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Training for a half marathon...thinking about getting a apple smartwatch or fitbit

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  rylielovessoftball 
#1 ·
Hi, guys. I'm still totally new to vegetarianism and am starting my transition to being meatfree.

I am signed up to run in my first half marathon in August and I've been training like a madman. But I feel like I cannot get past not running more than 8 miles and I feel like I am dragging the last 2 if I try to do a 10 mile run. The marathon I think is like 13 or 14 miles. How do you get yourself prepared to not drag the last 2 miles home and get yourself ready to run the 13 or 14 miles to do the half marathon?

I'm also thinking about getting either a Apple Smartwatch or a Fitbit Surge. What has your experience been with either device and would you recommend it?

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Running watches
If your main concern is a running watch, then don't get the Apple or the Fitbit. they are not full functioned running watches. I am a Garmin Fanboy so my opinion is admittedly biased. Garmin and TomTom have the best full-featured running watches. If you have the budget for an Apple Watch then you can afford a Garmin 645 Music. Which is what I would buy. To be able to leave my iPhone home has a lot of appeal to me.
The TomTom Spark and the Garmin 135 are more budget priced - but still have a lot of good features.
Maybe the most important feature you need to look for is to be able to program complex intervals into your watch. And I could be wrong about it but I think that feature is only available on full-featured running watches.

although now that I think about it - many iPhone apps can do that all by themselves. hmmm. Heart rate monitoring is a nice tool but somewhat overrated. Once I learned what my "zones" felt like, i really didn't worry about checking my HR. Maybe you can get by with just your iPhone for now. your iPhone and a good running app. But if you are like me and wish to leave the iPhone home, then the 645 or the Spark music might be the way to go.

Oh, wait, just looked up who I was talking to. Hi Rylie! Maybe you don't want to ditch the iPhone. A phone is a good safety feature for a runner. you can call a friend to pick you up when you can't go any further. So forget everything I just said and just use a good running app. one that allows you to program intervals. I use RunKeeper but I think MyFitnessPal has the same features.

Half Marathon

Jeff Galloway has written the book on half marathon running. No, really. He has literally written the book "Half-Marathon: You Can Do It". Take it out of the library or buy it at a bookstore. 

Speaking of books, while you're at the library pick up a copy of Chi-Running by Danny Dreyer. His techniques and insight will serve you well. And I just discovered he has a new book called Chi-running Marathon.

Galloway has a pretty good website with training plans. I've used his training plans before and I like them because they are general enough that they can be used regardless of your fitness level. But get the book. The info on nutrition and preparation is important.

Try to run at least one 5 K in the meantime. The experience is important. Plus you will learn what to expect. And what to do for race preparation. Try to get in a 10 K if possible.

I don't know about you but I get bored running long distances and I like to listen to podcasts. If you're like me you are going to want to check out the Marathon Training Academy and the Runner's World Half Marathon Challenge

While I was getting those links for you I noticed an app for running a half marathon and a training app by Jeff Galloway
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/couch-to-half-marathon/id502492836?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/half-marathon-jeff-galloway/id535668548?mt=8


Good Luck
 
#3 ·
Hi, guys. I'm still totally new to vegetarianism and am starting my transition to being meatfree.

I am signed up to run in my first half marathon in August and I've been training like a madman. But I feel like I cannot get past not running more than 8 miles and I feel like I am dragging the last 2 if I try to do a 10 mile run. The marathon I think is like 13 or 14 miles. How do you get yourself prepared to not drag the last 2 miles home and get yourself ready to run the 13 or 14 miles to do the half marathon?

I'm also thinking about getting either a Apple Smartwatch or a Fitbit Surge. What has your experience been with either device and would you recommend it?

Thanks.
Hi Rylie - thank you for joining the forum.

Another important part of training is planning meals that contain sufficient calories to fuel your activity. Running burns a lot of calories - according to Harvard Medical School, running burns 300-500 calories per 30 minutes (600 - 1000 calories per hour!): https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet...-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities . This calorie-burn is in addition to your baseline calorie needs: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-2/

If possible, it might be smart to seek training guidance from an expert - you might be able to make an appointment for advice from your school's track coach.
.
 
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#4 ·
Watches and bits are fun...but focus on your body and diet.

How many calories are you getting? Average person burns 100 per mile so, yesterday's 1500-2000 calorie day and today's 500-750 befor eyou run should be enough fuel....how much are you drinking( water, or near water)?

A heart rate monitor might b the tool, measure your output for the entire workout. Good ones can help calculate/ estimate caloric burn .

If your first half marathon, just prepare to,finish and go th distance....have fun stay fit, and do it again next month or 2""
 
#5 ·
Watches and bits are fun...but focus on your body and diet.

How many calories are you getting? Average person burns 100 per mile so, yesterday's 1500-2000 calorie day and today's 500-750 befor eyou run should be enough fuel....how much are you drinking( water, or near water)?

A heart rate monitor might b the tool, measure your output for the entire workout. Good ones can help calculate/ estimate caloric burn .

If your first half marathon, just prepare to,finish and go th distance....have fun stay fit, and do it again next month or 2""
Hi, Marty.

I started my journey to vegan from meatie about a week ago and I've completely swore off milk. I'm probably eating around 2000-2500 calories a day between doing running, strength training and softball (I play fastpitch on a travel team). I'm drinking approx. 64-72 oz. of water a day. I do however, reward myself some days after a run by stopping at Starbucks and having a frozen soy french vanilla frappucino. If it helps, I'm about 5'10" tall and I weigh 145 pounds.

It seems like my biggest problem is when I try to push my distance that I run. This morning, I went for a 6 mile run. I was tired afterward and sweated a lot. But I drank a lot of water and I seemed to be okay after half an hour. I went by car to MAC and the mall, went back home and ran the mile and a half to play softball. I probably ran a total of 11 miles with what we ran at practice today. But if I try to run more than 8 miles, I seem to be so sluggish and I can't run anymore. I know I have to be able to run more than that if I'm hoping to run the 13 miles for the half marathon. I need to be able to break past this wall.
 
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