6 Pointers to Train for Your First Half Marathon
By K10 Patel / Updated on Apr 7th, 2024
A half marathon is a 13.1-mile race. Every U.S. state and many major cities around the world have numerous half marathon events annually. Depending on where you live, you could probably find a half marathon event within 50 miles of your home. A half marathon is a manageable distance race that everyone should have on their bucket list.
This blog is relevant for any individual who is looking to run their first half marathon. I have highlighted six pointers for any runner looking to train for a half marathon. Here are some important items to keep in mind when setting yourself the goal of running a 13.1-mile distance race.
Pointer #1 – Sign Up (Have an Ultimate Goal)
Sign up for a half marathon so that you have a date to accomplish your goal. This could be a very popular half marathon in a major city with thousands of participants or it could be a local half marathon in a small city with less than few hundred participants. Many half marathons have good swag and post-race sponsored food. Whatever your criteria is, ensure you register for a half marathon that is at least three months out.
All goals are time bound and your goal of running a half marathon is no different.
You don’t have to sign up for a half marathon before your first run in your training program, but if this is your first running event or you have never ran a half before, I recommend registering for a 13.1 miler before starting your training program.
Pointer #2 – Make a Workout Schedule (Have an Ultimate Goal)
Set yourself a workout schedule leading up to the running event date. Be realistic – Don’t schedule a run every day of the week without any rest days since this would not last very long (unless you are an elite athlete). I typically create an excel spreadsheet for this purpose with the seven days of the week listed showing my expected workouts for the week as well as the running mileage I would like to complete for those respective runs.
There are numerous 12 to 16 week half marathon training schedules already published and available on the internet, however, I would recommend modifying an existing one to suit your current fitness level so that you don’t start running three miles on your first weekend long run if you cannot accomplish that distance right now.
The halhigdon.com website has numerous training plans available based on your fitness level. You can use whatever training program best suits your needs. There is a plethora of training schedules available on the web besides the halhigdon.com website.
Pointer #3 – Consistency & Discipline Go a Long Way
Be consistent and disciplined! This is easy to say but out of the six pointers I’m providing the readers on this blog, it is the hardest one to comply with.
it can be difficult to pick yourself up and get going for the first few workouts if you are not used to running. Pointer #2 is a tool for being consistent. Only set yourself a workout schedule which you can adhere to.
You need to execute your workout schedule very close to how you planned it. Most people don’t have a lot of time, so if you need to shift your run from one day to another, this is OK if you are consistently meeting your weekly mileage goals. The worst thing that can happen is that you fall behind in your workouts. If this happens it becomes extremely difficult to catch up, so set realistic workout goals.
If it helps, sign up for a local running group which meets up at least weekly to go for runs. You can even find a friend to run with if you have common running goals. Running with a partner helps in being consistent. You may not feel like going for a run on any given day, but if you have a partner or group to run with, they can convince you or motivate you enough to get up and run.
Pointer #4 – Rest Days
Ensure you have scheduled rest days in your training program. Rest days are just as important as days you run. How can rest days be just as important as your running days? Well, this will become evident as you go through the process of your training regimen. Any reader of this blog can feel free to disagree with that statement, but for any runner whether elite or a beginner, needs their body to recover during sleep and rest days from the impact and wear-and-tear their workouts can cause on the body.
I would recommend shooting to have at least five running days per week at a minimum. Only one of these running days is a long run, otherwise, the other four days are shorter running days.
Five running days may seem like a lot if you have never run before, therefore, if this is not possible, start of with fewer running days by creating a training program for yourself that is much longer than a typical 12-week or 16-week program. This is to ensure your body gets use to physical activity before you build up to a 5-day per week running program. Once you reach a 5-day per week running schedule, you can use the other two days for rest. One of those two days will eventually become a strength-training workout day which is my next Pointer.
Pointer #5 – Strength Training
Once your body gets use to the weekly mileage that you are putting in, mix in at least one strength training day. Strength training is also known as resistance training. Personally, I like to use kettlebells which are large ball-shaped iron weights with a handle on top.
If you don’t have any dumbbells, kettlebells, or resistance bands, I recommend going to the gym and lifting weights to work on muscles that runners may typically lack – Biceps, triceps, lower and upper back, shoulders, etc. The goal with strength training is to NOT work on cardiovascular fitness since that is what you are doing on your runs, but rather build muscles in parts of your body that don’t get utilized during running or at least make your other body parts stronger.
After week 4 or week 5 in your training, try and find that one day in your week where you can dedicate at least 20-25 minutes to strength train. If you can’t devote 25 minutes in a week to strength training, then start with 10 minutes which is a very short time in which you can complete two sets of exercises each targeting a different muscle.
Whether you are doing 10-minute strength training exercises, or more than a 25-minute session is irrelevant. The goal is to work on non-running muscles. Overall, your body will feel much better and more energized with at least one strength training session per week.
Check this webpage for the three most beneficial strength training exercises for runners.
Pointer #6 – Trust Your Training Plan & Your Strategy for Race Completion
How can this be a tip? Well, you would be surprised by the number of runners who get carried away in the beginning of a race, who get too ambitious when they see other runners going faster than them, or who start out fast for the first few miles only to stop in the middle of a race because they can’t continue to run anymore.
These are all real things that have happened to many first-time racers. If this half marathon is your first, but you have run other shorter distance races before, you will be aware that there are many runners who start off faster than they have trained at. They are only going fast because all the other runners are going fast at the beginning of a race. It’s possible that you have started fast because of all the runners around you – If they are going fast, you may feel compelled to go as fast as them due to the corral you started in.
Whatever pace you trained at should be the pace you start off at. Don’t start off a race going much faster than you are capable of. Have trust in your training plan – It will get you to the Finish Line if you executed your full training plan as intended. Remember that if you can’t converse with somebody as you are running, the pace at which you are running is too fast and unsustainable. Ensure that you are running at a comfortable pace such that you can talk to somebody without huffing and puffing. As you are starting your run, you have approximately 13 miles to go, so pace yourself.
Some runners don’t like to stop during the entire half marathon distance; however, I have seen numerous runners strategize differently. This strategy includes running one mile, walking one minute, and repeat. Or running two miles, walking 0.25 miles, and repeat. There is nothing wrong with having a run-walk-repeat strategy regardless of what that looks like. If you have trained to this strategy, it is perfectly okay to execute it during a race to get to the finish line.
Even if you had trained to power walk throughout the 13.1 miles, that is also okay if you follow through to race day. Do not get optimistic or too carried away with what other runners are doing – Especially during your first half marathon.
Just remember that you have trained for this half marathon. That training plan has brought you to the Start Line of this race. Trust your fitness and training plan to get you to the Finish Line.
If it helps, use a race pacer. Race pacers are people holding up an estimated finish time or estimated per-mile pace time. They are usually holding up a flag or a stick with these times listed on them. Race pacers usually hold these flags up during the entire half marathon run. If one of these race pacers holds an estimated per-mile pace time for which you trained at, feel free to pace along with them. Go with your instinct in terms of whether you need this assistance or not.
Final Thoughts
I hope these six pointers will help you run your first half marathon or at least put them into your mind to think about. Running a half marathon, injury-free, takes a little bit of training which can be accomplished by anyone who puts the time and effort in. Going through the whole process of training to get to the 13.1-mile race start line is an accomplishment of its own. The training regimen will make you feel stronger and more confident.
If you have any questions or are unsure of something, go ahead and send me a message and I will try and help in whatever manner I can.