What would be a realistic amount of time to train for a half marathon?

[Freedom_Spark]

Hi guys, myself and a few friends have decided to run a half marathon next year to raise some money for charity. I'm quite fit, when I'm not being lazy, the least I do each day is a three mile walk & an hour of yoga but how long would it take me to be able to run such a long distance? (I'm aware that it's not long to many people but for someone who has never ran much, it is) The problem is the time frame, we thought it wasn't taking place until June but it looks like it's being put forward to April. Is just over four months enough time & what would be my best approach to training? I'm going to run more even if it's too late for this specific event so any advice is very welcome. Thanks.

[greensgood]

someone on v.boards recommended this training plan to me a few months ago, im training for a marathon in feb.
:http://www.halhigdon.com/
so far it has been pretty easy to follow, i had to adjust the days a bit to fit my schedule but i have increased my mileage with more ease than when i tried before without a plan to follow.

[FitChick99]

That will be plenty of time, especially considering you are already active. Start your plan now though. If you do a google search, you'll find all kinds of Half Marathon training plans. I think most are about 16 weeks? Maybe a little shorter for the Half. Choose one that you can physically and mentally do. I think a lot of the training is mental, really--you just have to tell your legs to KEEP GOING! :)

Stay hydrated, train on some hills, do some sprint/recovery drills. Make sure you REST and don't up your mileage too much too fast, or you will risk injuries. Strength train--sooooo many runners don't do that! It will only help you!

Good luck! You will have fun, and will feel a real sense of accomplishment when you're done :)

[FitChick99]

That will be plenty of time, especially considering you are already active. Start your plan now though. If you do a google search, you'll find all kinds of Half Marathon training plans. I think most are about 16 weeks? Maybe a little shorter for the Half. Choose one that you can physically and mentally do. I think a lot of the training is mental, really--you just have to tell your legs to KEEP GOING! :)

Stay hydrated, train on some hills, do some sprint/recovery drills. Make sure you REST and don't up your mileage too much too fast, or you will risk injuries. Strength train--sooooo many runners don't do that! It will only help you!

Good luck! You will have fun, and will feel a real sense of accomplishment when you're done :)

[KellyBon]

You have plenty of time! Hal Higdens plan is a great place to start.

[broccolichick]

I don't know anything about running marathons, but good luck! :rockon:

[Freedom_Spark]

Thanks so much everyone! Very helpful! I ran a mile this morning which wasn't overly pleasant in the freezing fog of Northern Ireland but I thought I might as well make a start no matter how small! Thanks again :D

[Blobbenstein]

the longest I'd ever run before doing a half marathon, was about 8miles. I used to run 6miles once or twice a week, but the actual half marathon went ok.
Those doughnut shaped running bottles are pretty good, they make it a lot more fun. I once got a stitch from drinking at a water station.

[NZVeggie]

You should be fine with 4 months, most training programs are 8ish weeks long. But of course the longer you train the better your results will be!

I ran my first and second half marathon in 2 hours 29 minutes. Both with very very little/no training. I plan to run my next one in 2009 and I'm going to train and aim for 2 hours. I have never been a particularly good runner, but I have always been reasonably fit.

If you have access to a treadmill try doing half an hour on that at a comfortable speed. From that you could work out how long it would take to complete a half marathon if you ran at the same speed the entire time. Then you could set a goal time based on that.

[janelle]

12-16 weeks if you want to make sure you're in the very best shape! I ran one last April and loved it -- will be doing another this year! :)

[das_nut]

How are the camelbacks for running?