Running your first half mara? This is what you should know.
As someone who never really enjoyed running, the thought of running 21.1km seemed like a torturous way to exercise. It wasn’t until a good friend of mine suggested (and bribed) me to sign up to the Run Melbourne event that I realized how enjoyable running could be.
Working with injured runners has given me great insight into the best ways to prepare for running an event and has inspired me to practice what I preach.
On July 21st, one of our Physiotherapists, Caz, ran her first Half Marathon at the Run Melbourne event. Here are her words of advice.
Start training early
Whilst it is completely plausible that I could have completed the half marathon with far less training, I decided to allow just over 3 months to train for my first half marathon. The beauty of starting training early is that it allows there to be periods of lower intensity weeks and can also allow for wiggle room should injuries or illnesses occur.
Every run feels different – be consistent with training
I came up with a plan to run 3 times per week and made it at the same time every week (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday). This worked well for my schedule as I am a creature of habit, and very soon I was used to putting on the shoes and getting on the running path.
Some runs felt like I was flying, and others felt like someone had tied bricks to my legs. The important thing was that I listened to my body and kept going out for the runs without focusing solely on speed and other metrics as a measure of ‘success’.
Strength training and mobility
Whilst hitting the gym would have been ideal for strength training and optimizing running performance, it was not feasible for me to run 3 times per week AND drag myself to the gym an additional 2 times per week around my work hours. Instead, I did one day of running-specific Pilates which focused on single leg strength as well as 1-2 days of home strengthening doing body weight exercises and dynamic mobility work. This worked well, and I was able to see a positive change in strength despite ditching my gym efforts. Whist gym is ideal for running athletes as you can increase load, I learn that some strength training is better than no strength training!
Listen to your body
Having worked with injured runners, I know the consequences of leaving injuries or niggles for weeks or even months before getting them checked. This can prolong injury recovery time and can often eat into later stage training where mileage and speed are progressed.
A month out from my run I noticed a deep right hip discomfort towards the end of my long run. One of the best things I did was to modify my running plan to reduce speed and focus more on strengthening my supporting muscles whilst maintaining my aerobic fitness. This meant that I never had to stop running and with the right mobility and strength training, could return to my original plan within a few weeks.
Fuel your body
In a discussion with a Dietitian, she asked me about how I was fueling my body during training. I looked at her cluelessly.
As a Physiotherapist who sees bone stress injuries in runners, two major contributing factors are increased mileage and a poor nutritional intake.
Once I figured out which types of food groups I should be consuming before, during and after training, I began to implement these and test out what felt good for my body – for example, eating lollies staggered throughout my run sat a lot better in my stomach than gels. Nutrition for running looks different for everyone and I recommend seeing a Dietitian to figure out how to fuel your individual body.
Taper
Tapering my training in the weeks leading up to the event had to be one of the most challenging experiences mentally – on one hand, I knew all about the research on the positive effects of tapering on event performance, and on the other hand, I carried doubts that my reduction in load would derail my consistent training and hard work over the last 3 months.
Tapering did the opposite of this: I rocked up to the start line on the chilly Sunday morning and felt more energized than ever.
I hope this helps anyone planning on running their first half marathon – it is a fantastic event to train for and I have gained a whole other perspective and appreciation for my long-distance running clients. Next stop, the full mara (maybe)!
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