“We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves. The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable.”
So you took the first step in completing a race, you signed up! What next? Follow the guide below to help prepare you for the 13.1 challenge! This is not an easy task, but it is an excellent goal and along the way you WILL improve your health and fitness, stamina, strength, increase lean muscle mass, increase VO2, improve mental health, and aide in weight loss! Get excited, get prepared, and get focused…the journey to running a half marathon has just begun!
Over the past 6 months, I have been lucky enough to meet some incredible people who have put their lives on hold to focus on getting healthy through proper exercise and nutrition, whom which I admire greatly! As a marathoner, I know the training process is grueling, and it takes extreme dedication. This post is dedicated to an astonishing, strong, driven woman, who walked the mountainous Malibu half marathon on November 14, 2010. I find myself telling my clients her story on a daily basis, providing them with motivation to work towards a race. Since this woman walked the half marathon, numerous people have come to me asking for a training guide and support. What to do after the race completion? Pick another one to train for, and keep up that exercise and nutrition regimen, because after all of that hard work of building muscle, endurance, and losing weight, why would you turn back to old habits and lose all that you've worked so hard for? Again, think of the legendary Malibu half marathon woman for motivation to keep up the lifestyle change, because YOU CAN ALL DO IT!
Below is my 13.1 guide to running or walking a half marathon, which every single one of you can do! First things first, get your mind in the right place, filling it with positive affirmations, because at the end of the day, running, and all exercise for that matter is mental!
With proper nutrition, hydration, sleep, training, and positive mental thoughts, each and every one of you can do this! For those of you who have trained with me in the past, I am sure it does not surprise you when I say: keep that upper body relaxed with your shoulders down away from your ears, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, and focus!
10-Week Half Marathon Training Schedule
| Week | M | T | W | Th | F | S | Sun | Total |
| 1 | 3 | Rest | 3 | 3 | Rest | 4 | Rest | 13 |
| 2 | 3 | Rest | 4 | 3 | Rest | 5 | Rest | 15 |
| 3 | 3 | Rest | 4 | 3 | Rest | 6 | Rest | 16 |
| 4 | 3 | Rest | 5 | 3 | Rest | 8 | Rest | 19 |
| 5 | 3 | Rest | 5 | 3 | Rest | 10 | Rest | 21 |
| 6 | 4 | Rest | 5 | 4 | Rest | 11 | Rest | 24 |
| 7 | 4 | Rest | 6 | 4 | Rest | 12 | Rest | 26 |
| 8 | 4 | Rest | 5 | 4 | Rest | 9 | Rest | 22 |
| 9 | 3 | Rest | 4 | 3 | Rest | 8 | Rest | 18 |
| 10 | 3 | Rest | 3 | Walk 2 | Rest | 13.1 | Rest | 21.1 |
Training: Before you start training, you should aim to run for 30 minutes straight without stopping. Running a half-marathon or marathon is based on endurance, and not as much speed. Focus on running for a longer period of time regardless of speed. You should run for 10 miles about 3 weeks before the race and taper down from there, giving enough time for muscle glycogen recovery and storage. Running/walking intervals are an excellent way to ease into the training program, getting your body used to the mileage and time you will be on your feet and can prevent injuries. Avoid injuries by icing and stretching on your rest days. Aim to ice for 20 minutes at least on rest days, usually on knees and shins. Recovery is just as important as the runs, giving time for muscle fibers to heal and re-build. Ensure proper hydration and nutrition between each run, which will help with building strength and stamina.
Nutrition: On longer runs, aim to consume 6-8 ounces of fluid for every 20 minutes of running. Also focus on drinking only water for shorter runs, and electrolyte enhanced drinks for longer runs, also incorporating Cytomax, Gatorade, or Ultima into runs greater than 6-8 miles. Complex carbohydrates provide fuel for runners, making up 65% of your total calories. Protein should account for about .5-.7 grams per pound of your body weight, or about 10% of your diet. 20-25% of your total calories should come from unsaturated fats.
Sample day:
Breakfast: 1 apple, 1 piece of Ezekiel toast with almond butter and honey
Lunch: 2 cups of steamed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower), ½ cup brown
rice, ¼ cup black beans/kidney beans/adzuki beans
Snack Options: ½ cup dried or cooked edamame/1/2 cup garbanzo beans, 1 cup
unsweetened almond milk with 1 banana, ½ cup Fage yogurt with
¼ cup frozen blueberries with 1 packet Stevia
Dinner: 2 cups mixed baby greens, 1/2 green pepper sliced, 1/2 cup chopped
tomatoes, ½ avocado sliced, 1 grilled chicken breast/1 serving of grilled tofu/shrimp/1 piece of salmon or ahi tuna, topped with balsamic or light dressing
Sleep: Getting efficient amounts of sleep is necessary for muscle recovery and to help you mentally rest after a long run. Make sure to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep a night. It is often more important to sleep in an extra hour than to get in a run, if the sleep that night is lacking.
Cross-Training: Hiking, stair running, yoga, pilates, elliptical/arc-trainer machine, weight lifting, boxing, cycling, walking, sprinting are all essential parts of cross-training and preparing for a race. Not only do you shock your muscles when mixing up workouts, you also strengthen your muscles and improve stability and core strength when incorporating other forms of exercise.
Stretching: An essential in race training, and adding in foam rolling on a daily basis, stretching will improve flexibility, running stance, and recovery/injury prevention. Preparing the muscles to be used, pre-runs should include some dynamic stretching- movements that mimic exercises to prepare the muscles, proven to lower injuries and increase performance, while warming up the body, defined as actively moving the joint through a range of motion. Post-runs should include static stretching once the muscles are warm, holding positions for extended periods of time, sometimes up to 2 minutes with no movement. Examples:
Ø Dynamic stretches:
o alternate toe touches
1. Start by standing with your feet spread as far apart
2. Lean forward toward one leg and try to reach your foot or until a
comfortable stretch is felt in your low back and hamstrings.
3. Now try to touch the other foot with the opposite arm. This motion should
be continuous alternately touching each foot (as close as possible) with the
opposite hand.
o arm swings
1. Stand tall and hold arms out to your side.
2. Slowly swing your arms back and forth across the front of your body.
3. Repeat this continuous motion for 30 seconds.
Ø Actual workout
Ø Static stretches:
o hamstring stretch
1. Sit on the ground with both legs straight out in front of you
2. Bend the left leg and place the sole of the left foot alongside the knee of the right leg. Allow the left leg to lie relaxed on the ground
3. Bend forward keeping the back straight
4. You will feel the stretch in the hamstring of the right leg
5. Repeat with the other leg
o biceps stretch
1. Stand tall, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees bent
2. Hold you arms out to the side parallel with the ground and the palms ofthe
hand facing forward
3. Rotate the hands so the palms face to the rear, stretch the arms back as far
as possible. You should feel the stretch across your chest and in the bicep
Half-Marathon Day: Tapering down in the final weeks of training is extremely important in recovery. Distance running is about endurance and pace is a critical component in completing the race successfully, so be sure to maintain a good pace throughout the race! Make sure to do a run-through each long run day during training and do exactly what you will do on race day. For instance, wake up early, eat the same thing you eat before each run, wear something you’ve work on a long run before so you know it will be comfortable, wear the same shoes you trained in, and mentally put yourself in the same spot you do before each run.
I could not be more proud of my past clients and those who have either completed a race or are training to run a half marathon. Please keep me posted to how you are doing and if you are feeling lack of motivation, just remember the woman who walked the Malibu half marathon in November. She changed my outlook on running, so hopefully she will change yours too! Dedication and focus is key, and each and every one of you can do it if you put your mind to it!
You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.
