Half Marathon Training

[shopbruin]

I was "accepted" into the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco in October. (mid October.)

I have never run a half before. I've recently (like in the past year) taken up running and I've done a handful of 5k's. I actually did one yesterday, and the warm weather wasn't helping, my legs felt like it was starting to give out around the 2.5 mile mark.

What do I need to do to train properly for a half marathon? My husband says I better train and train well... What books would you recommend, what websites, etc.

Help!

 

[douglasb]

What I did for my first half marathon last October was this:

About 2-3 months out, I started training and running 4-5 times a week. I would run 2-3 miles for the first few weeks, but each weekend, I would do an extended run (maybe 5-6 miles at first). Towards the end, I would run 3-4 miles on the weekdays (with 2-3 days of rest each week), then on Saturday or Sunday I would run 8-10 miles. The weekend before the race, I peaked at 12 miles, then the week leading up to the race, I ran maybe 2 miles a couple of times, with plenty of rest during that week.

You might want to search for a half-marathon training schedule, to get an idea of what I'm trying to explain. IMO, what you eat will have a huge impact on your energy levels as well.

 

[YoungGun21]

Just search for a half marathon training plan. That's what I did for my marathon training. I trained about 5-6 months for my marathon, so you have plenty of time to train for a half. No worries. I would just get into a routine of running on certain days of the week.

Also, doug is right. What you eat will greatly impact how you run.

That said, a half really isn't that bad. You should be fine if you start now.