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Health & Fitness

How to Train for (and Run) the Middletown Half Marathon!

Huge news! The Hartford Marathon Foundation recently announced a Half Marathon to be held in addition to the existing Legends 4-Miler this coming April and if you have ever wanted to run a Half Marathon this is absolutely the race to commit to. The inaugural race starts and finishes right on Main Street, Middletown. Although the course details have not been posted yet, we have been promised that we will be taken on the very same streets that Wesleyan Alumni and race legends Amby Burfoot and Bill Rodgers trained on back in their college days.

If running a Half is on your bucket list and you are reading this article lets just go ahead and assume you're game. If you are reasonably healthy with no physical limitations, I recommend adopting this 10-week training schedule to properly prepare for the big day. Click here for a personalized training calendar specific to this race, which is devised to help you get to the starting line in one piece. Using this schedule, your training would begin January 27, 2014. So let’s write that date down, circle it in red pen and ensure we have a huge showing of Middletown residents making history happen by representing at the very first inaugural Middletown Half Marathon!

Commit. Researchers who study motivation and exercise adherence have repeatedly shown that those who verbally express (ie, say it out loud!) their goals are more likely to stick to them. Soliciting support from friends and family will help eliminate conflicts and distraction as well as hold you accountable for your training when your motivation is low.

Start running! 90% of race training is just getting to the starting line. If you train properly and stay injury free, this will be a non issue. Follow the schedule, put the work in, and you will be fine. I guarantee you will surprise yourself.

I would recommend choosing a day to dedicate to your “long run” and sticking with that. The other weekly runs can be modified around your schedule. You may find that you are tired the day after a long run, so perhaps Saturdays would be a good day so that you can spend the day Sunday recovering and gearing up for the work week. Again, this is different for everyone.

Register for the race. Commit to the date! I know it seems scary and you are wondering if you should take the “wait and see” approach, but trust me. Once you have a finite date, it will keep you focused and on schedule. Goals are obtainable when they are measurable. Sticking to a schedule will ensure that you are doing what you need to do to prepare, but also act as positive reinforcement once you see the miles you are logging on those legs. You have already missed the New Year incentive rate, but if you register before March 8th, you will avoid another price increase and have guaranteed entry for $55.

It may seem silly to pay a significant amount of money just to run, but this fee pays for the course entertainment, medical personnel, road closures and police detail, portalets, fluid, food, race administration and more.

Listen to your body. Don’t be afraid to modify the schedule and repeat a few weeks if you feel that you are not ready to move on. The number one reason that novice runners quit is because they become tired too soon. The important thing to remember is to start off where you are, not where you would like to be. It is called training for a reason. The runs are there to prepare you for race day, not torture you. If at any time you cannot continue running, it’s okay to walk. Just get the miles in, it doesn’t matter how you do it! If you feel that you are becoming tired too quickly, try starting off at a slower pace and maintaining that for a longer duration.

Good luck and breathe! Sometimes runners forget to breathe. I know, crazy right? Remind yourself to breathe enough. Novice runners all too often breathe incorrectly, meaning that they take short shallow breaths just to fill their lungs, which inevitably causing cramping, lightheadedness and fatigue. Picture a baby sleeping, how the belly rises and falls. If you mimic “belly breathing” while you are running you can avoid runners cramping or “stitches” (sharp pains in your ribs).

Stay tuned as we get closer to the big day for race day tips to reduce jitters to ensure a stress free race!

Race information can be found here.

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