Half Marathon in April

[Istherehopee]

Hello everyone, I've just signed up for a half marathon in April and am lready feeling nervous and second guessing myself.

I am by no means a runner - started running this year using couch to 5k in May but been quite hit and miss. Got into a good flow by August but have not run much since. Ran a 5k last week in 36 minutes.

Is this feasible?

I'd quite like to run it in 2 hours or less but I am not a fit person and I don't know, maybe this is all a bit ridiculous for me. Any advice/help would be much appreciated!

Join a running club and enter a local half-marathon. That way you'll be running on familiar terrain on the day. Where I live is flat, so a hilly HM would have been much tougher. It was also good to have a group of fellow runners I knew well to hang out with on the big day.

I joined a running club near work, and the race was near there too. We ran a couple of times a week in the area where the race was, so I'd done some hills.
I came in under 2 hours, mainly because I was younger, fit and muscly, not heavy, and because I had trained. Plenty of fit younger colleagues came in after me. Under 2hr 15 mins is respectable, and just finishing in one piece is a huge achievement.

Hello I just wanted to update this - today I ran my first hour long run and I’m so proud of myself. In fact, I ran for 1 hour and 6 mins continuously and covered just over 9.1km.

it’s been pretty stop and start with the running but I’ve tried to be consistent in the last 10 days. Until today, the longest I’d run continuously was 45 minutes so feeling proud of myself!

would not have thought this was possible at the start of the year.

Well done on your long run, super effort. Just wanted to chip in & say hi! I’m just getting back into the running after a year off due to life. It’s amazing how quickly fitness disappears so don’t feel bad that your times are a bit slower than back in August. I ran my first half in November 2023, during my training I ran a 55 min 10k & felt quite fit, but on a very windy race day I couldn’t bring it in under 2 hrs. Up the times & mileage gradually to reduce injury, keep spending time on your feet & you can only get better. It can be a bit of a slog training for a half, you don’t smash pbs every week so can easily lose motivation, but I loved seeing the improvement in my heart rate, what would once be 161 bpm average during a 32 min 5k turned into 148 bpm for the same run. I knew I was getting fitter, I could physically see it in the data, even if I felt rough from running on tired legs. On the mention of tired legs, don’t forget to taper (ease up the training to rest your legs) before race day, all plans will incorporate this if you follow one.

Congrats on finding a goal and yes, absolutely doable although, in agreement with others, I’d probably aim to finish rather than a sub-2 h. That could be a future long goal 😊

Consistency in weekly training, patience and trusting the process. Make sure to eat well, add in some cross training to help strengthen and to help avoid injury. Long runs = slow, to increase endurance. I prefer a walk/run approach (jeffing) and that works well for me. Hydrate well; never neglect rest and always listen to your body. See if there are any local groups; some running stores organize meet ups. Nice to have a social scene and to be around people who run.

and above all - enjoy! It’s an adventure and a half. Running a half will always be a happy memory for me

I have run a dozen half marathons and trained properly but have never done under 2 hours, I think you are seriously underestimating how much training that would involve. You need to be running 3-4 times a week to hit that goal. I’d focus on just getting around for your first one.

Oh! I find race day always goes a little bit faster than my usual run. Resist starting too fast; it’s about sustained effort over distance. Leave a little in the tank.

well done on that long run 🏃 🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♂️

Just popping back to post another update. Yesterday I ran 10.54km in 1 hour 14.

I’m slow. But this is the first time I’ve run 10km in my life ever!

I love this so much. Keep going! Slow, fast, variable pace, whatever it is, it's all running and it is all amazing!

Thank you!

Well done! I would look to increase your long runs by a mile each week. When I’ve trained for half’s the longest training run I do is 10 miles, the crowds will carry you the last 3.
I look at it as a 10 mile run with a parkrun tagged on the end. Good luck!

Thank you! Im trying to run 3-4 times a week. Mainly 5-6km and then my long run.

At the moment, I’m running them all at the same pace which is slow enough that I don’t stop and have to walk but I guess I should also add in sprint sessions or try and run a bit faster in some of them?

You can if you’re looking for a particular time, but time on your feet is what you need to focus on. Ideally get up to 2 hrs at whatever pace to build your stamina.

Just another update, I ran another 10k today just under 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Am going to go out for a run later next week and try and build up a bit more time.

That’s great , nice steady pace well done

I’ve ran half marathons and a marathon, and no matter how many runs I went for I never really got any faster. I’m a healthy weight and do loads of other sports, and I’ve ultimately come to accept that I’ll just never be a fast runner - I was ruining every run for myself by kicking myself for being slow. I’ve let go of caring about my pace or what other people think and now I just run at a pace that I (somewhat) enjoy

Hello just wanted to give a little update. I ran 14km today. First time. Took me 1 hour 42 minutes so not fast but did feel good!

Brilliant! That’s what the first one is all about, the goal is to complete it and feel good.

You are doing so well, well done for sticking at it, what amazing progress 😊

Thank you! I was feeling a bit demotivated today because although I’m thrilled to have done 14km, I wish I was a bit further along by now. But for a long time I was really just running a 10k very slowly every week. My speed hasn’t gone up much.

Sounds like youre making great progress, hopefully the weather will be more pleasant for long runs now .

How long until your race? Which one is it?
If youre planning to take any gels/fuel during the race, its good to practice those beforehand.
I did a HM yesterday, I took a gel around mile 8.5. The weather was perfect - overcast and about 8 degrees (but a bit chilly waiting around at the start)

Thank you. Mine is on 12 April. London landmarks. I’m hoping it won’t be that hot on the day. So far I haven’t needed any fuels but I’m going to attempt 16k this week so might try one then.

I would say you are well on track, lots of people don’t do more than 10 -12 miles on their longest long run when training for a half & just let race day energy & vibes get them through the last bit so 14k a month out is well on the way there. Pace will only come if you practice running faster but if those slow runs are starting to feel even the tiniest bit easier than they did at the beginning you know you are 100% making progress.

Thank you! This makes me feel a better! Can I ask you, how would you plan the rest of my long runs if you were me?

I was going to attempt 16km this weekend and then 18km the week after and then back to 16km. And then race but not sure that’s the best!

Just ran 16k today and felt completely drained and exhausted the whole day but fine. I just had to go and sleep. Going to aim for 18k next week.

woohoo, go you! 16 km! First time I trained for a half marathon, I would be wiped out after long runs over 15 km. Would be under a blanket for a few hours, so tired! Second time around, didn’t feel tired afterwards. It takes time and consistency to get used to the exercise load.