Now that you have decided to go in for a long distance race it is important to follow a schedule more sharply and if necessary flip days around in a week if you travel a lot or have unscheduled late night meetings, often.
It is critical to strength train and to stretch after running and become more flexible and supple else with long distance strides generally being shorter than the sprint strides, range of motion gets more limited as our muscles in the lower body get more taut and thick and strong. There are lots of point of view on stretching but I would urge you to err on the side of stretching rather than avoiding it.
Half Marathon: 12 week training schedule (By Hal Higdon)
"The will to win means nothing if you haven't the will to prepare." - Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner. "
Training for your first Half Marathon
Week
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
1
Stretch &
Strengthen
4.8km run
3.2km run or cross
4.8km run +
strength
Rest
30 min
cross
6.4km run
2
Stretch &
Strengthen
4.8km run
3.2km run or cross
4.8km run +
strength
Rest
30 min
cross
6.4km run
3
Stretch &
Strengthen
5.5 km run
3.2km run or cross
3.5 m run +
strength
Rest
40 min
cross
8 km run
4
Stretch &
Strengthen
5.5 km run
3.2km run or cross
3.5 m run +
strength
Rest
40 min
cross
8 km run
5
Stretch &
Strengthen
6.4km run
3.2km run or cross
6.4km run +
strength
Rest
40 min
cross
9.5 km run
6
Stretch &
Strengthen
6.4km run
3.2km run or cross
6.4km run +
strength
Rest or easy run
Rest
5-K Race
7
Stretch &
Strengthen
4.5 m run
4.8km run or cross
4.5 m run +
strength
Rest
50 min
cross
11.5 km run
8
Stretch &
Strengthen
4.5 m run
4.8km run or cross
4.5 m run +
strength
Rest
50 min cross
13 km run
9
Stretch &
Strengthen
8 km run
4.8km run or cross
8km run +
strength
Rest or easy run
Rest
10-K Race
10
Stretch &
Strengthen
8km run
4.8km run or cross
8km run +
strength
Rest
60 min cross
15.5 km run
11
Stretch &
Strengthen
8km run
4.8km run or cross
8km run +
strength
Rest
60 min cross
16 km run
12
Stretch &
Strengthen
6.4km run
4.8km run or cross
3.2km run
Rest
Rest
Half
Half Marathon: 12 week training schedule (By Hal Higdon)
Bill Rodgers, winner of four Boston and four NYC marathons:
"The marathon can humble you."
In case you have any questions and need to consider hills, humidity, cold, heat, jet lag or other conditions, drop us a line at contactus@runningandliving.com
Do's and Don'ts in the Last week before a half or a full marathon:
Rest well and do not exert yourself in this week – your body needs to build reserves rather than deplete them at this time. Think positive and reflect on the good runs and training you have had, rather on the training that you missed.
Eat more carbs – rice, pasta etc and cut out snacks, deep fried foods, and tea, coffee and alcohol, while you drink more water and juices – build the body’s energy reserves and hydration levels
Wear the gear you are going to run in – shoes, socks, undergarments, shorts and T shirt – and sunglasses or cap, headband etc over the course of this week and make sure you are comfortable in them
Have the same breakfast you are planning to have on Sunday, on Thursday and go for a 4-5km easy run
Try to ensure that you are sleeping enough, as also well. Especially Thursday to Saturday – you need it
Study the route map of what you are going to run on Sunday and IF possible, travel along the route to get familiar with it - bridges, open hot or cold strteches, cheering points, hills, isolated sections...
DO NOT exert yourself on Saturday and try and stay off your feet as much as you can. Go to the expo on Friday.
Have an early and a heavy carbohydrate lunch and dinner on Saturday to finish around 7-8pm at the latest, to allow a couple hours for it to settle, before you sleep
Do not think of work and your life’s worries. Think of the course and the fun and excitement you are going to have
Sleep early on Saturday and get up refreshed and excited on Sunday. Don’t be anxious if you have not been able to sleep well on Saturday due to pre race excitement. You should have had a good sleep on each of Thursday and Friday (assuming the run is on a Sunday
Do’s and Don’ts On the day of a half or a full marathon:
Drink a couple of glasses of water as soon as you wake up. Stay hydrated
Have a light breakfast of orange juice, and a couple of bananas (just as you did on Thursday) 2 hours before the start of the run. No milk or anything else that is heavy or may cause your stomach to go for a toss. Nothing new today.
Put on your running gear, (cut your toe nails and check your shoe soles and inners for any small stones, socks for any wrinkles) race bib, and get to the start point at least an hour before the start – this will make sure there is no last minute anxiety of getting stuck on the way, or reaching late, not finding the start line…..
Have a few sips of water 10 minutes before the start, and loosen up a bit. Think of all the runs and the training you have put in, in the last few weeks and treat this as your victory lap
Look around you as you see people who are older, younger, fatter, thinner, stronger, weaker than you, and take in all the energy and excitement and do some loosening up
If it’s going to be warm, try and run in the shade, try to find someone you can chat with so that you can lighten the start, if it's going to be cold, make sure you are warmly clad before you reach the start, BUT shed those layers before you start the run, or have a friend meet you after the 1st km to take the extra layers back home
Try and keep slow in the first 5-7 km. We often get carried away by the excitement and run faster than we have planned. Stop at EVERY water stop, even if you are not thirsty and take in a few sips and pour some water over your head to cool you down, especially if it is warm.
Smile and cheer other runners and spectators as you run. It adds to the fun, and keeps you focused on positive thoughts
Take a couple of sips at each water point, catch your breath, walk 25 metres, and then resume
Try and put in all you have, in the last 500m when the finish line is in sight, and pass the runner in front of you
Drink some water and do some gentle loose stretches once you finish
Do some brisk walking for around 10-15 minutes at least and follow that up with dunking your legs in a cold tub. Works wonders for making sure you are not sore and aching the rest of the week
So if you are bitten and smitten by the bug and want to check out multiple marathons, look no further than this great set of schedules by Hal Higdon which I have followed on several occasions – to ‘train’ for a marathon you want to do 2 weeks after one, or perhaps 8 weeks after one.
Ideally IF you are training for bettering your time and peak performance, then 2 to a max of 3 marathons a year is what I would suggest, with proper strength and speed training thrown into the training schedule. If you are either planning to run more in a year or running some close to each other, either take each of them ‘easy’ so that you do not strain yourself, or, fix on one that you plan to go flat out for and train for that, and use the others as long runs, in your training. Have fun, and stay injury free.
Check out Hal’s schedules for multiple marathons
An Ultra marathon is any distance beyond a marathon.
I have run a 45km ultra on the Great Ocean Road in Australia - probably the most scenic run I have ever participated in. Here is where you need to go if you want to push yourself beyond a marathon distance. The 2 Oceans marathon in Cape Town is a 56 km visual delight - and rated as one of the prettiest Ultra Marathons in the World. I did that in April '09 and then was the 2nd Indian Finisher in the Comrades Marathon - 89km of it from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in 2010. Now I plan to do a 100km to celebrate 2km for each of the next 50 years of my life!!" Rahul Verghese
The Comrades Marathon in Durban - also South Africa, is the grand daddy of them all - with a 54mile course - uphill one year and downhill the next - both are tough, and unlike what the uninitiated think, running downhill, takes a greater toll on the knees and thighs. For a great training program - click here
If you would like to receive a free brief monthly mailer on news, stories, information and fun stuff on running - drop us a mail at contactus@runningandliving.com and send us your name and city of residence"
Unleash your Potential
Start running and living today!!
Copyright Running And Living Infotainment Pvt. Ltd 2008
If you would like to receive a free brief monthly mailer on news, stories, information and fun stuff on running - drop us a mail at