Training for a Half Marathon

[MikeMartial]

So I have this idea in my head that I need to do a half-marathon; the deadline to enter is this month.

My question is two-fold:

1) How long does one need to prepare? I'm not looking to place, as I'm currently not a runner. But I'd like to finish with a respectable time.

2) Can I succesfully train for a half marathon, yet keep my lean body mass loss to a minimum? Can this be done through diet, or supplementation?

 

[Dial_tone]

Have you done any running before? A half is a big start. You'll definitely want to do some 5Ks and 10Ks on the way. I am planning on an Ironman in 2 years so this year I am doing 5Ks, 10Ks, half century (50 mile) bike rides and a sprint triathlon. I'm not a runner either but I like to bike. I'm on this program now with some cycling and elliptical thrown in.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=26

I think you can keep your upper body mass if you're still training for that. I am not; I'm actually looking forward to being smaller. I think your leg size will suffer a lil bit but it should come back. I do legs every Wednesday as my only lifting. You should Google for "couch to half marathon" training programs, although you'll probably find more "couch to 10K". I would start with that then go to a half marathon program.

 

[Synpax]

Hiya,

First, yes, you can do this. It's really not that far and you can probably get it done in a decent time for a beginner. 12 weeks is a good amount of time to build up to it. I suggest looking at runners world for a scheduele (though there is no substitute for a coach).

Second, you won't loose anything. Just keep your protein intake up.

Personally, I had only been training for 5ks and decided to run a (full) marathon on a Tuesday when it was on a Saturday. I did alright. I have another in March. You can do it - it's only 13.1 miles.