How to prepare for a half marathon?

Yes!... you have already decided, you want to see where your limit is and the challenge is important and a key question arrives. How to prepare a half marathon?
I assume that you already have a baggage on your shoulders as a runner, perhaps you have participated in shorter tests. Now the time has come and you want to make the leap to the half marathon (21,097 meters, or what is the same 21 km and 97 meters).

You need between 9 and 12 weeks to prepare for a half marathon

Any series training plan recommends a preparation of between 9 and 12 weeks of specific training to face the test in question with certain guarantees. Everything will depend on the time that we have been training in a more or less serious way or on the claims of each athlete.

Any half marathon preparation is based on a mixture of resistance, “speed” and psychological preparation . It is about being able to run at fast paces, understanding fast pace, rhythms close to 10 km tests that will be different for each runner. Ok… Ok… back to the question, how to prepare for a half marathon?

Mix resistance with speed. Keys to preparing for a half marathon!

Our training plan will consist of smooth and more or less long runs where we get the body used to running for at least the time we intend to do in the race. Smooth rolling that will increase in distance or time as the weeks go by and as we notice that the body is assimilating that training and our fitness is improving.

We must also include "quality sessions" not only by making soft shoots we will achieve our goal. In these quality sessions is where we can include the days of riding a little more "happy", we can include days of progressive running, where we start slowly to finish at our target pace.
Even a little faster and where we can also include series, short and long series, is that ratio between doing short and long series. That is where you will find the perfect balance to be efficient in a half marathon. A coach can advise you in the best possible way.

Does the gym include sessions? Yeah!

If possible, we could also include strength sessions in the gym in our preparation. In this way we can strengthen the muscles, gain strength in each stride and most importantly...we avoid injuries (like fiber breakage).
It is not infallible, of course, but gym sessions prevent many more injuries than we think.

So far, the easiest part to comply with 😉 that is, we have a plan, some set rhythms, a few kilometers to go. But the so-called invisible training is missing, which is what will take most of our time and preparation in order to run the half marathon.

Each training by itself can last from 45 minutes to 120 minutes, but the invisible training will take us to be aware of our body and give it what it asks for 24 hours.

Importance of invisible training in preparation for a half marathon

In this invisible training, we can include rest, something that seems so simple but when you are immersed in a preparation that is going perfectly, you always want more and it is difficult to rest what is planned. Remember that good training is as important as a good rest. These two concepts together with the feeding (like a good dinner for athletes) they would be the 3 legs of sporting success. You are closer to your goal of: How to prepare for a half marathon?

Food, another key, if you don't you eat in a healthy way, you will not yield everything you should. A poor diet can lead you to not be able to comply with the scheduled training sessions since you are not giving the body the necessary and quality "gasoline" it needs to face a preparation.

Importance of recovery in your training

Therefore, regardless of whether you run or not, more or less fast, healthy eating should be the first step. Nor should you forget to make a couple of visits to the fphysiotherapist to complement pressotherapy, to check that everything is in order and to release your muscles from tension caused by training.

If you can accompany your training sessions with presotherapy, in my case the Size 6+I'm sure your fitness level and your body, especially your legs, will thank you. It is important know how presotherapy works. As I have already mentioned, in previous posts, you have to help your body as much as possible to be recovered and be able to face all the planning of our half marathon with guarantees. Now you know everything you need to face a half marathon. 😉

Juan Pedro Mora, is a popular runner and sizen ambassador.