How to train for my first half marathon?

Kate: How to train for my first half marathon?
I’ve only been running for 6 months or so, but in the next year I’d like to make it my goal to train and run in a half-marathon. I’ve been busy recently so I haven’t run as often as I used to but on the first of the year, I’m going to be more committed to my training.
My question is, where do I start? How much should I be running daily? Should I follow a training plan or create my own?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answers and Views:

Answer by john johnson
(Zone1)VT1(Zone2)VT2(Zone3)

You want to do about 70-80% of your training is Zone 1. Zone 1 is the area that you can keep a good pace and not be huffing & puffing heavily. If you can still talk (sentences) without major discomfort while exercising you are good, it means your at or below VT1. Zone 2 is a black hole. It’s just hard enough to cause fatigue without real benefits. Zone 3 is your maximum sustainable level, it’s after you hit your VT2 and have a VERY hard time saying more than a couple words at a time. You should do about 10-20% in zone 3, the rest in zone 2.

I don’t know where you are at now for fitness, but start being about to do 30 minutes of constant exercise at a steady pace at or below you VT1. Increase you’re run time as needed. You should eventually work up to doing 2-3 times your event distance in a week. Your event is about 13 miles, so if you can work up to 5 miles a day 5 days a week, you should be golden.

Eat plenty of carbs before and after the work out. Adding a little fat as an extra fuel source is okay (depending on how you are now).