Nov. 2, 2008

Two things:

First, the big one: One of my nieces - and maybe both of them - has decided to jump into running. I don't know yet how excited she is about this decision, but I have to admit I hope she likes it and makes running part of her life.

Whether that happens depends partly on her initial encounter with the sport. J, as I will refer to her, is in her 20s and was athletic in high school, but admits to not doing much in the way of exercise since. A few weeks ago she and a few of her friends decided to run a half marathon. They chose the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon on May 2, 2009 in Indianapolis. That's a big race, but the decision to make it their first race is even bigger. A half marathon is a long way and it requires a tremendous amount of hard work. It takes a lot of guts to jump into running this way. Do it wrong and you risk taking all the fun out of it, and maybe even getting hurt.

J asked me for some advice, so I'm going to do my best to make sure to make sure she has fun and, ultimately, some success.

Since J has no running base, the first order of business is to slowly build up to the point where she can begin serious half-marathon training. You need 12-16 weeks to train for a half marathon, but that assumes that you have already reached a certain level of running fitness. We'll use November and December to reach that "certain level of fitness." Plus, we'll make the time count for something other than fitness - namely, a medal.

J's first job is to go to a running store and buy a good pair of running shoes. They don't have to be the most expensive shoes on the rack, but they have to fit comfortably and correctly, taking into consideration stride and arch, among other things.

After she gets her shoes, J needs to sign up for her first 5k race. This race serves two very important functions:
1. It locks her into her training for two months. If she wants to finish and have fun, she needs to train. If she doesn't train, but runs the race anyway, it will hurt and she'll be disappointed. If she doesn't train and doesn't run the race, she loses her entry fee (and wastes her shoe money). In my mind the only choice is to train and have a fun race. And win a medal.
2. The 5k distance is used as a measuring stick for J's level of fitness and a predictor of her half-marathon finishing time. We need to know this information going into the next phase of her training. J's 5k race time will help us set up the training schedule for her half.

I also recommended J Keep a running log. Every time she runs, she can jot down the distance (keep track of how many miles you have on your shoes) and time. Some people note their weight, the weather conditions, and the quality of their run. MS Excel works well for this.

Some kind of runner's watch is handy, too. A cheap one is really all you need at this point.

The next order of business is to get out there. Watch this space for training info.

Oh, the other thing: I ran an 8k (5 miles) race this morning after fighting a cold all week. I didn't feel that energetic, but things came out pretty well anyway, as I finished in 37:49, a 7:37 pace.