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Intro: my 255 workouts since jan 2009 do testify to my persistence and enjoyment of working out.But my modest pace and limited distance in running testify to my age (49) and running experience (limited, i'm a swimmer). I am running about 3 miles 2-3 times a week right now, and sometimes 3 miles is hard.

A friend has asked me to join a group for a local 1/2 marathon. Pros: I could use the motivation to push out my distance, it would be great to run with a group, the have a training plan, a group run every week, and the group plan includes a jeff galloway running clinic.

Cons: I have heard that injury rates during training or racing for a full marathon are north of 40%. This is only a half, but still, a 10K seems like a more reasonable challenge. Worried about shin splints or knee problems when i up the distance. 

Not sure whether to take up the invitation, race is in 4 months, so i have some time.

This is a slow board, but any thoughts or advice is welcome.

Hi Paul

I find that having a race as a goal works great for motivation, in fact it's really one of the very few things that can get me up off the couch and out on the pavement. It's almot like if I scare myself into doing something difficult, than I feel the need to get out there and actually train for it ahead of time.

To your point about injury, I would say that if you set your goal to finish a race / event and be happy with completing something that you may have not done before, as opposed to saying I need to get done by X minutes and X seconds, then the whole thing becomes more enjoyable and less prone to killing yourself in the process.

I have run about 5 or so half marathathons in my day, so I am not the ultimate expert, but if you get in a couple good runs of 10 - 12 miles before the event then you should be good to go. As always I would listen to your body and if things start going wrong, or feeling bad as you up your mileage than you should pay attention to them and take days off, or strectch more, or ice more.

Hope that helps. I'll try to get TaoRunner on here to give you some more answers, he pretty much has a lifetime more experience than I and is a great Guru of running to ask questions of. 

I agree with what has already been said. A race can be a positive motivator or an invitation to injury depending on your disposition and training methods. The recommendation to listen to your body is a great one.

Like you I'm no spring chicken but I've found when I take good care of it my body will let me train hard and put on a lot of miles. I also swim and bike. From your description I wonder if your training hasn't become stale and no longer leads to improvements in pace and distance. Here are a few training tips that have worked well for me. 

I run almost exclusively on dirt trails now which is MUCH easier on my body and, for me, a more fun and engaging environment. I look forward to getting out for my trail runs. I mix up my runs rather then running the same distance and pace each time I go out. Typically I run 3 times a week, one long run, one run at race pace, and one run focused on either speed or strength (hills). My rule of thumb is work on endurance first, then speed only after you've built a good distance base.  Also, eating healthy has a huge and positive impact on my ability to train hard.

Running a new course or location is always fun for me. I'll occasionally do a long run or pace run without a watch to run just for the fun of it. Having a commitment to meet someone to run is a great way to get yourself out the door if lack of motivation is an issue. When I had dogs I really enjoyed taking them out into the woods for a run. What's fun for you and do more of it.

So, my suggestion is mix it up a bit with the goal of having more fun on your runs. Finally, I'm currently experimenting with something called Chi Running. Chi Running is a running style that focuses on a more healthy (injury free) running form. The by product of which is an easier and faster pace. So far so good. You might want to check it out.

One last thought. You can always agree to join your friends and train for the ½ marathon and make the decision later to run it or not. Good luck and keep asking good questions.

 Thanks for the Input. I did sign up today for the 1/2 marathon, and the group runs start on the 18th. I figured i might as well give it a shot, and if the group training runs (which are the long ones) are too much for my legs, i will go looking for a 10K run as a substitute around the same time.

 

If the running club doesn't provide a training schedule I would recommend looking one up on runnersworld.com. They have a wealth of knowledge, and have most of the answers that you will come across as you increase your mileage. In addition to everything that TaoRunner and McBeev have said I would only add that you need to be aware of adding too much too soon. When increasing mileage the golden rule is never to exceed 10% increase per week. This helps your body adapt to the new miles without straining it so much that you may risk injury. Good luck! I enjoy Half-marathons the most of all the races out there. :)

I agree with everything said too. Also www.runnersworld.com is a great place for info. Just don't sign up for the newsletters unless you want huge amounts of spam.