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Original poster

can I run a half marathon in 5 months time?

34 replies

HowlonguntilFriday · 12/04/2012 08:00

given that I am an unfit mother! (in the sense of exercise, rather than child care - I hope)
I did do some running pre children, 10K and half marathons but I was a lot younger and fitter (and lighter) then.
Any training tips?
Thanks.

OP posts:
SlipperyNipple · 12/04/2012 08:25

Why don't you ask a doctor if you are fit (in every sense of the word) to start training for the half marathon.

skybluepearl · 12/04/2012 08:25

get a friend to do it with you - meet up for some runs and do other runs on your own with lively music.

skybluepearl · 12/04/2012 08:22

can you try and add an extra mile every two weeks? Train three or four times a week. Then about 6 weeks before push the milage more? Do a mix of short quick runs and long slower runs

Whoneedssleepanyway · 12/04/2012 08:22

be very careful though OP, my cousin has just had to pull out of the London Marathon as she thought she could train to do it within 6 months, the running magazines publish six month training schedule but she just didn't have the fitness and strength built up from years of running and ended up fracturing a bone in her pelvis...I know this an extreme example but my dad who is a serious seasoned marathon runner, we are talking doing a marathon in under 2.5 hours, really berates running magazines for encouraging people to suddenly gear up to do this in a short period of time, he had been running for years before he did his first marathon.

I am sure as you have run before you will be fine but be careful.

SlipperyNipple · 12/04/2012 08:21

I think you can unless you are very overweight or have some other medical problem. I've done a couple of half marathons when I was running 40 minutes twice a week and about a 10k at weekends. I was a bit overweight at the time but I was fit.

Now after two children I am obese and I wouldn't start running training until I lost the weight otherwise I think I would do my knees in.

Hope that helps. I think the problem will be finding the time to run.

iloveACK · 12/04/2012 08:18

You can do it.
Runners world do some great training programmes over 12 weeks starting from a v low base & given your previous running experience I reckon you'll get it back quite quickly.
Good luck Grin

Iggly · 12/04/2012 08:16

YANBU

You can usually get good training guides online which assumes you're starting from a low base. I trained for a 10k in 6 weeks and at the start could only manage about a minute of jogging.

Original poster
HowlonguntilFriday · 12/04/2012 08:12

Thanks - I'll have a look. Think that entering on a whim might have been a grave error! Still, always good to have a target!

OP posts:
Idocrazythings · 12/04/2012 08:08

I think you need to be able to comfortably run 5k several times a week; there is an iPhone half marathon app which will help train you I think from about 4 months before. I'm in the same boat and starting to crap myself a bit!

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