Training

Image (front): Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

By Brian Crownover

So you’ve caught the running bug. You trained for and ran your first 5K. You can’t believe how running has changed you and you are excited for whatever comes next. Then one day, a more experienced runner friend convinces you to try a half marathon. You sign up for one two months later. Suddenly, as you approach your long runs, you find them very difficult. You lose your energy and interest in running. If you are lucky, you don’t get injured too.

I enjoy putting together training plans for less experienced running friends. Too often though, it seems they come to me for help when it is too close to race date to properly train for a half marathon distance or longer event. I do my best to get them from where they are now to where they need to be, but ultimately they end up with a bad experience.

I can’t say I’m not guilty of this too. After nearly a decade off, I came back to running in 2009. I was hungry and really wanted to challenge myself. I signed up for my first marathon in Philadelphia about 6 months from when I first got back into running. I was living in the “City of Brotherly Love” at the time and figured the home course marathon would be a huge advantage. Instead, I was forced to walk for long stretches. There were sections of the course that I had run over and over again in training and suddenly, I found myself stretching on the side of the road. I did manage to finish, so it was still a great experience. If I had it to do over again though, I would’ve waited longer and it surely would have been a better day.

Running your first half marathon and marathon can be a wonderful experience. There is no doubt about that. To make it the best you can though, you should be patient. You wouldn’t start building the frame to a house before the concrete foundation is dry, so why rush into a long race. Take your time and pick a run that is quite a long way off. If you feel the urge to race, find some more 5Ks and even add some 10Ks. Those 10Ks can be done without much more training than you would do for a 5K. Jumping up to a half marathon or longer is a whole different ball game though.

If you truly enjoy running, then you want to be doing it for years. What’s the rush then of jumping up to
a long distance right away? Building a good base of mileage is the key to being prepared for your first
long race. It is something that takes time. You want to increase your weekly mileage by no more than
10-15% and then have an easy week where you reduce your mileage every third week or so. A gradual
progression and longer build up period will make for a more enjoyable run and you’ll be able to put up a
faster time too.

Most marathon training books recommend having at least a year of running under your belt before
you begin training for one. I would say to have at least half of that (6 months) of running experience
before your first half marathon. Until then, just enjoy your training and shorter races. Be happy to see
how much you are improving from race to race and how much more you are learning about racing and
training. Be patient and you will have a long and enjoyable running career.