A half
marathon training schedule for beginners should be totally different to that used by an
experienced half marathon runner for a number of reasons...
Whilst a beginner will be starting with a
very low level of fitness or none at all, experienced or intermediate runners will have progressed way beyond the basics
and should have at least some running under their belts.
The following
points should be a consideration for any half
marathon training schedule for
beginners: -
#1
Get Your Body Checked Out
First things
first. Go to your doctor or physiotherapist to get any old injuries or niggles sorted out first.
Check your health and joints for any problems. If you are in good health and have no injury or
illness problems then you can safely begin your training.
#2
Invest A Little Money
The very least
you need to buy is a good, comfortable and appropriate pair of running shoes, ideally selected
for you by staff at a reputable running shop that have the facilities and experience to check
your running gait.
You'll also need
to educate yourself fully as to how your body changes during your training, injury prevention
and the right type of nutrition for your sport. Going in to this blind will make your job very
much harder and you really do risk injury and over training if you don’t get it right.
Finally it’s a
really good idea to get some appropriate clothing such as waterproofs, thermal underwear, a hat
and gloves and a couple of pairs of running socks.
#3
Build A Solid Foundation
Start off slowly,
increase your distances gradually and allow enough recovery time between runs. I would recommend
that you leave at least 24 – 48 hours in between particularly challenging runs to begin with,
but longer if you feel that you need it.
If you can’t run
to begin with then you should aim to power walk up until you are able to jog gently, from there
you can progress a little faster. Running 3 times a week should be enough to start seeing
noticeable improvements.
It's far better
to start off slowly and then keep progressing than to have to cut your half marathon training
short and give the whole idea up just because you overdid it at the beginning.
Many people make
this mistake. They decide they’re going to run a half marathon, download their half marathon training schedule for beginners, get
excited about running one. They’re motivated at the thought of doing it but unfortunately their
enthusiasm turns out to be their biggest downfall because they over do it.
You need to be
strict with the amount of training you do, neither too much nor too little.
If you want to know more about
training for a half marathon, then my new half marathon training schedule for
beginners is an excellent choice...
You’ll find it a great resource to help you
plan your training but also it's a fantastic reference guide for the times when you
need inspiration and new ideas to make your workouts more interesting.
If you think
you’d be a better runner if you knew...
-
What to eat and
when
-
How, why and
when to train so you get fitter, stronger and more confident
-
What to do
to avoid picking up niggling injuries
-
How to build up to
race day distance in the shortest amount of time
Then you
need ‘Half Marathon Training for Beginners’ – A half marathon training schedule
which gets you results – FAST.
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