A rather chummy chum of mine has proposed that we run a half marathon together in the autumn. Plenty of time to get ready for it mentally (and physically I guess?). My chummy chum has done this distance on more than once occasion so they KNOW they can do it. I however, have not run any further than 8 miles. Ever. A good 5 miles short of the HM distance.
I like to dilly. I also like to dally. In fact, one might say I was a "dilly-dallier". And they'd be right. But my chummy chum has said and I quote -
***clears throat***
"Stop being such a limp d**k and pull your finger out of your @r5e and let's run one together. You ***t"
Fruity language. But necessary language methinks. It made me think - "YES! I'm going to do it"
So my question to you is this (and you get 10 points for a correct answer. No conferring) -
"CAN YOU RECOMMEND A TRAINING PLAN FOR SOMEONE OF MY ABILITIES TO ACHIEVE 13.1 MILES WHICH WON'T KILL ME AND ISN'T MORE THAN 3 RUNS PER WEEK?"
I of course look forward to your answers with baited breath, loins girded and ears cocked.
Thanks!
Yer pal
Dan.
Written by
danzargo
Graduate
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Aw how exciting and loads of time to get ready for that. Get baited, girded and cocked-I reckon Myasics will see you through. I will let you know after Sunday if it worked for me or not x
Blimey what kind of 'chummy chum' would speak such filth....SO SO SO glad you will do it, I am sure your naughty chummy chum is going to be ecstatic . just keep running is my best advice, and make it longer.
My chummy chum has the filthiest mouth. Although oddly, I find it alluring. Good advice there Juju - Your advice for making it longer is a good one. THANK YOU!
I have my first HM in May and I have been using the Asics plan. You log in and taylor make it to your own goals. I am only running twice a week as I have a 2.5km swim coming up but I do feel like I will be ready at only two runs a week. I did my first 17km run this week. The only thing I will say is there are some big leaps in the asics plan I floundred at the first one but sailed through the second. It's all free and it emails you if your training sessions are going better or worse than predicted with pace and adjusts your plan accordingly. With your permission. I say go for it. I have been loving the training.
If you have a specific race in mind, they usually have some sort of a training plan (however good or bad it is) plus you have Myasics too. Personally just get your calendar out, make sure you cover 10 miles about 3/4 weeks before the race and work backwards from there! Simples
My chummy chum is keeping the run deadly secret for some reason. Apparently it'll make me more devoted to the cause (they think) if I don't know until a week before....
Average - 72.04 but it was a lovely day for a run.
Another vote for MyAsics - worked like a charm for me and I came in faster than it predicted so double thumbs-up from me!!
The plan will work for you if you like to be given a quantifiable pace to run to; possibly not so good if you like to mix your runs up a bit more. It does offer you the flexibility of running 2/3/4 times a week and at an easy/medium/hard effort. It typically only has you running a maximum of 11 miles (so only a parkrun further than what you can do now!).
And personally I don't think you are either a limp duck or a boat!!
It's kind of genius isn't it?! And thank you for not thinking of me as a ducking boat. My chummy chum adores me really - just that they know sometimes I need a load of filthy expletives to motivate me.
Yep, I did the entire thing as I was in no rush to jump up to the longer distances! I never managed to run as slow as it said for the 'jog' bits though.
My hubby downloaded the plan as well but ignored the pre-conditioning phase. Whatever you fancy, I guess!
You know from your experience that running is all about confidence. I don't think that someone like you needs a grand plan as such, you just need to build some confidence. I've read your reports on 10ks and it's pretty obvious that you're confident about them, so that's six miles and more or less half way done already. if you've done eight miles then (statement of the obvious coming up) your even further down the road.
Where am I going with this? Well, I got to the magic 13.1 by doing your preferred option. Two 5ks during the week to keep me ticking over followed by "long run Saturday". This third run is a minimum of 10k and every other run I pushed the distance up a bit. Maybe just 1k, maybe 1 mile. Sometimes I opened the Garmin Connect route planner, found somewhere I just fancied running that would extend the distance and just did it. This last option was, and still is, the best one because you start with a positive mindset - you're runniing somewhere that you actually want to go.
I also find that having a sensible pace target helps. I have learned to run 10k at the same pace that I run 5k - six miniutes per km more or less. There is no way I would attempt a half marathon at that pace, so I give myself a pace window and keep within it. In my case it's 6.50 to 7.10 per km. to be honest I picked that because it represents our lady Laura's "it's just a light jog" mantra from the earliest days of C25K. It gets me home in just under 2.5 hours. i might be able to go faster, but as we all say around here, that's not particularly important. i know I can do it at that pace. Confidence.....
I'm going on a bit now, but hydration is very important. The other thing I had to learn was how to drink on the run. Sounds daft, but so true, particularly since I hate carrying water bottles in my hand.
I have my first "official" HM in May and while its a long way and I expect it to be hard, I am nevertheless, confident that I will get round..
I did the Cheltenham Half Marathon in 2013, and am currently "in training" for Tewkesbury in May. I downloaded the BUPA plan with every intention of using it to get ready for Cheltenham, but then reality kicked in and I found I couldn't train every day. In the end I did it the old tried and tested way of 2 x 5k per week and one longer run at the weekend, extending it by half a mile each week. I finished in 2:15:and some seconds. Not a bad time for me. I have adopted the same "training" approach this time.
You've got plenty of time, plus now you've told us all you're going to do it, we will be expecting plenty of updates!
1) The fast interval: should be with several (6 or 8 are good numbers) of really fast intervals (60 seconds is good) followed by at least twice as long very gentle recovery
2) The long interval: A few longer intervals (2 or 3 for now) each being maybe a km now and growing to a mile further down the road followed by the same distance for a gentle recovery.
3) The long run: Increase the weekly mileage gently and slowly. You've got plenty of time to get from 10km to 20km. When you get to HM distance, don't repeat it every week.
4) If you feel like adding an extra run, make it a gentle recovery run.
NB: Make sure to throw in a gentle week every month where you dial the distances (but not the effort) down to 50-70%.
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