Does anyone have a good training schedule for 1/2 marathons or 10ks?
Alright Voni
long time no see, hows you been?
Guess first things first is, have you done much running before and how recently? If so, how much, what distance and in what time?
Secondly, are you running for the craic/as a laugh/to stay fit, or are you going to push yourself to your limits in order to compete and during competition?
Thirdly, how long do you have before the event(s) and how long do you have set aside to train?
Then, set yourself a target, this will depend on your answers above. A reasonable target for a new runner is probably between 50 and 60 mins if you put some work in before hand.
Lastly, get out and practice. Don't go and try and run 10k in the first go, build it up slowly, seeing how you do compared with your targets.
Tips:
Eat well: more carbs and protein, less fats. Protein will allow you to build the muscles in your legs, whilst carbs will keep you going. fats are very hard to break down, and when this happens it will hamper your running and make it fairly arduous (hitting the wall).
Get a "running buddy":someone to go out and train with, you'll both push each other more than training alone, plus the conversation distracts you from the pain in your legs
Don't give up: If it's wet, or windy, or both, don't duck out of going out. Put on your 'proofs and go get wet. (Running in the rain can be surprisingly refreshing.)
Listen to your body: If your body is screaming at you to stop, do. Don't push yourself so hard that you can't stand up the next morning, excessive training an lead to injuries.
Don't do too much too quickly: New runners doing to much training too quickly can incur injuries, the worst being shin splits. My Mate went from no running to 3/4 hours a week, within a few months he couldn't run more than 3 miles (or hard) without agony, had him out for 7 weeks.
Finally:-
Enjoy it. Running might be about keeping fit, but it's meant to be fun, if you're not enjoying it, is there really any point in doing it?
Hope i haven't missed anything...
Good luck Voni!