Half Marathon Training Schedule For Beginners

The half marathon is exactly 21.0975 km, or about 13 miles in length. This is a good deal of distance to run and work up to, but you don't want to be just an ordinary jogger to do this -- no, instead you need to become a true blooded runner.

Now, as a beginner there are many self obstacles to overcome, and that's why I'm going to educate you and answer questions about the most common areas to get you off to a great start.

An excellent resource of knowledge for training to go the distance, increase speed, build running strength and avoiding injury so that you not only can run a marathon, but WIN it, is The 100 Day Modern Marathon Training Plan.

This is a simple 3 month training schedule that you can use with periods of rest to recharge the body. This is great for a complete beginner who needs to build up their stamina.

On the days that you are resting you should be doing a lot of stretching, and make sure to take any LOTS of fluids throughout the week.

The game is of course endurance, and what commonly happens is that during the training phase a runner will try to push themselves and achieve new distances and speeds, but with this comes a lot of physical and mental challenges.

The first thing that you should do when you first start running is to not run too fast. Its more important in the beginning to keep a nice pace that doesn't escalate your heartbeat too soon. Don't use a treadmill for too long either. Although they can be great to get started with, they are no substitute for outside terrain.

Strength training is recommended as well, as its very good in disciplining the muscles and builds strength perfect for long distances. Don't be afraid to take a break even if you are halfway through a run to stretch. Its important to make sure that your calves and thighs don't get locked up. You should be stretching throughout the week as well to ensure that you are still limber, and consider taking vitamin C supplements to ease the natural build up of acid that occurs when muscles are overworked. This will help ensure that you aren't as likely to get too sore.

Focus on your breathing and keep it even. Not only is breathing distracting in a good way to prevent loss of focus for endurance, but its necessary to regulate the right kind of heartbeat and muscle firing. Remember to first breath in through your nose and then exhale through your mouth very evenly. Do this for several seconds each time with a consistent rhythm.

When the time is right, you will need to really open up to take a lead during a race, but to do so means training intelligently for speed and not just endurance alone. One method that works very well is as follows...

Start of by running as you normally would for a minute or so, and then after you get your normal pace going, start counting 1 beat every time your right foot connects with the ground. It might look something like 1....2....3....4, etc.

Then slow back down to your regular jogging pace and continue this way for another minute or so. Then ease back into the speed training as mentioned above, but this time try to increase the count that your right foot comes in on. 1..2..3..4,etc.

One suggestion is to locate an audio file that contains different metronome time settings and play them through an ipod into an ear piece while you are running. When you start thinking about it, you could probably create such a track for yourself to train to.

Your diet during the process of improving your running is extremely important, because you don't want to consumer things that are going to bog you down or make you feel heavy, but at the same time you need to take in foods that are going to supply you with the right kind of energy, and plenty of it.

Protein is something that is essential for anyone who is going to be focusing on a lot of muscle movement or strength. Great sources of protein include peanut butter, eggs, chicken, yogurt, beans, milk, fish, nuts, roast beef, sausage, and others, but there are also protein drinks that can give you a boost as well.

Drink lots of water when you are consuming lots of protein as they go hand in hand, whether you want to lose weight or bulk up. This builds muscle fiber. You will be burning a lot of calories when running which is great, but don't be afraid to put some health calories into your system as well. You especially will need carbohydrates so that you have more energy and don't get too frantic. Pasta and grains are a great source of carbs, and for an added boost of energy the next day when you get ready to run -- try eating a lean pasta dish for supper before you go to bed.

Beans mixed with salsa is a delicious and spicy little dish, and if you want to throw a little sausage in there that's up to you. It will give you lots of energy and is extremely healthy for you. Plus it will give you a little boost in running, and I bet you can figure out why.

Make sure to eat natural sugars for energy. You don't want your blood sugar level to drop ever. A bowl of fruit or granola is a great solution to this and very healthy.

12 weeks to 2.58 marathoner

One of the biggest mistakes that newbie runners makes is starting out like a jack rabbit right off the bat. You will waste all of your energy this way. Its easy to understand why many do this, because everything is so exciting and the nerves get the best of them. Instead, just trek along at a steady pace, making sure that you don't lag behind too much.

Make sure that you keep your breathing steady. Think of your oxygen as fuel that powers the muscles so that they don't get too tired. As you get closer to the end of the race, there is one thing that you will want to do which can propel you forward. Start isolating other runners in your mind as targets to overtake.

When you do this, focus on only one person at a time. This will keep your attention of moving past them. You should open up your speed a little bit more within the last two miles or so, because this will give you plenty of opportunity and time to take the initial lead. At one point or another you will want to single out your objectives to the last few runners that you need to pass. Remember, take one at a time. By doing this, you will match their rhythm and speed and eventually overtake them by maximizing your speed and pace for this purpose. Chances are a lot of runners will not know to do this, so this can give you the edge that you need.

It can be very easy to push yourself and wear your body and mind out when training for a marathon. It does not matter what level of knowledge you are at either. Some of the veterans have made the mistake of training too hard. You need plenty of rest and relaxation in between exercises and miles to recover, and you need to be eating healthy and steadily.

You can exhaust yourself so much that you begin losing sleep, going through cold spells and losing most of your appetite. These are signs that can mean that you are not balancing training with downtime correctly. Don't ever neglect stretching throughout the weak to keep your body limber and well prepared.

Basically, you have to kindly balance several areas when increasing your running, and if one is off -- this is no good. So don't put all of your focus into just getting faster, running farther and improving your times.

The last mistake that you would want to make is getting shoes that create problems for you later on down the road. No matter how many different pairs you try on, the real trial will be actually running in them under conditions similar to a real marathon. Running shoes as opposed to Trail Runners are definitely the route to go with.

These are designed for hard surfaces and long hours spent on them. Pavement can be brutal on the feet, so a good pair is definitely worth investing in. You should definitely have your foot measured with a Brannock, which is the device that takes feet measurements. This is because you never know when you might need a size smaller or slightly larger to accommodate running conditions.

One important think to remember is not to consider buying shoes just based off of gender. Instead, if you are a man and need a smaller size -- there's nothing wrong with getting and wearing a woman's size to get the right fit, and vice versa for women. Most importantly though, you need to pay attention to what kind of an arch shape that you have, and then find a shoe that supports this. Your arch shape literally can determine how you run. To get a shoe that doesn't fit with this could mean sore feat and poor running performance.

When looking at the mechanics of how people run, we can better understand this. For each stride that you take there is a process that is going on. Your heel makes contact with the ground, the inside-side of the foot turns inward slightly and then the balls of your feet even out the pattern.

Pronation is the term for the inward tilt of the the inside-side of your foot following the heel contact. Over-pronation or under-pronation can cause stress on the knees and your other joints.

Supination is the opposite of Pronation, as the foot rolls on the outside-side when your foot strikes the ground.

Everyone has a different running style and habits that make certain uses of one of these types of bio-mechanics. The main important factor is to avoid severe pronation and severe supination. It should ideally be heel, slight pronation, pads of feet connect for the perfect cycle. This means that you may have to get a type of shoe that will support and correct for balance.

If you need to know what your bio-mechanics are when running, just check old running shoes for wearing patterns and it will show you what your style tends to be.

There will be times when you feel that you are losing motivation. The best way to stick with anything is to put one foot in front of the other. You may wake up some mornings and think "do I REALLY want to do this today?", but instead of letting that thought process take the reins, start small.

Get out your shoes. Put on one and then the other. Walk towards the door. Step outside. Start walking. Then power walking. Then a little jog, and soon you will be running. The key here is to turn down the volume of your voice inside, and start with small steps until you are in the process of training again.

Also, music is very empowering. A lot of people train to their favorite CDs. Listen to some motivational and upbeat/up-tempo music while you are running. You probably will want to go so far as to grab your favorite energetic songs and compile them into a "special workout CD" just for you.

Keep studying famous runners, and find motivational quotes that will keep you going. Realize why you are doing this for yourself and never forget it. Repeat a mantra to yourself. Write it down and read it every day. Keep going. Imagine that there is no turning back. You have committed and you are going to finish this.

Its extremely normal to have a lot of nervousness inside just before a race. Unfortunately this can carry over when its actually time to run and sabotage your performance during a marathon. The presence of many people alone can make you second guess yourself, but remember that even the most experienced runners are going through this mind game as well. That alone should provide a little bit of comfort.

Every sport involves these kinds of feelings, but at the same time they can be used as fuel for energy, but remember to harness and conserve this energy to use it more wisely. If the marathon is about ready to begin and you suddenly find yourself feeling certain aches, before you panic -- ask yourself if this is just nerves or legitimate concern. Chances are its just your mind playing a cruel joke on you because of all of the anxiety.

In the last few days leading up to a marathon, its very normal to second guess yourself or have apprehensions about what you are doing. You will have thoughts typically that involve you believing that in the long run you have not prepared enough. Don't buy into this thinking. Then there is always the fear of embarrassment of having trained so hard at the thought of not performing well at all. Remember this, training and actually running a marathon are different in the long run. You need to go through this process of actually racing again and again to understand this, and that there will always be excitement psychological things that are happening. Therefor, go through with it no matter what. You ARE prepared once you reach this point, but the next challenge is to experience the unpredictable side of actual race day.

Over-thinking is also the downfall of most marathon runners. Get any calculations and weather conditions out of your head. Planning for a battle can only get you so far. Spontaneity is a part of a marathon. You don't know how the other runners have trained, and you don't know how they react and think. Learning to feed off of their energy and use it to your advantage is something that you can only get from actually running a real race, so don't be afraid of this. You need to experience it. This IS the game itself.

If you are looking for a way to take yourself to a 2.58 marathoner within a goal set of 12 weeks, then you need something that will show you an exact formula and step-by-step plan to help you get there. Having a mentor is not just a blessing -- its a must. Unfortunately, many people don't have this kind of expertise around them, so where do you go for the right kind of guidance on diet, training, endurance, avoiding injury and improving your time?

You go to Dr. Marius Bakken, who is a 2 time Olympic runner and M.D. He has created a program that is ripe for beginners and intermediates alike, putting his passion and knowledge before people who can really use it.


Includes:

How to find your maximum heart rate
How to avoid injury when training
Losing weight while your are preparing
Major mistakes to avoid
How to handle minor injuries
The secrets that Kenyans use to build strength
Proper diet
The most common causes of injuries and how to avoid them
Improving your time
Getting the right shoes
Keep your temperature up when running under cold conditions
8 training schedules to choose from based off of your goals
Workouts for your specific heart rate
Includes 25 instructional videos
Includes Bonuses**

I Gotta Have This!!

Hal Hidgon
Wiki on marathon running
Marathon directory