How I Went From Zero To Running a Half-Marathon in 8 Days
And why you shouldn’t
Let’s start with the “What”
Eight days from getting into long-distance running to lose weight, I ran 22km one lonely Friday night. At the point of starting my “running career” (if you want to call it that), I struggled to run 5km without stopping — an example of this is that my Strava shows my last run was a 3(ish) km jog, which was a run/walk.
I struggled to run 5km without stopping.
The 22km is just above a half marathon, which I might add, I did not intend on running. This was my furthest activity on my Strava to date and by the end of it, I felt a mixture of dizziness and fatigue but an overwhelming sense of achievement.
The “How”
Just nine days before, I heard a quote whilst making lunch from an ultramarathon runner who was asked:
“So, why do you do these endurance events?”
To which they responded:
“It gives me an opportunity for the mind to remind the body who is in charge.”
It gave me goosebumps.
So I jumped onto YouTube and searched “How to run long distances,” which gave me a video from the Running Experience (a very popular running channel). This video was extremely helpful, but there were two major takeaways I took away:
1. Controlling your breathing
2. Pacing
Before this, I did not think about either of these aspects of running — I would just head out and run the best that I could.
1. Control your breathing
Breathing — the easiest thing in the world I thought. Breathing?!? I’m already good at breathing, I can do it in my sleep!
But running and breathing is a different kettle of fish. The exercise I took from the video was that once you had jogged 1 mile or km (depending on preference) for the first 30 seconds to a minute, only breathe through your nose. Take deep breaths as if you are breathing into your stomach. This forces you to think about your breathing and ensures you are not losing control of your breath.
2. Pacing
Once again, I had never considered my pacing, noting only whether my average km was less or higher. Once I started to take note of my pace during my run, I was able to control my fatigue levels.
Since doing so, I know that if I stay in a range of 6:20–6:30 minutes per KM, I can run further and not feel too fatigued.
Therefore, on Thursday 30th June, I tried these techniques in the morning — 7km later and not tired, I was hooked.
Since applying these techniques, it was like I was a different person. I felt confident and curious as to how long I could run and what distance would be my limit. Thus, after 7 days, I was on a family holiday in Conwy, Wales, and would go for three runs ranging from 5–7km and hikes of 12–17km.
The “half-marathon” bit
I got home on a Friday, ate a huge donut, felt bad about it, and then decided to go for a run. I realized 10km later that I needed to go home, so I turned back and ran the rest of the way. On approaching the 20km mark, I remembered that a half-marathon was just over 21km. Thus, I carried on for 2km to make the total distance 22km (I wasn’t sure how much over 21km it was for a half-marathon, thus I thought I would play it safe and go for 22km).
The “and why you shouldn’t” bit
I paid for my arrogance over the next three days following the run. I struggled to walk long distances as my ankle and groin ached. I couldn’t think of running again for a long time. But I knew that if I didn’t try and get out and jog, then I would lose my momentum.
In hindsight, I wish I should have trained for it. But in some way, I’m glad I didn’t — I learned a lot about myself on that run and proved that I could overcome my body’s consistent alarm to stop.
Going forward, I would track my weekly miles and ensure that I am staying within the 25–30km range.
Since my first half-marathon
Since the above story, I have continued to jog 2–3 times a week — typically made up of two shorter runs and one long run. I aim to run one half-marathon a month, normally on the last weekend.
I hope this was a useful insight and motivates people to push themselves, as you may surprise yourself with what you can do.
