“Start by doing what is necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you’re doing the impossible” – Saint Francis of Assisi

 

First half marathon? Here’s some top tips to get you on the road to glory!

If you are literally running for the first time, starting from scratch, it’s important to start out slow.  Get yourself on a couch to 5K programme or similar.  Start with run, walk intervals eg. Run for 2 minutes, then walk for two minutes, repeat a couple of times then end the session.  You mustn’t overdo it, even if you feel you could do more.  It’s important to give your body time to adjust to the new stimulus and it will feel much easier the next time you head out.

It’s key to integrate a recovery process into your routine from the beginning; check out some recovery strategy ideas here

Over the course of the next few sessions, gradually increase your run time and reduce your active rest time (walk time), gradually!  Make sure you include at least a couple of strength sessions in the week also to help build up all over body strength to support your new running efforts.  Seek advice from a fitness professional if you are in any doubt.

Aim for a minimum three sessions per week to start and keep running and strength training separate to ensure you don’t over-do it and don’t forget the all-important rest days, ideally between each session.

You can expect to be comfortably running 5K within six to eight weeks.  Yes, you can!  parkrun is a great way to measure your progress so find one near you to get used to running in larger groups. Then the fun starts.

Once you are comfortably running 5k you can start introducing speed and hill work, check out our Run Faster for Longer article.

In much the same way as you got from 0-5K you will be gradually adding to your mileage each week.

Allow at least 12 weeks and train yourself up to 10-12 miles – it’s not necessary to do the full distance in training.  The excitement and adrenaline for the event will be sufficient to see you through that last mile and the .1 ????

Good luck!