Training for a half marathon from scratch

The decision to run a half marathon is a brave one. In the text below, we will present you the plan and the training schedule. This schedule, we made, is designed for first-timers, the people whose goal is just to finish this 13.1-mile race. Before you become able to conduct this schedule, it is important that you ran 8-10 miles per week for two or three months.

Before you even started, you should have a physical, regardless of your age. You should visit your doctor and consult him after the series of tests, especially if you weren't too active for few past years. This step is crucial because it could save your life, if there is some heart or cardiovascular condition that you weren't aware of.

Choosing a location

Most runners start running around the block or down their street. This is mainly because it is the easiest way. Later, when they develop their skills, they choose the location that suits them best.

Road: The choice of the largest number of runners because the smoothness of a plain asphalt exclude or minimize the possibility of twisting ankles or similar injuries. It is important to run in low-traffic areas. Dodging cars and inhaling all that smoke are bad things to do when training for a half-marathon. Chose asphalt rather than concrete, because of the softness. Paths: Paths in the parks are probably the best places for you to run. This is mainly because they are usually made of asphalt, there's a lot of trees and grass around you and they might even have toilets, mile markers and fountains. Cross-country: When you get used to running, consider running in this type of environment. As long as the paths in woods are flat, without sudden rocks or roots, they are the best place for running and their softness makes them safe.

Motivation

Motivation is the key issue. Beginners, who have a long way to go, often abort training because they don't progress as much as they would want to. It is important to establish a goal and to recognize and appreciate your daily progress. Establish your goal and start.

Schedule

First of all, we will provide some guidelines. They will answer many of your questions and explain you why it is so important to stick to the plan (although you can switch some days because of your work and plans).

Mondays are the rest days. These days are important because they give your body time to heal and the time to accumulate energy and effect of past trainings.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are the running days. Before you start running, stretch yourself and warm-up, because these are the key issues in avoiding injuries.

Wednesdays are usually rest days, but sometimes you can combine it with cross-trainings (biking, swimming...). This will stretch and work out the muscles you don't use while running and do well for your training.

Fridays are cross training days, at easy or moderate rate for 30-45 minutes. If you are feeling sluggish or tired on Friday, rest on that day, because of the long-distance run on Saturdays.

Saturdays are days when you should go for a distance at designated tempo. Use your breathing as a guideline.

Sundays are the active rest days. You should do that short distance with ease.