New to running could use some advice (Read 1029 times)

Hey everyone I am new to running. I used to play soccer and that is all i knew about running. I have read some posts but i do not know all the terminology or where to even start. I read about people having logs but i don't know the first thing about those. What is mpw? How many miles should i start out with? How long does it take to run a half marathon? Can anyone help me with staying motivated? I get discourage when my mile time is over 10:00 mins, but hey at least i can run a mile Can i train for a marathon doing just interval training? I also only plan on running 3-4 times a week so any help would be very appreciated Thanks!!

Consider joining a running club - when starting out it's good to be in a group environment. It provides motivation and accountability. In Chicago, for example, CARA (www.cararuns.org), offer beginner programs. In general, start by running for time not distance. Employ a run/walk strategy, if that helps. There are more training plans than you can swing a bat at; however, Hal Higdon training plans are pretty good. He has plans for most standard distances. Start with the NOVICE plans, for obvious reasons. Read the commentary carefully. Marathon on interval training? err... you need endurance, which equates to miles. Mostly slow miles. There is a program called "FIRST", which goes for lower mpw but higher intensity over ~4 running days per week. It advocates a lot of cross training on non-running days. Works for some. My personal opinion, is that you should not even consider a half marathon or marathon until you can get through shorter distance races. Builld your mileage base and work through 5k, then 8k, then 10k then 10mile. I've been running since late 2002 and ran my first half in the fall of 2006 and my first marathon in the Fall of 2008. Prior to that I focused on getting faster in 5k to 10k races. Of course, you can do what you like but apply some common sense to avoid injury.

A half marathon takes a little less than an hour.

If your name is Ryan Hall. If you are the OP - more like double that or even longer.

Can i train for a marathon doing just interval training?

Definitely. 55 X 100 yards with 13-second recoveries is a stellar workout for marathoning. Do this 3 times an week, and stand on your head for 10 minutes every evening. It should ensure you a BQ your first time out.

Definitely. 55 X 100 yards with 13-second recoveries is a stellar workout for marathoning. Do this 3 times an week, and stand on your head for 10 minutes every evening. It should ensure you a BQ your first time out.

This level of sarcasm hardly seems necessary. I think the question was a valid one.

This level of sarcasm hardly seems necessary.

I agree. Kuddos to Tanya for giving 110%

Tough crowd today...

I did a marathon relay (two runners each run exactly half). They had three busses to take us to the halfway point. They told us, if your relay runner is fast take the first bus -- it got there about 35 minutes after the start. I decided to risk taking the middle bus -- for intermediate relay runners -- it got there about 55 minutes after the start of the race. Guess how many of the fast relay runners had already gone through, when I walked over to the relay point about 57 minutes after the start...