Training for a Half-Marathon - Lessons Learned
The Build Up
Well, it’s certainly been a bit since my last post. The warmer weather is finally here and since my last post, I competed in a half-marathon for the third time. The first time I ran the race was in 2012. I was just getting into running and while my training for the race was adequate, I was also starting a new job and felt like my training suffered a bit near the end. Nonetheless, it was a relatively strong effort as I finished the race in just over 1:50.
The second time I ran the race was in 2018. My training for this race was sporadic at best as I wasn’t fully committed. I was very likely hungover on race day and it was quite hot - not a good combination when you’re running 13.1 miles. Predictably, I did not run well and finished the race in two hours and 3 minutes, a full 13 minutes behind my initial time.
The decision to run this year came about after running a 5K. I don’t typically run much in the winter as I despise running in the cold and so these early year races have not really been a option for me. This year however, I committed myself to running more this winter. Through the month of February, I had logged 130 miles and decided to test the work I’d put in by running a 5K. I’ve never really intentionally tried to run a race for speed, but given the improvements in my pace in recent weeks, decided to set a goal of running the race in under 24 minutes, which is right around a 7:45 mile. I think I mentioned this in a post before, but prior to the race, a friend of mine sent me an article about a 50 something who overcame his addition to pills to become one of the best amateur marathoners in the world, posting a personal best time of 2 hours, 27 minutes. After reading the piece, I still thought a 7:45 mile was pretty good, but I also thought that perhaps I could run it even faster. So the week before the race, I decided to test myself by running the course. The route included rolling hills at the beginning, a steep hill just before mile 2 and a relatively fast finish that included a downhill followed by a false flat. I finished the course that day in 23:30 or 7:32 per mile and started thinking about breaking 23 minutes, which would effectively mean finding another 30 seconds over the course of the 5K. I figured I could go out a little faster and then gain some time on the hill and on race day, my plan almost worked. I ended up running at 23:02 and I chalked up not breaking the 23 minute barrier on a poor finish, impacted by my catching my breath for a bit too long after the hill. The pace was right around 7:25 per mile and got me thinking about whether I could maintain that pace for a half-marathon, which was coming up in eight weeks. I decided to accept the challenge.
The Training
Given the race was 8 weeks away, I didn’t have much of a choice in my training program. I had to find something that would allow me to get into half-marathon race shape in just 8 weeks. I had a good bases of miles already, and my long runs were topping out between 6-8 miles, so I met the criteria for being able to complete the training in 8 weeks. The program included base miles, cross-training, hill repeats and speed work. It was a six day per week training regimen with a rest day on Sundays. Cross-training days were optional, though regardless of the distance you are running, adding strength or other cardio workouts to your running schedule is necessary, especially if you’re trying to hit a milestone.
Training Lessons Learned
Length of training - I had a good base of miles to work from, but I definitely could have benefitted from a longer training program. I feel like 12 weeks as a seasoned runner is ideal and for those starting out, perhaps a 16 week program is even better to help build up endurance, especially in the earlier weeks of training. One of the ways I could have benefitted from a longer program would have been to incorporate more leg strength training. Aside from riding the bike on cross-training days, I did nothing in the way of leg exercises because I was concerned that leg training would get in the way of my longer runs. It’s something that I am addressing as I get back into my regular workout routine.
Realistic Goals - I’m a big believer in goal setting because it not only gives you something to shoot for, but can also keep you motivated during the dog days of your training. The goal you set should be realistic, yet somewhat challenging but attainable. But all goals are not created equal and some require some additional information. If for example, you are looking to finish the race, which is an incredible goal to have, how you approach your training may look a little different than someone who is attempting to hit a certain time. In my case, I set a goal of breaking 1:40, based on a 5K time that I had never run before that March race and knowing that would require me to run 10 minutes faster than I had ever run the half-marathon before. I had no idea how that 5K pace would translate over the course of 13.1 miles until I actually got into my training. I had great training sessions and others that left me questioning why I was doing this to myself, but realized through my training that breaking 1:40 was going to take a herculean effort, so adjusted my goal to breaking 1:45. It was still a time I had not yet achieved, but a bit more realistic, given my training sessions. The simple takeaway is that setting a target time or pace before you begin training is perfectly fine, but be willing to use the information that you gain throughout your training to adjust your goals.
Vary Your Workouts - In training for a long race, there is no getting around the miles required to build up your endurance. You’re just going to have to run. But varying your workouts, both during run days and cross-train days will help your performance. For the eight weeks that I trained, I stuck to the plan, including the “optional” cross-training workouts. And since I was training in the Spring, the weather was all over the place, so I had the benefit of training in cold, rain and warm and sunny days. I also incorporated treadmill workouts on my speed days because I found it easier to stick to a certain pace for the allotted time. It gave me the confidence to know that I could run in all types of terrain and weather conditions. You can certainly control all aspects of your training in terms of the work, but you can’t control the weather and knowing how you’ll perform in both optimal and suboptimal conditions will help make you stronger both physically and mentally.
Know the Course - During my training, I had the opportunity to run most of the actual running route throughout the course of the eight weeks. It allowed me to know specific mileage from various points on the course, where the hills were, and started to help formulate my race day approach. If it’s not possible to run the actual course, find out as much as you can about it and try to mimic the race day conditions.
Establish your training versus race pace - A big change in my approach to running has been following the 80/20 rule, where 80% of my running is at a pace that is a minute or more slower than my actual best or race pace. In practice, you may not have any idea of what your race pace is, especially if you’ve never run a race, but you can still establish a training pace and a race pace. If you’re using a heart-rate monitor, most of your runs should fall between zones 2 and 3.
You can use this guide to help you establish your training zones. For training, you’ll want to be in your high zone 2 or low zone 3. If you’re not using a heart rate monitor, zones 2 and 3 will feel like you can stay at that pace for long periods of time and hold a conversation. At my race pace, I’m typically going to be in my Zone 4 or Zone 5 with a heart rate of around 160 beats per minute. It’s important to know these metrics as some of the training you do is going to call for periods of running at your race pace. It may take a bit of trial and error to establish, but it’s an important component of the training.
Power Through - I mentioned that you are going to have good training days and bad training days. The weather is going to suck sometimes. You’re going to be tired or not into running on one or more days. I pretty much hit a wall between weeks 5 and 6, where I just didn’t feel like running the distances. But I somehow powered through. I rain in torrential rains, high heat and humidity, colder temperatures, indoors and out. Once you commit, you’re going to need to run the miles regardless of the conditions. Longer training sessions are going to require hydration, so you’ll need to get used to running with water. Putting in the work is absolutely necessary to be successful on race day.
Race Day
You’re put in the work and race day is here. Regardless of how you may be feeling, here are a few pointers to keep in mind for your race.
Have a plan - I built my race plan based on my training, my goal, the weather and the course. During my long runs, my cardio fitness was excellent, but my legs would begin to tire and feel heavy somewhere around mile 9. Since it was happening fairly consistently, I used this information to build my race plan. The first 5 miles or so are pretty hilly, but I figured if I could run the first several miles at 7:30, I would be in a position to achieve my goal when the inevitable leg fatigue kicked in. You’ll want to build a plan that is based on your ability, your training, the weather and the course to maximize your performance on the course.
Find a pacer - If you’ve established your target pace during the first few miles of the race, it can be beneficial to find someone on the course who is running at or slightly faster than your pace to help you to stay on track. I knew two people that were running and while one of them was considerably faster than I was, the other ran at my pace, which really helped me stay motivated during the later stages of the race.
Build That Race Day Playlist - At this point, I can’t fathom running without music, so I spend some time the night before putting my playlist together for the run, choosing songs that will pump me out at critical junctures of the race. I’ll program my music based on hills or other terrain that I’m going to experience at those specific times in the race.
Hydrate - Running 13 miles is going to require proper hydration before, during and after the race. The weather and especially the temperature and humidity levels are going to play a role in how much you’ll actually need to hydrate during the race, but I would try to follow this hydration schedule.
Around 2-3 hours before the race, drink plenty of water - I would say to aim for around 40 ounces before the race, supplemented with Gatorade or similar sports drink for the sodium and the electrolytes that you’re going to lose while you run. Giving yourself 2-3 hours will also allow you to pee out what you don’t need.
Take water at least every 20 minutes. Water stations are going to be available at various intervals throughout the course of the race. The water stations for this race were place at around every 2.5 miles, so there were plenty of opportunities to take water. Running while drinking can be a challenge, so don’t be afraid to stop for a few seconds to actually drink it. If it’s hot or humid, you may also want to supplement your water intake by running with a fanny pack or backpack filled with water. Hydration is absolutely key on race day.
The Results
My initial goal was to break 1:40, which turned out to be unrealistic, so adjusted it to break 1:45. I felt great through the first 9 miles and all of my splits through the first ten miles were under 8 minutes per mile. So when the leg fatigue hit somewhere around mile 10, I knew I would have a personal best time, but could I fight through the fatigue to hit my goal time? I ended up running a 1:44.29, which was good enough for 88th place out of 740 runners and placed me in the top 10 (of 46) in my age group.
Takeaways
Having now broken 1:45, I do think breaking 1:40 is achievable, but not without some changes to my approach. Here are my main takeaways from the race.
Training time - Since I decided to race at eight weeks out, I really didn’t have a choice in terms of the length of my training plan, but more time to train would have been beneficial. I lost close to 2 minutes by running slower than my average pace for the last three plus miles. Adding 4 weeks to training is not my idea of fun, but it would have helped me to build in some additional leg training days, tinker with my nutrition and add another long run or two to the mix to help with the later portions of the race. If I decide to run another half-marathon, this would be the first thing I would change about my approach.
Race Approach - There isn’t a ton that I would change about my approach to this specific race. I might try an even faster pace through the first 5 or so miles and settle in to an above average pace, but I still need to address the fatigue later in the race, which I’m hoping the additional training will help alleviate.