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Cracking your first Half

The ultimate dream of any amateur or leisure runner is to run a half marathon, the 21K, and then kick on to crack the full 42K. It is a great sense of achievement and matter of pride when you complete your first half marathon (HM) and full marathon (FM). The exact length of a HM is 21.097 kilometers, and as they say, the first 21K is easy....it's the last 0.097K that kills!!😢

 

Once you set your mind too it, shouldn't be too difficult to run a half. Obviously it needs time, discipline and hard work but when you cross the finish line the overwhelming rush of emotions and thrill of achievement is well worth the pain. Quite a few of us have been moved to tears of joy/ relief/ pain when we finished our first one. 

 

What does it take to do your first one? The commitment and resolve of course. The rest follows. It should take 8-12 weeks to be set for your first attempt, depending on your fitness and prior running experience. Over these weeks one improves their physical and mental conditioning. These are broad but simple terms that I subscribe too. 

 

Going into a little detail, by physical conditioning I mean the muscle strength, muscle endurance and cardiovascular reserves. Muscle strength is not just strengthening of the legs, but also strengthening the upper body and the core (something I have alluded to in earlier posts too). Muscle endurance is simply the ability to run long distances at steady pace without feeling fatigued, which in technical jargon is referred to as lactate threshold, anaerobic capacity and the likes. Cardiovascular reserve implies that one doesn't get too breathless or has labored breathing and the heart rates remain controlled and steady. Overall, a more efficient machine.....YOU!🤗

 

Quite a bit of long distance running is in the mind. Mental conditioning over these weeks happens in large measure naturally and some amount with mindfulness from your side. Learn to push away the thoughts of quitting or giving up and learn to move the focus away from pain. Let the positivity flow, visualization and anticipation driving you forward. You ARE doing this for fun and self-fulfillment? Right!!👍

 

Week 1 of the training you might run about 20K. Weekly mileage should go up by 10-15% every week, so that you hit about 50-60K by Week 8. Maintain that weekly mileage for about 3 weeks or so. Taper off in the penultimate week by 20-25% and in the final week by another 20-25%, so that on race day you are on a fresh/ rested pair of legs. Closer to race day it is natural to be jittery and feel that you are not quite there as yet. Trust the process and avoid the temptation to over-train.

4-5 training runs a week, of varying intensity and duration are enough. A couple of days should be dedicated to core and upper body workout and one weekly off is a must. The specifics and schedule of training runs is available readily and can be accessed on the net and running apps. 

 

That's a primer on training for your first half marathon. Sign up for one, start training and living the dream, achieve big and feel great. Once a few HMs are done and dusted, it will be time to step-up a level and go for your first FM.🙌

Comments

  1. Gaurav Sethi26 January 2021 at 14:03

    It was an unmatchable high, the one I experienced after completing my first half marathon (ADHM 2015)! And I was hooked to running from that day. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DocVineet26 January 2021 at 17:48

      The Runner's HIGH....better than any other Kick

      Delete
  2. Rajiv26 January 2021 at 14:43

    For the first time I experienced that the pain can be sweet also when I completed my first hm(ADHM2014)..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DocVineet26 January 2021 at 17:50

      Pain...sweet pain Rajiv ji...it has to be experienced. And then you want more of it.

      Delete

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