Half-Marathon in 7 weeks for someone who hasn’t run in at least 5 years. Doable?

[ryan5o]

I’m a male 5’7” 180 lbs. I’ve been riding my soul cycle at least 3-5 times a week for about 6 months building up my cardio. 45 minute rides. Got on the treadmill for the first time in a while a couple days ago and I’m now really worried about the marathon. Ran three miles but it took me 50 minutes. My pace did get better the longer I ran. I’m not trying to get some great time. I just want to finish to prove to myself that I can still do it now that I’m 41. Friend talked me into it but he’s a damn fitness Adonis. I played competitive sports in high school and throughout college so I have athleticism in me. Just wondering if it’s even reasonably possible to train for this in that amount of time.

 

[johnnylester211]

@ryan5o The Couch to 5k program is 8 weeks. You are going couch to 20k in 7 weeks. That seems really hard. I'm afraid you will really hurt yourself.

 

[ryan5o]

@johnnylester211 I was afraid of this!

 

[olirain]

@ryan5o I wouldn't be. You're more likely to get hurt driving to the race than training for it.

 

[olirain]

@johnnylester211 How exactly would OP really hurt themselves?

 

[johnnylester211]

@olirain Well, a body not used to running suddenly running long distances could hurt hamstrings and muscles. If the runner is overweight, there is an increased risk of hurting their knees and feet.
This isnt even counting shin splints, back pain, psoas pain/injury, or a heart attack by going from sedentary to a marathon.
It's like not lifting weights, ever, and deciding to squat 400 pounds.

 

[olirain]

@johnnylester211 I mean, it's not like their going from zero to marathon, and the goal is to finish, which worlds easier than trying to push a decent pace. All of your worries are basically taken care of with proper shoes, non dumbass running technique, and not pushing it to hard.

Humans are literally designed to run long distances. I think your way over blowing risk of injury here.

I feel like we're gonna have to agree to disagree here, which is fine. Have a good weekend!

 

[nrg23]

@ryan5o 3 miles took you 50 minutes and you ran? You need some serious work…

However you could start the couch 2 10k now

https://marathonhandbook.com/couch-to-10k-training-plan/

And then just send it on marathon day and accept that you will be wiped out for a day or two after!

The day I ran my first 25 minute 5k I keep running and ran a 50 minute 10k and felt like I could keep going…

So I feel like you can do it! I did the couch 2 5k having never been a runner since jr high and I was cutting from 230 down to 200 in a month so I was low calories.

I know you can do it if you just send it!

 

[ryan5o]

@nrg23 Haha bro. I know. It’s embarrassing as fuck! It was some running and then walking. Tried going like 2 minutes on two minutes off. Didn’t wanna kill myself right off. But figured I’d be fully transparent so I could get the cold hard truth! Based on how my soul cycling has gone, I think I can improve with relative speed. Again I haven’t run for training in probably 5-7 years so it was a slow start. Literally haven’t RUN for anything in YEARS. Closest thing was running across the airport to catch a flight which was maybe once or twice in the last 5 years. Other than picking up soul cycle, I’ve been dormant. My pace did get better further into my run with each mile. Still pathetic though. And you know, it wasn’t even that I was out of breathe while running, my thighs were just getting tired more than anything and I’ve got good leg strength just not used to the high impact I think.

Thank you so much for the words of encouragement! Seriously. I don’t intend to win this thing, I just want to finish. Even if I’m the last person. My intent is for this to be on my path to being the healthiest I’ve been maybe even healthier than when I was in college.

 

[nrg23]

@ryan5o Start that couch 2 10k tomorrow!

And you will 100% finish it

 

[kimberlynicole]

@ryan5o It is doable, but be careful how you approach your training. I recently did a half with very inconsistent training and I ended up hurting my knee two weeks before the race. I did a long run and accidentally went too fast, then tried doing a speed workout a few days later…which lasted about 30 seconds. I barely ran leading up to the race, which I ended up running just fine. I’d recommend following a program for a shorter race, like others have suggested, and working on mobility daily.

Also, please don’t try to diet at the same time (I saw that recommended above). Proper nutrition will help prevent injury and running on empty has always resulted in slower paces in my experience. Good luck and have fun!

 

[jukra102391]

@ryan5o Your are 41. The chances of injuring yourself and being put out of commission is so high. I tried for a 1/2 marathon a few years ago (maybe at 38), sprained my ankles. I got up to 9 miles. Took several months off to heal. Took longer to not feel phantom pains. Don’t do it.

 

[ryan5o]

@jukra102391 Thanks for this insight. I was afraid of this. Were you relatively active leading up to that half marathon?

 

[jukra102391]

@ryan5o I think I had started running 3 mile at a 10 min pace, but I twisted my ankle because I was running in the dark.

 

[bradskii]

@ryan5o Depends if there is a cutoff and how slow you are willing to go. Check out the MAF method. In 8 weeks you’ll most likely be able to jog through the whole thing if you go slow enough. I’d also focus on dropping as much weight as possible.

 

[ryan5o]

@bradskii I honestly don’t care how slow I go. I just want to finish it.

 

[dawn16]

@ryan5o Sure might have to walk some of it but who cares as long as you finish

 

[ryan5o]

@dawn16 I’m not above walking some of it! My goal is just to finish. I’ll worry about speed later if I survive this. Some of these other comments have me really worried though.

 

[dawn16]

@ryan5o Na if you don’t mind walking and finishing is the only goal. You’re golden just stay hydrated you got this

 

[ryan5o]

@dawn16 Thanks so much! Your encouragement is needed! Crazy im totally getting both sides of the spectrum here. And I know it’s highly dependent on the person and this is how Reddit works.