Guest Blog: Training for a Half-Marathon - My Journey and Top Tips
With all the recent buzz around the London Marathon, we caught up with Fitness Superstore Sales Advisor and Personal Trainer, Jonny. He tells us about his own training for the recent Liverpool half-marathon and his running tips…
Distance running was something I started doing in my mid-twenties when I got involved in 5K races through work - and I've been running weekly since! This year I took the plunge and entered the Liverpool half-marathon.
My training leading up to the race
[caption id="attachment_226" align="aligncenter" width="476"] Me at the Liverpool Half Marathon[/caption]
As part of a running club – The Chorlton Runners – I usually run 10K once a week. This is great for maintaining my overall fitness and strength in my legs. I really enjoy the company too! But to get ready for the half-marathon, I upped my training from January this year. This gave me just over 3 months to get race fit. (I was actually preparing for 2 races – I was also part of the Manchester Marathon relay team, where I’d be doing an 11K leg).
From January, my weekly training looked like this:
- 2 x runs per week: Run 1: 6 miles with the running club Run 2: Alternated each week between an 8-10 mile run and ‘speed work’. Speed work includes fast running with slow recovery. An example would be 5 x 800 metre runs with 400 metres active recoveries in-between
- 45 minute stretch every week
- Regular massages to help with recovery
- Build up gradually Take your time, both in terms of distance and frequency. If you’re new to running, I would recommend starting with no more than 3 runs per week and make sure you get those rest days. Even if you’re more advanced, it’s so important that you take time to recover. Your body will thank you for it!
- Listen to your body Don’t ever ignore a niggle, which could develop into a full-blown injury. I also strongly recommend getting regular massages. Having a foam roller at home is a great idea too as you can ease an ache whenever you need it!
- Warm up and warm down Warm up: Before every run, I spend 5 minutes on mobility (eg. head to toe warm up including rotating ankles, bending hips and knees, rotating joints). I find having a Bosu gym ball at home is very useful for this. I follow this up with 5-10 minutes of walking and steady joggingWarm down: Run a mile at a slower pace for recovery and spend 5 minutes stretching. I find that having an exercise mat at home is great for stretching.
- Use a treadmill too Treadmills are a great way to complement your outdoor running.Having one at home is ideal for when you can’t train outside and the variety of programs offers great motivation.
- Run with others Join a running club like me or run with friends. This can help with encouragement, give you some friendly competition or can simply be for company!