Training for Windsor Dorney Half Marathon

[Deleted User]

5 months ago I started running a few times a week. I loved it.

I have a problem. I can't get myself into a routine. Sometimes I'll not run for a week and when I go out again I can REALLY feel it.

My solution was to sign up for a race. I work 12 hour shifts with a 4-on, 4-off shift pattern which leaves me with few weekends free (and sometimes getting home from work has me reaching for a hot water bottle and pyjamas instead of trainers!). I signed myself up for the afforementioned half marathon on the 16th March.

Using mapmyrun on my iPhone I have run 12.5 miles in 1h50m (about a month ago) and 10km in 45 minutes (2 weeks ago). As I mentioned before, I would not say that I have really done any training.

Could anyone PLEASE advise me on the sort of training I should be doing over the next (eeeeek!) 3 weeks in the lead up to the event. I was hoping to manage a 1:50 but with my sheer laziness of recent weeks I'm not sure I can manage it.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

[Already posted this in the training section but thought I'd put it here because I'm a beginner!]

Hog-mouse

You need to build on endurance, that is quite clear and probably obvious to you. Don't worry about how long it takes you to do a run in training too much though I accept if you need a benchmark then it is useful.

You need to get some long runs in, if you can already run 12 miles then that is great. Run that distance this Sunday and next Sunday (24th + 3rd) 10th March run just 8 miles but at the same pace, ie slowly.

Other runs, you need to do a shorter run during the week, say about 8 miles at a steady pace or 6 miles at a slightly faster pace. If it were me I'd do one session of HIIT during the week, a good way of getting your fitness up very quickly and uses different muscles, ie fast twitch - 30secs run as fast as you can, 90 secs recovery x3 jog a mile slowly and repeat. mile jog warm up and cool down. You need to push the pace and make sure it feels like your legs want to fall off. Not worth doing if it doesn't hurt.

Three weeks is enough to improve on your fitness and will just about make an impact on your endurance. Feeling fitter will help you mentally prepare for the race.

Getting out in the cold is hard but it's not usually anything like as bad as you think it will be once you are out the door. Keeping your runs short will help to keep the pace up and keep you warm. You want to avoid running so slowly that you chill. You may need to think about where you run, on top of hills is never good nor is river valleys as both can be colder than the surrounding areas. Through town is warmer and ideal if there are paths or tracks you can use, esp if lit.

The other option is to xtrain in the winter and run when it's lighter in the evenings. Most people feel knackered after a 12 hr shift. My answer to that was to cycle commute. At one stage I was cycling 150 - 180 miles a week. Now I'm lazy and don't work. I can just about manage a 10 mile cycle.

[Deleted User]

Mrs Hog: Many thanks for the response!

Last week I managed a 3.90 miles at 9:11(some high intensity), then 13.14 miles at 10:54 (managed to run slowly for once! 2:23 was as slow as I could run) and finally 2.43 miles at 8:21 pace(some high intensity).
Last night I ran 2.46 miles but it was cold so I ran 7:08 pace.
Tomorrow I look forward to the same 13 mile or so route as last week! Tuesdays seem to be my Sundays due to shift patterns at the moment.

Does anyone have any advice for "race pace"? I'm not too sure how to make sure I crack the timing on race day! I'm concerned I might physically be able to run a 1:50 half marathon but not be prepared mentally and run too slowly!

Thanks for ANY replies

[Deleted User]

I ran the EXTREMELY wet half marathon in 1:48:11.

I was really pleased and I think I could have knocked 30 seconds off in the last lap if I hadn't been soaked through and running in a jacket!