The right way to train for a (half) marathon

A half marathon is the same as a mid-week test. It’s not your final, but you can’t pull an all-night bender the night before it either. You’re not broken afterwards, but you’re also not ready to do another. To make sure you do the right amount of prep for one, we decided to ask Nike’s head coach Peteni what we should look at doing. And to make sure you run in the right shoes, make sure you check out our roundup of these four. Check out what the coach had to say below.

“You will need at least 12 weeks if you are a beginner runner. Increasing the number of days you run, along with the distance you run, will help in your preparation. Muscle conditioning on rest days will help prepare you for the next week of training as you look to increase your distance and pace. I always encourage our members to make use of a good coaching programme, such as the Nike+ Run App, which you can download for free.  It is basically a coach in your pocket that guides you while providing great support.

If you are working towards a 10km, half marathon or marathon, you will have to incorporate longer distances once a week into your regular short distance runs. The length of your longer runs will depend on your ultimate goal or distance you are training for. The NTC App provides great workout guides for Mobility, Strength and Endurance training which form the basis for a good running plan.

It’s not just about fitness. I’m not just kick-starting your healthier lifestyle; I’m kick-starting your successful mindset. It’s hard to achieve if you don’t feel good about yourself. And one thing that makes you feel good about yourself is physical fitness. Achieving your fitness goals and seeing improvement in your body makes you feel good. At the end of the day if you look good, you feel good – and if you feel good, you’re going to do good.”