How many half marathons a month? (Read 193 times)

Hello all

I am a newbie runner - age 38 male, about 30 lbs overweight and generally have been out of shape for past 20 years.

Started running around 16 weeks ago but completed my first half marathon yesterday. My long term goal is to go for Ironman.

At the start of my running program I was able to run less than a mile but with determination and focus I have been able to bump up my mileage. My pace is quite slow but endurance and will-power are my saving grace.

Question is - how many half marathons can I do a month? I was planning on doing one every weekend. I want to do 4-5 half marathons before I attempt a marathon. Hope to do a marathon each month of next year so I can attempt an Ironman sometime next year.

Am I being too ambitious? Pretty sure I have the will power. But will I injure myself?

 

definitely!  

So what's the max you recommend? How about a half marathon every other weekend?

FYI also run around 12-14 miles during the week excluding the long run on the weekend as part of my training.

If the question is how many half marathons can someone run in a month -- the answer is lots of serious runners could run 1 per day if they wanted to.

If the question is how many half marathons could you run in a month -- the answer is there is no reasonable way to state a number, other than to say you need a solid base of months and months of miles to run 1 per week. So I'd guess you'd make to 3, then be done in about 6 miles into and succumb to one of the overuse injuries (shin splints, itb, etc)

It really depends on your overall fitness level.

For now, stick with other advice that says worry about dropping the weight.

Kicking the road takes a toll on your body, a big toll.  Make sure your weight is where it needs to be if you plan to run a lot.  Your body isn't meant to take that kind of abuse, much less, with the extra weight.  You need to be in tip top shape.

A 1/2 marathon every week is a fantastic goal in the long term.  However, I recommend that you set shorter term goals and make the 1/2 marathon every weekend something longer term.  You can feasibly get to that fitness level safely within 4-6 months.

The order I would set those goals.

1. Lose weight, get to a weight that is within range of a healthy person your height and build.  To do this, bump the frequency of your workouts up but keep the distances low (at first).  If you can take an hour a day to run 6 days a week, the weight will pour off.

2. Work to a good pace, start measuring your progress and get to a point where you can do a 9 minute and 30 second mile pretty comfortably.

3. Once you are at a good pace, then start tacking on the miles.

I went through a pretty dramatic weight loss a couple years ago (60lbs).  This is advice I would tell myself if I could go back in time.

Add variety to your workouts.  By that I mean, change the terrain, pace, mileage.  Make sure you are doing runs for distance, pace, tempo.  There are many ways to do these types of runs, you just need to find one that works best for you (ie fartlek).

I was pounding away on the pavement a couple years ago always doing 9 mile runs.  I had injury after injury and couldn't figure out what was going on.  I added variety to my routine and that did the trick.

You also need to eat healthy.  Organic wherever you can, avoid red meat, stick to fish and chicken... etc... you know the drill.  If you need help with this aspect, let us know and we can make some recommendations.

Good luck

Tom

The first 1/2 I ran when they started handing out AG awards my goal changed. I no longer just wanted to finish I wanted to at least come in third AG.  One fast 1/2 is beter than 100 finishes.

Building a solid 30-50 mpw base is what it takes to run a good race.

That's an interesting question that I can relate to. Although I am older than you at 68,  I am also 30 pounds overweight and regularly doing long  distances. In my case, I started 65 pounds overweight about 15 weeks ago and so far I have lost 35 of those,  with 30 more to go to get to my target BMI. I have done this by starting out walking just a few miles every day and steadily increasing those miles.  By week 10  I was doing 10 miles per day, still only walking because my knees were telling me I was risking injury.  Now I am walking 12 to 14 miles per day, (yes I am retired and can spend 3-4 hours daily doing this) and this week I have started adding half-mile jogging intervals for the first few miles.  I am indeed hoping that my endurance will improve so that I can do 0.5 mile jog/walk intervals for the entire half marathon distance daily, and then increasing the percentage of jogging versus walking beyond 50%.  That raises the question whether eventually I will be able to run the entire 13 miles in my daily runs, or whether I should begin taking days off.

 

PS.  In case it wasn't clear, I actually have little interest in races at this time since most of my miles are still by walking. So, since  I live in Ormond Beach I simply do scenic loops up one side of the inter coastal and down the other, crossing various bridges for the loops.

That's a huge amount of walking!  No reason you can't build up to running 13 miles- but not everyday.  The more you demand of your body, the more recovery you'll need.  Overuse injuries are not black and white, i.e., they come on gradually.  This is good for us because we can head them off.  Do something else during the week that doesn't tax your legs.  Also, a session or two of strength training a week is always good.  Don't need to join a gym- some squats, jumping jacks, burpees, one-legged bends, etc.

Before I took up running, I was a hiker, then a long distance walker (but never as much as you!) so I had some leg strength already.  As I began running, I took up regular gym sessions.  Still, I got some knee issues in the beginning.  I didn't start running til I was in my 50s.  The body adapts and it will amaze you at what it can do but it needs your help, too.