Marathons were established years ago in Ancient Greece. Today, marathons encourage runners from all over the world to give it their best shot at pushing their mind and body to the max in just a few hours. While running 26 miles isn’t for everyone, 13 miles or a half-marathon can be more achievable if you’re looking to start increasing your fitness goals.
Disclaimer: Consult with your doctor before starting any serious exercise or training program to make sure you are healthy to do so!
Now that we covered that, let’s talk about how you can prepare to run your first half-marathon.
Running was always my favorite form of exercise before my injury in the fire department, that ended that. I ran miles and miles each week, until I broke the half-marathon mark of 13 miles. What I discovered about running, is that running allows you to cover ground when you’re traveling visiting new cities. You get to explore the nooks and crannies of every city running the streets early in the morning before traffic to find your dinner spot or local coffeeshop. Running also releases stress, promotes blood flow, and strengthens a healthy body.
If you’ve been thinking about increasing your miles and achieving your goal of running a half-marathon, here’s my advice:
Interval Training
Your body gets comfortable and knows your exercise routine if you don’t mix it up. Interval training forces your body to respond to changes in intensity, duration, and activity. To start your interval training, you can do 10-10-10s.
- 10 minutes on treadmill
- 10 minutes on bicycle
- 10 minutes on elliptical
During this time, exercise at a comfortable pace where you can hold a normal conversation without being out of breath for 1-2 minutes. This is a key awareness point. Knowing when your body is comfortable is critical to building endurance and knowing when to push it for a sprint uphill or to the finish line. Next, increase the intensity of your workout by increasing the incline or pace for 1 minute. Keep doing this back and forth for one week, and then increase your training to 20-20-20 with the same concept.
After a few weeks of increasing your stamina, miles, and physical ability without tiring and injury, it’s time to start running.
Weekly, your goal is to increase your miles run so that you can complete 13 miles safely.
To achieve this goal, I recommend the following:
- Monday: run as fast as you can for 1-2 miles
- Wednesday: run 3-4 miles at a steady pace
- Friday: complete 6-9 miles whether you have to walk, crawl, or run to the last mile. Your body is capable of anything, while your mind must be trained to believe the body is capable of making this happen. Mindset training begins when you push through the negative voice in your head telling you to quit.
- Sunday: take a trail run out in the open wild to get some fresh air and change of scenery. Dirt roads that are safe to run on also provide some shock absorption for your joints, lessening the blow compared to asphalt roads.
- Daily: integrate a yoga practice or stretching routine for at least 30 minutes and ice down any sore points to take care of your body. Journal your runs, how you felt, any challenges mentally or physically, and personal records.
- 1-2 x per week: incorporate a light set of circuit training using weights and/or body weight workouts to strengthen your entire body.
- Rest: your body so it can heal and regenerate at the cellular level.
Additionally, you must increase your hydration with the right amount of electrolytes and nutritious food to fuel your body. On top of that, make sure you invest in new running shoes every other month. Just like the shocks on your car, your running shoes lessen the blow on your joints as you run, and they break down eventually. While running is free, to do it in a healthy and responsible manner to safeguard your body, requires some money.
Building up your endurance can take a few months, so listen to your body as your guide.
Setting a race date six months out or simply running a half marathon on your own out in the woods can be done if you are committed, and take the time to make it happen.
If you have a health tip or advice on running your first half marathon, leave a comment below ?
