Ask the Penguin: How Soon to Race Again

Dear Penguin

Your book helped me to train for the princess half at wdw 2 weeks ago THANK YOU!!! It was my first I had a finish time of 3:30 I was so pleased I finished.

I am 90 pounds over weight and my question is how long before I can do another? We have a local one here in June and another in October is that too much?

Is it ok to be in a constant state of training?

Congratulations! Finishing a half marathon is quite an accomplishment.

Yours is the question that all of us, as athletes, have to answer. As I say, once you’ve done the impossible, what do you do next? There’s no right answer, but I’ll share my thoughts with you.

For runners and walkers the challenge almost always comes down to one of two choices; go farther or go faster. Since you’ve done a half marathon you might consider doing a full marathon, but, I wouldn’t recommend it. Since you finished in a time of 3:30, I think a better goal would be trying to go just a little bit faster.

There’s no secret to getting faster. You just have to make it a priority. There are lots of good programs out there that will help you improve your efficiency which will, in turn, allow you to go a little faster.

The other goal, for you, might be finding a balance between your training and a long-term program of weight loss and management. I’m not talking about dieting. I’m talking about integrating a food awareness element to your already successful training.

You KNOW that you can achieve your goals. So, set a new one. I think skipping the June event and focusing on the October one makes the most sense, to me.

All the best,

Waddle on, John

John “the Penguin” Bingham, Competitor Magazine columnist Author, The Courage to Start, No Need for Speed, Marathoning for Mortals and Running for Mortals.

Have a question for John? E-mail it to thepenguin@johnbingham.com.