Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Half Marathon Training Guide For The Beginner

By John Watson


Before beginning a half marathon training you should first feel comfortable running five miles. It usually requires a year of running regularly to get to that point. Then you can begin a two or three month schedule of running to prepare you for the big race. A good running schedule will include easy runs, rest days, speed work, long runs, gentle pickups, and aerobic intervals.

The days that you don't run are called rest days. They are a very important part of your training schedule. If you ignore scheduled rest days in hopes that you can train quicker without them your body will begin to become fatigued and will not perform at its best.

Easy runs are the best to bring a partner along with you, since you should be able to carry on a conversation while doing an easy run. You should feel as if you can go faster, but hold back. Long runs are another good one to bring a partner with you since they can get tedious and boring. They are also held at a slower pace. Long runs enhance your endurance and bring you up to the distance needed for the race.

Speed work consists of bursts of short and fast runs. These will be at a pace either on par or faster than your goal race speed. Aerobic Intervals are a kind of speed work. Aerobic Intervals involve alternating between speed and jogging. Gentle Pickups involve slowing down to a walk and then slowing increasing your pace until you reach a running pace.

A good training schedule for a beginner should include three days of rest per week. You should slowly increase the distance of the long run. This will increase your endurance and stamina and ultimately bring you to a level where you are comfortable with your race distance. The last week of running will be and easy one to give your body time to restore before the big day.

On the day of the race run slower than you may feel the urge to for the first few miles. Keep yourself in at a comfortable pace and stop at all of the aid stations, if only for thirty seconds. With a good half marathon training schedule and good pacing on race day you'll finish just fine.




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