novice running a half marathon?

Question

i havent run for 20 years,im a fairly fit 47 yr old ,just entered a half marathon in september,how do i start and maintain a fitness schedule to prepare myself

Answer 1

good job planning this far ahead - you have plenty of time to get ready.

first, get yourself some good running shoes. go to a shoe store that specializes in running shoes, and let them fit you properly. yes, you can get decent shoes for under $100 a pair.

plan a training schedule to get back into running, mayby 3-4 days a week. one of those days should be a long slow run, the rest shorter - maybe 30 minutes. you can cross train with biking or swimming too, both are great workouts with lower impact.

heres a link to some beginner half marathon training guide, you can modify them as needed. they start about 12 weeks out, which is the minimum training you really want to do.
http://www.stlouismarathon.com/EventDetails/TrainingGuide_HalfMarathon_Beg.htm
http://www.stlouismarathon.com/EventDetails/HalfMarathonTrainingBeginnerVersion2.htm

if you are interested, see if theres a group in your area that trains together for the event. some running stores sponsor them, or know about them. you'll meet new people and have more motivation to run.

a big thing that helped me on my first marathon was telling my friends and family about it. you'll be more motivated if they push you on it, and less likely to give up if training feels bad.

good luck!

Answer 2

I just finished running a halfathon in January. It was down in Florida. The way I trained for it was about 5 runs a week, some were as low as 2.5 miles, and about once a week (saturdays for me) I ran a long 9 mile run. maybe only once in two weeks sometimes. But if you do that until the race, by the time of the race itself, you should be in good shape. If you're just starting to run, start out with maybe 4 runs a week at 2 miles max, and work up from there at a rate that you feel comfortable with.

Answer 3

well you'll probably want to just run slow easy 5 milers every day with about a weekend 8 miler building up to about 7 milers a day working up to a weekend 13 miler or so... when you get into the race.. make sure that you go out slow.. and just pick people off as the race goes on.. you'll feel better and you'll probably run a very fast time :D my best half marathon is 1:10 so maybe i know what i'm talking about.. i dont' know

Answer 4

Also try Runners Word's web site they have a program called smart coach the give you a training plan according to your ability