Advice needed from runners!

[lyssie29]

Hi I'm doing my first half marathon in September. I can maybe run about a mile before having to stop and could managed 5k in around 35-40 with some walking. However, my problems lies with at the moment I can go only get out to the gym once a week for an hour or so due to having no childcare as I'm a single mum with 2 very young children. How can I build my fitness up? If I do some workouts at home such as insanity or Jillian Michaels will it make any difference? Also when I do go on the treadmill or for run if I do interval training will that help or should I just try and run at a steady pace?

crikey, you're ambitious. Did you used to run long distances?
What is the broom wagon sweep time for the HM: what's your longest allowed time? Some of them are like 2.5 hours.

@lljkk there's no time limit for it it's just a run for charity. I'm aiming for around 3 hours ish but I'm not bothered about the time just that I can finish it.

Are you only running on a treadmill, or on the road? The treadmill is much easier, which isn't a good thing!

@wineusuallyhelps yeah so far treadmill but once weather picks up a bit and it's not so windy I'll be going outside. I keep getting told it's easier to run outside rather than treadmill

I think it's much harder on the road as it's not completely flat or bouncy like a treadmill.

I went from not being able to run for even 60 seconds to running a half marathon in 8 months. I did couch to 5k then trained 3-4 times per week (I fitted this around the kids which was easier for me as mine were in school). I think it needs to be a minimum of 3 per week. I followed the Bupa beginners plan. Good luck!

Oh - and I never did much interval training or all that tempo run stuff. Just sort of did my own thing!

I could not do it like you're planning, not unless I was allowed 5 hrs to finish, I mean. Just a bit of training on weekends wouldn't work, though It seems to be a popular strategy so must work for most people so I guess you can but try.

I am trying to build up to running 90 min. non-stop (extremely slowly) and it's killing me. That's with several shorter runs in the week. Running is my nemesis, anyway.

Cross training like Jillian Michaels etc will help with general conditioning and injury prevention but it's no substitute for running - running fitness needs to be built up over time.

The good news is that you have lots of time to train but you definitely need to get out more than 30 -60 mins/week

Do you work? Can you get out at lunchtime? Or could a friend help with reciprocal play dates so you could watch her kids and then she takes your whilst you run?

Do they do any afte school activities? Can you drop them and run?

@veterinari I don't work but the children are 1 and 3. Eldest is at nursery so I guess i could jog with mynone year old in her pram. None of my friends, that I know well, have children and the mothers I speak to at groups I don't really know them. I've download a couch to half marathon app which calls for 3 runs a week maybe I can just take baby with me and do them when eldest is at nursery. Might have to to be honest.

I started when my youngest was a baby. I aimed to go out when DH was in and head off early at the weekends before baby woke and wanted me for milk. Sometimes I had to take him in the pram. It's not a running pram, but at least the wheels are half decent and can lock. A running pram is much better for hills and uneven surfaces.

Are there any buggy fitness classes around? One of our members is training for a marathon. I reliably get in two runs a week, maybe a third, but cross train too.

I was in a similar position when I started running going from 1 mile run/walk to a half marathon. Get yourself a good training plan (loads online) and stick to it as best you can. I would say 3 runs per week slowly building up distance. Interval training definitely helps with speed and breaks things up a bit - perhaps try a fartlek style session (jogging with short bursts of sprint) or some hill sprints. I would do 1 session interval, 1 tempo run where you try and push yourself a little and 1 longer slower run but again gradually build up to this as you don't want to get injured doing too much too soon. As this will sort your cardio if you do have time for anything else I would do some strengthening exercises such as squats, lunges, wall sits. Good luck - I got hooked on running after my first half so watch out for that

Also would say road running loads easier and far more enjoyable than treadmill and you can use the time you would have travelled to gym to run instead making it a longer session.

If you can get out with the one year old in the week that will definitely help. I trained for my first half run/walking the long runs - I did 3 minutes run with 30 seconds walk. i found it a good way to extend the distance and was able to run 10 miles without stopping at the end of it.

Other than that I did parkrun and a short interval session (20 minutes) on the treadmill. And some Jillian/circuit training too. It's not a substitute as others have said but will certainly help.