Second before you start, see your doctor for a complete physical. At your weight and height you could have already developed issues like High Blood pressure and pre-diabetes. So make sure you are healthy in every respect. He can also help you to quit smoking as well as point you directionally to a healthier life style.

You may want to also ask him about a visit to a dietician. You will need to learn how to eat. Lets avoid the “D” word, but instead use Healthy Eating habits instead. Running and Healthy eating go hand in hand. With the right mix weight loss will come with ease.

The big issue is generally it takes 16 weeks to prepare for a ½ marathon. The assumption is you should be able to run a 6Km comfortably and should be running about 20 – 25km a week.

First go over to http://www.coolruning.com and pick up the couch potato to 5k schedule it’s a 9 week schedule that will take you from the couch to 5K. We are not so much concerned about time as we are distances and time exercises.

Once you finish this schedule you could pick up a beginner ½ schedule. You may well be able to do the schedule as long as you keep in mind that your goal is to complete the ½ marathon.

My recommendation would be to try a 10K run event first. After you complete the 5K event, schedule a 10K event in about 10 weeks out. While keeping to your ½ schedule, this will help you get a feel for what a racing event is like. After 10 weeks you should be able to complete a 10K race.

Some resources for you to use
http://www.coolrunning.com
http://www.runnersworld.com
http://www.jeffgalloway.com
http://www.halhigdon.com
http://www.runningroom.com
http://www.runningmania.com

Harry
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I would stick to basic walking for the first 2-4 weeks and incorporate a slow jog into these sessions. You will not go beyond 10 miles in training until the actual race day. Watch out for the concrete and I would cross-train in a pool to work out the lactic acid and keep the body form overdoing it. Increase slowly in distance, 10-12% from prior weeks distance. Good Luck!
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While you’re doing that, start doing some push-ups and lift some light weight. Eat healthier foods and avoid fast foods and greasy, oily foods. Try to limit smoking and beer if you can.

Otherwise, just get your body used to running 2 miles. 7 months is plenty of time to train for a half. You’ll do fine.
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If you start training you will lose weight as you go, just look at the types of food you eat and try to eat healthier, the weight will drop as you go.

Find a training programme which will slowly increase your distance, give you plenty of rest time to recover, and give you times to do something other than just run.

Other than that, just have fun, make sure you have some good shoes, and go for it!

Good Luck!
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I found that I tried a couple of times to do things in the order that you are talking about but that kind of increased the pressure too much. I kept smoking (not a medical recommendation you understand!), started running and the smoking stopped of its own accord when I began to see the negative effects it had on my running and my body completely rejected the idea of smoking as much as I did.

If you can, I would take any help you can get in stopping smoking. The nicotene patches worked for me. Friends have quit using the gum and so on but it is hard to do cold turkey unless you really are a five a day smoker in which case, the lowest dose of gum would be a help.

As far as training for the half is going, you have started just the right way. Get to the gym, get happy with sweating a bit and build up a bit of condition. In just the same way as your body will reject the nicotene it will start to reject some of the crappy food choices that have got you to 245lbs and you will start to be very concious of the food you are taking in. Do not try to diet, just try to eat good foods (lots of fruit, fresh fish, low fat choices etc, try to stay off the easy options of McDonalds, fried food or those delicious curries and so on) and the weight will fall off. Happy days ahead.

Don’t try running on the beach untill you are much much fitter as the strain that it puts on your lower legs and ankles is massive. I would run a couple of times a week on a treadmill to get an idea of pace management and run a couple of times a week on a track or on a trail (much more fun on a trail).

Last point- you have had good advice about damaging yuor knees. Listen to your body very carefully. Don’t be big and brave and run through injuries or ignore muscle gripes. Your body will tell you how fast you can go and for how long. At the half marathon there will be lots of people doing the walk run walk speed so there is no need to train up to being with the Kenyans at the front and hurt yourself doing it. there’s always next year for that!

I hope this helps.
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