How I Trained for My First Half-Marathon

I was never a runner but started running this year when some friends recommended doing a 10K together. (I was incredulous that I not only started running but that I paid to run!) For years I told myself I couldn’t be a runner. (I didn’t have the stamina. I wasn’t “good at” cardio. I got tired running to catch the crosstown bus.) Ends up if you silence that nagging negative inner dialogue and just start, you can do a lot more than you thought you could. After the 10K, I downloaded Runkeeper and started the 16-week Beginner to Half-Marathon Training plan. I absolutely recommend Runkeeper. It’s an app that you use to choose a training plan and keep track of your progress and personal records. You see your stats (like distance, pace, and number of activities) per week, month, or year.

When you’re running you get updates on your projected time, miles per hour, and splits. I usually set up notifications for every mile. You can also click on any of your runs to see a map of your run which is fun! Now that it’s getting colder, I’ve been running on the treadmill and figured out that you can still track those runs by going into “Stopwatch” mode. At the end of the workout you put in the number of miles you ran and it will compute your average pace and other stats.

I used the Beginner to Half-Marathon training plan. I ran four days a week (every other day) for four months and gradually increased the number of miles per run with the longest run per week on Sunday. The first month’s longest run is 6 miles, the second month’s longest run is 8 miles, the third month’s longest run is 12 miles, and the fourth month’s longest run is 13 miles. I didn’t work out on my rest days, but this time around I am adding in strength training and hopefully getting back into BBG.

Now I enjoy running! (And I accomplished something I never thought I would!)