How to Train to Run a 10-Mile to Half-Marathon Race

Series Summary

Running is a popular recreational and fitness activity of many people around the world. For cardiovascular health and convenience, running is hard to beat. In a city, suburb or on a farm, anyone can put on a pair of tennis shoes and take a jog down the road to raise the heart rate and exercise the heart - the most important muscle of the body. In this free video series on running, a running coach and certified sports trainer discusses several running and training techniques. Find out how to increase speed gradually during training, and learn the negative split technique to use during a race. Get warm-up tips, including leg drills, stretches and jogs, and find out how to maintain the proper running form for maximum efficiency. Whether a veteran runner or a novice trainee, these running tips make it easier to run longer, faster and more effectively.

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Samuel Harvell, and I am a personal fitness trainer and running coach. Today, what I'd like to talk with you about is how to run races from the 10-mile distance to the half-marathon distance. I know, from my experience, in running these distances, for example, I've run a lot of 10-mile races and my 10-mile PR is 59 minutes, 54 seconds. So that averages out, overall, for the race, 5 minutes, 59 seconds. Now, when I started that race, I started at a pace that was at about 6 minutes, 10 seconds average for the first, say, four or five miles. And then I let the race come to me because I started at a slower pace and by mile five, mile six, I'm starting to feel much, much stronger to the point I feel I can run a considerably faster pace. So I would do what is called a negative split, whereby I am running the second half of the 10-mile race faster than the first half. And I have also done the same for the half-marathon distance where I start out at a slower pace, and gradually increase my speed, increase my late turnover, and then I let the race come to me because I started at a slower pace and by mile five, mile six, I'm starting to feel much much stronger to the point I feel I can run a considerably faster pace. But if you would like to learn more about how to train specifically for these distances, please contact me at harvellfitnesstraining.com. That's H-A-R-V-E-L-L-fitness-training-dot-com."