HOME | Products | Contact | About | Sitemap

How I Went From 5K To Half Marathon In One Month

Up until January 28th, 2012, the farthest I had ever ran was a 5K, which is 3.1 miles. It was then that I began training for a half marathon.

In less than a month, running only once per week, I was able to reach my goal of running a half marathon distance of 13.1 miles.

Now I'll admint, my finish time of this half marathon leaves little to be desired. Taking a look at the previous year's half marathon race in my area, I would have finished in 5175th place out of 6000.

However, as this was my first training for a half marathon, I wasn't concerned with speed as I simply wanted to be able to finish the race first.

If you have an interest in running a half marathon, but are a newbie like I was, below are details on what I did and how I did it. Also, if you simply want to go from a 5K to a half marathon as quickly and with as little effort as possible, following the strategies below should help you get there.

Schedule and Results

I ran a total of once per week for five weeks. I did this on either Saturday or Sunday, depending on what the weather was like.

I did this training in the middle of winter, where the temperatures were all in the 25-40 degree range. Not the ideal time to start training for a half marathon, so if you are wanting to start training for the first time and are experiencing warmer weather, you'll have a huge leg up on me.

Below are my five runs and their respective miles, time, pace, and calories burned. I used the Nike+ app for iPhone which uses GPS, so it's very accurate...

Run	Miles	Time	Mile Pace	Calories Burned
1	5.44	1:01:25	11'16"	684.12
2	8.06	1:30:33	11'14"	1009.98
3	8.45	1:38:16	11'38"	1046.12
4	10.45	2:08:20	12'17"	1270
5	13.12	2:44:01	12'30"	1583

Below are the nitty gritty details of each run, which breaks down each and every mile I ran along with the pace...

Run #1: Jan. 28th, 2012

MILE	TIME	AVG.PACE
1	10:41	10'41"/mi
2	21:49	11'08"/mi
3	33:22	11'33"/mi
4	44:58	11'36"/mi
5	56:37	11'39"/mi

Run #2: Feb. 5th, 2012

MILE	TIME	AVG.PACE
1	10:17	10'17"/mi
2	20:48	10'31"/mi
3	31:37	10'49"/mi
4	43:17	11'40"/mi
5	54:53	11'36"/mi
6	1:06:21	11'29"/mi
7	1:18:10	11'48"/mi
8	1:29:55	11'45"/mi

Run #3: Feb. 12th, 2012

MILE	TIME	AVG.PACE
1	10:24	10'24"/mi
2	20:58	10'34"/mi
3	32:00	11'02"/mi
4	43:28	11'29"/mi
5	55:30	12'02"/mi
6	1:07:35	12'05"/mi
7	1:20:21	12'46"/mi
8	1:32:47	12'26"/mi

Run #4: Feb. 18th, 2012

MILE	TIME	AVG.PACE
1	9:41	9'41"/mi
2	20:38	10'57"/mi
3	32:23	11'45"/mi
4	44:11	11'48"/mi
5	56:42	12'31"/mi
6	1:09:44	13'01"/mi
7	1:22:17	12'33"/mi
8	1:35:56	13'39"/mi
9	1:49:16	13'20"/mi
10	2:02:34	13'18"/mi

Run #5: Feb. 26th, 2012

MILE	TIME	AVG.PACE
1	9:06	9'06"/mi
2	19:26	10'20"/mi
3	30:32	11'07"/mi
4	43:04	12'32"/mi
5	54:56	11'52"/mi
6	1:07:25	12'29"/mi
7	1:19:50	12'25"/mi
8	1:33:14	13'23"/mi
9	1:46:37	13'24"/mi
10	2:00:36	13'59"/mi
11	2:14:18	13'42"/mi
12	2:29:36	15'18"/mi
13	2:42:35	12'59"/mi

As you might expect, my mile paces progressively got slower as time moved on. Something that I learned is that it's not your endurance that seems to progressively get worse as the miles add on, it's the pain in your feet and leg muscles.

In other words, after I went through the first 3-5 miles and hit my second and third wind, my heart rate and breathing seemed incredibly calm. I was really surprised by this.

The pain though in my legs and feet we're always the cause of me wanting to stop my run. I practiced good running form, but I knew that it would take time to build up strength in my muscles and feet.

Usually after each run, I would be sore and limp around for a couple of days. If I ran on a Sunday, it would be around Thursday before I would even think about running again. I decided though to take a full week off after each run since the weekends were the only time that fit my schedule for a long run.

I'm a true believer that less is usually more when it comes to working out your muscles. If you're sore in the slightest don't even think about running until you're fully recovered. You'll get better results long term by doing less.

I made some dumb mistakes which I'll detail below that could have lessened my recovery time, but for now let's talk about exactly how I did what I did...

Run Walk Run

First, I used Jeff Galloway's method of run-walk-run. Jeff's program has you running for a certain period of time, then doing scheduled walk breaks throughout the entire run.

This isn't the same as stopping to take a break every time you get really tired, this is planned running and planned walking ahead of time.

Based on his recommendations, I chose to do 4 minutes of running, with a scheduled 30 second walk break repeated over and over throughout all of my runs.

I tracked this using a special interval watch which vibrates whenever its time to start walking, and 30 seconds later to start running again. I originally had this in my pocket when I was running but quickly learned I couldn't feel the vibration so I bought a wristband to go with it and then could easily feel it vibrate on my wrist.

Scheduled walk breaks I feel were critical in being able to reach the half marathon mark in one month. If you're like I was, you probably feel that it's cheating taking walk breaks instead of running the whole time. After having done it though, trust me, it certainly doesn't feel like cheating when you are out there doing it.

It feels like you are running almost all of the time. It's very motivating though to look at your watch and know you're a minute or two away from getting a walk break.

Whether you are new to long distance races or not, try it. There are endless stories of seasoned runners who gave run-walk-run's a try and PR'ed (set a personal record) in their half or full marathon times.

Trust me, it works.

Crazy Shoes and Gear

As I mentioned, I did this one month trial in January/February where the temperature was between 25-40 degrees.

With those kinds of temperatures, you better come prepared for the elements.

As far as clothes in cold weather, layers are key. Forgot wearing a shirt and a big bulky jacket. Wear four shirts and a light jacket. For me, once I was a couple miles into my run I was plenty warm. In fact, I had more problems of being too hot then being too cold.

I highly recommend Under Armour Cold Gear if you are willing to pay a little extra on clothes. The longsleeve Cold Gear shirt alone will keep your upper body nice and warm. Vibram Shoes

As for the most important part of your gear, running shoes, I was crazy enough to get a pair of Vibram FiveFinger shoes.

The sales pitch is that we humans have been designed and built to run for thousands of years. However, with modern day shoes and excessive padding, especially in the heel, we train ourselves to have poor running form.

Wearing Vibram shoes eliminates this problem by forcing you to run in a more natural, barefoot style of running. You can feel where your foot is striking the ground when you run and this feedback allows you to adjust accordingly.

I highly recommend these shoes, but I must admit there is a bit of a transition period when you first start using them. You certainly work different muscles, especially in your feet and ankles. I had been running in them frequently for about a month before I started my half marathon training. In hindsight, I probably should have done more transitioning before starting training.

Adding to my stupidity, I had the wise idea of running with no socks for the first 4 runs! If you ever get a pair of Vibrams, I highly recommend you DO NOT do this. I had 3 huge blisters on the bottom of my feet that I greatly contribute to not wearing socks.

On my 5th run where I completed the half marathon, I bought a pair of toe socks and felt an immediate difference in foot comfort, which I feel had a big impact on how far I was able to run.

In addition, I bought a pair of compression shorts which also made a huge difference. I won't sugarcoat it, I had some major chafing problems during my first four runs. It was constantly on my mind as I was running. However, on my final run I never even thought about it for a second. Heed my advice, get a pair of compression shorts before you learn the hard way why you need them. Your upper thighs will thank you.

Supplements and Nutrition

As far as post workout, I used a recovery drink called Endurox R4 as this is what Jeff Galloway recommended and it seemed to gain high praise. Some people complain of the taste, but for me after a long workout almost anything would taste good. I used the tangy orange and thought it was quite delicious, although there was a bit more sugar in it then I would like.

The sales pitch is the ideal muscle recovery meal has a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. I didn't exhaustively research it so I took their word for it.

It did seem to help a little bit, but it's certainly not a miracle worker though as I did have some muscle soreness for a couple days after each workout.

I made a point to try and eat especially healthy during the one month trial and I think that was a large contributing factor in being able to reach my goal.

A Few Key Points

If you want to train for a half marathon, and don't really care about time and just want to complete it as soon as possible, I would offer this advice...

Give the Jeff Galloway run-walk-run a try. You can pick up a copy of his book, Half-Marathon - You Can Do It, for all of the details. But if it's your first time training and just want to get going, pick up an interval timer and set it to where you run 4 minutes, then walk for 30 seconds.

I only did one really long run once per week. If you aren't sore and feel great after a couple days, you may get better results by adding a 30 minute run in the middle of the week to maintain your cardio, it's up to you.

Learn good running form and avoid being a "heel striker" that lands on your heels first. Instead, learn to land on your forefoot. My biggest piece of advice on running form though is to try and land on the ground as softly as possible. If you feel yourself pounding the pavement hard, you're really going to regret it those last few miles of your run.

The best runners land very soft and quietly so emulate their expertise.

Invest in the right kind of running gear, especially compression shorts. This will help avoid pain that you'll most likely experience otherwise.

Finally, track your results. I used the Nike+ app which automatically posted my results to the top social media sites. This in itself is very motivating because you don't want to quit your run short and be made of fun of by your friends.

If you follow the above advice, going from a 5K to half marathon in one month or less is easily possible.

All Running Related Articles

Jogging In The Morning
5K To Half Marathon Training Program
Perfect Your Jogging Technique
How To Start Jogging Consistently
How To Run An 8 Minute Mile

Like what you read? You can receive updated and exclusive information about the site in my Ultimate Personal Development Newsletter. It's free to join and you can unsubscribe at any time...

Return from 5K To Half Marathon Training to Ultimate Guide To Personal Development home