Although the doldrum of cold weather, treadmill running and holiday eating often keep us from sticking 100% to our fitness goals, January and February often bring something exciting… TRAINING SEASON is upon us!

Our Living Fit Columbus running group is going to be training for the Cap City Half Marathon this spring.   We have a few veterans and a couple first-timers.  I always get excited as a new racing season begins and I’m especially excited this year, as I didn’t experience it last year (for good reason, my precious little guy was born Jan 24).

Our 12 week training program begins in just NINE days and our first group run is only two weeks away!

Here is the base building schedule I’ll be following for next week.

If you are a new runner, you shouldn’t increase your mileage more than 10% per week.  I had been running consistently (approx 3-4 miles, 2-3x/week) for about a year before I began training for my first half.  Runner’s World and other sites recommend a solid running base of 6+ months before conquering your first half.  Overuse injuries are common if your body is not ready and not used to the high-impact pounding.

If you want to join us for the training or just a Saturday run, check out our FB page and/or blog page for more info.  I’m happy to provide support, training tips, success stories and answer any questions you may have.  There is no fee, so remember you get what you pay for 🙂

I’m also excited to join MIT on a run next Saturday, before our group training begins.  They are a fabulous training group if you are looking for a BIG group to train with!  I’ll be running with coach Turnbull and her group.  She helped me PR at the Detroit Marathon (4:05!) and is an amazing, inspirational mentor of mine.  Update 2/10 ~ unfortunately my son and then my husband & I got the stomach flu last week, so I didn’t make it to the run with MIT (not to mention the fact that it was -14 degrees!).  I do plan to run with Coach Turnbull soon!  

Stay tuned for weekly updates and tips for FIRST TIME HALF MARATHON TRAINING from the field!

Are you planning to do a half marathon this spring?  Is it your first?  Your 50th?  Tell us, we want to know about your experience!