Throwing this out for discussion, since I've been going round and round in my head and would like someone to join me on the hamster wheel.

Background:  I started running in Aug. 2011.  A few months later, I signed up for a couple of HMs the following March and April and began training.  All went well and I was running 12 and 13 mile long runs without too much difficulty.  Four days before the first race, I got injured with what turned out to be a pelvic stress fracture.  I couldn't run for another eight months.  In Nov. of 2012 I began running again.  I decided not to push racing, but I got talked into signing up for another HM in September.  Again, I built up my mileage to 40 mpw, with long runs of 12-13 miles.  After nine months, injury free, in late July I got hurt again, probably osteitis pubis.  I didn't stop running completely, but I cut way back, only running about once a week until November, when I started running somewhat normally again.  At this point I'm running 15-20 mpw - every other day - and my longest run is 7.3.

Because I lost money on four races (3 HMs and a 10k), due to injury, I decided not to sign up for anything ahead of time for the next year or two.  I'll just race if I'm fit and feel ready, and pass if I'm not.  But I really want to run a half marathon.  (Ultimately, I'd like to run a marathon too, but that's not for a while.)

Where I live there are three annual HMs that are within about 45 minutes, all of which allow race day signup.  One is in early March.  It's local, about 15 minutes from my house.  I've run the course (two years ago, before the first HM that I couldn't do.)  It is hilly, but not that bad (about 625' elev. gain.)  It would be a real push to be ready by then, and I wouldn't be trained to race it, I'd just be trying to finish.  The next HM is in mid-April.  I'd have time to train for that one, but it's harder, with about 850' elev. gain, including a big hill at mile 11.  Finally, there's the race I was supposed to do last September - again very hilly, but I'd have plenty of time to prepare for the hills.  However, I don't trust my body not to let me down again between now and then.  My head says to just ignore the March race - or volunteer for it -  and then try to do the April race if I'm feeling comfortable with 12-13 mile long runs.  But my heart says  to go ahead and try for March, as I'd finally be able to run the race I was supposed to do two years ago, and even if I have to walk part of it, it's worth it to finally complete a HM after so many DNS.

So what would you do?

But if it were me, I don't think I'd do any of them.

I agree with this, but I am obsessed with speed and would drive four hours to run on a flat course, rather than walk 15 minutes to run on a hilly one. 

If that is not feasible then carefully consider any ramifications running on hills may have on your body.  I suffered a pelvic tilt running on hills mostly because I completely ignored core and stability work.  I subsequently avoided them like the plague for a year and a half until I built up the strength to handle them.

When the day came for me to finally run on them again, it was as if I was running on flat land.  But I had put in the miles to establish a solid base, and did all the necessary hip & core work to be able to fly right up them.

I am not against hills, as I train on them purposely every weekend.  I am just for running the fastest time I possibly can at any given event.  If it were me, I would forgo any sentimental thoughts I had for those events, and find something flat and fast.

For you, running a half marathon under trained may be an injury waiting to happen, or at the very least, a very unpleasant experience.  So maybe train for and run the April race, knowing you will be a stronger runner after you complete it.

I'm definitely worried about reinjuring myself.  Where I live, if I run outside, I have to run hills unless I want to drive a long way.  I'll do as LTH said, just wait and see, but I will still end up going round and round as to how hard I want to push myself over the next six weeks.  The smart thing is to wait until at least April.  But sometimes I'm more stubborn than smart.

Ginny, I think you're awesome and have done some very impressive things.  Like many runners you're an overachiever. As I was reading this, the impression I got was that you always start running and immediately pick out a HM to try for.  I'm surprised at how many people are able to achieve that much so quickly, but since you've experienced injuries in the past,  I think you should just run without trying a HM for at least 6 months (totally injury-free) before even thinking about training for a half marathon.   If anything do some 5/10ks this spring and maybe start looking towards HMs next fall or even early next year?

 

I hate being a Debby Downer, but being injured and not able to run sucks.  Wouldn't it be better to run and race shorter distances now, then to overreach and be out of the game again?

I agree with this. Good luck Ginny with whatever you decide to do.

I've been in a kind of similar situation and found that what I needed to do was stop trying to train for a race and just run.  The pressure to build my mileage up and do speedwork again caused me to re-injure myself and try to do more than I was ready for so I ended up giving up on racing for awhile.  Anyway, it was probably the best thing for me because what I needed was to slowly build a base without external factors influencing my decision making. And once I did that, I've been able to train/race injury free the last year and a half.

...At this point I'm running 15-20 mpw - every other day - and my longest run is 7.3.

 

.... However, I don't trust my body not to let me down again between now and then.  ...

 

So what would you do?

I'd figure out how to train on hills without getting injured. THEN worry about races beyond a 5-10k. If you're going to run hilly HM, then you need to be able to run that distance with hills, not just that distance.

My gut feeling is that you're going out too hard or too frequently or too steep or whatever on hills, and its more than what your body can handle without building up to it. I know you said that you live in a hilly place. But the hills in your proposed HM are comparable to 10k races around here.

Do you have river valleys (without waterfalls) or rails to trails or soccer / football fields or anything else that's relatively flat where you can do recovery or easy runs? Do you have different steepnesses of hills - like <5%, <10%, <15%, >15%? I'd stick to the under 10% for awhile until you strengthen. You're running 3 or 4 days/wk, so if you can keep the hills to just one or two days, that might help.

Be sure to use good form - vertical on the way up, perpendicular to the slope on the way down. Poor form is where a lot of injuries occur. Core strengthening may help.

Oh, yea, "been there, done that". Learned my lessons and can handle a lot more hills today, even as I enter later 60s. I learned to respect them more.

Good luck and have fun.

I really don't know what caused the injuries.  I assume my form, and I'm working on that after reading Chi Running.  I do have some osteopenia, which may have contributed to the sfx, though as a long time hiker and backpacker, I wouldn't have thought my bones would be that fragile.  They've certainly had enough weight bearing exercise over the years.

I would just try to run between 6-12 months without an injury, increasing mileage and see how I'm doing by then.  I wouldn't try to run neither the March nor the April HMs but maybe the September one if I have been able to increase the mileage comfortably and injury free.  The body is telling you something (not that you cannot run HMs but that you might need to increase mileage slower than you have had).

Run and increase mileage.  Don't worry about races for now.  Good luck!