We decided to take on the challenge of training for and running the Sheffield half marathon to raise money for Breast Cancer Care! Our friend’s mother has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, so we couldn't think of a more fitting charity to get me motivated to run 13 miles.
We were hooked into the idea of sports for fundraising purposes and was happy to take a decision "running for a cause"
But the problem was that none of us was sure if we could complete a half marathon. But Wendy and I were determined to make a head start. And so we set about training to run a half marathon successfully.
We went to a local trainer and told him our plans to learn how to run the half marathon successfully in a decent time. He suggested we train for 5K and 10K respectively. We had never heard of these terms.
Wendy had always taunted me as a couch potato, as I was fond of watching the NFL games supporting my favorite team, always sitting with my large dose of chips and popcorns. But our coach said that he had worked with many couch potatoes earlier.
This boosted my confidence and Wendy and I set out, as per our coach’s recommendations to train for our first 5K.
It was of course a big challenge for both Wendy and me to take our first step. As they say, it is the first step that is the hardest while the rest is easy and takes care of itself. It terrified me to know that 5K is about 3.1 miles, as I had never run such a long distance before in my life.
We consulted a local nutritionist for our diet. He gave a chart which is called carb-backloading diet. This diet helped us to lose extra fat quickly.
But our coach, Mr. Gary told me that the schedule to train for 5K would be a mix of running, resting and walking. This way, the body is able to recoup after running and regain the strength quickly. There are also reduced chances of stress and injury. He told us to take it lightly to allow our bodies to adjust to the demands of 5K running.
The biggest challenge we faced was to fix the way in which we ran.
(1) We started standing with one leg everyday for 5 minutes to remove any muscular imbalance. because running after all is just a series of one-legged posture stances
(2) We followed Christopher Drozd's book to have correct running form.
(3) We purchased special zero drop shoes for this purpose.
To increase the endurance capacity of our muscles, we trained twice a day on alternate days. We also followed a proper nutritious diet during our marathon training and during the marathon.
The podcast of Mat on "fueling your body beyond the wall" helped us to learn more on how to select nutrition, mastering eating and drinking while running, how to decide which one is the best for us amongst energy bars, sports drinks, gels etc.
I followed 4 Steps to Perfect Marathon Fueling where Kim Mueller explained how to determine the total calories required during running like determining running calorie expenditure per mile, calculate hourly expenditure based on goal race pace etc.
The schedule Gary gave us contained time periods, where we were supposed to walk rather than run. For example, Wendy and I ran for 15 seconds in the first week and then walked for 45 seconds.
We had to repeat this cycle for 30 minutes. We got Friday as a rest day and neither did we run nor did we walk on this day. Surprisingly, he gave us a choice of either full rest again Sunday or walk a particular distance.
I remember my runs at the beginning.
“I feel like I’ve been going for a while, then I look at my watch and it’s been a minute and 20 seconds only … I was really out of shape.”
We persevered, we urged each other on, and we also got smartphones with a motivational zombie running app (“Your helicopter crashed. The zombies are coming for you — you have to run!”).
Finally we have completed 5K running within 40 minutes and that took us 3 months.
We successfully ran 10 K after another 4 months. We both completed below 83 minutes
Once we successfully completed 10K, we followed a schedule called "100 day Marathon plan" by Dr. Marius Bakken 2 Time Olympic Runner and M.D.
Finally, we participated & completed Sheffield half marathon & collected around 300 USD against target of 500 USD. Thanks for our supporters for online fund collection, where we got donations from across the globe.
We were delighted as we were successful in our fund raising effort, completed 1st half marathon and moreover regained our health.
My special thanks goes to Lemmy whose regular deep tissue massage was very helpful for us to keep fit. And another great article is “The 26.2 Step Guide to Your First Marathon” without reading this article; I wouldn’t have considered the importance of a toilet break during marathon running.
Those who are interested to be a long distance runner, read my articles on "10 Tips on How to Run A 5K" and important running attire & gears.
We continued our newly formed habit of running, swimming & aerobic training. Next, I'll share you our trip to mount Kilimanjaro.
Related latest articles on various tips on long distance running
We were hooked into the idea of sports for fundraising purposes and was happy to take a decision "running for a cause"
But the problem was that none of us was sure if we could complete a half marathon. But Wendy and I were determined to make a head start. And so we set about training to run a half marathon successfully.
We went to a local trainer and told him our plans to learn how to run the half marathon successfully in a decent time. He suggested we train for 5K and 10K respectively. We had never heard of these terms.
Wendy had always taunted me as a couch potato, as I was fond of watching the NFL games supporting my favorite team, always sitting with my large dose of chips and popcorns. But our coach said that he had worked with many couch potatoes earlier.
This boosted my confidence and Wendy and I set out, as per our coach’s recommendations to train for our first 5K.
It was of course a big challenge for both Wendy and me to take our first step. As they say, it is the first step that is the hardest while the rest is easy and takes care of itself. It terrified me to know that 5K is about 3.1 miles, as I had never run such a long distance before in my life.
We consulted a local nutritionist for our diet. He gave a chart which is called carb-backloading diet. This diet helped us to lose extra fat quickly.
Video on Efficient and Injury Free Natural Running Technique
But our coach, Mr. Gary told me that the schedule to train for 5K would be a mix of running, resting and walking. This way, the body is able to recoup after running and regain the strength quickly. There are also reduced chances of stress and injury. He told us to take it lightly to allow our bodies to adjust to the demands of 5K running.
The biggest challenge we faced was to fix the way in which we ran.
3 steps we took to improve your running pose
(2) We followed Christopher Drozd's book to have correct running form.
(3) We purchased special zero drop shoes for this purpose.
To increase the endurance capacity of our muscles, we trained twice a day on alternate days. We also followed a proper nutritious diet during our marathon training and during the marathon.
The podcast of Mat on "fueling your body beyond the wall" helped us to learn more on how to select nutrition, mastering eating and drinking while running, how to decide which one is the best for us amongst energy bars, sports drinks, gels etc.
I followed 4 Steps to Perfect Marathon Fueling where Kim Mueller explained how to determine the total calories required during running like determining running calorie expenditure per mile, calculate hourly expenditure based on goal race pace etc.
The schedule Gary gave us contained time periods, where we were supposed to walk rather than run. For example, Wendy and I ran for 15 seconds in the first week and then walked for 45 seconds.
We had to repeat this cycle for 30 minutes. We got Friday as a rest day and neither did we run nor did we walk on this day. Surprisingly, he gave us a choice of either full rest again Sunday or walk a particular distance.
I remember my runs at the beginning.
“I feel like I’ve been going for a while, then I look at my watch and it’s been a minute and 20 seconds only … I was really out of shape.”
We persevered, we urged each other on, and we also got smartphones with a motivational zombie running app (“Your helicopter crashed. The zombies are coming for you — you have to run!”).
Finally we have completed 5K running within 40 minutes and that took us 3 months.
We successfully ran 10 K after another 4 months. We both completed below 83 minutes
Once we successfully completed 10K, we followed a schedule called "100 day Marathon plan" by Dr. Marius Bakken 2 Time Olympic Runner and M.D.
Finally, we participated & completed Sheffield half marathon & collected around 300 USD against target of 500 USD. Thanks for our supporters for online fund collection, where we got donations from across the globe.
We were delighted as we were successful in our fund raising effort, completed 1st half marathon and moreover regained our health.
My special thanks goes to Lemmy whose regular deep tissue massage was very helpful for us to keep fit. And another great article is “The 26.2 Step Guide to Your First Marathon” without reading this article; I wouldn’t have considered the importance of a toilet break during marathon running.
Those who are interested to be a long distance runner, read my articles on "10 Tips on How to Run A 5K" and important running attire & gears.
We continued our newly formed habit of running, swimming & aerobic training. Next, I'll share you our trip to mount Kilimanjaro.
Related latest articles on various tips on long distance running
- What I learned from my first marathon
- Running Earbuds and Headphones
- Common running injuries
- Why Camelbak Magic Hydration Pack?
- 10 Tips on How to Run A 5K
- Barefoot Running
- Running Attire and the Gear
- 5k Running for a cause
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