14 replies to this topic

[SirPlod]

Hi all, and Happy Slappy New Year!

Wonder if some of you experts* can help with half marathon training advice? I have trawled the forms to try to find some info, but most people seem to be much fitter than I am with a much shorter preparation time.

After a year of on and off running, and 4 months off due to injury, illness and then a little bit of wedge resection operation fun on my big toes, I'm ready to start training again on Monday.

I aim to run a 10km in March or so, possibly the 14km run for the kids in April, and then the Melbourne half Marathon in October.

I'm not called Sir Plod Along for nothing - I'm carrying far too much of the weighty stuff (about 25 kilos) and at the moment I run at about 6:30 mins per km. I'm hoping to improve to around 6 mins per km to finish the half marathon in 2 hours and some change. (is this too ambitious?)

Does anybody know of a training programme I can follow to go from Zero to Half Marathon in about 7 or 8 months? I currently run about 4km in one sitting with a walk here and there, to give you an idea of where I'm starting from.

Thanks muchly for any help you can offer.

Sir Plod Along.




*By "experts" I mean anybody that can crawl faster and further than I can run, which is probably most of you.

[JustinS007]

SirPlodAlong, on Jan 8 2009, 01:23 PM, said:

I aim to run a 10km in March or so, possibly the 14km run for the kids in April, and then the Melbourne half Marathon in October.

I'm not called Sir Plod Along for nothing - I'm carrying far too much of the weighty stuff (about 25 kilos) and at the moment I run at about 6:30 mins per km.

In Jan 2007 I couldn't run 500m. Seriously. My first ever 'race' was 2007 R4K which I managed with my wife in just over 5 minutes per k (April 2007). It was the fastest we had ever run over that type of distance by a long long way (we were generally training at 6:00 - 6:10pace). I guess the adrenaline etc. all helped. End June 2007 did the Mount Beauty half marathon in JUST under 2 hours. Did Melbourne Marathon in October 2007 in 3:39:00 and feeling stronger and faster all the time.

You can do it.

We used one of Hal Higdon's marathon training plans available on-line. His HM plans look good too, so why not give one of those a go?

http://www.halhigdon...athon/index.htm
http://www.halhigdon...athon/inter.htm

J.

[emjay]

It is totally possible. I started C25KM in January 2007 and completed the Sydney Half Marathon in September 2007 in 2h12m. Just take it steady and dont try to increase too much too soon or you will get injured. Jeff Galloway has a good program that goes from nothing to half marathon in about 35 weeks, you should be able to find it on his website.

[balfey]

Hey there SPA,

I'm in a similar boat to you, training for a half marathon. I've got my long run up to about 10km now, and the way I've been training is to focus on the long run. I try to run 4 steady runs of about 5km during the week, some at a slow recovery pace, some moderate and some I really push for a fast pace, it just depends on how I feel on the day. If I'm fresh and ready I go quick, if I'm a bit sore or tired I'll go slowly. Then for the long run, I'm just aiming to increase by a kilometre each week, with a 'rest week' (no increase) every three or four weeks. If I find the shorter runs are feeling too short, I might gradually increase them a bit (but not increase the long run while I'm doing it).

This has been working really well for me so far, I feel that I'm running the long runs quite comfortably, and 5 runs each week makes them all seem much easier to me than only running 3 or 4.

I agree with Justin - if you can follow a training plan, do. The people who write them (the good ones, anyway) know their stuff. I find I'm not organised enough to follow one, so I'm doing it my way.

Hope this helps and I'm no expert, so I'd expect the experts may have something to say about my methods.

Train hard!

balfey

Edit: No way are your goals too ambitious. In 7 to 8 months you'll be able to train at a steady pace all the way up to half marathon, and I'm sure you'll be able to reach your 6:00 pace goal. Consistency is key

Edited by balfey, 08 January 2009 - 01:43 PM.

[Colsy]

I was going to say "proceed with caution" due to your previous injuries but I notice you are only 29 years old. A half marathon is within your reach for sure.
I started running in February 08....and I mean started running, I then did Melbourne Half Marathon in October 08. I dont want to sound conceited but I feel I did the Half Marathon easily. I sort of followed a Hal Higdon program, but mainly it was just run long and often. On top of that, I sought and listened to advice from all levels of runners.

Losing some weight will get you there as well, physically and mentally it will give you more confidence. Eating well is one of the major foundations to build. I know when I stray from the path of healthy eating, my running suffers instantly.

[Goughy]

I also think you can do it, and you have some sort of running base behind you, even with the time off. I started late last may having done no fitness work in a decade. Did the c25k and then decided to do a half mara which I'll admit I wasn't prepared for but still finished it, even if dead last.

I'm also your pace, but I'm fine with that. Finishing it is a huge accomplishment on it's own, and way more than most people will ever do!

[Hoops]

Here's another half marathon "success story" for you.. I started distance running - for the first time ever - in early June 2008, after being inspired by some friends who did the Perth HM. And just 12 weeks later I ran the Perth City to Surf HM. So it might surprise you how quickly you can improve!

That said I do think I was often teetering on the edge of injury during those first few months, i.e I don't think I could have ramped it up much quicker. I certainly agree with emjay's advice about taking it slow to avoid injury - well really just listen to your body, if you start feeling niggles it's time to back off the training a little.

As for particular training programs, I'm not much a fan of following them "to the letter" because everyone is different, but they do offer a good general idea of how to proceed, and I guess some people find extra motivation in following programs exactly. The Hal Higdon ones Justin mentions above look pretty typical.

ALSO I think most beginner running programs underestimate the value of low-impact cross training for aerobic fitness (e.g biking / swimming / rowing / etc), especially when you're carrying a bit of extra weight. Connective tissue is slow to adapt to running so you'll probably find you can't run more than a few hours a week early on without risking injuries.. But the more time you can spend exercising in total, the quicker your fitness will improve (within reason).

All the best with your goals

[catgirl]

You can definitely do it! Take heart from the stories and experiences here. I went from running the occasional 5km (and one or two 10km) runs to a HM (GCHM 08) in about two months. Yeah, I probably needed my head read but was kinda talked into it - and I decided to do it on a whim. I just followed the 20 week (ha ha!) GCHM training course on the website which I believe Pat Carroll designs - beginner of course! It was very easy to follow. I finished doing 2:09, and then did the Melbourne HM in Oct, reducing my time by three minutes. So you can do it - and I am 40. Sure I had injuries, sciatic pain (ugh), torn calf muscle, clicky hips, but you get treated like you have done and move on. Just dont put too much pressure on yourself. I would focus on the enjoyment of the running and the trainer, and feeling yourself getting fitter and stronger bit by bit every training session - not necessarily a magic "time". All the best for your training!!!

[Gadfly]

Sir Plod Along...another here in a similar boat as you.

I have taken a little longer to pick up my distance, but I went from non runner, to running 13km in a relay in Vanuatu in about 9 months last year......and now heading for a half marathon this year. I have a wonderful running buddy who has helped me out with a program based on the Hal Higdon and it's very straightforward and 'easy' in terms of understanding and doing.....you just have to do the running! And I'm not fast - in fact, if I could maintain 6:30 pace I'd be happy!

Good luck and keep us posted - you'll do fine.

[SirPlod]

Awesome. Thank you for all your replies, and the encouragement. It would take me forever to individually reply, but I've been able to take pieces from each of your posts.

I'll use the Hal Higon as a basic plan to get an idea on what mileage I should be doing, rather than sticking to them religiously. I'm also getting into few other things on the side to help my overall fitness and weight loss - some weights, a bit of recreational mountain biking, some swimming, tennis, a triathlon here and there... (like Hoops said)

It's good to hear that many of you started in similar positions, whether it be from no exercise, or from kinda falling into running. Makes me hopeful that maybe it is possible to be able to run a half decent distance and pace without having been born with a pair of Kayanos on like some people.

Greeno sent me his old HRM in the post quite a few weeks ago, and finally it's time for me to use it!!!

I'll definitely keep you updated. Again, thank you very much.

Yeah!

Edited by SirPlodAlong, 09 January 2009 - 12:02 PM.

[RCP]

SirPlodAlong, on Jan 8 2009, 01:23 PM, said:

Hi all, and Happy Slappy New Year!

Wonder if some of you experts* can help with half marathon training advice? I have trawled the forms to try to find some info, but most people seem to be much fitter than I am with a much shorter preparation time.

After a year of on and off running, and 4 months off due to injury, illness and then a little bit of wedge resection operation fun on my big toes, I'm ready to start training again on Monday.

I aim to run a 10km in March or so, possibly the 14km run for the kids in April, and then the Melbourne half Marathon in October.

I'm not called Sir Plod Along for nothing - I'm carrying far too much of the weighty stuff (about 25 kilos) and at the moment I run at about 6:30 mins per km. I'm hoping to improve to around 6 mins per km to finish the half marathon in 2 hours and some change. (is this too ambitious?)

Does anybody know of a training programme I can follow to go from Zero to Half Marathon in about 7 or 8 months? I currently run about 4km in one sitting with a walk here and there, to give you an idea of where I'm starting from.

Thanks muchly for any help you can offer.

Sir Plod Along.




*By "experts" I mean anybody that can crawl faster and further than I can run, which is probably most of you.

Dear SPA,

There is no doubt you can do it. In November 2007 at 40 years of age (and an ex-smoker) I started occasionally jogging on a treadmill at the gym to relieve the boredom of walking. I was quickly bitten by the running bug and downloaded a 16 week "individualized training program" for a 10k race from www.runnersworld.com. It commenced on 21 January 2008 and took me 21 weeks to complete (I had 5 weeks layoff due to injury). I had hoped to run the Sutherland to Surf (approx. 11k) on 27 July but became ill with the flu the week before and had to pull out.

I continued with my training, following a program given to me by an ex-elite athlete mate, but never running more than 4 times per week, with the obligatory long run on a Sunday, which in the end became so long ( 21-25km) that I decided to run the Bankstown half marathon on 17 August 2008, which I completed in 1:36:45. I then ran The Sydney half marathon on 21 September 2008 in 1:32:30. On each of those occasions there was no doubt in my mind I could've kept running (although nowhere near marathon length).

The two main things I have learned in my short time running are:

1. Recovering between key workouts (e.g. speed work and the long run) is absolutely critical-try to take naps whenever possible and give yourself plenty of time to recover;

2. It is inconceivable one will not eventually suffer some kind of injury as the training load increases, so nipping them in the bud early is crucial, as is patience-races are like buses, there's always another one around the corner!

As for a program, in addition to the ones already mentioned check out www.mcmillanrunning.com. I'm currently on one of his programs for the marathon and it's great-very intelligent.

All the best.

[rrrach]

Hey SirPlodAlong,

You probably have enough replies to convince you that you can do it, but here's another one. This is close to my heart - I can't resist having my two cents' worth!

I started running in August 2006 after not exercising since high school (about 17 years). I couldn't even make it around the block. 9 months later (May 07) I did the SMH half marathon in Sydney in 2 hours 3 mins and 48 seconds (I still remember my time and my utter jubilation!). And I did it comfortably.

When I started I knew nothing about running. I just wanted to get healthy, lose weight, and feel better about myself. I didn't realise I'd become the crazy running addict I am today (and 25kg lighter!)

I only thought that maybe I could do the HM in January 07, after I'd reached my goal of running the Bay Run (7km) without stopping. I trained based on the guide on the SMH HM website, and pretty much stuck with that, as well as absorbing like a sponge any info i could find on training, nutrition, etc from the internet and from "real" runners like the ones here.

Good luck with it. If you want to do it and you put in the time and energy, you'll nail it!

Rach

[rachinaus]

rrrach, on Jan 9 2009, 03:31 PM, said:

I didn't realise I'd become the crazy running addict I am today

...its amazing how it just gets under your skin - and you can usually pin point the event or week or race that made you suddenly start taking it 'seriously'.

Its definitely worth the effort. But beware turning into a running bore (I think my colleagues start to glaze over when I launch into tales of yet another run/pb/meet/race ) - good job there is at least one kindred spirit in my office.

[runninguphill]

Writing from experience (not expertise) - I have run three half marathons following the same plan of my own (I have an aversion to following programs). I run three times a week, two short (5-8 kms) and one long (gradually built up to about 16-18 kms). I always have a day of rest in between running where I walk and do yoga once or twice a week. My times are not great (best was 2.00.03) but I have finished comfortably and have enjoyed myself.