The countdown has begun, team. In (just) 30 weeks, a good number of staff from the Long Beach Health Department will be up before the sun with sneakers on, caps pulled down tight, mini canteens of electrolyte fluid topped-off, and pockets filled with packets of nutritional goo. It may seem way off, but the 30th Annual Long Beach Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K, and Bike Tour will be here before we know it. If you’ve already started training with the Health Department team (currently running about 2.6 miles on Mondays and Wednesdays), you’re already on track to getting that body of yours (and indeed your head) ready for the race. If you haven’t started running, no worries – you still have plenty of time to train for the half (which most of us are doing); or for the full if you’re a seasoned runner or just up for a major challenge.
I’ll be posting here a couple times a month until we make it to October 12th with tips, encouragement, and general information to help get us all (safely) over the finish line (and if any of you ever want to guest post, just say the word).
We’ll get started this week with some quick blurbs:
Training: Follow a training schedule, which you can find online. Most training schedules for half marathons have you begin training about 12-18 weeks before the race. Training schedules are useful because they help build endurance and speed, encouraging consistent workouts. Pop Sugar, for example has a great 16-week schedule for beginners that you can start on July 23rd to get you primed for the race in October.
After-Work Runs: If you follow a training schedule, you’ll likely do your long runs on the weekends, with shorter runs (3-5 miles) during the week. By running with the Health Department team on Mondays and Wednesdays, you can get your short runs in with friends!
Race Time: There is a 6-hour course limit for the half marathon so if you need to walk most or all of the course, you can do so. The limit for the full is 7.5 hours.
Running Apps: Phone apps that use GPS to track your pace and distance can be great tools for training. Popular ones include Map My Run, Nike+ Running, RunKeeper, Endomondo, and Zombies, Run! – these are typically available for iPhones and/or Android phones.
Sign Up!: You can register up until the day before the race, or until it sells out. However, the earlier you register, the cheaper it is. Go to Run Long Beach for more information.
Stay Connected: On social media? Tag your Instagram and Twitter posts with #runlbhealth to keep us motivated.
Have a Blast!: See me for that – I love to work hard and play hard. Hopefully, we can plan a few post run brunches (with endless mimosa) once we get to one of those 10, 11, 12-mile weekends. And I hope not to be alone after the race in the Beer Garden. And maybe more mimosas at Potholder Too or Berlin Bistro.
Happy running!
FYI, this is a personal blog, not affiliated with the City of Long Beach or the Health Department – I’m sure you knew this already but just in case 🙂