Now that's out of the way, I wanted to do a post about some of the things I've learnt on my training journey. You guys know I love my goals, but I also think it's very important to evaluate after each one has been met (or not, if that was the case!).... It's the only way we can move forward.
The biggest problem I had throughout my training was my injuries - the Iliotibial Band (ITB) issue I developed (read about that here) and also the start of achilles tendinitis on one side. These were caused by a various different reasons, all of them annoying - incorrect running style, certain muscle groups not activating properly and/or not strong enough and also too much too quickly (distance or speed). Turns out you can't just start running, and get good at it without a whole bunch of other stuff being involved. Go figure!
With that in mind...here are a few tips from my half marathon training journey. If you're a beginner like I was, hopefully these help you :)
1. Enter an event.
Have something to work towards! Choose a realistic time frame though :)
2. If you're going down the long distance route like me, I would start by getting a professional to check out your running technique.
After 12 months of running, I recently learnt that I was a "shuffler", having had a mid-foot strike combined with a little push/shuffle forward before I lifted my foot again. Not ideal. This is one of the reasons why I I developed leg injuries. Google for running clinic, or if you go to a gym, chances are your own PT or another one will know about running and correct form. Even just going to a specialised shoe store will probably give you some good info. No matter how many pictures you look at on the internet, you won't truly know how you run until you see it in action i.e. a video.
On that note, I wish they actually taught children how to run properly in school. I feel like if I'd known all this technique stuff years ago, running would be way easier now. Instead we played forward pass rugby and badminton for a whole term pretty much every year. No wonder I gave up PE after year 11 ;)
3. Get good running shoes.
It took me four pairs of shoes to get to one that I found comfortable. Unfortunately shoes are one of those things that you won't know how they feel until you actually run in them.
It's worth investing in a good pair, and even better to go to a specialist store and have them fit you with the correct shoes for your foot type, rather than just going solely off comfort (wish I'd done this now).
4. Get a running buddy - preferably one with similar abilities as you.
Having an accountability buddy is the best thing ever, especially if you are both training for the same event! I do think it is important to choose someone who is at a similar stage as you. While it's amazing training with extremely talented runners, and it pushes you harder, it can be a little too taxing when you're a newbie.
5. Strength train aka leg day errrr day.
Ok so not leg day every day, but strength training is so important! I didn't really realise this until it was already way too late in the piece. Yes I'd read about it here and there, but I thought "meh, surely it can't be that important". As it turns out, you can't just run and expect your legs to be able to carry you for a tonne of kilometres. Sure they do get stronger a little bit just by running, but when you actually start increasing the distance, that isn't enough to keep up any more.
Lack of strength training = injured Shrinking Eszter legs.
6. Stretch & foam roll - properly.
As with strength training, I didn't bother doing much stretching, what I did do was a half attempt or too short, and I didn't bother with my foam roller unless I was already sore. Because running is so high impact, especially if you are out on the road/concrete, it has a huge effect on your muscles. Stretching/foam rolling before and after helps prevent a tonne of issues. As soon as I added these to my routine a few months ago, I felt better almost straight away.
Deep tissue massages are also amazing!!
7. Have a plan.
Find a plan that works for you and your abilities and stick with it. If that means doing run/walks, then build from that. I have found that doing 2 x short runs, 1x medium and 1 x long run was about right for me. I put my running dates in my calendar and kept to this week by week. Because I had 7+ months to prepare, it meant I could also adjust my plan as I needed to :)
8. Get injuries checked out as soon as possible.
A little niggle turned into a massive headache for me, and I wish I had looked into it sooner. Tired legs is normal, pain isn't. Check it out as soon as you can.
9. Go at your own pace.
Don't feel pressured to run a certain speed. There is no right or wrong here, whatever speed is natural to you, is what you should do. As you run more, your speed will increase anyway, but don't ever feel bad for being "slow". Endurance is more important.
10. Walking is ok.
Running a half marathon doesn't actually have to mean you cannot stop to have a breather. I had quite a few walking stops myself, but tried to make sure they were around 1-2 minutes only. These didn't end up having much of an effect on my overall time, because it meant the bits I was running, I could run better/stronger. It's ok to walk!!!
11. Enjoy the experience.
This was something that was at the forefront of my mind at all times. I knew that I didn't want to run my half marathon and finish with "I'm never doing that again", so I focused on every little achievement, every bit of progress, knowing that all of them added up to the bigger goal. I frequently imagined the finish line, and how amazing it would feel. This made the training so much more enjoyable and kept me motivated. And of course when the big day comes, make the most of it - you'll only have one 'first' half marathon...with hopefully many more in the future (you can smash yourself later) :)
Running a half marathon is totally achievable.
With some smart training, realistic goals and full on commitment and dedication - you can do it!!!
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