Training for a Half Marathon (Run #1)

I signed up for a half marathon trail run in August.

I’ve never been into running, let alone trail running. I’m a hiker, and I can hike really fast if I want to, though.

I signed up for a few reasons:

(1) It’s in the Shawnee National Forest, which I hike in often. I know the route, and it looks like an adventure.

(2) I’m 40 years old and I want to prove to myself I can do this.

(3) I have 12 hours to complete 13ish miles. I can hike that in less.

Unofficially? Maybe this is a midlife crisis. Haha.

I have about three months to train. I don’t run and haven’t really tried any serious trail running before this.

I decided to run a 5K through the forest the other day as my #1 training day. I wanted to blog about it. I plan to blog about each of my training days to entertain and assist you all and keep a record of my training. I’m also filming my runs for YouTube which will be posted on my Hiking with Shawn channel.

Technical Stats

This is what I recorded with my Garmin Velo Active watch and submitted to Strava:

• Mileage: 3.58
• Average Pace: 16:17 /mi
• Moving Time: 58:22
• Elevation Gain: 341 ft
• Average Cadence: 120 spm

I don’t admit the calories burned because I don’t think that metric is really that accurate or even that relevant.

Location

I started and ended at Dixon Springs State Park in Golconda, Illinois. The trails out there are designated for hiking and mountain biking, but trail running is definitely allowed, too. I didn’t see anyone on the trail. It was dry and in the 70s, too. I definitely recommend it for trail running. You can get a map for these trails for free on Avenza (also free).

My Results

I started off hiking at a quick pace and then moved to fast hiking. I then would off and on start jogging without trying to be really fast. Each time I got to a hill to climb, I would jog up the hill. Going downhill, I didn’t want to fall, so I would hike fast (carefully) down them.

I tried to run more on the flats, especially when I got into the pine trees. There is a lot of twisting and turning in there, and I enjoy running in that sort of terrain.

Overall, I finished happily because I ran at least 75% of the training session—more than I figured I would. I also really enjoyed it. I was nervous that I would dislike the running part, but in all honesty, I loved it.

I didn’t hurt the next day, but the day after that, I hurt my ankles, chins, knees, and thighs. I’ve been drinking pickle juice, and that seems to have helped me with that. I’m open to suggestions about that!

My Kit

This is what clothing, footwear, and gear I used for this run:

• Shoes: Merrell Moab Speed 2 trail running shoe (Coyote color)
• Socks: Nike ankle socks
• Shorts: BOA Constrictor Half Tights (Real Tree color)
• Shirt: Reebok Dry Fit style tank top
• Watch: Garmin Velo Active (old but still works great)
• Pack: Osprey Siskin 8 hydration pack
• Hydration: Water and water with Fluid Tactical electrolytes
• Fuel: GU (Jet Blackberry)

The trail running shoes are new and extremely comfortable. I’ve had no foot pain, and I love the way they feel when I run with them. The half tights are also super comfortable, and the side pockets keep everything secure.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed my first run training session.

My main things to look up:

(1) Is the pain (nothing major either) normal, and what should I do about it?

(2) When should I start increasing my mileage? When should I go to 10K, 15K, etc.?

Feel free to comment below or on social media if you find this blog posted there.

Thanks for reading and following my new trail running journey. I’m excited to see where it leads me. I can also stand to lose some belly fat, so I’m hoping this aids me a bit in that.