How to train to survive a half marathon
Congratulations on your decision to sign up for a half marathon that you may or may not now regret!
Maybe you aren’t much of a runner but were talked into it by friends or are looking for some way to kick start your fitness (been there!). Now, a few days later, the reality of what you’ve registered for has set in — at some point in the near future, you’ve committed yourself to running 13.1 miles in a row — possibly farther than you’ve ever run before — probably really early in the morning, with hundreds of other people. Perhaps you’ve Googled some training plans only to find programs filled with words like “fartlek” and “tempo” and “hill repeats” that tell you you’re going to be running 5 days a week for the next several months. And now you’re looking at the reality of your life and wondering how the heck you’re going to cram all of this in.
Take a deep breath. It’s okay. You probably don’t need to bail.
Whether you’re trying to balance work/life/parenting, someone who is easily convinced to bail on training runs for a social event, or just a poor planner…you can still actually cross the finish line of a race even if you do not religiously follow a training program.
Why should I know? I’ve raced in about a dozen half marathons, several triathlons, and a marathon in thoroughly unremarkable times! I’m not a particularly natural runner, so I’m never going to be the best or fastest out there. As a competitive person, this was tough for me to accept for a very long time. However, I realized I either needed to find a new hobby or get on board with the fact that I simply wasn’t going to be winning races. Clearly, I chose the latter, and that’s what led me to actually enjoy running.
Today, I run mainly because I enjoy the mental and physical health benefits (as well as the opportunity to listen to audiobooks). But when I’m training for a race, I’ve figured out how to do just enough training to maintain a pretty solid balance without giving up much (other than some weekend mornings) for my training.
My typical training routine boils down to this in its simplest form:
Run 3-4 miles 2 days/week. Walk breaks are okay, and I usually try to make sure I do not run any back-to-back days.
Run a long run 1 day/week, starting at 4-5 miles and adding 1 mile each week (and if there’s extra time, double up on some of those earlier ones to build more of a base) until hitting somewhere between 10 and 15 miles. Again, walk breaks are okay.
Instead of a long run the week before the half marathon, I do another 2-4 mile run instead.
This is the most important part for me: I sit down with my phone and add an event once a week from whenever I start training until my half marathon with the number of miles my long run is this week. Mine is every Sunday at the time I’d expect to do my long run, with a reminder set for the night before. Last night, my phone dinged “6 miles!” at me at 9pm, which helped me go to bed on time instead of scrolling forever.
Outside of that, I have a few other things I try to add into the mix:
I try to do some non-running, generally active things (yoga, swimming, chasing the kids around the house) on the days I’m not running. The experts call this “cross training,” and it helps reduce likelihood of injury.
Once you hit 10 miles…congrats! You’ve officially hit the distance that a lot of people with more experience than me say make you good to go for a half marathon. Sometimes, I stop adding miles at this point and consider myself “trained.”
If I have some extra weeks, I keep adding some distance (usually not getting beyond 12-13 miles).
I’m not usually very particular about nutrition, but I try to eat something light and carb-y pre-run (plus water and coffee), high-protein meals post-run (often scrambled eggs with cheese), and have some electrolytes throughout the rest of the day (I like LMNT). I also avoid alcohol and foods that may upset my stomach the day before a long run.
And that’s it! That’s how I now train for half marathons while not sacrificing my life.
Before we finish up, I do have a few disclaimers: I’m not a doctor; this is not medical advice. You’re training for a half marathon, so things will hurt, and you may get injured. You should talk to your doctor before taking on new physical endeavors like a half marathon.
Finally, remember that this is what works for me. It may not work for you. And that’s okay! There’s a reason there are thousands of people out there talking about how they prep for half marathons, and there isn’t one magic training plan that is perfect for everyone. Be honest with yourself about your priorities and where running fits into them.
Happy running!