Looking for a way to go couch to half marathon in the next 4-6 months? If you’re a beginner runner with ambitious goals, these tips for running your first half marathon are for you!
If you’re looking to go from couch to half marathon, this is the right place for you! I consider myself someone who leads a relatively healthy lifestyle and running a half-marathon seemed like a far reach for me! You might be thinking, is this even possible? I’m here to tell you it is possible- I’ve done it and I am gearing up to do it again!
Sometimes we make a rash decision (in my case a drunk decision) or we make a New Year’s Goal to run a half marathon. You’re in good company if you made this decision without ever having run before!
This post is all about being a beginner running a half marathon, achieving couch to half marathon status, and finding the right half marathon training plan for beginners. You go this!
how to go from couch to half marathon
Where do I even begin?
Let me start by telling you that I too, made a brash (drunk) decision to run a half-marathon 6 months out without any running background whatsoever. It was the BEST decision that I have ever committed myself to and actually followed through with.
At the time, I was reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. He tells the story of a girl he worked with who was so in awe of him running a marathon and thought she could never do that herself. Hardy told her “Of course you can!” He explained to her that all she had to do was take it one block at a time. Each day she ran, just add on one more block.
So I was excited to follow his method and see how far I could go. On my first run, I could run 0.3 miles before needing to stop and take a break. I wasn’t even close to half a mile! As you can imagine, I was feeling discouraged but kept going. The next day I pushed my running one more block before taking a break and walking a bit. The beginning is SLOW.
If you truly have never run before, take it slow. Work up to running one full mile without stopping. This might take some time, but it’s important to master. Don’t worry about the time at all, you just need to focus on the distance. Once you can run one mile, you just have to run 12.1 more!
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I Can Run a Mile! Now What?
Congrats!! That one mile without stopping is hard! Now that you have broken the barrier, you want to work up to running 3 miles in one session. They don’t have to be perfect miles where you run all three straight through. Take walking breaks after each mile or whenever you need to. Every day your body is going to perform differently, listen to it and take the walking break when you need it!
Once you feel comfortable running 3 miles at one time, it’s time to move into the training plan!
Couch to Half Marathon Training Plan
My first half marathon was a Disney Half Marathon. If you’ve never run one before, I HIGHLY suggest signing up for one! I am not a huge Disney person at all, but the race is so fun! Everyone is so encouraging and it’s nice to see people running in a less serious environment. People aren’t there to “win” they are there to have fun!
Ok, I’ve digressed – every Disney Half Marathon training follows Hal Higdon’s training plan. I’ve modified his training plan slightly, and broken it down for you! You’ll see why it was important to master the 3-mile run soon!
But FIRST, we need to go over some key terms:
- Run – each week you should plan to run 3xs. Each RUN does not need to be perfect. Come as close to hitting the mileage listed with each run, but know that you can walk as you go. The goal is just to complete the miles for that day!
- Strength Training – It is crucial to cross-train while preparing for a half marathon or even a 5K! I’m not talking about hitting up your local Cross-Training Studio. Strength training days can include anything from pilates, yoga, a HIIT class, SLT, barre, swimming, Barry’s Bootcamp, or a Peloton ride. Typically strength training is a key component with running, but feel free to mix it up and try out workouts that you enjoy!
- Rest – I will preach it until the cows come home, REST DAYS ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR YOUR BODY TO RECOVER. When you are working out every single day, you aren’t giving your body the important breaks that it needs to recover. Every workout rips your muscles a little bit. On rest days, stay hydrated and enjoy some self-care!
- Long Walk – It’s also important to move your body. While walking works very different muscles compared to running, it’s still equally as important to add to your training! A long walk can be anywhere from 2-4 miles. You don’t have to speed walk, but make sure you are moving at a good pace!
- Miles + Strength / Strength Training x 2– Every week you should “stack” a workout and combine running with a strength training class. If you want to keep your running miles separate, you can complete two 1 hour cross-training workouts (like cycling and yoga, or barre and HITT Cardio). It’s important to “stack” your training so that your body gets used to being active for 2 hours. Going from Couch to Half Marathon means that you will probably be finishing your half marathon in 2-3 hours. Your body will appreciate the prep!
Half Marathon Training for Beginners
The moment you’ve all been waiting for – the half training plan for beginners!
Following the key in the above section, you’ll see that each week has a balance of running, cross-training, resting, and walking. Each week is designed to challenge your running distance while working on building your stamina and strength. Feel free to download the image above for a quick reference on how to plan your workouts too!
This template is a guide, not set in stone. You should pick two days during the week for you that are your key running days. For me, Tuesday and Thursday are the easiest for me to stick to! You should plan your longer runs from Saturday and Sunday, because really- who has time to run 7 miles during the work week?!
As mentioned above, you should be doubling up on workouts 4-6 times throughout your training process to get your body used to moving for 2 hours straight. You can combine strength training with a long walk or one of your three-mile runs. You can also double up on strength workouts. Ease into it and do what feels good for your body. I recommend introducing these double workouts once a week at week 8.
You may have also noticed that there are a 5K and 10K added into your training. Running an actual race before your half marathon will help prepare you for race day! On race day, you typically have a lot of adrenaline (and maybe some nerves). You also are probably used to running alone or with a friend, but not a huge crowd! It helps get to know the formalities of a race before your big day! I ran my first 5K AFTER my half marathon but I wish I had done it beforehand just to know what to expect!
F3 Running Must-Haves
Final Running Tips for Beginners
I am dropping the secrets that I wish I had known before running my first half-marathon (or truly running any race at all).
- Don’t do anything different on race day than you do while running regularly. For example, don’t try out a new running belt if you’ve never run with one before, or don’t hold your phone on race day if you usually put it in the pocket of your leggings.
- Practice with water intake, snacks, and pre-workout WHILE TRAINING. This is a simple follow-up to the point above. Do not try anything new on race day. If you don’t typically take many water breaks while running, don’t grab water at every water station – I learned this the hard way!
- Don’t run a race with new shoes! Always take 2-3 months to break in new running shoes before your first long race.
- Check over your course route BEFORE race day. I promise this will save you a lot of pain. Where I live, the terrain is pretty flat. My body was in a lot of shock when all of the sudden, it was running multiple hills! Be sure to check out the elevation on the race route and plan accordingly. Hills are NO JOKE and you should definitely incorporate them into your training routes if they will be on your racecourse. Please learn from my mistakes!
This post was all about how to run a half marathon as a beginner and master the ultimate couch to half marathon plan!
The most important part after deciding you are going to run a half marathon is committing to the training and following through on your words. I know you can do this! The second most important thing is to HAVE FUN! Training can feel stressful and serious but it is just to best prepare you for your half marathon. Pop in some good music and enjoy the run!
