What must it feel like to be able to just drop everything and run 10 or 15 miles? What kind of fitness level must you have once you can run that far<\/a>? And how great do you feel when you accomplish something like that?<\/p>\n Since you\u2019re reading this, I\u2019m guessing you\u2019ve found yourself asking similar questions. And I want to help you discover those answers for yourself.<\/p>\n Back when I was a wild college kid, a few friends and I decided we were going to run a marathon. We weren\u2019t runners.<\/p>\n We wanted to do it for the reasons above, like incredible fitness and achievement of something so great. (And we figured it\u2019d give us abs, and girls liked abs, so why not?)<\/p>\n We had no idea what we were getting into. But we downloaded a free training plan from the internet and just jumped right in.<\/p>\n It was not pretty. We made some hideous training and nutrition mistakes, so bad that all three of us got hurt in the process. We all did run the race, although I wouldn\u2019t call what we did for the last 8 miles \u201crunning.\u201d<\/p>\n When we finally limped across the finish line, we were a sorry, sorry sight. I\u2019m not sure we even lifted our arms for the finish photo, as it took everything we had to pretend like we were running at the end.<\/p>\n For years after that, I badly wanted to redeem myself. Having crashed in the race, I somehow felt worse about it than I did before I had run it!<\/p>\n So I started over, and decided this time I\u2019d do it right, focusing on running a strong half marathon before I even dreamed of running another full one.<\/p>\n For three years after that first race, I experimented with every thinkable solution. I tried heart-monitor training, running in different shoes, taking walk breaks, doing all sorts of stretching, icing, and massage. I even shaved my shins so I could tape them up without causing pain\u2026 (cool, right?)<\/p>\n And yet most of it didn\u2019t do a damn thing to help me complete a half marathon, much less a full.<\/p>\n But gradually, I started to notice what did work. I\u2019d try a new program, figure out what was working, then hang onto that and move onto something else. I wasn\u2019t injury-free, but it was progress.<\/p>\n In 2005, I ran my first half marathon since that disastrous first race. It took me just under two hours, but it wasn\u2019t the time that I cared about. It was the fact that I didn\u2019t get hurt.<\/p>\n Far more than when I ran that disappointing first marathon, I felt like I had achieved something real. And let me tell you, it was as thrilling as I had imagined.<\/p>\n But, it wasn\u2019t until I cut meat out of my diet<\/a> several years later that things really started to happen for me. At the 2009 Wineglass Marathon, six months after going vegetarian, I finished with a time of 3:09:59.<\/p>\n This was a full 100 minutes faster than my first marathon time, and it qualified me for the Boston Marathon<\/a> by one minute. Since the moment I had registered for that first race back in college, qualifying for Boston had been in the forefront of my mind, and it was the biggest, hardest goal I\u2019d ever set for myself. And finally, with very little natural ability but a lot of discipline, I had done it.<\/p>\n Want to learn how to fuel a half marathon on a plant-based diet?<\/strong> Click here<\/a> to get the Half Marathon Nutrition Guide, a printable guide to everything you should know about fueling 13.1 miles. This whole experience of going from that dark place of disappointment to qualifying for Boston and all the way to running a 100-mile ultramarathon<\/a>, has brought way too much joy to my life for me to keep it to myself. I see so many people who I admire for their ambition and dedication to training for their first half marathon, and yet they\u2019re training in ways that can only lead to injury. And I know how frustrating it is, since not so long ago that was me.<\/p>\n Finally, if you\u2019re a vegetarian or vegan or you\u2019re thinking about becoming one, you might be asking the same questions I was about whether it\u2019s possible to put your body through such intense training on a plant-based diet. It is (of course), and I want to give you the tools to be successful at it.<\/p>\n To get you started, I\u2019ve put together 13.1 nuggets of wisdom based on mistakes I\u2019ve made and lessons I\u2019ve learned over the year and miles. My hope is that by learning from my mistakes, you reach your first half marathon with a lot more success than I did!<\/p>\n 1. Define Your Goal<\/b><\/p>\n What\u2019s your goal<\/a>?<\/p>\n Is it to run 13.1 miles, plain and simple? Is it to break 2:30 or 2:00 for the distance? Is it to wear an Elvis costume and juggle the whole time? (I hope not, but I\u2019ve seen it.)<\/p>\n Whatever your aim, clarify in your mind exactly what it is. Write it down and put it somewhere you can see it every day.<\/p>\n If it\u2019s a certain time you want to beat, this will dictate your training pace for long runs. If it\u2019s just to finish — which is a goal I would definitely recommend for your first half — then avoiding injury will be your primary concern above speedwork, hill workouts, and all else.<\/p>\n And come race day, it\u2019s imperative to know exactly what that goal is. Keep that goal in mind when you\u2019re in the starting corral, at mile 6, mile 10, and of course mile 13.1.<\/p>\n 2. Choose the Perfect Race <\/b><\/p>\n The perfect race is one that\u2019s not soon so you don\u2019t have time to train, not too far into the future so you easily lose motivation, and inspires you so you can take your mind of the pain when the miles start to get long.<\/p>\n When you get the half marathon bug, having to wait 12 or 16 weeks to race seems like an eternity. And if the \u201cperfect race\u201d just so happens to be only eight weeks away, your mind is great at convincing you that you\u2019re superman and that you\u2019ll be alright on less training.<\/p>\n Sure, it\u2019s possible you could finish a half marathon in eight weeks of training. But it\u2019s way more likely that you\u2019ll get hurt before you even get there, since doing so requires ramping up your mileage quicker than is safe.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s a less obvious mistake people make with scheduling, and it\u2019s one that seems, on the surface, like you\u2019re just being cautious. And that\u2019s choosing a race that\u2019s too far in the future.<\/p>\n The problem with this is that it\u2019s easy to lose your drive. When you say \u201cOh, my race isn\u2019t for nine months; I\u2019ll just run two or three times a week to build my base until it\u2019s time to really start training,\u201d what happens is that you get really bored. You might run for a few weeks, but when you\u2019ve got to wait six months before you even officially start, there\u2019s not much to keep you going. When the day to start training finally arrives, you haven\u2019t run in months, you feel guilty about it, and you might not even feel like running a half marathon anymore.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the right time frame?<\/p>\n If you can comfortably run a 5K<\/a> (any speed, doesn\u2019t have to be fast) and not feel trashed at the end, or if you\u2019re currently able to run three miles a few times a week, then plan for 12 weeks of half marathon training.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not there yet, you\u2019ll need to first build up to that level of comfort, since most plans start with three miles as your baseline distance.<\/p>\n 3. Sign Up for that Race<\/b><\/p>\n By nature, we humans are incredible procrastinators.<\/p>\n We all have the bucket list, written down or not, of things we want to do while we still can. But most of us will never do a lot of them, and it\u2019s for one simple reason:<\/p>\n We never take the first step.<\/p>\n Instead, we put it off until things settle down, until this perfect day in the future when, for some inexplicable reason, we\u2019ll have all the time in the world and no problems in our lives.<\/p>\n Give yourself a reason to move, instead of waiting until the timing is perfect. It will never be perfect, but once you start, you\u2019ll wonder why you didn\u2019t do this sooner.<\/p>\n 4. Don\u2019t Run Too Fast<\/b><\/p>\n When people ask me how they can learn to run longer, or even just enjoy running, I always tell them to start with one simple step: Run slower.<\/p>\n Most people have never run as easy as their \u201cEasy\u201d runs are meant to be. When you\u2019re truly running easy, you should be able to carry on a conversation (with ease!) while you\u2019re running.<\/p>\n For your first half marathon, if your goal is simply to finish, you\u2019ll want to do all of your long runs at this easy pace, which is usually about two minutes slower per mile than you\u2019re capable of running the same distance. If you do have a time goal, you still should be slower than your goal pace on your long runs, and your recovery runs between workouts should be at easy, conversational pace.<\/p>\n Running slowly significantly reduces your chances of getting hurt, as it\u2019s way easier on your body. Even once your muscles and cardiovascular system have adapted to the work you\u2019re putting them through, your tendons and ligaments will take several more weeks to adapt. So even though you might feel like you could run faster, you shouldn\u2019t just yet, except for during speed workouts.<\/p>\n 5. The 10% Rule<\/b><\/p>\n I won\u2019t blame you for getting excited once you start running farther and you start to notice more energy than you\u2019ve had in years. When all you\u2019ve done before is two or three miles at a time, and all of a sudden you realize you\u2019re able to stay out on the roads or trails for an hour without even being that winded, it\u2019s really tempting to add more.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t. Whatever training plan you\u2019re following, stick with it, and make sure that in no week are you adding more than 10% (in terms of mileage) to the most you\u2019ve done in a previous week. Adding any more than 10% a week is just begging for an overuse injury.<\/p>\n 6. Respect the Long Run<\/b><\/p>\n Your long runs<\/a> will likely be the most stressful part of your training, both on your body and your mind. But they will be infinitely less stressful if you plan for them and respect them.<\/p>\n Plan your route ahead of time with a tool like Gmaps Pedometer<\/a>, and check it out in a car if you really want to be sure it\u2019s a good route. Plan to take it easy the night before, eating what you need to and relaxing, so that you wake up energized for your run. Have your phone loaded and charged if you\u2019re going to use it to pass the time (consider safety issues if you\u2019re going to wear headphones while you run). And have your food ready for the morning as well as for when you get back from your run so that you can eat immediately after you cool down.<\/p>\n 7. Train on the Right Terrain<\/b><\/p>\n If your race is hilly, you\u2019ve got to train on hills, or you\u2019ll be in for a nasty surprise when your quads are screaming way too early in the race.<\/p>\n Likewise, if you\u2019re the adventurous type who chooses a trail half marathon for your first one, you\u2019d better spend some time in the woods on comparable trails to what you\u2019ll be running. Trust me, the difference between trails and roads is much more than just picking up your feet to avoid rocks and roots.<\/p>\n The point is to find out what your course is like, and then simulate that in training so that you know just what to expect on race day.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t be afraid to mix in other types of terrain to round out your training. Even for a road race, hitting the trails<\/a> every once in a while or doing a couple track or treadmill runs will go a long way toward giving your feet a break from pounding the asphalt, if most of your training is on roads.<\/p>\n 8. Pay Attention to Your Form<\/b><\/p>\n For my first four years as a runner, I battled injuries constantly. I tried everything from new shoes to stretching to walking around on my heels after every run — I\u2019m sure I looked pretty awesome doing that — but when I finally did figure it out, a lot of form problems could be fixed with one simple trick:<\/p>\n Take shorter, quicker strides.<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s amazing that one little adjustment can have such a huge impact on your running form. As vegan ultrarunning legend Scott Jurek<\/a> says in Tim Ferriss\u2019 4-Hour Body<\/i>, \u201cIf you focus on higher stride rate, most of the rest corrects itself.\u201d<\/p>\n The standard for stride rate among elite athletes seems to be right around 180 steps per minute (that\u2019s 90 each foot). I find it easiest to think of this as three steps per second, and it\u2019s not hard to line your steps up with a watch or a treadmill clock and groove this stride rate.<\/p>\n It feels funky at first, but after several runs your body builds up the new muscles required to run this way and it begins to feel natural. And, for me and many others, the injuries just stop happening after that.<\/p>\n 9. Give Your Body What it Needs for Workouts<\/b><\/p>\n One of the biggest differences between half marathon training and more casual, shorter-distance running is the need to fuel your body correctly.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re just running a few easy miles a couple times a week, you can get by without paying much attention to what you eat. But when your mileage starts creeping up to 15 or 20 miles a week, with nearly half of that in a single long run, failure to give your body what it needs can be detrimental to your performance and recovery.<\/p>\n Before you run, focus on easy-digesting carbohydrates and a little bit of protein.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve trained only for 5K\u2019s before this, you probably weren\u2019t concerned with replacing calories during your run, but with the longer runs required for half marathon training, that changes. While you\u2019re running, carbohydrates (mostly sugars) should be your focus, and most sports drinks will provide them (\u201clow calorie\u201d sports drinks won\u2019t cut it now) along with the electrolytes you need. For your longest runs, you\u2019ll want to include some solids as well.<\/p>\n And after you finish, the biggest key is getting food to your muscles within the first half hour to 45 minutes after you finish. Aim for carbohydrates and protein in a 4:1 ratio, but the numbers are less important than making sure you don\u2019t miss this opportunity to jump start the recovery process!<\/p>\n Note: You don\u2019t need animal proteins.<\/b><\/p>\n No doubt about it, meat and dairy have a lot of protein. But there\u2019s nothing magical about animal protein — you can get protein<\/a> from vegetables, nuts, grains, and seeds, too. It\u2019s just a matter of having a good bank of plant-based recipes<\/a>\u00a0you can rely on to meet your needs.<\/p>\n 10. Make Sure You are Eating Enough<\/b><\/p>\n Let\u2019s just say running a mile burns 100 calories. (That number may be more or less, depending on your weight and other factors.) So if you suddenly add 15 miles a week to your training, that\u2019s 1500 calories, over 200 per day, that you\u2019ll be losing.<\/p>\n If your goal is to lose weight, maybe that\u2019s okay, but I\u2019m a strong believer that you\u2019ll maximize your chances of successfully running a half marathon if your goal isn\u2019t weight loss this first time around.<\/p>\n So replace those calories with mostly whole, unprocessed foods (except around your workouts, when some easy-to-digest processed foods get a pass), so your body can repair itself and build new muscle and you come back strong when it\u2019s time to run again.<\/p>\n 11. Rehearse Your Nutrition and Race Strategy<\/b><\/p>\n It happens all the time. You train diligently, doing nearly every single workout and following your plan to the letter. You head into the race brimming with confidence, and when it\u2019s time to perform \u2026 your stomach revolts.<\/p>\n This happens far more often than it needs to. There are two main culprits:<\/p>\n 1. Fueling with different foods on race day than you trained with.<\/p>\n To avoid this mistake, do some research after you\u2019ve chosen a race to find out what sports drink and what other food (usually gel) they provide on the course. Then use that exact sports drink and gel throughout your training, unless you plan to carry everything you need along with you during the race.<\/p>\n 2. Never having run a race before, and letting the nerves catch you off guard.<\/p>\n This is easy to avoid: Simply by running a race or two, ideally a 5K and 10K, during your training, to get used to everything that race day brings. Treat these like real races — get up at the same time you\u2019ll get up before your half, practice your pre-race nutrition strategy, and run it hard. You\u2019ll actually be able to use these finish times to predict your half marathon finish time with some common estimation formulas, so that you can have a reasonable pace in mind to shoot for that won\u2019t leave you wrecked with five miles left in your race.<\/p>\n 12. Treat Your Feet Right<\/b><\/p>\n Seriously, you\u2019re going to be running 13.1 miles. Respect your feet and get yourself a decent pair of shoes.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to spend a lot on them. But at least pay a visit to a real running store, where most of them will get you on a treadmill and have a look at your stride before putting you in a pair of shoes, so that you can make an informed decision about the investment.<\/p>\n When the rubber meets the road, it comes down to what feels good on your foot. Above all else, pay attention to this when you decide what shoe to train in.<\/p>\n 13. Don\u2019t be Afraid to Take a Break<\/b><\/p>\n So many people don\u2019t give their bodies a chance to rest and rebuild. While it\u2019s important to space your workouts far enough apart to allow for recovery, it\u2019s also crucial to build in a reduced-mileage week every month or so during your training.<\/p>\n This \u201ceasy\u201d week can be a chance to cross-train, do yoga<\/a>, stretch and do foam rolling<\/a>, or even just to run slowly a few times without a watch, a route, or a plan. And when you come back, not only will your body have had a chance to heal any minor aches and pains, but your mind will be refreshed.<\/p>\n Often, you\u2019ll be so amped up about your training that you won\u2019t even want to scale it back, but be disciplined and give yourself this break. When race day comes, your body will thank you.<\/p>\n (On another note, your training plan should be flexible for the same reasons. If something starts to hurt, a few days or a week off is often what you need, not to push on with the schedule and risk a more serious injury.)<\/p>\n 13.1. Have Fun<\/b><\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget you\u2019re pursuing a dream, and make every moment, good or bad, a memory you can be proud of.<\/p>\n Maybe for you training for a half marathon is about conquering the distance, and the idea that you can set your focus on this huge, impossible-seeming thing and then go make it happen because you\u2019re not afraid to put in the sweat. Or maybe, like me, you\u2019re vegan, and you want to show people that you can do some pretty amazing stuff without eating meat for protein.<\/p>\n Whatever your reason, I\u2019m here to tell you that you can get there. Ready to get started<\/a>? If the mere thought of jumping from something like a 5K all the way up to 13.1 miles for the first time just seems a little, well, intimidating — trust me, I\u2019ve been there too. When I was a new-ish runner, I was fascinated by the idea that otherwise \u201cnormal\u201d people could train themselves to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":33711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-33710","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow a Lack of Knowledge Can Really Screw You Up for Years<\/h3>\n
I Tried Everything Possible to Make it Work<\/h3>\n
What it Finally Took<\/h3>\n
\n<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n13.1 Tips to Help You Reach Your Goal<\/h3>\n
Motivation: How to Get (and Stay) Off that Sofa<\/h3>\n
Training: The Ins and Outs<\/h3>\n
Nutrition: Eat to Fuel Your Goals<\/h3>\n
Listen: Check in with Yourself<\/h3>\n
What\u2019s the Start for You?<\/h3>\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/hm-nutrition-ad.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"