I'm planning to run a half marathon in 4 months...what is the best way to train to keep myself motivated?
599858
long slow distance running.  jog an hour a day, go for a 2 hour jog (as slow as you want) once a week, then rest the following day.  If you can't go that far, build up to where you can go that far.  If you do too much at once, you will tear yourself up.\n\nHere is a sample:\nweek 1: 30 minutes a day, 60 minutes on Sunday, rest Monday.\nweek 2: 35 minutes a day, 70 minutes on Sunday, rest Monday.\nweek 3: 40 minutes a day, 80 minutes on Sunday, rest Monday.\n\netc......\n\nadapt a pattern like that to your abilities, and with 4 months, you will be fine.  Thank you for asking early.  People always ask how they can get in shape in 2 weeks, or by Monday, or crazy things like that.
895854
Lots and lots of running! That's the only way to really improve your times.  I run the mile in school.\n\nYou want to run short/medium distances so I'll assume that's anywhere between the 400 meters and the mile so I'll suggest this training routine:\n\n1) Warm up with 15 minutes of easy jogging, stretch your quads, hamstrings, and calves thoroughly, jog easily for five minutes, and then run 200-metre intervals in about 28 seconds each, with two minutes of light jogging between intervals. Over a period of several weeks, progressively reduce the recoveries to about 30 seconds or so. The idea here is to learn to function at about two seconds per 200 faster than one's current best 400-metre time.\n\n2) Follow the same warm-up procedure outlined in workout No.1, and then run 400-metre intervals, with the first 200 of the 400 completed in about 33 to 34 seconds and the second in 28. Recover for three minutes between intervals. Over a period of several weeks, progressively reduce the recoveries to one minute. The concept here is to develop the ability to run faster than current 400-metre pace when one is already somewhat tired.\n\nIt's tough to have the commitment , but try your hardest and you willl improve.  Find some time during the week to run and MOST importantly, have fun!
24981
well, that all depends on what your age and experience level is, and wether you're shooting for a specific time or just trying to finish.\n\nI've done 4 marathons, with my best finish being 3:01 at the LA Marathon (a tough course). My training was geared towards a competitive person going for a good time. I ran between 65–80 miles a week.\n\nI'm guessing you are starting out, and this is probably your first marathon. here is my general advice (you should supplement it with other research to tailor it specifically for your needs):\n \ngive yourself 5–6 months to train. 6 if you are starting from zero. what you will be doing is training your body to handle all the mileage. start slow. buy yourself a heart rate monitor and use it religiously. it will be your good friend during your training. you should generally be running at about 70% of your max heartrate (HR). My max was about 200 bpm, so most of my runs were around 140–150 bpm. Estimate what your max is. (there are a couple ways of doing that, like subtracting your age from 227). stay within your 70% zone. that zone is going to feel painfully slow at first, maybe even close to walking. but as your conditioning improves, you will start to run faster at the same HR.\n\nassuming you are starting from zero, start running 3 miles, 3x a week. the week after, make it 4x a week. the week after, make one of those days a longer run of 5 miles. assuming the race you've picked is on a sunday (most are), your long runs should be on sundays. these will become your most important runs.\n\nyou should aim to run no less than 5 days a week, and 6 is better. at first, you may only be running 3-4 days a week, but you should slowly work your way up to 5 and 6 days.\n\nin your training, a good rule of thumb is to increase your mileage by 10% every week. So if you do 20 miles one week, do 22-23 the next, and so on. everyone is different about how much mileage they can handle, but if you do it slowly, you should be able to handle 50 miles a week at your peak. I would recommend no less for a marathon. try to get a good 8 weeks at this peak mileage, during which your long runs will be about 16-22 miles. do about 2-3 20+ mile runs to get used to the longer distances. be sure to eat and drink during these runs, or you will be in a world of hurt.\n\nevery three weeks, step down the training. so for example, do weeks of 20, 23, and 26. then do one week at 18. then start again at 26 and ramp up again. these intermittent weeks of lower mileage give your body a chance to catch up and adapt to the training. you must realize that your body will be going through physical changes during your training, like losing weight and improving cardiovascular fitness. you have to give your body time to adapt.\n\nIMPORTANT: the temptation to run too fast or build up mileage too quickly is dangerous! you may feel bored, but 6 months is a long time. you need to take it slow and let your body get used to the mileage. I guarantee there will be weeks when you feel very sore, and this is your body adapting to the training. listen to your body! a little soreness is normal, but pain is not. also, if both legs/knees/ankles are sore, that's a good sign. if only one hurts, this could be an injury in the making, so be careful.\n\nthat should get you going pretty well. use this as a starting point and tailor your training. if you can handle it, do more mileage. listen to your body. there's no use running when you're hurt or sick (I've broken this rule countless times, you just end up NOT running for a long time, eventually)\n\ngood luck.
998375
you want to run many miles but not burn yourself out. Do a pyrimid type training. start at x number of miles a week (seven Days) and increase that number by ten percent. at the end of two months you should reach a high milage then bring it back down to a reasonable number and remian consited. \nMy training starts at 50 then i increase to 55, 60, 66, 71, 78, , 85, 94. then i bring it down. 85, 78. and stay consited from 75 to 80 the rest of my cross country season. i run 15:20 5k if thats good enough and 4:20 mile 1:54 800. 32:08 10k (10k not my best)\nRemeber adjust to your range do what you feel you need to do. AND STICK TO IT. GOOD LUCK
132121
well you should first pay alot of attention to your form, some pointers; run on the balls of your feet, not the heals, the whole way in the 400 ( i never ran the 800 so i cant give you advise there)if you cant do that you nee to work at it. you want your knees high ad arms pumping close to your side( the faster your arms can go the faster your legs can go) you want to barely touch when you run  this will help you decrease friction and keep your legs moving faster. keep your back straight and head up. next you want to focus on training you are a middle distance sprinter so it doesnt make sense to train like a marathoner or cross country runner, sprinters and distance runners physiologicaly utilize different energy systems int the body, (fast gycloysis vs oxidative phosphorilation) so train for the event doing sprints of the time you want to complete the event typicaly for your age maybe 50- 60 seconds and rest for 2-3 minutes ( rest meens light jog or walk never stop bad for your body) and do repititions and sets at these intervals. also some weight training will help you gain speed but at your age you should keep the weight at a comfortable level 12-15 reps 1-2 sets. next eat right ket a well balance of nutrients, carbs, protein and fat, dont skip meals. and get plenty of rest and sleep at night good luck! and talk to your doctor and coach about before you do any of these recomendations
1073632
Matt's advice is very good. As a cross country runner and track runner myself, I usually run for 4 weeks before cross country season begins to get used to the distance. I train to peak at the right time (usually the state championship meet), which means to work slowly up to that day. You don't want to burn out before August. I would advise running 1-3 miles a day every other day throughout June and half of July (1 mile on monday, 2 miles on wednesday, 3 miles on friday, 1 mile on sunday, 1 mile on monday...etc.) This gets your muscles in better shape and your heart in better shape. Also, make sure your diet is good. Eat lean meat, fish, some carbs, and loads of fruits and vegetables. Since an 8k is a tiny bit less than 5 miles, you want to work up to 5 miles at the end of July and beginning of August. Depending on when your race is, try to run every day at the end of July and beginning of August. Those days should include some timed runs (ie. run for 45 minutes at a steady pace). If you take the same course each time for the same amount of time, you can see how much you improve! Make sure to get a couple of days a week where you run the actual 8k distance. Then, the week before the race, take it down a notch. Run maybe 3 miles a day. The day before the race, do a 20 or 30 minute LIGHT run. Then, stretch really really well. That's just to make sure your muscles know what you're doing the next day. The day of the race, go out feeling great and knowing you can do it!!!
921156
Coming from someone in the Army whose weakness is running as well, I can suggest a few things that have helped me to bring down my run time.  Obviously the only way you can get better at something is to practice it over and over again.  I found a couple of things that have helped me bring down my run time.  I would usually break up the week and plan on doing a longer run one day (say 3-5 miles in the beginning).  Another day I would run two miles on a track to warm up and then run what is called a fartlek run.  See the link and search for the description.  The third day I would do something like an interval run.  Again, see the description in the FM.  The biggest thing I think is to also give your legs a day off in between.  Running heavy every other day seems to work well from my perspective.  The only other suggestion I have is for you to find someone who runs a little bit faster than you and run with them on a constant basis.  If you have someone to keep up with, it will make you run faster.  If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me.
960330
A good plan is the "Couch to 5K" plan http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml  It's a 9 week program that uses running intervals until you build up to running the whole way.  Also, make sure that you have good running shoes before you begin.
666997
Jog about 3 miles a day, 4 or 5 days a week. 4 weeks is ok. try to eliminate most of the crappy sugar from your diet if you can (soft drinks, candy bars, the obvious stuff). Eat plenty of protein (chicken, fish, beef). \nAlso, 2 or 3 times a week, do some interval training. You can look it up online, but it is basically training very hard (running, in this case) for a short period (15-20 seconds) then slowing down to a slower, maintainable pace (a jog) for about 30-45 seconds, then back to the intense pace for 15-20 seconds. Keep this up for 5 minutes or so. \nRest. On the days that you do this, try to do 2 sets a day. Interval training increases your anaerobic capacity. It will give you the ability to suddenly push very hard at the end or your 1.5 mile run, even though you may be winded.\nMake sure you REST on your rest days!!\nDon't overtrain. 4 weeks isn't enough to join the olympic team, but you can increase your fitness level a bit in that time.
251371
I'd say for this race just stick to your typical schedule. You'll definetly be able to run the 5 miles, but probably not as fast as you could.  I agree with the other answerer: in the future, you would do best having a training week as follows:\nmonday= run 3-4 easy\ntuesday= run 3-4 with "speed play" (meaning spend a minute or two of every 5 running at your "race pace")\nwed= cross train\nthurs= hill work-  run repeats of hills, mixed in with your typical run\nfriday= off\nsaturday- race!\n\nRunner's World also has a new tool that can plot out a training schedule for you, based on your race length and how many weeks you have to train:\nwww.runnersworld.com  (called smart coach)
1151113
Jog two laps, walk a cooldown, sprint two laps, walk a cooldown. Each time increase your speed a little. This is also good for any type of running training - go fast then rest go fast then rest. Time yourself and give yourself goals, like two miles in 12 minutes or something good. I don't really know what a good cross country score would be but you can do it if you're just consistent in your training. Make sure to stretch thoroughly before everything though.
831965
It's a bit much for your first race. My experience as a runner is that you should be training to that distance before you go that approximately 3.4 miles. Though relax, have fun and properly hydrate.
744016
What's your long run like?  If your long run is round 10 miles you'll probably be fine.  What's your goal,  just to finish or do you have a PR in mind?\n\nIf you have other forms of exercise and are in good shape, you'll be fine. Other wise I would bump up my mileage over the next few weeks, and then taper for the race.  Try and do at least one 13 mile run a few weeks before you half.
899731
Track season is the greatest time of the year, next to basketball of course.\n\nTo improve your time, you need to be sure to get in plenty of miles--even though it's not a long race, miles help any runner above the 200m.\n\nAlso, don't forget about the quick stuff. A 200-300 yard hill is an excellent workout for middle distance runners. All out, all the way up.\n\nRepeat 200's, 300's, 400's, and 600's are crucial too. (Obviously not all at the same time)\n\nA big part of running well, to me, is having someone to run with. Take a friend with you, and if they aren't as fast, give them a head start, and work to catch them.\n\nAs far as diet goes, make sure you consume enough calories--a big mistake that a lot of girl runners make. Make sure you have a good balance of carbs, proteins, and fats, too. Also, make sure you get plenty of iron. Too many runners have collapsed because of anemia. Hope this helps! :D
117923
Motivation and Consistency are key. Just keep telling yourself that's the only way to achieve your goal, and you will naturally be more motivated.
1117208
Oh, I run both! I'm #1 in my conference. I could make a training schedule for you but I don't know your goals or how long you've been running. So email me and I'll be glad to help. Be sure to always drink alot of water. And do some jumps after about a 20 min. run. That will make your legs strong. And STRECH!! Do abs. Running, beleive it or not, has a big effect on your running.Don't drink water within 30 min. of a run or eat anything for an hour before either. This will prevent you from getting side cramps, witch are so painful they caused me to drop out of a race once, and make me lose a race I was winning and I ended up falling and losing 19 places within 800 meters to the finsh line. It sucked! So email me, I'd love to help! dollars_xc@yahoo.com
935798
They will help but I would only do a few and make them quality as opposed to "doing a ton".\nIf you really want to bust out a good 400 time start training with hills. Do repeats of varying length and effort levels. \nYou also mention doing a 10 miler which in my opinion is not necessary for a quarter miler. You'll have good endurance but you could be far more efficient keeping your long run under 8 miles, doing 2-3 moderate to easy runs, and then hills and speed work.