Learn essential tips and strategies for a successful and enjoyable race with our beginner-friendly half marathon training guide.
Suddenly, youre questioning every training decision youve made.
Trust, youll head into your half marathon feeling confident and capable of tackling those 13.1 miles.
Half marathon training structure
Your half-marathon training plan should be customized to fit your lifestyle and goals.
Heres the full breakdown.
Sprinkle this training into your plan about once a week, Centenari suggests.
Tonalstrength coach and Nike Running coach
Picking up the pace is also helpful training for your heart.
People counter-intuitively think they have to run fast all the time to be fast, she says.
But its really those small increments of exposure.
And over time, your body will adapt.
The first week, you might run for a total of four hours.
Week two, you might be up to four and a half hours.
Week three, you could be running about five hours.
How to add cross-training to your routine
Running shouldnt be theonlyfitness element of your half-marathon training program.
One to two times a week, youll want to engage instrength training.
Tonalstrength coach and Nike Running coach
Running is a unilateral movementyou never have both feet on the ground at the same time.
Her favorites:lungesand single-legRomanian deadlifts.
Lateral movements (i.e., exercises taking place in the frontal plane of motion) are also key.
Try lateral lunges, side shuffles, and lateral step-ups.
Leg workouts are only one piece of the puzzle.
Try moves like the90-90 hip stretch,cat-cow pose, and controlled articular rotations (CARs).
Prioritizing your mental health is equally as important.
What can I do to improve next week?
How do I feel mentally and emotionally?
I think its like the feather in your hat for a training cycle, she adds.
One of the biggest mistakes Centenari sees runners make is simply not eating enough, especially carbs and protein.
Whether youre strength training or running, youre breaking down muscle fiber.
And thats okay thats the essence of working out, she explains.
But for build it back up and get stronger, you have to be getting enough protein.
Sooner is always better than later.
As soon as you start feeling like maybe youre under-fueled during a race, youre behind, Centenari says.
We can get real foggy in the brain and tire easily.
Protein will rebuild broken-down muscle, while carbs will replenish your glycogen stores, Sine says.
If youre tight on time, a protein bar or protein shake will do the trick, she adds.
One week out, youll do about 60 percent of your peak workload.
Race week, youre down to 40 to 50 percent of that peak.
Youre just running less in volume, but you still want to keep the body sharp until racing.
With this downtime, your body and mind can adapt to all the work youve put in.
Its another ego drop.
That entails sleep, your meals, keeping stress levels in your life low.
Also see to it your watch, headphones, and other gadgets are charged, the experts suggest.
While you should avoid intense physical activity, dont start the race out cold.
Just know that your hunger cues may be delayed, and you may not feel like eating much.
If thats the case, opt for something simple like a protein shake and crackers, Sine says.
Explore other forms of movementwhether thats powerlifting, yoga, or Pilates.
FAQ
1.
Can a beginner run a half marathon without prior experience?
Its totally doable to run a half marathon without much running experience.
This will make it less physically and mentally overwhelming to transition into a half-marathon training program.
Youll also want to try out a 5K before signing up, Centenari adds.
How long does it take to train for a half marathon as a beginner?
This additional month upfront can be used for building your base level of fitness, she says.
What should beginners focus on during half-marathon training?
But theyll also need to practice getting enough fuel to support those runs.
Most importantly, first-timers should take it easy on themselves; nothing is perfect the first time around.
…
Got it, you’ve been added to our email list.
