Hi everyone, I’m just starting running again after 4 weeks off with an injury/niggle. I was running 10K reasonably comfortably and managed to run7k today despite my lungs screaming’ WTF are you doing ‘ for the first 15 mins! Anyway I was aiming for a HM at end of April and was just looking for advice on whether this is doable in the time I have left or is it too much too soon?
TIA
Hello and welcome !
As an example of timing the NRC HM training plan is a 14 week plan with 5 runs a week,
The 5 runs consist of :
2x Recovery runs , 2x Speed runs, and a long run . (Week 1 being 5k)
It is advised you do 1 of each run type as a minimum per week . ie 3 runs.
It is also advised not to start the plan with less than 6 weeks to go .
If you start at 6 weeks to go then that weeks long run is 16k (10 miles)
If you were to start at 8 weeks to go
(Which is the time you have left)
Then the long run for that week is 8k
This of course is not allowing any time for injury !
As you are coming back from injury then I would suggest that sensibly it's a fairly tight timescale .
Welcome back!
Well, I am interested what other folk may reply here, because I feel my reply could be weighted.
I got back to runs after a long break over Christmas...from the 30th Nov to 25th January... I was running at 10K and beyond happily and comfortably. But Covid and the post viral fatigue left me a tad wiped out and I started building back slowly.. making 6K last Sunday. It took me 45 minutes and that was comfortable. I started really gently and just added a little more each week, always taking it steadily and listening to my body. Was hoping after two shorter runs last week to get out for 7K today, but a heavy cold, ( first in years ), is putting paid to that today.
My advice would be, maybe it is a tad too soon to be thinking of a HM. I have an event in April and am so glad I booked for the 1oK and not the HM... Not sure of your age, I am 72.... 73, the day after the event, (not that I feel that makes a huge difference except that I do err on the side of caution) .
I just figure that the runs and the HMs will still be there and for me, I don't want to risk injury and I want to be able to really enjoy the running I am doing...
So that probably has not helped you at all.., sorry. I am sure there will be other replies and you will make the right choice for you.
thank you
Hi Purpleslimmer65 , it might be doable, whether it's advisable is a different matter.
For context, I'll confess that did my first HM distance 8 weeks after doing my first 10k. I winged it: no training plan, just increasing distance when I felt like it, no increasing pace, no more than three runs a week, and often two days between runs. Absolutely not the recommended approach, but it worked for me. Since that first HM distance I've done several more, a few 24km+ runs, and a trail marathon.
Now here's the cautionary tale: at the end of June last year I fell and injured my knee, two days after running 16k. It took me a week to be able to walk 1.8k, another week to jog 3k, and two more to reach 10k. My aerobic fitness was OK but my leg simply couldn't take it. It took me three months before my leg felt reasonably normal, and since I've also had adverse weather and illness to contend with too, I've still not got back to HM.
TLDR? I'd be concerned that in your circumstances pushing to reach HM distance in 8 weeks, especially if you've never run it before, would cause further injury. I'd wait for a later event, or at the very least be prepared to take a walk-run approach.
Good luck, whatever you decide!
Argh-sorry you’re in this position. Injuries and niggles are such a pain when you’re wanting to progress and you’re on a deadline.
I’ve got a half booked in five weeks and I’ve just missed two weeks with a horrible cold and laryngitis. This weeks I’m supposed to be running ten miles and I’ll be probably running for (at most) ten minutes. It’s so frustrating.
Take the long view. What you don’t want to do is push yourself to be ready to run the whole thing and aggravate your injury. I think in your position, I’d be looking at building up gradually and seeing where that gets you. The running book I’m currently reading suggests that if you have more than a couple of weeks off, you restart any plan you’re following a week before you stopped and still cut longer runs short as you need to. That might not give you enough time to feel ready to run it all. There’s absolutely no shame in run/walking instead. It could be a really positive decision to make and take away a lot of the pressure and worry about whether you’ll hurt yourself more training in such a short time after an injury.
Sorry that’s a bit of a ramble. I’m having a bit of this debate with myself too.
Really good luck with whatever you decide to do. ❤️
thank you I think that’s sound advice
Here’s my little piece of advice. I’ve been very fortunate in that (touch wood) I haven’t suffered with any running injuries in the nearly 5 years I’ve been running. But ….. I chose to ignore the fact I had a virus last September which totally wiped me out. However I didn’t want to miss the 4 races I’d entered (3 x 10k and 1 x 10 miles), and I ran them anyway.
What a plonker. It’s taken me until now to get close to where I should be, and I’m still not totally there. I’m pretty sure I would be if I’d listened to my body and sat those races out.
So, all that said, you need to listen to your body and do what it says! Have you run a HM before? That would make a difference.
Good luck. 😀
no I’ve never run a HM before but I’m not worried about how long it takes me either as it’ll be a PB! I think I’m going to see how I am feeling in a couple of weeks and base my deciiisn on that. Defo don’t want to over push myself although my injury was caused by my daft dog taking me out with half a tree while I was running 😂
Thanks so much for you help
Does it have a generous time limit? That is can you walk some of it and still complete it? Is it one of those running events that has a lot of slow runners/walkers etc. That may be what is the key. For example, I have yet to actually block in a 10k which for me would be a significant event. One nearby run has a 90minute cut off ie it can be jogged but not really walkable , they expect you to run!
umm not sure but think I’ll look into that!
How much is too much?
Enjoying myself too much
Too much tech?...
I Warned Him A Run With Me and Running The London Marathon Would Be Too Much
Graduating soon fm 5K 
