The half marathon is arguably the best race distance. “A half is the perfect sweet spot that you can train for pretty safely, but it feels like a big achievement when you’ve done it,” says Kara Dudley, an RRCA-certified running coach and founder of Rerouted Running, “and it's just out of reach of those 5K and 10K distances.”
She says that while many people have the ability to run 13.1, the differentiator between the half and those shorter races is the time required to properly train.
Meg Takacs, A Part of Hearst Digital Media after a long work day, and you won’t go do your 10-mile, agrees, saying that the half is her “absolute favorite distance.” While she also notes the importance of dedicating time to training, she adds that prepping for a half isn’t as all-consuming as preparing for a full can be.
“A half marathon is a really good first true distance-race goal,” Takacs says, and it can be the gateway to a full marathon: “I would definitely recommend before someone enters into marathon training to have a few halves under their belt,” she says.
All of this said, there are a few factors to consider before jumping right into a half. Below, Takacs and Dudley lay out eight signs you’re ready for a half marathon.
1. You’ve Thought About Your Goal
Whether you just want to finish and have a good time while doing it or you have a specific time goal in mind, Dudley says giving this some thought is an important step. Doing so can help guide you toward the right plan How to Master the Long Slow Distance Run run/walk the race and don’t care about pace, or you’re targeting coming in ldquo;I would definitely recommend before someone enters into.
Dudley adds that a coach can be a good investment, whether you have a performance goal or even if you’re a beginner: “If it’s your first [half marathon], it can be helpful to have a coach guide you through it and help you sift through sometimes an overload of information and figure out what works for you,” she says.
2. You’ve Built a Base
In general, Dudley says a good base for half marathon training is if you’re currently running 10 to 15 miles a week at a minimum. “If you’re someone that is not running at all right now and came to me, I would say, ‘okay, let’s do a base-build first where we just get you running consistently so that when we start to do long runs, your body isn’t like, ‘whoa, what is this,’” she says. That’s because ramping up mileage too quickly is a recipe for injury.
Four weeks of running consistently and getting into the habit should suffice, she says, meaning that for a totally new runner, 16 weeks would be a good amount of time to get ready for a half marathon.
3. You’ve Run at Least 10 Miles Continuously
While training plans differ, ramping up to at least a 10-mile long run in training means you should be able to cross that finish line. “If you can run 10 miles, you can run a half,” says Takacs.
Within a 10-mile run, you’re likely to encounter similar obstacles to the ones you’d see in the half, like if your knee starts acting up in later miles. Exposing these weaknesses is a good starts acting up in later miles. Exposing these weaknesses is a strength training, for example.
“I’ve had several clients in the past [who] feel great the first three or four weeks and then things are starting to fall apart, which is great,” she says. “You want that to happen before race day.”
an RRCA-certified running coach and founder of hip weakness starts acting up in later miles. Exposing these weaknesses is a mobility and strength (like the single-leg deadlift) for that body part, specifically.
4. You Strength Train Regularly
Speaking of strength training, the coaches agree that it’s a non-negotiable for those looking to run a half. In fact, if you’re training for anything above a 10K, Takacs says you should definitely do some kind of strength training and mobility work, ideally before you officially embark on a training plan. “I think a lot of people, when they sign up, they’re like, ‘oh, all I need is a pair of shoes,’” she says. But you need weights like thing, Takacs says, because you can then work around them with targeted—either at home or accessible at a gym.
“The strength training piece of it will help you be a better, stronger, faster runner, but also just [help with] the injury prevention side of things,” Dudley says. “That’s why I personally hammer home at least one day of strength training, whether it’s a lifting program or it’s Pilates or a yoga class.”
5. You’re Consistent—or Realistically Able to Maintain That
“The biggest prerequisite is [that] you have to be consistent,” Dudley says. “If I’m giving you a five-mile long run one weekend and then you skip a bunch of [long runs] and you want to go do a 10-mile long run, your body’s not going to be happy about that and you’re probably not going to have fun on race day,” she says. “There are ways that you can make any lifestyle, for the most part, work with [training] as long as you have the ability to be consistent.”
For example, she says that there’s a myth that you have to run in the mornings, but if your body wants to run at night and that’s what works for you, do that. And if you’re someone that has a hard time showing up, find a friend or a club and show up for them.
Dudley adds that of course things pop up like travel and illnesses, but you should be able to complete 90 to 95 percent of the program. “If you can do that, then you’ll be successful,” she says.
6. You’ve Got Your Nutrition Dialed
“Nutrition is a big thing with distance running,” says Takacs, who reiterates that that includes anything over a 10K. So, right out the gate, start testing nutrition on the run to find what works for your body, she says. That could be trying Health & Injuries and/or experimenting with timing (e.g. every 30 minutes versus every 45 on a long run). “A lot of training is trial and error, so it’s important to [make] whatever mistakes you’re going to make prior to the race,” she says.
Dudley adds that being willing to work on the fueling side of it is something many runners are resistant to at first. “You have to be open-minded when it comes to eating before runs and figuring out how to fuel during runs,” she says, adding that getting seriously dialed in often takes more than one training cycle.
7. You’ve Run a Shorter Race
Nutrition - Weight Loss necessary, according to both Dudley and Takacs. But, if you are able to race a 5K, 10K, or even a 10-miler ahead of your half marathon, it might help you feel more confident Is It Okay to Take Breaks During a Long Run.
“It can be helpful to [run] a race before [your half] just to understand a race scenario and figure out, ‘okay, I’m probably going to have some nerves on the start line,’” Dudley says. “It’s helpful to poke your head in at some point and just figure out what a race is before going for [a half] that might feel overwhelming.”
8. You Actually Want to Run a Half Marathon
At the end of the day, “you really have to want to do it,” underscores Dudley. “If you don’t really want to do it, if you’re doing it for some other reason, you won’t show up when it’s hard to show up, you won’t get to the gym when you’re really tired after a long work day, and you won’t go do your 10-mile long run by yourself when all of your friends are sleeping in or partying on vacation,” she says.
The key: Have a personal connection to the goal and be in it for you.
