Running a half marathon in december (Ive done that before, well I literally walked as I never prepared). This time around I am quite serious and want to do complete in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Any particular advices please? Three limitations (may be)
I was a heavy smoker (stopped for an year before the exam and started with my level 3 preps this june and again quit it last week) .
I am a vegetarian
Have a bit of occassional drinks (would like it that way till december atleast ).
Find a good training regiment and follow it to the best of your ability. These will give you a schedule of how many miles to run on each day and how hard to run. There are many such plans available online. Other than that, my only suggstions would be: 1) Go to a running store and have a dedicated person find you a shoe based on your foot type (I’m not sure how typical these are in India though), and 2) Consider a recovery beverage and maybe those running gels that you eat during the race to replenish your energy.
Most important advice would be to keep away from those smokes! Ohai has good points too. In order to get faster, you need to run faster (go figure… But most don’t follow this). Interval and speed workouts are the key to getting faster. You still need to put the miles in, but your legs need to be used to the running cadence required to be fast. You should do one hard hill workout, one hard interval workout and a moderate tempo run weekly. One day off, three slow runs. That’s your week.
My main tip is stick to a schecule. I’m running a half marathon in November and didn’t stick to the schedule (too much drinking) so I’m suffering for it now
I started out by just going out for a run to see how far I could go until I had nothing left in the tank and started off with an 8km run with a respectable time. Figured then that if I can do that straight off the bat with no training that I could take it easy with the training for the 1st month or so and kick into gear and build up to 21km. Clearly it doesn’t work like that and you need to build up the distance gradually by running 3-4 times a week. The last few times I’ve been out I’ve genuinely been thinking to myself that I’d rather be doing CFA level 4 than this shit.
I’d echo Ohai’s tip about going to a specialist running shoe shop. They put you on a treadmill and film you. Most people have an overpronation style and you need firmer shoes to correct for that. I got a pair of Asics and it’s like running on a cloud. Even with them I can’t see myself keeping it up after the half marathon because road running is tough on the knees.
Do your training runs EASY. A common mistake for noobs is to train too fast. Running too fast in your training will wear you down quickly and will cause you to miss scheduled days due to fatigue and sorenesss. Speed in training is like spice in cooking – a little bit goes a long way.
On race day – PACE yourself. A very common mistake is to go out too fast early and then crash and burn later. You should be consciously restraining yourself in the first half of the race. Use a GPS watch and a pace-band on your wrist if you can. It will pay dividends in the second half as you finish strong and pass scores of people that went out too fast.
Personally I really like the Half Marathon distance. If you’re curious, my PR is 1:22.
I’m shit at running. I’d be interested in more details on your schedule, like how much longer and slower are the slow runs versus hard interval or moderate tempo.
1:22 and 1:40, OMG!!! You guys are serious runners…
2.15, but itself would be pretty good if I can manage to achieve this. I have been a smoker for 10+ years and add to this I am an asthmatic! So my lung capacity is pretty bad…
Tempo is at race pace. Slow runs I would generally aim about 1min/km slower than race pace. Intervals are done to the verge of failure, its a threshold activity. Early in the program, do longer intervals (3x1km with 5 mins easy between, working up to 5x1km). As you approach race day, shorten your intervals, but go higher speed and do more of them. Maybe up to 8x400m. Not sure there is much value going shorter than 400m. Hills are hugely valuable though. Find a 600m-1km grade at roughly 10% and attack it hard. Recover on the downhill. Repeat. Don’t do these in the two weeks before a race. If you’re new to running, maybe keep to just two “quality” workouts a week, with three slow days and two rest days until you’ve built up more base.
hey bros, im done studying for the CFA exams now and want to try exercise for the first time in my life. Do you think its feasible to turn my body from a dormant tub of lard into a half decent athlete so I can run a half in a month? Please advise.
PS, my goal is to cross the finish line so I can put that 13.1 sticker on my bumper.
@Geo, thanks for the info. I might be close to the OPs speed, a 2:15 half marathon would be a good goal. I can run pretty comfortably (45min plus) at about an 11 minute mile. And probably 3 miles at about a 9:30 pace. How long do you do your slow runs for?
I’m not really that interested in racing or timing myself. I’ve just been bulking up a bit lately and need to slim down a little for ski season.
You need to build up your slow run distances. Doing your slow runs at 11min/mile is probably reasonable for a 2:15 target. So if you can do 4 miles today, add a mile a week until your actually running over the 13 miles. Maybe up to say 16 miles (but a minute/km slower than your target pace). But only do this max distance run once per week. Your other two slow runs should be approximately half (plus/minus) this long run. I’m going to guess though that you can probably run a bit longer than you think at that pace if only doing it once per week so are if you can stretch it out a little. Of course, there are hundreds of views on how to train for such things and mine is just one humble perspective. And I’ve been out of the game for a bit. Squats are a substitute for a quality workout too.
When I was in the Marines (many years and many pounds ago), the general consensus was that you needed to work on distance first, and speed second.
That is, if your goal is to run 13 miles in 2:15, then work on getting up to 13 miles first, even if it takes 3:30. Once you can do that, then try to run 13 miles in 3:15, then 3:00, etc.
By the way, if anyone is interested in significantly improving their time over the long-term, the secret is astonishingly simple – CONSISTENT WEEKLY MILEAGE. It takes time to gradually build up, and you’ll need to do the vast majority of your miles at an easy, comfortable pace… but if you put in the mileage you’ll see your race times drop significantly. Finally, the last ingredient after you’ve built up a strong aerobic base through mileage is to add speedwork. The Hansons Marathon plans are very good at integrating speed with consistent mileage: http://www.amazon.com/Hansons-Marathon-Method-Renegade-Fastest/dp/1934030856
Lately I’ve been squatting Monday/Friday and deadlifting Wednesday. Was thinking of adding some running on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday in October, then cut back on the lifting in November.
^ Big part of why I don’t run as much anymore, too much wear and tear. Cycling is way less impact. I don’t swim only because I’m a terrible swimmer… Cross country skiing is another great, low impact total body work out. Some of the highest aerobic fitness has been measured in XC skiers.
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