Originally Posted by
mudminnow
I know it isn't crossfit, but I did a half marathon this past weekend and actually ran it well and thought I'd give some tips on what made this one go better than the last two years where I tried and either had to cancel or hobble the last 3 miles.
1:
It takes more than three months to get in shape to run a half marathon. Most programs you see give you twelve weeks to train. What happened the last two years was I upped my mileage too quick causing injuries.
2:
Running three times a week with two other cross training days was the best change I made this time. I started running 4-5 times per week and felt overuse injuries creeping up and started swimming instead to increase cardio without weight bearing exercise.
3:
Strengthening muscles. I started doing squats with and without weights, Using therabands for lateral leg muscles and strengthening the ol' gluteus maximus
4:
Gatorade right after workouts gave me a faster recovery and an improved performance on my next workout
5:
Get good shoes. Some may suggest going barefoot or zero drop shoes and those can work. But you have to put your time in to train to be able to run that way. And if your feet start to hurt or your lower legs are more sore after a run than usual, you probably need new shoes.
The main thing is, when you start to hurt, other than tired muscles, you need to scale back training. If not you injure yourself like I did and end up gaining the weight back you lost and losing fitness because you are hobbling around for 2 months.
There is a good book called "Run Less, Run Faster" that has been really helpful and is written by guys at furman university.
So if you are on the fence about getting in shape and crossfit isn't your cup of tea but everytime you run you get injured, check out that book and start slow and do your best to eat right. Running is a lot of fun and is an easy way to get in shape as long as you put in the miles.
5 months ago I weighed 40 lbs more and was borderline hypertensive. All of that is a thing of the past now. My mile times started at 9:30 and I averaged 8:30 in the race. and my goal this next year is to run a 5k under 20 minutes.
Good luck to anyone wanting to try and I would definitely check out that book.
I'm sure these tips will be helpful to someone. The best part of the post is losing 40 lbs in 5 months. I hope you enjoy the way you feel enough to keep it up. COngrats on getting your ass in better shape.
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