Give me your:"I'm not prepared but finished stories"

[flex1102]

Sorry I kind of fell off of this place but I had a baby! 

There is a local half in a month and I signed up forever ago. I can run 3 miles easy and my baby is 2months old. I've run it before and know I could finish but would it be worth it if I had to walk a bunch?

[texassmith]

Going from 3 to 13 in one month is very aggressive, and probably asking for injury (I have learned the hard way about increasing mileage too quickly). There will always be more races on the future when you are better prepared).

[Deleted]

How long has it been since you last ran a half marathon distance? That affects my answer.

[hannahb]

Aug 15, 2013 17:08:05 GMT -5 texassmith said:

Going from 3 to 13 in one month is very aggressive, and probably asking for injury (I have learned the hard way about increasing mileage too quickly). There will always be more races on the future when you are better prepared).

This exactly.

[joenali]

This one time, I signed up for a marathon. I ran twice a week...maybe. I ran a short run mid-week and did a long run on the weekend. I finished. But it hurt like hell and there were lots of tears. I would not recommend training that way for a marathon.

I think walking a half marathon is doable with minimal training. It may not be fun though and you could hurt yourself.

[grk2012]

The current issue of Runner's World has a "how to come back after time off" article you might want to check out.

[clseale]

I was not prepared, I survived, but it was miserable. So went my first marathon. Training went similar to joenali's.

There's no way in hell I would do this, but I'm also a firm believer in not being on the course longer than I have to. Walking wouldn't be fun for me. If you're OK with it then sure, you can survive it.

[Deleted]

I used to be "definitely walk it" but not so much anymore after being injured for 9 months. It's not worth the risk of injury if you haven't trained for the mileage.

[trigal]

I'd probably not do it. It wouldn't be fun for me to walk that much. There is the risk of injury too. All for what? I'd kiss the entrance fee goodbye and prepare for something else.

[Brit]

1) I think that doing a half marathon on one month training puts you at high risk for injury.

2) Last fall I did just that. On September 26, I could **just barely** run 2 miles without stopping. I ran a half the first weekend of November. It was not nearly my fastest time ever, but I ran the whole thing, did not get injured, and finished in 2:07. I had little to no base. I had not run consistently since April 2011, the race was in November 2012.

[emuni04]

When I ran my second marathon, I virtually did no training the final 8 or so weeks (due to the fact that I moved across the country in the middle of August to a region with awful heat and humidity). I still ran it, I sucked big time, and I was ridiculously sore afterwards. No injuries, though.

I'm not a walker, so I don't know that I would enjoy participating in your situation. But honestly, I probably would still do it just because I have never not participated in something I've registered for. Just mentally prepare yourself beforehand.

[texassmith]

Aug 16, 2013 12:51:31 GMT -5 emuni04 said:

But honestly, I probably would still do it just because I have never not participated in something I've registered for. Just mentally prepare yourself beforehand.

This advice makes me a little stabby.

[emuni04]

Aug 16, 2013 13:02:09 GMT -5 texassmith said:

Aug 16, 2013 12:51:31 GMT -5 emuni04 said:

But honestly, I probably would still do it just because I have never not participated in something I've registered for. Just mentally prepare yourself beforehand.

This advice makes me a little stabby.

Sorry, not trying to give advice, just an anecdote I think that came off the wrong way -- if I was in her situation, I'd still probably run. Admittedly, not a good idea -- but I don't always make great decisions when it comes to races/running. I would run it with the expectation/mindset that I would need to do a lot of easy running/walking in order to complete it.

I'm not an expert, but the best advice is probably to not run if you're not prepared.

[cinco]

I don't always follow the recommendation of only adding mileage by 10% per week. I ran a half post injury in the Spring b/c I won a free entry. I only had about a month to train, but I was regularly running high mileage before injury and was able to jump up quickly.

I always followed the 10% rule post pregnancy though. Congrats on your baby!

[Deleted]

I was super unprepared for a half I did, but I had a great time anyway--I ran the first 6ish and then found some people to walk and chat with for the rest. Just listen to your body and do what you can--unless you hate walking/the idea of walking with a passion.  Then skip it. 

[flex1102]

Thanks, I think everyone else I talk to is just trying to be supportive and says "you can do it"
I think I'll just do the 10k instead of walking most of the half.