So it is officially unofficial. I’ve decided that I’m going to run a half marathon next spring. Maybe even a few. There are so many to pick from! I’m going to have to carefully plan and hope very much nothing comes up, as you have to register quite a bit in advance. I have a lot of obligations that I’m sure with my luck will fall on some race dates. I’ve been doing strength training and will continue my moderate running. I’m go to start the actual training in January. Right now is a time for learning as much as possible, staying active, and not gaining 30 pounds over the holidays! Once I start training, I will keep a journal of sorts to share my journey to longer distances. I’ve been doing some research since I started playing around with the idea of a half-marathon. I’m sure there are even more resources to find, and if you’d like to share your own links or experiences feel free to comment or visit the contact me page!
Resources
Half Marathons.net - They have a large race directory for different distances, both in the USA and around the world. They also have a few training programs and guides, some of which I may end up using.
You Can Run A Half-Marathon! - A 4 article series by outsideonline.com with input from, Ryan Hall, current U.S. record holder with a time of 59:43, Mark Curp, former World and U.S. record holder with a time of 1:00:5, and Matt Ebersole, 20-year coaching veteran of more than 5,000 runners. It includes some very helpful tips, nutrition guide, and a detailed training plan.
Marathon Fears - Trisha Reeves at active.com discusses the common excuses and fears to not run a half-marathon, and gives some positive and motivating advice to getting off the couch or out of an obligation to go run,
Distance & Time Calculator - “Use this Marathon Run Calculator to calculate target race times for marathons, half-marathons, 10-mile, 10k and any other race distance” While no longer maintained, I haven’t found a calculator like this. Not only does it tell your your speed and pace, but your target time by using only information about past runs.
Pace Calculator - Another little nifty pace calculator from runnersworld.com that may be a little easier to use.
PaceTat - Pacetat offers a pretty unique product that I had never heard of. It is your mile (or km) splits in a tattoo for your arm. They’re pretty cheap and I’m thinking about trying one out at some point.
Some other time calculating guides worth checking out: Whatpowersyou.org and Nomeatathlete.org
