New Runner to Half Marathon (Read 899 times)

As the title says, I am a new runner, and I am trying to figure out what realistic expectations I should have. I started cycling & running for weight loss.....and I've dropped 40 lbs since the beginning of the year. Right now I stand around 5'9" and 190lbs, so I still have a ways to go until I reach my optimal 'healthy' weight. My workouts have been cycle-heavy, and I am now transitioning more and more into running. To keep my HR under 180bpm, my 2.5 mile run time is about 20 minutes (run 9:00 mile, then walk/run the rest). So with all of that out of the way, lately I have really had the desire to start racing. My wife is pretty athletic, and has a few more miles under her belt than I. She has never run a race, but was kicking around the idea of doing a half marathon sometime next summer. I would love to do it with her, so the question at hand is: do you think my goal is realistic?

I agree with Zoomy. I ran my first half after only 2+ months of running. Just build up your mileage and you can do it.

I just started running too, as a result of a solemn declaration over beers that my friends and I would run a half marathon in October next year...I bloody well hope you can do it, cause otherwise it's all over for me!

A half marathon is a great distance to train for! You'll do well. Please keep us posted on what you decide.

Good luck in your goal! Just one thing jumped out at me, if your heart rate is up to 180 you're training way too fast. You are "basebuilding" and need to do almost, if not all, of your running at an aerobic pace. Running at 180HR is not only less beneficial, it increases your chance of injury and burns fat more efficiently. I recommend you join this group: http://www.runningahead.com/groups/LOWHRTR Or at least read the forums, lots of good info there. The consensus on heart rate training is about 75-80%MHR to get a good aerobic benefit. For a 25-yr old that would be 155 max. Yeah, I know, it will be frustratingly slow at first but stick with it and it will get faster. You can still do some harder running but it should be a small portion of your training. JMHO.

i'm also fairly new to running (about a year, off and on) and just started training for my first half this week. i'm following this plan which a few other people have said worked well for them: http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm i will say that signing up for various 5ks around town has really helped my motivation - you should definitely do a race!

I guess this raises another question: Should I focus more on cycling workouts at this point to build an aerobic base, since I can stay in the aerobic range MUCH longer cycling vs. running? Or do I just plod though the next few weeks/months with a lot of slow "running."

Base training doesn't carry over completely from one sport to another. So to increase your running base, you need to run. Part of the point of base training is to condition your muscles to be more efficient, so you need to train the muscles you'll actually be using in your race.