at every water station if you do not feel thirsty.
Don't worry about time. Your only goal should be to finish. Whatever time you do it in will be a personal best, so just relax and have fun! Afterwards you can think about working on beating that time.
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