Poll: Your Recommended Longest Training Run for a First Half

[lunarsongbird]

Hello! I tried to find this topic already, but couldn't find one...

What is the longest training distance you would recommend for a first timer doing a half?

Thanks so much for helping me, inspiring me...

 

[rteetz]

Are you using a training plan? Whatever plan you are using should have a "longest run" and that's what you should do.

 

[Ariel484]

At least 10. Personally I like to go to 12.

 

[rteetz]

I only did 10 before my first half. It really depends on you though. If you think you need more to be mentally prepared go for it.

 

[Keels]

Currently, I top out at 10. For my first half, I did 11.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I voted "other" because I believe that my recommended distance would be based on someone's current fitness level and pace. I'm a big believer that relative current fitness level X time is more important than mileage for training purposes. My recommendation for continuous runners is 2.5 max in a training run, and for people who follow run/walk is 4.5 hours max. But these both still come with the caveat that the "long run" is not the end-all be all and the rest of the plan needs balance around it to justify the max length of time you should spend training. Sorry for the open-ended answer.

 

[camaker]

I'll vote 12 miles, since that's what I did for mine, but I think anywhere between 10 and 12 is OK depending on your tolerance for "mental ambiguity". Physically, I don't think we need anywhere near as long a training run as we "think" we need based on my marathon experience. However, running is such a mental exercise, whatever length will convince you in training that you're ready for race day is the right answer!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Psychologically, having run 14 miles 2 weeks before my first 1/2 helped me understand that I could run the 13.1 because I had actually run longer. I realized that on race day, I would be done by now so I kept going up to 14 miles.

That said, the distance training for my fourth 1/2 was less than perfect and long story short, I wound up having to cut off a planned 12.5 mile run at 12 miles 3 weeks before the race. Now since I had come to understand that you can keep up your training for 3 weeks if you put in all the maintenance runs and knew that 13.1 wasn't much more than my last long distance run, I was confident that I would be okay.

 

[JohnRPG]

Thanks OP for posting this thread! My first 1/2 is coming up in just a couple of weeks and I've been dithering about whether to go 11 or 12 as my longest before it. (I'm following a Higdon plan, but it's been tweaked a bit.) Reading about others' experiences has been very helpful.

Right now, I'm leaning toward 12 as I think it'll give me more confidence going in, but at this late stage, I don't think either option would be a bad choice.

 

[cavepig]

I have to say other too because for me I like going to 13 for a half now(but I already know I can finish & it's been waaaay to long to remember before my first half, which I know I didn't go to 13, heck I was only 17). For someone else sure I could say go to 13 too but it may not be best for them if they are forcing the miles and causing more damage than good, so I would say plan on 13 but feel free to cut it to 10 if anything feels off. Once form starts to fall apart then adding more miles might cause more harm than good. So yeah I'm no help, but I would think hitting double digits would help just for the mental game, so 10-13 with still keeping good form (like no favoring a leg cause something else is starting to hurt, etc.).

 

[LindseyJo22]

I'm not really experienced enough to say that I "recommend" anything. However, for my first half (in like 3 weeks), I'm running 14. I did a Higdon/Galloway mashup for my training, and I wanted the security of knowing I could do the full distance before the race. I'm debating whether I'll go that far when I get back into long runs for Princess, though - I'm pretty sure that 12 would be perfectly fine. That was my long run last week, and I was tired but pretty sure that with race day adrenaline I could totally push through the last 1.1 miles

 

[Anisum]

My personal preference is 10+ (usually between 10-12) but I do think it's all about preference and what makes you feel confident on race day. I would say in general follow the plan you're training with since your other runs (or walks) are created in part with that max distance in mind. Even that I hesitate to say though because I always found the idea of running 14 for a half too much unless you're the sort who mentally needs to know you completed longer distances. I don't think there is any one right answer though so I didn't respond to the poll.

 

[derekleigh]

I would suggest at least a 10 or two. 11 and 12 would be good, but I definitely say hit at least one 10 for a first-timer.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Voted other. 15 is my recommendation, though 16 or 17 would be better. The farther you run, the easier 13 miles will feel at race pace. This, of course, assuming that you have also taken the advice of @DopeyBadger provided above.

 

[kirstie101]

For reasons beyond my control, I only made it to 8 before my first half. It was doable, though not ideal. I never train past 12. I usually aim for 11 though so thats why I voted on 11. I find that if I can get in at least one 8, one 10 and one 11, I feel strong the whole race and recover well after. I guess basically I like to hit 8 and above at least 3 times before a race.

 

[Dr Gunnie]

My first half is in 3 weeks. I am not following any training program, so any advice would be great:

I was training much more in the summer, usually 3 to 6 mile runs every other day. During that time I also did a 10 mile run where I felt pretty decent, but I paced myself with it being my first +6 mile run. Lately because of my work schedule I haven't been able to run much. It's been around 1 or 2 times a week. Last week I did a 3 mile run on Thursday night which felt great, and then a 10.5 mile run on Sunday where I felt sluggish from the beginning, but I ran 1/2 mile further than my last 10 mile run and ran it 5 minutes faster. The last two miles were pretty rough.

I don't follow any plans because I never know when I'm going to be able to go out and run. I'm thinking of doing a 6 mile run this weekend (three weeks to go), then another 10 mile run the following weekend as my last longer training run (two weeks to go). I'm also going to try a gel during that run to see if that makes any difference, I've never tried any of them before and wish I would have tried one sooner. The weekend before the half I might do one more shorter run just to work on pace, but that's probably it.

Sound like right thing to do? Any other suggestions? Like I said, with my work schedule, I can't really run during the week - sometimes on Thursdays if I get out early, so my choices are limited. I feel like around 10 to 11 will be good because for my 5k and 10k runs I've always did much better on race days with other people to compete with and the adrenaline flowing... hopefully that continues with this half!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

My first half is in 3 weeks. I am not following any training program, so any advice would be great:

I was training much more in the summer, usually 3 to 6 mile runs every other day. During that time I also did a 10 mile run where I felt pretty decent, but I paced myself with it being my first +6 mile run. Lately because of my work schedule I haven't been able to run much. It's been around 1 or 2 times a week. Last week I did a 3 mile run on Thursday night which felt great, and then a 10.5 mile run on Sunday where I felt sluggish from the beginning, but I ran 1/2 mile further than my last 10 mile run and ran it 5 minutes faster. The last two miles were pretty rough.

I don't follow any plans because I never know when I'm going to be able to go out and run. I'm thinking of doing a 6 mile run this weekend (three weeks to go), then another 10 mile run the following weekend as my last longer training run (two weeks to go). I'm also going to try a gel during that run to see if that makes any difference, I've never tried any of them before and wish I would have tried one sooner. The weekend before the half I might do one more shorter run just to work on pace, but that's probably it.

Sound like right thing to do? Any other suggestions? Like I said, with my work schedule, I can't really run during the week - sometimes on Thursdays if I get out early, so my choices are limited. I feel like around 10 to 11 will be good because for my 5k and 10k runs I've always did much better on race days with other people to compete with and the adrenaline flowing... hopefully that continues with this half!

Running twice/week to prepare for a half is risking injury, but here you are. A 2 week taper is fine for a half, so go ahead with the plan that you have laid out. You probaby struggled at the end of the run because you ran faster, so unless time is critical during the race, my advice would be to take it slow. Enjoy the race, and try to prepare better for your next race.

 

[Dr Gunnie]

Running twice/week to prepare for a half is risking injury, but here you are. A 2 week taper is fine for a half, so go ahead with the plan that you have laid out. You probaby struggled at the end of the run because you ran faster, so unless time is critical during the race, my advice would be to take it slow. Enjoy the race, and try to prepare better for your next race.

Next race?!?! What is this "next race" you speak of?

This is probably a one and done for me. I've lost 125 lbs over the last 9 months and this was kind of a bucket list thing for me.

All I have to do is finish without walking and I'm done!!!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Next race?!?! What is this "next race" you speak of?

This is probably a one and done for me. I've lost 125 lbs over the last 9 months and this was kind of a bucket list thing for me.

All I have to do is finish without walking and I'm done!!!

So say almost everyone. If so, no worries, but this running bug is very contagious.

 

[Anisum]

Next race?!?! What is this "next race" you speak of?

So, we'll be seeing you on 'The Running Thread' in a few weeks as you plan your next race is what I'm hearing?