Is the half-marathon right for you?

Helping you decide on whether to take the next step.

We are well into the start of Fall, which means that you may be deciding on whether to race a half-marathon or even marathon next year.

You see, most half-marathon to marathon races start in the Spring, with a few more races happening in late Summer to Fall.

So now is the time to decide on whether you'd like to race next year. This gives you enough training time to build up your race fitness.

If you have never ran a half-marathon before, here are four things to consider to help you decide.

(I'll talk about the marathon distance on next week's issue)

Can you handle the large volume of training through the Fall and Winter?

I believe this is the first question you should ask yourself if you're considering a spring race.

You have be prepared to have a large volume of training through the busiest time of the year, the holidays.

If you're like me, with a family, managing all your holiday events and outings and your training could be tough. Make sure you're ready for that challenge.

The other obvious element to consider is the weather. If you live in an area where the winters can get rough, you'll need to make sure that you can get your mileage for the half-marathon distance.

That and do you even like running outside in the cold?

Having a treadmill or access to a treadmill (at your local gym) could solve the cold weather issue easily.

Are you healthy enough to train?

If you are currently dealing with an injury, like knee or foot pain, you'll need to consider that variable in your planning. Some injuries may need at least 8 weeks to properly rehabilitate.

I would not recommend working through the pain or figuring out how to rehabilitate your injury by yourself. You could risk further injury, leading to unnecessary frustration during training.

Get your injury professionally evaluated, so you can succeed in your training and race performance.

Do you want to race locally? or travel?

I find that racing locally can make your first half-marathon an easier experience. You feel a "home field" advantage for the race. You'll also eliminate the variable and expense of travelling too. This way you can truly focus on just the race.

But if you feel the need to travel, there is nothing wrong with making a trip out of the experience. I'd recommend having the race at the front-end of your trip so that you can get the race out of the way early and enjoy the rest of your trip. You'll likely feel very sore after the race so plan accordingly!

Do you need a large support group or could you train alone?

To help you succeed with your training, be honest with yourself with what works best for you.

For me, I'm happy training by myself. For others, they need the group runs or an accountability partner or training partner to get through the training.

So if you decide to run a half-marathon, make sure you can have the right support to help you.

I hope this helps you decide on your next race.

If you have any questions about the half-marathon, please don't hesitate to ask!

And if you're interested in online coaching for the half-marathon distance, I have 2 openings right now. Email me today to see how I could help you.