Ran My First Half... Now What? (Read 165 times)

Hi!  I've been lurking here for a while and I could use a little advice on what to do now that I've finished my first half.

Background on me:  I'm a new runner, 35 years old, never ran as a kid.  I started last November with a couch to 5K six months after having a baby, and I built up slowly, culminating in training for my first half which was at the end of September.  I used the Another Mother Runner Half Marathon Finish It plan, and I complied with it reasonably well (missed one long run due to the trail being on fire, missed another due to an injury), maxing at about 29 miles in the peak week.  I was dealing with a long-term piriformis injury, but PT and new shoes have me recovering okay.

First half I finished in 2:00:07.  I went out a bit too fast, and paid for it later, but I ran the whole thing and finished strong, for me.

I'm very fit and lean, but not a naturally gifted runner at all.  I would like to get faster.

I want to try the Hanson's beginner plan for my next half, which is in May.  It will be my first time doing speedwork of any kind, and the mileage increase is significant for a newbie like me.

What I'm wondering is what I should do in the meantime before the plan starts.  Right now I'm running about 20-25 miles a week, and hoping to nudge that over 25 consistently.  I run four or five days a week. Should I keep a longer run?   Run more often and try to get to five or six days a week consistently?  Focus more on core and cross-training?

I think most of what I need is time on my feet, but I'm unsure how to go about it best.  Thoughts?

Yup, more miles, even if they're slower than what you've been doing will definitely yield faster Half Marathon times.

FWIW, my 56 year old wife was putting in between three and four weekday 6-Mile runs and then one or two 10+ mile runs on the weekends (without so much as a single speed drill, interval or even a tempo run), and she just ran her first Half Marathon in 1:49.

I promise that if you keep running you will get faster. And given how new you are, that is a very good time indeed for your first 13.1.

I agree with the advice given: steady miles, possibly gradually increasing miles per week, a longer run every 7-10 days. This will be a little easier if you don't live in a place with long cold snowy winters, but even if you do, it is possible -- just keep adding layers.

and yes, the Shipo family is very impressive; that is a phenomenal first half for Mrs. S.

So here's a question then -- given that my base was around 20, with a peak of 29, would the Hansons' beginner (not their finish it  plan for complete newbies) be too aggressive as it builds to 48 miles per week?  Might I be better off just trying to get to a base of thirty miles per week and ignore speedwork (except for strides here and there?)

Sorry to have so many questions!  I just finished the Hansons' half book and I'm really curious to see what I can do.

Winter here in northern Utah gets a decent amount of snow, but I'll run outside as long as the weather's clear.  I can deal with cold but I'm far too clumsy for ice!   What really kills me is the lack of daylight.  Between a full-time job and a toddler I really need it to be light at 6am all year long.

But I bought a headlamp....

Might I be better off just trying to get to a base of thirty miles per week and ignore speedwork (except for strides here and there?)

Probably -  But you need to mix it up a little.   When I mentioned to do some uptempo type of running and put down something like 8x400 meters, I was 'thinking' in terms of generalities and 'typing' specifics (and I said if you run 9's then do them in 8's or so), I probably misspoke a bit with that suggestion - what I really meant to say was to pick it up a little every now and then.  ..

Re-Read the definition of the faster runs (speed, strength and tempo)  in your Hanson book and follow them but with a little less intensity..  the idea here is just to wake things up a little - stress yourself a little but not too much.

I sent an email to Luke Humphrey (the books author) and asked him the same basic question and he replied to just keep building mileage and push the intensity a little every now and then...until the first week of the actual training.

Worry about distance first, pace comes later.  FWIW, I train at about a 10:00-11:00 pace and yet I ran my recent half marathon, my first if that matters, at a 7:49 pace.

Nothing wrong with slow runs with a headlamp. Most of my runs are in the dark.  Choose safe terrain, though.

Nothing wrong with slow runs with a headlamp. Most of my runs are in the dark.  Choose safe terrain, though.

this time of year I'm also doing my "workouts" in the dark with a headlamp. Gots to do what ya gots to do....