Half Marathon Training Tips

I had a reader ask me for some tips on preparing for a half marathon.  These are my favorite blog posts to write because I know that at least one person really wants to read it :-D  So for those of you who have a question about health or fitness, please feel free to email me and I would be happy to answer it!

To start, for those of you who are interested in training for a half marathon (or any race for that matter), I promise you will be extremely happy if you go for it.  YES, their will be training days where you say to yourself, "Why the hell am I doing this," but I guarantee that the feeling of accomplishment will be worth it!

Here are 5 quick tips to help you in your half marathon training:



1) Get the right shoes from the start!  
Seriously, NO skimping on this!  You are going to be putting in a lot of miles during your training, and trying to make it through with your old sneakers is setting you up for injury.  There are several running specific stores that have some amazing technology for finding your magic slipper, and I strongly recommend that you spend a few extra dollars.

And make sure you do this from the start.  Your body and running mechanics adapt to your shoes, and so if you decide to get the right shoes when you are already running 5+ miles, your feet, ankles, knees, and shins are going to hate you! And trust me, you will hate them back...


2) Purchase a heart rate monitor.
Using a heart rate monitor is the easiest way for you to understand if you need to be working harder or if you need to slow it down a bit.  Many of the new heart rate monitors have some excellent added functionality such as the ability to upload your runs directly to the computer.  Tracking progress is essential and this certainly makes it a lot easier!



3) NO PAIN, NO GAIN!
The sure way to a premature end of your race goal is to "push through the pain."  Now I don't mean discomfort, but I mean real PAIN.  You are going to be running ~13 miles, and so discomfort should be expected if you have never run that long before.  However, pain is your body's way of trying to protect you, and it's safe to say that our bodies are usually right.  It is important to remember that you are running this marathon to improve your health and fitness.  If after the race your body hurts so bad that you can't even continue to exercise, then you have completely missed the point of doing the race in the first place.

4) Resistance train 2-3 days/wk
Resistance training for both muscular strength and muscular endurance will help you immensely!  This is one tip that I think most first time racers miss out on.  Resistance training will improve your running economy, which means that you will be more efficient with your running mechanics and will be able to run further and faster!  When resistance training to assist in preparing for a half marathon, pick a weight on every exercise that allows you to complete at least 20 reps.  If you are doing multiple sets of the same exercise, keep the rest time between sets low (30-60 seconds).

Full-body resistance training should be done at 2-3 times per week, and is best to be done on your running off-days.  When resistance training and running on the same day, I would recommend to resistance train AFTER your run.  If you exercise for general health and fitness, it is recommended that you do the opposite and resistance train BEFORE doing cardio; however, since the primary goal of your training is to complete a half marathon, you should focus your training on that first.

5) Don't run during rush hour. 
Now I am not saying this because I question your ability to not get hit by a car, but I recommend this because I want to protect your lungs from air pollution and maximize your training!

The gases in air pollution can affect performance by decreasing the capacity to transport oxygen, increasing airway resistance, and can even alter the perception of effort required when the eyes "burn" and the chest "hurts."

Running outside makes it impossible to completely avoid these pollutants, but knowing that the physiological response to them are related to the amount or "dose" received, you can strategically protect yourself.  The concentration of air pollutants during rush-hour rises significantly and so scheduling your runs during these times should be avoided.



These are just 5 quick tips to help make your training experience more enjoyable and successful.  By no means are they the only 5, but are certainly 5 great ones!

Have other great tips for training to run a half marathon? Feel free to share them below!