Is 2018 the year that you plan to conquer your running-goals and smash your way through a half-marathon, but you’re not sure where to start with training? Are you a novice, looking to improve your fitness, health and appearance, whilst actually still ENJOYING yourself along the way? (Let’s be straight, we all know running can be a bit boring at times).
If this sounds like you; this post may be just what you’re looking for!
Ahhh, distance running. So many people have a love-hate relationship with it; myself included. As a novice runner, I struggled to get a base fitness level going, and whilst it was initially quite annoying to push through, perseverance in the face of early mornings, a few blisters, and early bedtimes was paramount to breaking through to that elusive runners high that every one waffles on about.
Lets start with the basics;
Running Shoes.
You cannot realistically consider taking up any length of distance running (or really any short-distance running) without the proper foot-ware. It would be like expecting to drive a car that has no tyres – its always going to end badly for you. That said, decent running shoes do not have to be expensive, and there are a number of places that you can visit to source a decent pair that are right for your gait (how you run), your terrain (road running, trail running, a combo) and budget. I am currently training in a simple pair of Asics that I bought from a local Sportsmans Warehouse in Ballito off the specials table.
One thing that I would recommend, especially if you are new to running, is to visit your local sports ware store in person and ask them to check out your run, to see if you have any tilts, ankle-leans or odd gait traits that your shoes should accommodate for. This might be a pain in the butt to start off with, but if it saves you from injury, its well worth it.
Sports watches or trackers
Personally, I am a fan of sports watches and fitness apps. I own a Fenix3 in the Rose Gold, and I absolutely adore it. I suppose it’s more advanced than I really need at this stage in my fitness career, as it has multi-sport capabilities, but I am trying to use that fact to instead justify my need to participate in more activities! Whilst I love my sports watch, they are not necessary in order to start training, however they are certainly useful in regards to tracking your progress, pace and achievements. There are a huge range of sports watches to suit various budgets; check out the Garmin or TomTom Website, or head to your local sports store- they often have a few affordable brands available. Too pricey? Check out MyFitnessPal, Strava, or MapMyRun as a free app solution to your tracking needs. You can race against your friends and people in your area! If these options are not viable for you – there’s nothing wrong with picking up a simple stopwatch or regular digital watch, and recording your time manually, however it may be a little inconvenient.
Food and Fuel
If you want to train like an athlete, you have to start treating your body like one! Before you ask, NO, that does not mean mountains of protein or big bowls of pasta (though, yum?!), instead my recommendations are to focus on whole, unrefined plant foods; fruit, veggies, winter squashes, beans/legumes and whole grains. Avoid oil, dairy, excessive amounts of caffeine and processed foods, however the occasional treat is okay (for special occasions only!).
As a health coach and a vegan, this is probably one of the things I am most passionate about; FOOD IS TO BE ENJOYED, AND YOU SHOULD NOT BE GOING HUNGRY. If you are ravenous in the evenings and find yourself reaching for bowls of chips or loaves of bread, it may mean that you are not fuelling yourself correctly. The same applies if you start to feel some lag in your energy levels; as your mileage increases, it is only natural that your energy requirements are also going to increase! Don’t be afraid to eat when hungry, but when you do, make sure that it is as WHOLE as possible. Remember – you can never eat too many greens!
My general, ultra-simple way to look at meals is the following;
- Breakfast: Fresh Fruit or Oats with sultanas
- Lunch: Salad with 1 cup of beans/legumes of your choice
- Dinner: Another large salad, some cooked non-starchy veggies (stir-fry/roasted/whatever) with either some squash/pumpkin, or whole grain rice.
- Snacks throughout the day: fresh fruit, veggies (sometimes with hummus when I have it!)
Of course, you can simply increase quantities at each meal to suit your appetite. I just make sure that all my cooked veggies are oil-free, and that I try to minimize the amount that I rely on commercial sauces.
– If you would like to talk more about health coaching and what you can get out of it, please send me a message! –
Training Plans
There are SO MANY training plans available for free on the web. Before you pick one, have a think about how you want your training to play out, realistically.
- Do you plan to run 3 times a week? 4? Can you fit in more than that?
- Are you most concerned about pace, or about just crossing the finish line?
- Are you intending to include any strength work into your program? Cross training?
- Do you prefer early morning runs, or afternoon?
All of these considerations are important when trying out a plan. For the training that I am currently doing (having taken almost 2 years off running), I am mostly concerned about just crossing the finish line, so have not incorporated much speed work into my training. Now that I’m two weeks out, I’m kinda bummed about my pace and wish I had. So, we all learn as we go along; for my next half (or full) marathon I will ensure that I do at a session of sprints each week.
Presently my boyfriend and myself are doing something akin to the following;
Monday – short run (currently 7-8km)
Tuesday – Cross train/strength
Wednesday – short run (currently 7-8km)
Thursday – Cross train/strength
Friday – Rest
Saturday – Long Run (as of Saturday 24th Feb, this is my last long run before the race and will be 16km)
Sunday – Rest
We started out with only doing 2 or 3km for the Mondays and Wednesday’s, with 5km as our first long-run. From there we have built up some endurance, and now go for longer, and are trying to push harder.
If you are looking to create your own training plan, or for inspiration on one to follow, then check out the following websites;
Alternatively, there are literally hundreds of free online training programs that can be tailored to suit your goals, as well as numerous sources that can tailor-make programs for you. Be sure to pay just as much attention to recovery needs as well as the actual running; you don’t want to burn out or injure yourself from over training!
With these three areas covered, its time to lace up and hit the road! Are you currently training for a race? Any tips or hints that you would love to have known when you were starting out? Leave your comments and feedback and join the conversation!
