I have a couple questions for you ladies that run. I am thinking about training for a 1/2 marathon that runs next April and I have recently started running longer distances. Prior to last month the longest that I have ever ran was around 2 miles, I am now comfortably running 4 miles at a 10 min per mile pace.
Does anyone have a program they can suggest? Or do you just push yourself to increase your mileage?
What kind of pace do you shoot for (I was a sprinter in high school track so I am struggling with the concept of slowing down and not pushing myself too hard too early in my runs.).
Any other suggestions would be great! Thanks
Re: Ladies who Run (NBR)
I'm using this program for my half in two weeks.
https://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program
I wasn't too worried about my pace with this half, I just want to finish! So, my pace is slow is steady. I really found my pace as I started longer runs, and my overall goal is to finish under 2:30, so my pace right now is about 11/mile.
Once you have a good base of 3-4 miles 3x a week, I think you can safely add a mile a week. Don't go too fast or you risk injury to your knees.
i also use hal's programs, i did my own version combining the novice 1 and 2 for my half tomorrow.
honestly, my pace hasn't slowed as i've increased my distance. i also haven't really worked on speed work though like i should have. i'm shooting for a 2:15 tomorrow, which averages about 10:20/mi. my training runs have been anywhere from 9:30 (great day) to 10:45 (sh!tty day).
Another vote for Hal Higdon. I'm using novice 2. This is my second half-marathon. I did a full and a half back in college. I am not a new runner, but I did the novice 2 since I was not in the best shape after baby. Right now, I'm up to a 10 mile run this weekend. My pace is between 8:30-9:00 minutes per mile. My goal is to finish in less than 2 hours, but the first time, I just wanted to finish.
Invest in a watch so you can time splits or use a smartphone app to track your distance, pace, and time. The more you practice running at a certain pace, the easier it gets. The Hal Higdon increases 1 mile per week on the long runs so it's important to stick to the long runs the best you can.
I second ILML recommendation for a watch or app to track runs. I use runkeeper and have it set to give me time/distance/pace every .5 miles.