Do you think I can/should run a half marathon?

A little history: I am a runner, but not a long distance type. I run a 10 minute mile. I generally run twice a week now (because I've started strength training) at the gym. 6 miles=one hour. Then on Saturday at the lake, I run between 3 and 5 miles, outdoors.

There is a half marathon on the 25th of July out at the lake. I'd love to participate. I have my fitness, I know that much. I play tennis twice a week, strength train 3 times a week and then my running of course.

Should I try it? If I do, should I adjust my meals at all coming up to the race? How should I pace myself?

Any suggestions/comments are welcome. It would be my very first half marathon. The most I've done is a 5K fun run. (Doing another on July 12th)

Edited to change 25th of JUNE to 25th of July. Sorry.

No, you shouldn't try this one. You should be running at least 25-30 miles per week for two months prior to the event. If you go out with your training, miles 7-13 will be hell. BUT, yay for you for even considering it, and it sounds to me like you have an excellent base to work from. You should look around for a half sometime in the future, find a training plan, and go crazy.

FYI, the pre-training schedule from the above link has you running 5 days a week for 19 miles. You should be able to run this for 4-5 weeks consecutively before BEGINNING to train for the half, and the training plan is 12 weeks long. I know it's a lot, but there's a line somewhere between 6 and 8 miles where a run becomes LONG. Trust me on that one.

If your healthy and like running I don't see why not.  You're not going to win, you might have to take a few walk breaks, but if you think you'll have fun go for it.

. . . sad

Thank you though. Before I started strength training 7 weeks ago, I WAS running approx 27 miles/ week. Never more than 7 miles at a time however.

.... there IS a quarter marathon option; or should I skip that one too?

Original Post by floggingsully:

If your healthy and like running I don't see why not.  You're not going to win, you might have to take a few walk breaks, but if you think you'll have fun go for it.

 Not in it to win it, that's for sure. I am healthy. :) I would have fun. I have heard of the run 10 minutes/ walk one minute idea. I always run way longer than 10 minutes right now, but that might be something to try.

 

Original Post by igloogal:

 Not in it to win it, that's for sure. I am healthy. :) I would have fun. I have heard of the run 10 minutes/ walk one minute idea. I always run way longer than 10 minutes right now, but that might be something to try.

eh, try to run the whole thing.  Take it easy, pace yourself and don't worry if lots of people are passing you. 

Original Post by cnichols2000:

No, you shouldn't try this one.

Don't listen to this!

 

If you want to do it, GO FOR IT!  Who cares if you end up walking or take forever? It doesn't hurt to try! And maybe you'll do way better than you expect and totally impress yourself :] It's not a serious race, you're just doing it for fun. You got nothin to lose!

Well Sully and Hayley~ you may have convinced me that I can do this! YAY

I am going to update this thread when I'm done, as long as I'm still alive. I have a month to up my running a bit, so I will.

Any nutrition tips for a half marathon? or should I bother changing anything?

My macro nutrient ratios are holding good- now. But I've heard things about the carbs and proteins so I just wanna be sure.

Original Post by hayleymajayley:

 It doesn't hurt to try!

It may. Too much distance without training almost certainly equals injury.  The difference between 10K and 21K is DOUBLE, AND it's NOT the same as between 5K and 10K.

igloogal, if you do decide to try, please don't be competitive and stubborn. If you feel something might be wrong, stop. I know for a fact that I wouldn't stop and would end up hurting myself pretty badly. Hey, I did hurt myself pretty badly trying to run through pain 2 months ago, and I'm still paying for it (and it was just a regular 6 mile run, nothing crazy).

I would not risk it if I were you. Register for a 1/4 marathon, it's just 10.5 K, you can do that safely and still enjoy the event. I bet it's gonna be fun.

Okay i retract my previous statement and submit a new one "It doesn't hurt to try if you are smart, and careful, and stop if you are in pain, or if you feel that it may not be in your best interest to continue with the marathon."

Thank you both.... yup I am not too competitive and being my first marathon I would be doing it for me and only me. Just to say I did it.

Now back to my nutrition question. . .

Carbohydrates are the fuel for your body. Marathon training burns a lot of carbs. The exact number of carbohydrates you burn per mile depends upon your fitness level, experience level, pace and running economy, but most marathon runners average around 110 calories per mile with about 75% of those calories coming from carbohydrates. A typical runner can store approximately 1800 calories worth of carbohydrate in their muscles, liver and blood. That amount of carbohydrate will be depleted in about 22 to 23 miles which explains why most marathon runners “hit the wall” at that point in the race. A training marathon runner should be consuming a diet that is composed of between 65% and 70% carbohydrates. A typical marathon training diet is one that is around 65% carbohydrates – 25% protein – 10% fat. Most runners believe that a carb is a carb. The truth is that all carbs are not created equal. Some supply energy very quickly while others provide a slow, steady stream of energy. Carbohydrates are classified by numbers between 1 and 100.  This is called the glycemic index (GI). Simple carbohydrate is high on the GI and gets into you system very quickly. Complex carbs are generally lower on the GI and filter into your system more slowly.  Foods that are low on the GI list tend to keep your blood glucose level and give you a steady supply of energy. You will be able to maintain your training runs for longer periods of time if your blood glucose is stable. High GI foods cause a roller coaster effect. After eating a high GI food your blood glucose will soar. This causes your body to release insulin which pulls the carbs out of your bloodstream and your blood glucose plummets. For that reason you should be eating low GI carbs during your training periods. Low GI carbs are also best for general health and weight maintenance.

igloogal! I did one last year-it is my profile pic. I was not nearly half as prepared as you are and I did it-finshed and ran most of it (well jogged).

It was great!! I would totally do it again. I DID hurt/reaggravate my knee but I had no muscles trained (and I know you are working on that) and I was not even running like you are now.

(I was supposed to be training -I did it for a charity-so I thought I would walk most but the heat of the moment swept me away and I pushed-that's the short version)

I think you should totally do it! It is one of my greatest memories/accomplishments.

"It doesn't hurt to try!" is partially correct. But if you pay the entry fee, pin on the number, and toe the line, you're less likely to drop out if you start to feel crappy. First the outside of the knees start to hurt, but you can run through it. Then you realize you're getting a blister, but hey, it's a blister, you can deal. Then your lower legs start to feel like hamburger, but you've come 10 miles, what's 3 more?

Anything beyond about 8 miles is a long run for a reason: you need to build up to it, or you risk serious injury that will impact running, biking, strength training, and even just walking in general.

"Before I started strength training 7 weeks ago, I WAS running approx 27 miles/ week. Never more than 7 miles at a time however."

This is different than what you said originally. I still say that a half is more than you should tackle right now, but now it looks like you have a good base to get started on a training plan. And don't be sad! You dared to give yourself a crazy challenge, and then you asked other people about it. So you're way ahead of most people already.

On nutrition: you already know what works for you in everyday life. Do the same when training or racing, except take in more calories the day before, use gels if you're going to be on the road longer than an hour, and do take in a recovery drink ideally within 30 minutes of your workout (4:1 carbs:protein).

Personally, I only worry about anything lasting longer than an hour. The day before the race, I eat a lot of meat, pasta, and bagels. Race morning, I'll have 2 or 3 hardboiled eggs. For anything longer than 2 hours, I'll take gels with me, starting 10 minutes before the horn, then every 45-50 minutes throughout. I just discovered Gu Energy Chomps; they're a nice break from the gels at the halfway point on the bike. If I'm doing a half-iron, I'll allow myself to eat a banana and half an orange after mile 6 on the run, and pretzels or animal crackers after mile 10 (depending on what they have at the aid stations). Also, I stick with water until after mile 6, then I start drinking whatever sports drink they have. Post-race, I walk around a bit, drink some water, then I mix my recovery drink (1 scoop whey powder and 6 T sugar in a water bottle, add water and shake it up). Then I have a beer.

YMMV.

Well thank you everyone for the great responses. I will sign up, and I will stop to avoid injury if need be. I'd like to try, and I'm willing to walk the last 4 miles if I have to.

So- my plan if I follow correctly:

Eat higher calories the day before the event. Meat, pasta and bread. (Geez that's gonna be SOOOO tough)

Before the race (about an hour), I am going to have a couple eggs and a banana.

During the race: water every 20 minutes or so for the first hour. A gel after an hour, replacing the water with the sports drinks for the rest of the race. After 90 minutes in; another banana. (is that ok? they seem to give me an energy boost)

Post race: water! LUNCH! and well, ok. If it's a hot day, Beer.

How's that sound?

I think that the only person who can answer that question is you...

you should know your own physical abilities and if you know you can do it, then do it if you want.

I think that the only person who can answer that question is you...

you should know your own physical abilities and if you know you can do it, then do it if you want.

Original Post by violet18:

I think that the only person who can answer that question is you...

you should know your own physical abilities and if you know you can do it, then do it if you want.

 I know my physical abilities, yes.

However; I have never run a marathon, hence my questions.

Advice and opinions would be greatly appreciated as usual.

 

I personally would wait--take on a 10-miler first, do things in the right order.  That said, if you're going to do it, you should carb load the night before (runner's world suggests adding 200-300 calories worth of carbs the day before and having a light breakfast: you want extra energy, you don't want to be so stuffed that you feel sluggish) and get plenty of extra sleep.  Make sure you hydrate well the day before and morning of, but don't overhydrate (a common problem with people who run races they haven't trained properly for).  Keep it to about 8oz of water per hour of running (so, at your pace, about 20 oz through the course of the race), and drink your normal amount of water pre-race.

And, well, enjoy :)

You know, I think you'll do okay. You said you have a month to train for this, which would suggest a race date of July 25 (right?). In that case, schedule a 7-miler for Saturday, and at least a 3-miler for Sunday (push it to 4 or 5 if you feel good and have time). Next weekend, do 8 and 3, and the following weekend, try 10 and 3. Then you'll have done the full mileage over two days, and you won't be going in blind. (Resist the urge to run long the weekend before the race; go an easy 7 on Saturday, and a good long walk on Sunday.) And for the love of your feet, STRETCH! Walk for a good five minutes after your runs, then spend at least five minutes stretching your legs.

Your nutrition plan sounds awfully familiar. But will it work for you? Only one way to find out: start training with it. Eat a little extra Friday nights, and keep track of what you ate and how you felt during your long runs. Eat and drink as you outlined above sometime during your long runs. If your stomach cramps up five minutes after drinking your Gatorade, that's something to avoid on race day. (And see if you can find out what the aid stations will have along the route; Gatorade and Powerade are not necessarily interchangeable after an hour of running. Bottom line, you need to train your GI tract just like the rest of your body.

You might want to consider ramping up your fluid intake, too: drink water with your breakfast. Drink water before you start. Drink water after you hit the porta-potty before you start running. And grab at least 1 cup per mile; drink half and pour a little on your head. (Helpful hint: don't pour sports drink on your head. Don't ask me how I know that one. At least I didn't eat the Vaseline.)

Good luck, and let us know how you do.