How to train for a Half Marathon

Evelina London Children’s Hospital is part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, Registered charity No: 1160316. Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No. 9341980.

How to train for a Half Marathon

If you are new to running, start your training programme now – for those who are already running, take at least 12 weeks for specific training. Get the support of your family and friends and believe that you can do this! If you are beginner runner, see your GP for a general check-up.

Record your trainingKeep a log of your runs: the time, distance and, if you can, how fast you’re running – if you are using a GPS enabled sports watch.

Run in a groupYou may find it easier to train if you join a running group or have a ‘running friend’. We organise regular training evenings and these are a good way to get used to running with others and sharing training tips.

Get a good pair of running trainersGo to a reputable sports shop to get advice and buy a good pair of running shoes. If you can afford it, buy two pairs and alternate between runs – save the best pair for the race.

Vary your running surfaceRun on grass, footpaths, pavements, tarmac, etc. If possible, avoid track or treadmill running. Cross training will not help unless you have injury problems.

Warm up and stretch before runningTo reduce the risk of injury, stretch the run-specific muscles – calves, hamstrings, Achilles, quadriceps, adductors, abductors and back muscles.

Stretch before each run and always start each run with a brisk walk or very slow jog for 3-5 mins. This warms the muscles and mobilises the joints. At the end of every run, walk for about 5 mins to help the recovery process. Gently re-stretch the above muscles about an hour after the run, once you’ve showered.

Believe you can

do it!

Race pace

This is the pace that you aim to run your race at. For example, if you hope for a 2 hour finish time then your race pace (RP) will be 9 mins 10 secs per mile.

Long runsThe LR should be run at Easy Pace (EP) 70 to 80% effort – 30-60 secs slower than your RP – it improves endurance and conditions your body to use fat as an energy source, which is likely to reduce your weight. In this example your EP is 10 mins per mile. Follow the logic in the table.

The effortThis can be a perceived rate of exertion or electronically monitored.

Hill runs Incorporate into day 3 or 4. Hill running (HR) increases strength and running efficiency. Find a hill that takes you about 3-5 mins to climb with an approximate 7-8%

gradient. You should be breathing quite hard by the time you reach the top, but not out of breath – jog or walk down to recover. The climb up and the recovery down = 1 repetition. Run at EP for about 15 mins on the flat before a HR and 15 mins after.

If you have not done any HRs before, start with 1 repetition and increase by 1 or 2 reps each week until you’re doing about 5-7 reps a session.

Threshold paced runs Threshold paced runs (TP) should be run at 88-92% effort, about 30 secs faster than RP – 8 mins 40 secs per mile in this example. These runs increase your resistance to, and tolerance of, long term fatigue, thus helping you to run faster and for longer. Incorporate them into a non-LR day. You can run up to a max of 10% of your total weekly mileage (TWM) at TP.

So in week 11 you can run 22 mins at TP as follows:

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Time in minutes

Day 1 30 35 30 45 50 60 45 75 90

Day 2 30 35 30 30 35 40 45 40 40

Day 3 30 30 30 30 30 30 40

Day 4

Total 60 70 90 105 115 130 120 145 150

Week 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Time in minutes

Day 1 60 100 120 150/ 15 miles*

100 150/ 15 miles*

120/ 13 miles*

100/ 11 miles*

90/ 11 miles*

Day 2 40 45 45 60 60 60 60 45 45

Day 3 60 50 60 40 60 40 45 45 30

Day 4 30 30 30 30 45 30 30

Total 160 225 255 280 250 295 255 220 165

Training ScheduleIf you are a beginner, start from week 1. If you are already running, pick-up from where you are. Try and avoid more than two consecutive running training days to ensure that you have adequate time to recuperate between runs.

*Miles or minutes, whichever comes sooner

Race on Sunday Week 19

The aim is to build up both your weekly mileage and the Long Run gradually to ensure that you reach your maximum mileage 4 weeks before race day. Be flexible but try and follow the logic in the table by adjusting it to your requirements.

[15 mins EP] – [5 mins TP + 2 mins EP or walk] x 4 – [EP to make up planned minutes for the day]

Do not do TP runs in wk18 and only about 5% of the TWM in wk17.

Rest Rest is an essential part of your training and is as important as the running. Rest allows your muscles to recover, adapt and ‘over-compensate’ to make you a better runner. Whenever you feel the need, have a rest day – if in doubt, rest.

A guide to good nutrition – Eat healthilyTry to eat about 4 portions of vegetables and 3 of fruit. Supplements are not essential, however you might consider taking extra vitamin C.

Eat more carbohydratesWhen you run, the energy required comes from two main sources: glycogen (from carbohydrates – carbs) and fats. Your body needs to combine carbs and fats in order to provide energy. If you use up your stored carbs this will compromise your ability to use fats which results in your energy source drying up. This is usually referred to as ‘hitting the wall’. Proper training conditions the body to use more fat which spares the carbs enabling you to last the whole race.

Eat a balanced dietA good diet should consist of about 60% carbs, 15% protein, 25% fat. About 75% of carbs should come from a mixture of complex slow energy release carbs, such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, cereal, etc. About 25% should be derived from simple quick energy release carbs, such as sugary drinks, jams, honey, etc. It is better to have 4 or 5 small meals rather than 3 large ones. The body can only store about 50-75g of carbs at a time. Try out different types of carbs during training runs and see which ones work best for you.

Drink plenty of waterTo store 1g of carb the body requires about 4g of water, so drink plenty. You can check your level of hydration by checking the colour of your urine – it should be clear or a very pale yellow. Try to drink between rather than during the meal to help digestion.

Time your mealsHave a carb rich meal 2-3 hrs before training or racing. The timing is individual, so determine what is best for you by trial and error. DO NOT take any sugary drinks or food within 60 mins of running as this will set off an ‘insulin reaction’ which is likely to increase the use of carbs. This reaction is suppressed after about 30 mins of running so you can then take in sugary foods – such as a gels or jelly babies – experiment with different types during your LRs and see what works best for you. Get used to drinking immediately before and during your training in order to remain hydrated.

Need some advice? We’re always just a call or an email away...

Call 020 7848 4701

Email info@supportevelina.org.uk

Visit www.supportevelina.org.uk

Replace nutrients Have a carb rich meal about 30 mins after the end of a training run. This is the time when those hard-worked muscles are most receptive to nutrients. If you don’t it could affect your training the following day.

Snack attackWhen you run regularly, you will find that your metabolic rate (the speed at which you burn calories whether you are exercising or not) increases. To avoid energy lows throughout the day, keep a selection of healthy snacks to hand so you can top up your energy levels. Good snack choices include fruit, sandwiches, fruit smoothies and healthy cereal bars.

No alcoholFor two days before the race – no alcohol.

Race dayGet up in good time. Have your favourite pre-race meal and drink lots. You will probably want to go to the toilet many times, this is quite normal. DO NOT eat any sugary food within 60 mins of the start. If you found gels helpful during your training runs take enough with you (tuck them into your waist band) but remember DO NOT take the first until you have been running for a minimum of 30 mins.

Start easy, settle down to your intended pace. Check your time at the first mile and adjust your pace aiming to achieve RP. DO NOT try to run fast at the beginning to ‘put time in the bag’ expecting to lose time towards the end – you will pay dearly for this in the last few miles.