Half marathon training has been going so much better than I expected. It’s crazy how much we can underestimate our full potential.
How’s everyone’s running going now that everything is really starting to pick up again? 
@TotallyTrudy
Everything’s going well! Not doing as well as I would have hoped in track, but oh well. I haven’t gotten injuries yet (thank god…) you?
My half marathon training has been going really well. I though I would’ve never liked running but I actually love it! I’ve gotten so much faster. My target finish time has gone from 2:30 to 2:15!
Does running across Skyrim count?
Sprinter here. I’ll be running unattached this summer. Distance running is gross.
Just ran my first half marathon today, the Country Music Half Marathon! I trained 16 weeks for it, and it was a long, hard process, but it was so worth it!
Sorry to hijack the thread a little, but do any of you have tips for someone who’s hoping to start track next year?
My main concern is being able to deal with the practice, because I’m not used to pushing myself when it comes to running. In PE last week I tried to push myself harder than usual, and ended up sick after the third lap (over 3/4 of a mile but less than a full mile) and I couldn’t even get into a decent sprint at the end of any of the laps (separate laps of varying lengths).
I know that, obviously, practicing and running more is going to help, but are there any additional things I could do?
ETA: I should add that I wasn’t just jogging along and I got exhausted after three laps, I was trying to run in the front pack. While I wasn’t sprinting, I was moving at a decent pace.
Ah I’m a runner too! I’m actually a sprinter, hoping to use track for some scholarship money at some point @DogsAndMath23 I know exactly what you feel. That’s how I felt when I started running track. My advice to you would be to hydrate, like seriously. I mean drink ALOT of water throughout the day. It’s recommended that athletes should drink half their body weight in ounces of water a day ,that alone should help with exhausted muscles. Plus think about what you’re eating before you run, eating pizza or like a burger at lunch then going to run will make you sluggish and get tired way easier (first hand experience) ,try eating energy food a couple hours before practice like granola bars or fresh fruit, that way you’re stomach will be completely easy and you’ll have enough fuel to get you through the run. Finally, just run at the pace you can and over time you will be able to go farther and farther w/o exhaustion. Track is literally one of those sports you have to keep repeating and running until your muscles learn to go longer. Hopefully this helps
@TotallyTrudy wow, that’s so great! Do you plan to do anymore in the future?
@DogsAndMath23 the poster above gives some very good points. It is important to eat right and stay hydrated throughout the day; when I eat junk before I ran, I feel terrible (nausea, stomachache, little energy). Practicing more and running more in general will help you feel better while running and up your endurance and stamina; just keep going and you will see progress.
Thanks @neonerudite I have registered to do two more, one on 5/16 and one on 6/6. It’s probably going to be so hot during both of them :((
Thanks for the tips! So my math teacher (a cross country coach) wants me to try out for cross country now, have any of you been able to successfully go from a slow mile and iffy motivation to running cross country without feeling like you’re dying? A big advantage of running cross country would be that I wouldn’t have to switch around my schedule after a semester for track (if I try out for track). I don’t know if I’ll even make either team so maybe I’m thinking too far ahead, though.
You have to be careful not to drink TOO much water!! I have a good friend who is a marathon runner and a doctor. He said that more people get in trouble by OVER hydrating than under. You can get your electrolyte balance off. Drink to thirst! If you’re thirsty, drink. Otherwise, don’t.
@DogsAndMath23 if you want to be successful in cross country, it’s all about the summer running. You MUST run in the summer; ask your teacher how much mileage he recommends. Every single girl who placed in the state championships in my state ran more than 400 miles this summer (this may be too much for you however; everyone is different concerning mileage). If you get that base in the summer, you’ll do good in xc in the fall :). Just start running and you’ll eventually get better and be able to go longer and faster. When your running in the summer, focus on MILEAGE, not speed. And of course, drink lots of water (not too much), and eat and sleep right.
@MaineLonghorn are you talking about water intoxication? I heard about that happening, but it’s usually extremely rare (gallons upon gallons of water). I agree, drink until youre not thirsty.
Thank you @neonerudite!
I’m going to try to run more often anyway so I can be ready for track anyway. Cross country has some summer runs, so I might go check it out. This thread is giving me a lot more confidence about getting into running, so thank you!
Also, one more question: I’d really like to give hurdles a shot, but I do have a slightly turned foot-- nothing extreme but off by enough that it’s noticable if you look for it. Could this be an issue for hurdles? I can run just fine but I wonder if it might complicate jumping and landing.
My feet are pretty similar to the drawing: http://www.mobilitywod.com/forum/discussion/510/tibial-torsion-in-right-ankle/p1
Does anyone have suggestions for increasing speed? I started running in January and ran my first half marathon last Saturday. I ran at about an 11:25 pace. When I run shorter distances I can go faster (my 10K is about 59 minutes, 9:45ish pace). Anyways, over the summer I really want to work on running faster, and I have noticed that I’m getting faster the more I run. But I’m just wondering if there are specific drills to do for speed.
@DogsAndMath23 I don’t know much about hurdling, but Ive never heard of a turned foot being too dentrimetal- what I would do is go out there, try some hurdles, and see how it feels. I’m pretty sure the turned foot won’t affect your perfomance though :).
@TotallyTrudy I’m not a coach so I’m not sure how helpful this will be, but for speed for long distances (5k, 10ks, etc), exercises such as tempos (long run with intervals of speeding up) and mile or two mile repeats that are faster than/at race pace. for track we would do 200s and 400s, but of course that was wayyy shorter distances. I think tempos and the mile/two mile repeats are very helpful, but of course I am not experienced with marathons or 10k, so maybe ask the xc coach at your school for more advice (or search online!)
I really want to make it to the state championship next year. That is my goal. I have to run a sub-17 5k though and last season I barely got under 19. I ran a 5:10 mile during track and 11:40 2 mile so it is doable it’s just a matter if I am willing to do the work or not. I really really need motivation so badly. I really want to make it too it’s just I always lose track and sight of my goal.