EDF ENERGY birmingham half marathon
Training Advice
LUCOZADE SPORTS ONLINE RUNNING HUB
Half Marathon
Running a half marathon is tough; there’s no doubt about that. But it is also quite possibly one of the most memorable achievements you’ll experience. The early mornings, blisters and sore muscles are not the most appealing factors, but when you cross the finish line having achieved your goal, there is simply no other feeling like it.
Together we are one
The hardest part of any event is not race day itself, but the steps taken to arrive on the start line feeling fit and ready for the challenge ahead. No matter how effective your programme may be, it’s important to regularly adapt your training to prevent your fitness levels plateauing as your body finds its comfort zone. To help our team of dedicated runners, including our team of Sports Scientists, have developed our online running hub to make sure you walk up to that start line ready to chase that PB.
Constantly updated, the pages offer you:
Training and nutritional plans
Designed by Endurance Sport Consultant, Martin Yelling (PhD), and our very own Sports Scientist, Gareth Nicholas, these plans will see you through your training week by week whilst providing you with nutritional recommendations as you go.
Running Tools
Whether you are still finding your running legs or know your own ability, the Lucozade Sport Running Tools will help you really get the most of your running. Establishing and understanding your pace is a vital part of achieving your own individual running goals so make sure you head to the website to use our Race Time Predictor, Pace Converter and Pace Band maker.
Advice on demand
As a team of dedicated and passionate runners we know how daunting it can be preparing for a race of any distance. To help we have a team of Sports Scientists to answer any queries you have on nutrition or training. Through their continuously updated blog pages you can draw upon their advice and experience plus read comments from other runners.
Join the team
We as runners need to move with the times and our website is a reflection of this. Make sure you sign up to our monthly newsletter to get information on competitions, new training tools, events and much, much more.
The best products for the best races
Lucozade Sport would like to congratulate every runner taking up the challenge of the EDF Birmingham Half Marathon with an exclusive discount on the entire sports nutrition range. Head to www.lucozadeshop.com and enter BMHM at the check out to save £5 when you spend £30
Fit to Run?
If you are taking part in the EDF Energy Birmingham Half Marathon then you need to make sure you are fit for the challenge. Training plans for all levels of runners will be available here soon.
Are you fit to run the EDF Energy Birmingham Half Marathon?
Following concern about the lack of preparation by runners entering marathons and half marathons the organisers and medical teams of some of the larger races have got together and produced an advice sheet published by the London Marathon, which we would strongly advise you to read. Please go to www.runnersmedicalresource.com
Training Schedules
Beginner
12 week schedule | 6 week schedule
It’s great that you have decided to go for it but important that you realise that your must adopt a determined attitude from now on – and that the 13 miles (that’s 21km) will be a LONG way. Your mindset then, must be for a slow, steady journey.
Intermediate
12 week schedule | 6 week schedule
Getting round a half marathon in under two hours means averaging 6.5 miles per hour – or a pace that is definitely not a fast walk! So you have a relatively limited amount of time in which to sharpen up your fitness and prepare for the 13 miles of the race.
Advanced
12 week schedule | 6 week schedule
With a target of getting under 90 minutes, you are clearly a relatively fit person who simply needs to work on more specific aerobic fitness for running.
Training Tips
Simon Hollyhead is Fitness and Condition Coach for the Warwickshire County Cricket Club. Simon, who has been with the club for ten years, has previously run in half marathons, with his most recent accomplishment being the London Marathon 2006, which he completed in four hours.
Simon’s colleague Phil Britt, Warwickshire Country Cricket Club’s photographer, will be taking part in this year’s EDF Energy Birmingham Half Marathon and Simon has some top tips to help him prepare for this year’s event:
• Don’t aim to win. Aim to enjoy the race
• Be sensible with your training. Build up your distances and speeds progressively and increase your running steadily. Try to mirror your training conditions to the conditions of the event – time of day etc
• Don’t let training become a burden. You should look forward to your training sessions, not dread them
• Set yourself a few clear goals. You’ll be surprised and encouraged by how much you can achieve
• Never neglect the impact of nutrition and the benefits it has on your training and the race itself. Get the right balance between protein and carbohydrates for your training regime and your body type. Be proactive with hydration.
