It’s also a great way to see if you’ve got the metal to run a marathon and beyond – no matter how long the Two Oceans and Comrades are, running a half is certainly a significant athletic achievement. Also add in that the training is manageable compared to marathons and ultras, and you recover quicker.

Whether you choose to run a half or a full marathon depends partly on time and commitment: How much time do you have to train?

Marathon training programmes usually last from 12 to 18 weeks, with numerous long runs scattered throughout. In contrast, our half marathon training programme takes only eight weeks, and it will get you to the finish line as well as ensure that you make it to the starting line healthy and ready to do your best.

RELATED: Transitioning From The Half To Full Marathon

Not only will you need to invest less training time while preparing for a half marathon than a marathon, your injury risk will be lower. Plus, you won’t need to worry about all those super-long runs on weekends, and there will certainly be less to worry about on race day. Many marathon veterans appreciate that half marathon training requires lower mileage, which means they can run those kays at a faster pace than they would for the marathon.
RELATED: Half Marathon, Full Life!

Get Started Below you’ll find two different half marathon training programmes, each 8 weeks long. One is for novices and the other for slightly more advanced runners. Choose the one that suits your needs best and go for it.

Download the 21km Novice Training Programme

Download the 21km Experienced Training Programme

The post Your 8-Week Half-Marathon Training Programme appeared first on Runner's World.

This shouldn’t be a problem if general foot and shoe hygiene is practiced.

When Is It A Problem?

Pathologically sweaty feet are abnormal and can be embarrassing because of the smell.

Causes can be:
– stress
– the heat build-up in the running shoe
– the type of socks
– hot weather

Some people have a condition called hyperidrosis (increased sweating) or bromidrosis (increased sweating with smell).

Wash Those Toetsies!

Foot hygiene is key. Wash your feet daily and after your training. Dry them carefully, especially between the toes.

Au Naturale

Alternatively, soak your feet daily in black tea, which contains tannic acid. Boil two tea bags in half a litre of water for 15 minutes. Add this to two litres of cool water and soak your feet for 20 – 30 minutes, Dry thoroughly. (Ed’s note: rooibos and other herbal teas don’t contain tannins, so it’s best that you use normal tea.)

Use a cleanser, talcum powder or baby powder on your feet every morning after your shower.

Socks

Socks should be made of cotton or wool, which absorbs moisture. Throw out those nylon socks right now. Most sports socks have a bit of nylon in for strength but a much higher cotton content for the moisture management. The more cotton or wool content, the better.

Bin ’em

If your shoes smell too bad: chuck ’em. Have a fresh start: get new ones.

Itchy Feet?

If you have Athlete’s foot (a fungal infection), get treatment for it or the smell will not get better. Itchy feet are a sign of Athlete’s foot.

Reader’s Tips

RW Reader Alan McConnochie says: Put your shoes in a plastic bag and put in freezer overnight. The cold kills the bacteria. Some people might say the cold will harm the shoes cushioning – well your remedy was to throw them away so at least you will get more use out of them first.

Have any of your own home remedies? Let us know by commenting below.

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Best of all, if you follow these principles, you can make it last a lifetime and get the most health and fitness benefit out of your running programme.

1. Walk before you run

Few people are able to run a kilometre the on their first day of running, so don’t try it. You’ll soon feel discouraged and give in. Instead, begin by mixing running with walking.

For example, run for 30 seconds then walk for 90 seconds, repeating this for a total of 20 minutes. When you can comfortably manage this four times a week, adjust your walk/run ratio to 45/75 seconds four times a week. Then try 60/60, 75/45, and 90/30. In time you’ll be running for several minutes without breaks, and then you will be able to run for 20 minutes without stopping!

Try this beginner’s running training programme

2. Build steadily

If your running is to progress you will need to work harder over time, but if you punish your body too hard too soon you won’t improve and you’ll increase the risk of injury.

Coach Jack Daniels advises his athletes to make a plan of their intended weekly training and then increase mileage or intensity only every third or fourth week. For example, if your current mileage is 30km a week and you’re aiming to build that up to 60km, add eight to 10km every three to four weeks.

Apply this same principle to increases in speed.

3. Warm up, cool down

Warm-ups let your body gradually adjust to the exercise, preparing you for the harder work to come and actually making the session easier.

Five to 10 minutes of running or walking before you start putting your body through its paces will also lessen the strain on your heart and reduce the chances of injury. (Read more about warming up, here)

Then after you’ve run hard, the first thing you usually want to do is head straight for the sofa to crash. Don’t, because an abrupt finish to exercise can cause cramps, dizziness, abnormal strain on the heart, and hamper the removal of the body’s waste products such as lactic acid. Just spend five minutes longer on your feet at a gentle pace to cool your body.

4. Choose your running surface carefully

Most runners clock their kays on the open roads. Roads aren’t the worst places to run, but try to run on the tarmac no more than three times a week. If you run the same route regularly, run it in reverse, too. Running the same camber of the road repeatedly can lead to injury.

Steer clear of concrete pavements, which will pound your body. Running tracks are okay for speedwork – although they are draining on the mind – but avoid them for recovery runs or fitness running.

Grassy areas are the softest surface to run on, but they can be uneven. Perhaps the best surface is an evenly graded dirt road; it’s easy on the body and relaxing for the mind.

5. Set goals

Staying fit and healthy is great reward in itself, but setting a goal can make you more motivated and help you enjoy your running more. When you sit down and set yourself a goal consider four elements, incorporated in the acronym RACE.

Firstly, choose a goal with a noticeable reward. It could be a medal, a time, or a new set of clothes if your goal is weight loss.

Secondly, make that goal attainable – within your reach.

Thirdly, make it challenging. If your goal is going to be a cinch, you won’t work to achieve it.

Finally, be explicit: set out specific races, precise target times, and the crucial points along the path to achieving your ambition.

6. Run by time, not by kays

This advice is especially valuable for beginners and those hoping to build endurance. When you find that you can gradually spend more and more time on your feet, all that hard work seems to be paying off.

If you’re a more experienced runner, you’ll find that thinking of time can prevent you tearing round your training routes at breakneck speed trying to set a PB. This can ensure that your recovery runs actually provide the rest and recuperation all runners need.

7. Build a base

You can’t fire a cannon out of a canoe. That’s how one coach once summed up the need for an aerobic base before the fast times will come.

Once you’ve built that platform of steady work, and only then, should you start thinking about speedwork, hillwork and fartlek.

This base of running can last from six months to as long as a year, and should consist of steady running and jogging. Enjoy this period; if you’re an ambitious new runner this may be a useful stress-free period of running when you can gauge which distances may be right for you to race in the future.

8. Learn the hard-easy routine

Whether you’re one of the world’s elite or a beginner, stick to the ‘hard-easy’ method of vigorous exercise followed by either a rest day or a recovery run. Even if you do feel fantastic the day after a hard run, temper yourself. If you don’t do that, you will struggle the following day, or worse, pick up an injury. Stress on top of rest equals improvement, but stress on top of stress equals breakdown.

Still, just how gentle should a recovery be? The key is to listen to your body for warning signs – sore muscles, aches, pains and fatigue – and err on the side of caution. Remember, too, that as you get older you will need longer to recover.

9. Build up your long run

Long runs are the definitive way to build endurance; strengthening the heart, the legs and the ligaments in the process. They also burn fat and boost confidence. Sounds good? It certainly does, but be cautious: If the longest you are used to running for is 30 minutes, gradually build up to an hour by adding five minutes to your run each week.

Just minutes of extra running make a difference – but too much, too soon and you’re setting yourself up for injury or illness.

10. Make running a part of your life

Holistic running’ was a term coined by athlete Kenneth Doherty in 1964. He believed that the runner trains 24 hours a day, not just for an hour or so of running.

Take a look at the way you organise your life, how much you sleep, eat, and drink. Then consider the balance within your training programme. Are you racing too much? Are you not making time to run those routes that are personal favourites? Are you running too much speedwork with too little time to recover?

Just as you should keep the balance in your training, do so with the other areas of life.

The post 10 Tips To Run For A Lifetime appeared first on Runner's World.

When you run, your arms counterbalance the motion of your legs, resulting in saved energy. The swing of the arms helps propel the body forward so the lower body isn’t doing all the work. And a strong upper body bolsters a runner’s form when fatigue sets in.

Do these exercises twice a week, after a run or as a stand-alone workout.

Chair Dip

• Sit in a sturdy chair with your hands gripping the seat.
• Walk your feet forward.
• Lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
• Then push back up.
• Do two sets of 12 to 15 reps.

Quick tip

Squeeze your abs and glutes, but let your arms do the work.

Resistance Rows

• Secure a resistance band to a stable object at chest height, grabbing the free ends in each hand.
• Stretch your arms out in front of you, stagger your feet for balance, and squeeze your core muscles.
• the band back until your hands are beside your chest, keeping your elbows at shoulder level.
• Maintain control as you return to the starting position.
• Do two sets of 12 to 15 reps.

Quick tip

Choose a band that barely allows you to do the last rep of each set with perfect form.

Resistance-Band Sprints

• Using a resistance band as above, stagger your feet and pull in your abdominal muscles for balance.
• Swing arms quickly back and forth, as if you were sprinting.
• Keep your feet planted.
• Do two sets of 12 to 15 reps.
• To train the opposing muscle groups, turn away from the band’s centre and repeat the arm motion.

Quick tip

You may want to try different band lengths and/or levels of resistance until you find one that allows you to closely match your swing.

Push-Ups

• Get into a plank position with your hands slightly outside your shoulders.
• Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.
• Pause, then push back up.
• Do two sets of 12 to 15 reps.

Quick tip

Tighten your glutes throughout to stabilise your hips. If they do sag, consider that your last rep and end the set.

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