can i go from zero to GNR in 1 year?

[GinAndSonic]

Im going to start c25k as soon as i get running shoes etc. I want to sign up for next years great north run. If i do c25k then follow that up with the 10k training then work through 1/2 marathon training then i will be able to do it.
Question is, is it realistic to go from couch to GNR in 1 year?

I know its probably not, i just need a bit of reassurance i think.

Yes, definitely.

I started C25k in Aug last year and could do HM distance by Mar. Not amazingly fast or anything but I could cover it without feeling like I wanted to die!!

Go for it!!

Yes. Absolutely, I did it every year for a few years, going back to zero each year! But even the first time was fine. You have plenty of time to work up to it gradually.

Good luck, enjoy! Maybe I'll join you!

Absolutely. Just be aware that running can get addictive and before you know it you'll be entering all sorts of mad things :)

GNR is fabulous, be prepared to blub like a baby as you cross the line or maybe that was just me.

Of course it is!

You can do the GNR even if you have only ever run 8 miles tops previously although as Sunday proved to me you will suffer greatly in the last two miles if you choose to do this!

The training plan I used for the GNR was a 12 week one, and it started from the point where you could run 5k comfortably.

So 9 weeks to do couch to 5k plus 12 weeks from 5k to 21k. Even allowing for loads of missed weeks and timetable slip you have got PLENTY of time.

Although 13 miles seems like loads now it isn't really. You just have to follow your training plan, doing a little bit more each week. And on the day the atmosphere is amazing and you get swept up in the torture.

Thanks everyone.
About 8 or 9 years ago i did the moonwalk two years in a row, the full distance of 26.2 miles, although that was walking and i was younger and fitter, so the distance doesnt scare me too much. I really want to be able to run it though.
I was an official cheerer at the GNR a few years ago, near the finish line, and it was so emotional.
Im hoping running is addictive, i really want to live a healthy lifestyle now, and so i need to build exercise into my life. Running is free and i can fit it around life so it seems ideal.
Im terrified of getting active though, i have a lot of issues around my body and exercise thanks to the arsehole kids i had to do pe with but im almost 28, i have 2 kids, i need to be healthy for them and i need to start taking care of myself. Im a year out of an abusive relationship and the idea of doing things for me is strange, but i like it and this can be part of it.
The Rainbow Trust is taking registrations for their guarenteed places, maybe ill jist bite the bullet and sign up.

Good for you.

It can be tricky finding time to keep fit but running is really the easiest thing - out the door you go and thats it.

My kids are 5 and nearly 3 - in the week I would run 30-40 mins max two nights a week, once they were in bed at about 8.30pm (using head torch) and then at the weekend do my longer run.

I really recommend the Get Running app for C25k.

Do it, Do it, Do it :o
I hated running at school, started at 47 when DS broke his leg and I needed some headspace and have been running for about 5 years (did take a year or so off early on when I get bored as was doing the same route 3 times a week!)
I love it, it gives me a real natural high and it makes me feel alive. Today, when I was having a crappy time at work, all I wanted to do was go for a run as I knew it would make me feel better/happier/more in control.
If you do it and love it you will never look back :)

PS just wanted to say another good for you. It takes real strength to chuck out all those preconceived ideas about "not being sporty" and do something about it. We are all sporty and we can all run a half marathon if we build up our fitness slowly and gradually.

OK, you will never be Mo Farah. But you can be much much fitter than you currently are that is for sure.

I never thought id find exercise i liked. I hated sports. I hated aerobics when i tried. Hated step class. Im crap at swimming but like how my fat arse feels weightless in water but when i tried rowing at a local club i LOVED it, and when i did pilates with the physio after my first child (i had SPD) i loved that too. Im less for the sports and classes and more for the techniques repetition of working the body iyswim. I like to think that ill enjoy running the same way i enjoyed rowing. Meditation through movement is how rowing felt. The focus, the burn, the repetition. Bliss.

Of course you can!! Meanwhile enter a 5k and a 10k so you can get the feel for a race. Nerves can get the better of you like I found out.

Keep going and good luck!

Yep!

I went from 5k to a just over 2hr HM in 8 weeks. It's definitely doable!

Gin I love your phrase "meditation through movement", summed up how I feel about running perfectly, the head space, the breathing etc.

Good luck with your training! And for what it's worth I've gone from zero to 6 miles in 14 weeks and am going to do a hm in April.

Oh and definitely second the advice to enter a 5k and 10k along the way. If you're anything like me "half marathon in X months" either makes me think shiiiiiiiiit or aaaaaages away so I am less likely to be properly motivated and train regularly. But a 5k in July and a 10k in November (I started end of May) build me up along the way. Also will help you with pacing yourself - at the 5k I went off like a bat out of hell and then got a stitch, then walked a little, then repeated the same thing! Now I have done that and a park run and more training I can pace myself much better.

Yes !!!!
C to 5k will take you 2 months or so
Add to the length of your run every week, will you to 10 k in another month or 2. Stick there for a while, get strong, and comfortable at it. Maybe do some 10k events.

About 3 months before GNR add a mile to your long runs once a week or 2. So, say GNR - 13 weeks, run 7 miles (plus a couple of shorter runs that week). At GNR -11 run 8 or 9 miles. At GNR - 9, run 10 miles. Of that for a few weeks. Going from 10 miles to 13 miles should come easily after that.