How to prepare for a half-marathon in 2 1/2 Months

It's crazy to realize that this is my first blog post in 5 years!!

A few months ago, I decided to sign up for a half-marathon happening in less than three months, having never done long runs before and knowing nothing about the subject. Many people told me I was crazy, I won't have enough time to train, that I'm gonna fail, etc. Well I'm here to tell you that it is possible, and these are the things that I've done to prepared for it. I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. You can do it too, I'm here to tell you how!

1. Run 3 times a week

I live in Quebec and the winter is dreadfully long, so I joined a gym. I basically started running 3 times a week on the treadmill. I do two shorter runs (around 7km) and a longer run (around 12km) on the weekends. A good tip is not to run everyday, but give it at least a day of rest between running. Also, use 2 degrees of incline on the treadmill, it's better for the knees.

Occasionally, if the weather is nice, I would go for a run outside. I don't have a FitBit, but I use the FitBit app to track my runs. It's helpful because it times my runs and tells me how far my runs are.

I drink a big cafe latte before running, I find that it raises my heart-rate and gives me more energy. I also find that eating two donuts an hour before running gives me a lot of energy!

2. Do exercise videos on the days in between running

It isn't a good idea to run everyday, so I do exercise videos at home on the days in between. My favourite in-between run workouts are the P90X Core Synergistics, and upper body workouts. I figured since I'm working out my legs by running a lot, I would do more upper body workouts to balance it out.

3. Build a playlist for running

This is the really fun part of doing a marathon. I find that music gives me a lot of adrenaline and just make the runs not boring. I love House and dance music, something with a really good, hard hitting beat. Some of my favourite artists to listen to while running are: Clean Bandit, Daft Punk, David Guetta and Calvin Harris.

4. Put Voltaren on injuries

I was stupid enough one day that I went for a run outside when there was still lots of snow on the trails, injuring my knee. I highly recommend that you do not run outside when there's still snow, especially if you're a beginner runner like me. I had to stop running for 2 weeks because of my injury. My sister-in-law, who is an osteopath, recommended using Voltaren. This is a miracle cream! You could get it behind the counter at any pharmacy, but you don't need a prescription. I just rub it on and it stops hurting. I could run again! Be careful not to injure yourself, but if you ever do, Voltaren could be your saviour.

5. Getting advice from friends and the Internet

I've also got some invaluable advice from friends. For example, start off slow and pass people, you'll feel much better that way. Having a good running form is important also!

My final result: 21k in 2 hours and 9 minutes.

Running is definitely an addictive sport. If you get hooked, you may never look back :)