So you’re thinking of stepping up and running the Half Marathon in the Island Chill Suva Marathon 2017 and don’t know where to start? Well let us help you achieve this goal!
First off, let us say a “WELL DONE” for wanting to have ago at the distance!
A half marathon is the first BIG step up in distance running and is a road running event of 21.0975 kilometres (13.1094 mi) – exactly half the distance of a full marathon.
Public participation in half marathons has grown steadily since 2003, partly due to the fact that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of commitment of time needed to train for a full marathon.
There are plenty of running programmes available on the web (go and Google “half marathon training plan” and you’ll find them!) and this is just one example that we ‘like’.
The Suva Marathon Club strongly recommends that you pick a programme that is suitable for your needs and that you follow it carefully.
Consistency is the key to success.
Running a half marathon under-prepared is a sure way of turning what could be a fantastic day of achievement into a miserable day of discomfort. 🙁
How we can help
We have a handful of our regular Suva Marathon Club members who are aiming at their first Half Marathon this year, so we are going to post a weekly post here to assist any newbie runner as well as talk them through how to best achieve this great goal.
One great way to keep on track is to get together with us every Thursday evening at our Social 5k/7k run.
We are aiming for a certain amount of running every week to get ready…
What do we mean by “certain amount of running’? Put very simply, you need to be out running regularly for a certain amount of time per week. Yes you read that right, we’re not going to start measuring how FAR you run for this, just how LONG you run for.
Before You Start
Lets be honest here, you will need a reasonable base level of fitness before you take on half marathon training for the Island Chill Suva Marathon 2017. If you haven’t been out runnign in months or years, you may want to start a little lighter and aim for our 10km Fun Run or the Team Marathon 10.5km as your first race.
You should be running at least a couple of times a week: Weekday runs should average about 30 minutes, and your weekend long run should be up to at least three miles.
Aim for the Long Run
Your longest pre-race long run will be planned during the plan for two weeks before the Island Chill Suva Marathon 2017 (22nd July 2017)
Plan to start NOW
Plan to start NOW, like yes THIS WEEK, to prepare for the big day. That gives you 15 weeks to train and plan. Plenty of time to build up sensibly and avoid any injuries or gaps along the way. 🙂
Take it Easy
The most common mistake beginner runners make is going out off the starters horn WAY too fast—then crashing and burning. If you’ve raced a couple of 5Ks, aim to run quite a bit slower on your long runs and on race day. Otherwise, just make sure you can talk comfortably, and take plenty of walk breaks. This pacing strategy will give you the endurance you need without wiping you out.
Work out a Balance
Keep your weekday runs to no longer than 30 minutes. Vary your pace depending on how you feel—but do try to mix in some speed to boost your fitness. Experiment with your walk/run ratio, gradually adding time to the run segment over the course of your training. On days where you are not running, do easy cross-training like walking, swimming, or cycling, or simply rest up.
Next Step
Get out there and start running regularly is the FIRST step for us all!
Our Thursday evening meets is the perfect starting point, come along and meet the others who are training for the , and get some advice and motivation to get you up to speed for the Half Marathon.
Register Today!
Get yourself focus and make a mental commitment to aim to complete the race by Registering now!
Register here for the Half Marathon!
