Training for 1/2 marathon in 5 months. Tips!

[DairyNips]

So my dh and his pal have signed up to do the Great North Run is September. They both have a few stone to lose but have. They have been to the gym in the past and my dh used to run 2 miles of an evening/ go swimming/ play football. Neither of them have done much exercise for a while.

Anyway, I'm looking for tips, training schedules, diet suggestions etc.

I am super proud, dh really wants to get fit and healthy and I think having something like this to aim for is a great motivation.
Mil has been really unsupportive and basically said to him that she doesn't want him to do it because 'he might die' One of his brothers said the same..

I really want to help him succeed at this and support him as much as possible. The doubters will have to eat their words!!

So, please help us out!

Anyone?

Couch 2 5k to begin with, then a training programme up to 10 k and then a slow build up of the miles until 13 miles or thereabouts.

Couch 2 5k is great because it builds you up slowly. Injury prevention is important, so gait analysis at a decent running shop and an investment in decent trainers is a must.

Regular running 3-4 times a week, it will get easier quickly but you have to stick to it regularly. And slow, slow, slow. Start at a conversational pace, it will feel very slow to start with. Some people like me will always be slow, that's fine.

Its not as easy as you would think to lose weight running in my experience. I run 30+ miles a week and maintain a healthy weight, not slim but ok and I don't gain. I've had some time off for injury and gained weight. Running makes you very hungry ime, diet change are essential to lose weight.

The great north run is meant to be amazing, iId love to do it but I'm the other end ofmthe country.

Running does improve your health in the main and it's great for stress relief. I've run for about 3 years and can't not run now. A couple of injury problems have set me back but I always get back to it.

Ah thanks for the tips. Will take a look at the couch to 5k thread. It's exciting, I would be doing it too but am 31wks pg!

Bump

gah just wrote a long one and lost it! will summarise:

1. Firstly, build up base running fitness - if you can't run 30 mins just walk/run. Slow is key. Start for 20 mins if that's all you can manage, then build up to 30 mins.

1. Once you can run 3miles in 30 mins quite comfortably start to include interval training to increase your general jogging pace. I like these:

a) 1mile warmup, 3 miles interval (2 mins faster, 2 mins recover), 1 mile cooldown

OR

b) go to a running track, do a few laps as warmup then do 100m sprint/100m recover (walk if need be), 200m sprint/200m recover, 300m sprint/300m recover, 400m sprint/400m recover - then work backwards (skip the 400m rep!), followed by a few laps to cool down.

OR

c) find some hills and run up them, recover down.

1. Continue to extend a long run at the weekend. Build up by say 15 mins, do that for a few weeks, then add another 15 mins eg run for 45 mins, then a few weeks later try 60, then a few weeks later try 75 etc. Slow is crucial for these long runs.

1. Another good run to incorporate weekly is a threshold run - run for 20 mins at a pace that is just a bit too fast to be comfortable.

When I did 1 x interval, 1 x threshold and 1 x long run per week I ran my fastest and most comfortable marathon.

I would also incorporate strength training now (having learnt the hard way - still recovering from overuse injury last London marathon) for legs, glutes and core.

Squats and lunges (hurt, but are great. Add weights once you get strong, or do more reps)
One legged squats (great for glutes)
Plank in various forms

Good luck!

Ah thanks for all the tips, that's great! You think 5 months is a reasonable amount of time to train?

Absolutely. I did my first half in 6 weeks from scratch. It was very very slow but possible. I've done a few marathons in 3 months (now that really is too short) but I'd say give yourself 2 months to build a base fitness then 2 and a half months training, followed by a week tapering (ie not doing much but just resting and a gentle jog or two) before race day.

I would make sure to run the distance a few times before the race day - sounds obvious but lots of people build up to doing that distance on the day.

Dairy I followed the Bupa C25k plan. It will take 8 weeks, then he could go straight on to their beginners half marathon plan which should take him Another 12 weeks which just manages to squeeze in before the big race.

Having never met your DH and making huge assumption just because he is male, ensure he sticks to the 5k plan at the beginning, he will most likely think 'oh this is easy, I will do more' but he is likely to injure himself. Initially, it's not about pushing hard it's about strengthening tendons and the like and he really doesn't have enough time to pick up and recover from an injury.

I would also strongly recommend a pair of trainers from a good running shop, not just off the Internet.

Finally, if things go awry during training, remind him just finishing will be a huge achievement, running all the way will be a bonus. I wish him well.

In terms of diet - just eat healthily. Have a carb meal the night before a training session. And alcohol really does affect your training performance (again, all stuff I've learnt the hard way )

Thanks for all your help. It's really great! Am showing him the thread and he will do his best to follow your tips