How To Train For A Half Marathon

So you’ve done it again, you’ve set yourself a fitness target (to run a half marathon) and a completion date (the race itself) and you’re ready to get going. But do you really know how to train for a half marathon?

It isn’t simply a case of donning your old pair of running shoes and setting off for a 10 miler. Once you decide you’d like to get up to half marathon distances, you need to adopt an entirely different attitude. Running a 5k or a 10k at a push could be done (although not recommended) without any plan or strategy. But if your aim is to run a half marathon then there are a number of things you need to get right first.

Running Shoes

If you have any old pairs of running shoes that you’ve had for years, bin them! You’re going to need some good footwear that is specific to your running style and gives you the right type of support and cushioning. Buying a good pair of running shoes from a specialist running store must be your first task. This should be your biggest expense when buying your running kit.

Plan Your Success

Sit down with a pen and paper and start writing. List the days when you’ll be able to train and the days when you’ll be able to rest. Write down some specific, time framed goals and targets which are realistic and broken down in to smaller chunks. For example, at the end of week one, I will be able to run for 5 minutes without stopping etc.

Start Slowly

If you’ve done the planning part right, then you should have a steady progression right from starting your training all the way through to actually running the race. You shouldn’t need to attempt any very long runs to begin with, getting to this point should be a continual and gentle progression.

If you’d like to find out how to train for a half marathon and make the fastest progress towards your goals then why not check out ‘Half Marathon Training For Beginners’