29 replies to this topic

[jburgher]

Hi all,

I'd like to know if you all think I should brave the half marathon and am I a little unrealistic to aim for the hm with only 11 weeks training.

Im 20kg heavier than I would like to be and running is how ive started getting motivation to lose weight and get fit.

I did the Bay run 7km (in my 3rd week of training) in 55 minutes which I thought was good considering only a few weeks training. It was hard though.

I've just done yesterdays city to surf in 1 hr 55 minutes which was 34 minutes quicker than last year. I found the hills really hard, not much strength to run the hills. Had to walk heartbreak hill

I've been training for about 4-5 weeks now and been training average 3 times a week with 5-7 km runs (avge about 15-20km per week) . Now i've got the C2S under my belt and I had planned to do some longer 10k+ runs once a week to up my distance, with a few smaller ones, and some speed training.

With only 5ish weeks to go to the hm I just wonder if Im aiming too high?? I've had an injury with my calfs not being strong enough, getting really tight. I think its because running is still pretty new and probably that Im carrying so much xtra weight.

1. Should I attempt the half marathon or just do the 9km one?
2. Am I unrealistic thinking I can go from nothing to hm in 11 weeks?
3. Should I go for it?
4. being 20kg over my goal weight should I check with the doctor before gunning for a hm?

any help would be appreciated

thanks

John

[Leofisio]

Hi John,

Congrats for your progress so far...

My advice is to go for the 9k's... the fact that you ran 14k's in 11 weeks does not guarantee an enjoyable HM (what I mean enjoyable is at least injury free)...

Keep this wonderful effort, get a great 9k's race and then do a good training towards the HM...

Don't go too far too soon as the injuries used to follow this...

Save yourself and keep running forever...

Cheers!

Leo:)

[Bellthorpe]

Quote

Am I unrealistic thinking I can go from nothing to hm in 11 weeks?

Yes.

Build up slowly. You need to be running more miles than that for a half.

Stick to 10k fun runs and similar for a while. One day you'll finish a race and think "yes, now I'm ready for a half".

[slowmo]

G'day John,

First up - welcome to CR !

I agree with Leo and suggest that you go for an enjoyable 9km event where you'll still get to soak up the atmosphere rather than risk injury by attempting the HM.

One to consider - in December there is the Central Coast half-marathon at The Entrance. It's a really nice course and dead flat. I did it last year as my first half. That gives you enough time to continue to build your base fitness and distance without risking over-use problems. Plus you'll find some intermediate length races on the calendar between now and then for fun and to test your progress (e.g. 16km Cooks River race on 7th Sept.)

slowmo

[jburgher]

thanks leo!

I see for the race they have cut off times and pull you out if you dont meet the time, and I think my current pace is about that cut off time.

So maybe you're right in that I should aim for the 9km and do it well/aim for faster time over that distance.

I guess from nothing to 21kms in 11 weeks is a little enthusiastic.

Plus with some feet/calf issues already I guess thats a sign that I might be doing too much already anyway.

John

[Leofisio]

jburgher, on Aug 11 2008, 11:37 PM, said:

thanks leo!

I see for the race they have cut off times and pull you out if you dont meet the time, and I think my current pace is about that cut off time.

So maybe you're right in that I should aim for the 9km and do it well/aim for faster time over that distance.

I guess from nothing to 21kms in 11 weeks is a little enthusiastic.

Plus with some feet/calf issues already I guess thats a sign that I might be doing too much already anyway.

John

Good on you John,

I am currently injured (7 weeks without running after 3 years running 5 times a week). And I am inured due to a terrible mistake in training... don't do the same to yourself... be wise and run for good!

ps: I am back to running (yesterday made 30 minutes - pain free:) )

Good night everyone!

Leo

[Peterhorse]

Hi John
welcome to CR and congratulations on your progress thus far. my answer is slightly different in that you probably could do it but i don't think you'd enjoy it too much - you'd probably have lots of walk breaks and risk injury by being too enthusiatic in training. this can be a bit demoralising and set you back just when you are keen and getting into running.
it's only the time frame that's the issue. you've expereinced C2S so you know what 14k is like. just got to get through another 7k.
if you take your time to gradually build up those daily runs, plus a once a week longer run you'll enjoy the whole experience a lot more. enjoy the events by training well, which means taking your time when starting out. there's heaps more events down the track.
cheers
PH

[wombatoutofhell]

Hi John-welcome to Coolrunning
I'm going to say the same as Peterhorse-yes you can do it, but you probably wont enjoy it as much than if you were really ready. If you are only in it to finish then go for it-if you want to do it well then the one slowmo mentiones sounds like a better prospect. Do the 9 this time out. You also have injuries you can work on before the later event.
Regarding the injuries, how old are your shoes? Were they fitted by a professional? The wrong shoes, or old shoes (600 to 800km running) can cause alot of problems. It's well worth going to a specialist running shop and having your gait looked at and getting new shoes.
Good luck

[JustinS007]

jburgher, on Aug 11 2008, 11:16 PM, said:

I'd like to know if you all think I should brave the half marathon and am I a little unrealistic to aim for the hm with only 11 weeks training.

Absolutely aim for a HM. Just, perhaps, not the one coming up shortly. At 20kg overweight and with limited training you are risking injury big time. And that would be awful as you are clearly enjoying your running and I assume would hate to have to give it up for a week, or 2, or 10, or 6 months.

J.

[Olmy]

Just adding to the chorus, build up to it properly so you can run it and feel good about it. You could run it soon, but you would either have to run/walk slower than you would like to avoid injury, or you would run the risk of injuring yourself. Neither is a lot of fun. Better to build up properly so you can run it and feel good about it.

[rosscoproadtrane]

John, welcome to CR - and congrats on yr achievement in finishing the C2S.
You say u are probably 20kgs heavier than u would like , so my 2c worth would be to do the 9k , checking yr heart rate along the way ( monitor is a must ) as every extra kg in a HM feels like 20( especially towards the end ) and every step u take puts excessive amounts of pressure on your legs and with perhaps some tight calf muscles would definitely slow u down in yr goal to run a HM in the future.
Take it steady , but consistent before u graduate to the HM , your body ( and your calf muscles ) will be thankful that you took the extra time Best of Luck

[Eckyb]

I went from 4k runs to half marathon in 9 weeks, so it is definitely do-able. I wouldn't recommend it though... I think my pesky shin splints can be blamed on trying to up the distance waaaay to quickly.

[emjay]

well done on your C2S time, fantastic effort!

The cutoff time for Sydney Half is 2h45m, which means you would have to run slightly faster than your C2S pace for another 7km without stopping. your definitely going well so far, but this could be a little ambitious. Why not try for a fast time in the 9km and then build up to a half later in the year.

I would recommend the Central Coast half in December, its a flat, scenic course, and there will be lots of Coolrunners there to give you support.

Good luck!

[NvrGiveUp]

Dumb question, but similar to jburgher. Im also gearing up for a HM. Fitness wise im more than comfortable doing 10k runs in 1hr thats probably at 70-80% effort level. 2 weeks ago i came close to hitting the '50k week' target.

Could i have a crack at the HM? not looking for time specific goal (if anything id aim for 2hrs) but just looking to complete one.

Otherwise should i stick with 10k races for now.

[jburgher]

thanks guys,

I will keep going with the 10km size races, use that to build up my strength and improve my fitness. Once im fitter and running faster times i'll look at the half marathon.

I dont want injuries, they're just one more excuse not to get off my butt. So ill do it properly as you've all suggested with the 10km size ones for a while.

Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated

John

[slowmo]

NvrGiveUp, on Aug 12 2008, 05:16 PM, said:

Dumb question, but similar to jburgher. Im also gearing up for a HM. Fitness wise im more than comfortable doing 10k runs in 1hr thats probably at 70-80% effort level. 2 weeks ago i came close to hitting the '50k week' target.

Could i have a crack at the HM? not looking for time specific goal (if anything id aim for 2hrs) but just looking to complete

It depends (how's that for an expert answer )

It sounds like you're building a good base of fitness and 'km in the legs', much more than I had when I tackled my first HM (or sexxi as it's more properly known). But I think you'd want to work up to some longer runs, 16-18km, to get your body used to running for that length of time.

I had only done two or three runs longer than 10km, the longest of them 16km, prior to my first sexxi and I found that enough to finish comfortably, in about 2:10 and enjoy the event. Obviously if you get a few more long runs under your belt (one a week) it's better still.

Let us know how you go.

slowmo

Edited by slowmo, 12 August 2008 - 10:18 PM.

[tonedbutt]

Hi there jburgher. Good on you for even thinking about HM. The experienced guys say wait a bit. Well I'm abit like you except probably a bit heavier. I am aiming for the Blackmores Hm but the beautiful thing about the Syd running fest is that you can change your entry (up or downgrade) up until 2pm on 20/9. So I reckon aim for it, train for it and if you aint travelling so well a week before, drop back to the 9km. That's what I'm thinking I'll do. Good luck. Keep us posted with your progress.

[OTT]

JOHN!!

You are my dear friend and I think you were absolutely awesome with your training for C2S and you did SO well!! I think you've done the best thing signing up for the 9k run and I'll be there at the finish line to cheer you on...remember, we're doing the HM 2009 together!!

[NvrGiveUp]

just found out today i wont be able to do blackmoores as ill be overseas then!

More time to prep for the next one i suppose!

Thanks for all the replies.

[sunny1]

OTT, on Aug 13 2008, 02:15 PM, said:

JOHN!!

You are my dear friend and I think you were absolutely awesome with your training for C2S and you did SO well!! I think you've done the best thing signing up for the 9k run and I'll be there at the finish line to cheer you on...remember, we're doing the HM 2009 together!!

Welcome to CoolRunning OTT! Good to see a friend of another coolrunner come on board! Enjoy your running

[NvrGiveUp]

slowmo, on Aug 12 2008, 11:17 PM, said:

It depends (how's that for an expert answer )

It sounds like you're building a good base of fitness and 'km in the legs', much more than I had when I tackled my first HM (or sexxi as it's more properly known). But I think you'd want to work up to some longer runs, 16-18km, to get your body used to running for that length of time.

I had only done two or three runs longer than 10km, the longest of them 16km, prior to my first sexxi and I found that enough to finish comfortably, in about 2:10 and enjoy the event. Obviously if you get a few more long runs under your belt (one a week) it's better still.

Let us know how you go.

slowmo

just an update.. im really comfy at running for 1hr now and can cover anything between 9-12km depending mood/feel etc.. still havent had a crack at 20km yet, and aside from C2Surf my max distance in any one session is 12km..
after reading some more stuff around CR i think i still have some base to build and hopefully will give 20km a go before close of 2008.
still havent hit the 50km week target yet either

[runninguphill]

NvrGiveUp, on Oct 20 2008, 01:56 PM, said:

just an update.. im really comfy at running for 1hr now and can cover anything between 9-12km depending mood/feel etc.. still havent had a crack at 20km yet, and aside from C2Surf my max distance in any one session is 12km..
after reading some more stuff around CR i think i still have some base to build and hopefully will give 20km a go before close of 2008.
still havent hit the 50km week target yet either

I have never run a 50km week, but have run 3 half marathons. I try to do a long run every week building up to about 18kms, but my weekly total would be in the thirties at that point. Average week is around 30kms.

[Running Angel]

runninguphill, on Oct 21 2008, 06:51 AM, said:

I have never run a 50km week, but have run 3 half marathons. I try to do a long run every week building up to about 18kms, but my weekly total would be in the thirties at that point. Average week is around 30kms.

RU you should look to increase your weekly k's a bit in my opinion, your weekly long run should be nowhere near 50% of you weekly k's

[Brick]

runninguphill, on Oct 21 2008, 06:51 AM, said:

I have never run a 50km week, but have run 3 half marathons. I try to do a long run every week building up to about 18kms, but my weekly total would be in the thirties at that point. Average week is around 30kms.

Not trying to be a smartey bottom, but just because you can do it does mean that it is the optimum training for the event.
I also agree with RA below.
Maybe be even go back to an online Half Marathon training program to get a little bit more constancy back into your training.

Running Angel, on Oct 21 2008, 08:57 AM, said:

RU you should look to increase your weekly k's a bit in my opinion, your weekly long run should be nowhere near 50% of you weekly k's

[NvrGiveUp]

is 3 days a week enough trainning for a HM??

[Brick]

NvrGiveUp, on Oct 21 2008, 09:33 AM, said:

is 3 days a week enough trainning for a HM??

Possible yes but I do not think it is the best way of training for it.
www.runnersworld.com seem to think it is OK.
But I think Halhigdon novice program is better.

Brick

[NvrGiveUp]

brick - thanks heaps for the info. That helhigdon program suggests 4 days which maaaaay work for me.

Edited by NvrGiveUp, 21 October 2008 - 11:48 AM.

[tomh]

I finished a half off 3 days training - one long run up to 22km max, one tempo run up to 10km (plus warmup) and an easy run of 10km. Peaked over 40Km for a few weeks, but mostly 35-40Km.

I say do what works for you. None of the plans I looked at suited where I was when I decided to do the race, or the times I had available. So I combined them all, took bits out and effectively made it up. Probably could have done better with a different plan but I'm happy with the result for my first attempt.

[NvrGiveUp]

thanks for the input tomh!

its abit of a juggle trying to balance the right amount of kms for running and cycling! ill experiment with this and adjust along the way.

[mjail]

3 days of training is enough though as someone has mentioned may not be the optimum.

After running for a month of 3 days/week btw 8-11km each time, I seeked advice if it was possible to run a half marathon in 9 weeks time.
With encouraging comments and advice from other Perth CRs, I achieved my first half marathon with 3 days of training with weekly mileage ranging from 22-45 km with my avg being 35km.
So, it is definitely possible. But a worrier like me, I also ensured that I ran one 21km distance and also ran nearly the whole route of the HM race during my training session.

It is best to follow a program but for someone like me with restricted training hours, I had to make do with my available time. The thing is to increase your long run gradually, say by a couple of kms per week. You would not want to risk injury and have a set back to your training goals.