Half Marathon: The Risks And Benefits Of Running

Running is one of the effective full-body, calorie buster, body toner types of workout, also a wonderful way to socialize and promote mental and physical health. Moreover, running is not only about being a workout or venue for health promotion. Instead, running can also be a competition, such as a marathon.

A marathon is a 42-kilometer (26-miles) long-distance running race. Also, it requires substantial preparation, which may take several months. To take part and finish a marathon is a great accomplishment for the number of people. Furthermore, there is also a short-distance running event that is popular among some, especially for beginners and those who plan to run in a marathon.

A half marathon is a running event that is 21 kilometers long or 13.1 miles, which is half the distance of a marathon (26.1 miles). And since it is a short-distance footrace, a half-marathon is usually done on the center roads or highways. Furthermore, the United Kingdom is one of the most popular countries in the world for hosting a large number of half marathon events, which gained the title, half marathon UK or UK half marathons.

In this article you will find  the benefits and the risks of running in a half marathon. Will it be good to run or not? Let’s find out!

Benefits Of Running A Half Marathon

Running a half marathon (13.1 miles) would not only benefit you by many things, but it is also a good head start if you are planning to run in a marathon (26.1 miles). Also, running a half marathon keeps you strictly scheduled with certain preparations without being as rigorous as a marathon.

Moreover, the health benefits that come from running a half marathon are:

Improves The Cardiovascular System

A half marathon training involves the progressive construction of miles and pace, lengthy runs, and physical dedication. And by continuously boosting your fitness, the performance and condition of your body will enhance. Running also lessens your blood pressure and the possible cause of stroke, and other heart problems. In addition, the overall training and progress will allow you to acquire the most potential growth in your condition and improve your cardiovascular system.

Loss Of Weight And Burning Of Calories

Training and running a half marathon with a distance of 13.1 miles is not something to take lightly because it needs much training and planning. And through your preparation, you will efficiently lose weight and burn some of your calories, which is great for it will make you lean on the day of the marathon.

Reduce The Risks Of Injuries In A Full Marathon

Beginners or runners who intend to take a full marathon are frequently prone to injuries. This is because they lack the fundamental preparations and methods required before running a full marathon, which is running first in short-distance marathons—such as UK half marathons. Furthermore, running a half marathon, as previously said, is “a good head start if you are going to run in a marathon” since it prepares your body for long-distance running and also reduces the risks of acquiring injuries.

Promote Mental Health

Running helps in improving the emotional and physical development of a runner. Even though it is a short-distance event, it is sufficient to decrease tension, anxiety and improve sleeping patterns.

Risks Of Running A Half Marathon

Aside from the benefits of running a half marathon, we cannot still deny the fact that there are also risks that come with it. There are findings that running marathons or half marathons are linked with a fairly low risk of cardiovascular disease and even death. However, these are only caused by certain factors, such as:

Excessive Training

Excessive training can often lead to fatigue, a major concern for your preparation for a half marathon. Overtraining can also alter the condition of your heart afterward, which could increase the risk of acquiring a cardiovascular problem and sudden collapse after running a half marathon. As a result, it is critical to maintain your rate while training for a marathon, even if it is a half-marathon UK.

Euphoric Feeling

Runners quite often experience this feeling during training and preparation and continue further afterward. This feeling is commonly known as runners’ high. This condition often drives runners to run one marathon after another, which is a bad idea for it could result in some critical circumstances.

Conclusion

A half marathon is an excellent arena for such activities as preparation, health enhancement, mental health conditioning, progressive running, and more. Running has various benefits especially in the physical and well-being of an individual. However, in every benefit, you can get certain risks. Nevertheless, these can be avoided by keeping adequate preparation and training, so run at a steady pace and stay consistent with your routine.

There are many half marathon events that you could engage in, and one such marathon that you could try is the UK half marathons.