Half Marathon runners....

mandy_lynn

What was your finish time on your first half? I'm running my first in about 4-5 weeks and I was wondering if I'm headed in the right direction. I ran a 9 mile today in 1:51.
I'm also coming off of a back injury that was about 3.5 months ago from a car accident.

TKHappy

I'm curious as to the answer too. I'm training to run my first half marathon in September!

ATLMel

Hm, my first (back in 08) was 2:26:50. This was in Hawaii where pretty much every race had to go up and over Diamond Head. Twice.

One piece of advice: Don't go out too fast.

Oh, also, Don't go out too fast.

brandyk77

My first half was 2:2x - I don't recall. that was back in 2003 I think.

scottb81

I have run one half this past Jan. it was two months after I ran a marathon so I had a lot of training in preparation. My time was 1:35.

Lauraph

My best time is 2:16, but my goal is eventually to run one under 2 hours. I am just not built for speed:)

LesliePierceRN

I went straight from graduating C25K to half marathon training, and trained for six months. I finished the Columbus Half Marathon last October in 2:30:06.

Gutter19

I finished my first in 2:10:11, but times are very much an individual thing. Finishing your first one is all that is important. That is enough of a victory right there. Then you can strive to do better in the next one, but please don't compare your expectations to anyone elses.

Elzecat

you guys are speedy! My first half was last October, finished in 2:49. I did a ton of walking and averaged a 13 minute mile. My goal for the first one was just to finish and I was really proud of that... I have another half coming up in May, hoping for a 2:30 finish.

gbsngrl

I ran my first half in 2:08 and had trained for about 13 weeks prior to the race; just running, no strength. The race was in Philadelphia last September. I'm running another one this September and I want to be under 2 hours. I started training with a personal trainer for strength in addition to the running in December so I'm hoping to get there!

If you have a smart phone...the Smart Coach app is excellent. I used it to train for my first one (and every race since) and it gets you in good shape and is actually a really accurate predictor of race time. It had me clocked at 2:12 race pace so it was only 4 minutes off. Its free so worth a try if you don't have another program set up. Good luck!!:happy:

montana_girl

My first half... well, compared to what others have posted, I was going at a snails pace. But in my defense, due to an injury I never did a training run longer than 7 miles prior to the race. I finished my first half in 2:58:42.

Since then, I've been able to shave some time off and the last half marathon I did, I finished at 2:38:09.

Hoping for an even better pace at the next half marathon, which is just three weeks away!

BrianSharpe

My first half marathon time was 2:48 but I walked the last 7km due to an IT band injury. Last January my time was 2:17 - I;m shooting to break the 2hr mark this year.

allie7383

9 miles in 1:50ish is great! I did my first one last Oct and finished at 2:27, and that was only having a longest run of about 6.5 miles... you'll have no problem! i ran the NYC Half a couple weeks ago and was at 2:20.. training helped a ton!

And I second this: don't start out fast!

Gutter19

One piece of advice: Don't go out too fast.

Oh, also, Don't go out too fast.

AGREED! Go out even slower than you think you should. Especially if this is your first race. You will by hyped up and everyone will be going wild out of the gate...that energy fades and if you start right you will finish strong and end up seeing those people again as you pass them as they fizzle out. Go at your own pace.

sevsmom

I'm getting ready to run my first half on May 6th. I ran 9.5 this past Sunday and I finished in 1:30. My goal for the first race will be 2:15ish. . .if I'm honest. I'll probably just be happy to cross the finish line!! :happy:

Hope that helped. Good Luck!!!!

Elzecat

Hm, my first (back in 08) was 2:26:50. This was in Hawaii where pretty much every race had to go up and over Diamond Head. Twice.

One piece of advice: Don't go out too fast.

Oh, also, Don't go out too fast.

This times 1000. Think negative splits--run the first half of your race slower than the second half. :drinker:

jdelot

What was your finish time on your first half? I'm running my first in about 4-5 weeks and I was wondering if I'm headed in the right direction. I ran a 9 mile today in 1:51.
I'm also coming off of a back injury that was about 3.5 months ago from a car accident.

My first 1/2 is on May 6th. The training plan I'm following from runnersworld.com has me finishing in 1:53:36. That's the goal, anyway. I'm usually able to finish my runs at a faster pace than the plan calls for. I hope that's a good thing.

lizsmith1976

If you ran 9 miles, then you are on track I compare my speed to my personal bests, not to anyone else's. For most half's they will give you 4 hours to finish, so you are definitely on track to finish! Good luck!

Elzecat

One piece of advice: Don't go out too fast.

Oh, also, Don't go out too fast.

AGREED! Go out even slower than you think you should. Especially if this is your first race. You will by hyped up and everyone will be going wild out of the gate...that energy fades and if you start right you will finish strong and end up seeing those people again as you pass them as they fizzle out. Go at your own pace.

I totally experienced that surge of adrenaline when I did my first half...took the first 2 miles WAY too fast and had to force myself to slow down after that...I struggle with maintaining an even pace unless I am running with other people.

JustJennie1

My first (and only lol) half marathon time which was quite a few years ago was 1:55:46. I could have done at least 10-15 minutes better but I ran slower because my husband had gotten plantar fasciitis halfway through training and it was killing him so I slowed down my pace a bit which was fine with me. I've toyed with doing another one at some point but the training killed me. I hated being forced to run on certain days and to be honest I began to loathe running because of it When it was done I was happy to get back to my own schedule.

With regards to the race you always run your first and race your second.

katcod1522

My first half was 2:33:14. I had a goal of 2:40. With your 9 in 1:51:00....You should be able to complete in 2:50 or less...but remember...your first goal is to finish and run thru that finish line. Do not get caught up in the crowd..and go at YOUR pace. Strong finish is more important. My next half is May 20th and I have a goal of 2:30. Then another half on Nov 10th..with a goal of 2:25

notdancinganymore

Mine was 2:35 something like that.

jdelot

One piece of advice: Don't go out too fast.

Oh, also, Don't go out too fast.

AGREED! Go out even slower than you think you should. Especially if this is your first race. You will by hyped up and everyone will be going wild out of the gate...that energy fades and if you start right you will finish strong and end up seeing those people again as you pass them as they fizzle out. Go at your own pace.

I totally experienced that surge of adrenaline when I did my first half...took the first 2 miles WAY too fast and had to force myself to slow down after that...I struggle with maintaining an even pace unless I am running with other people.

The 1/2 I'm running next month has "Smart Pacers" Pretty interesting.
http://smartpacing.com/index.php?page=smartpacing

skingszoo

I was SLOW and my first was terrible! I finished 2:58 with a goal of 3hrs I made it! I had not trained AT ALL!!! And longest run was 7 miles. It was in Sept and I still have my balck toenail. I couldnt walk for days. I was a mess! You got this!!!!

ball858

My best time was in carlisle 2010 (a bit hilly) at 3:03 - I am aiming for under 3 this September

I usually run between 11-12 min miles at 10km pace at the moment so lets hope

Chagama

Maybe 2:42? Not sure. Anyway, it doesn't matter, you are only competing against yourself. And the proper goal for the first one is to finish. Time doesn't matter.

Good luck, you are doing great just by running it. Think of all the people sitting on their couches.

katcod1522

ah yes..Ive had black toenails since I started long runs of 8 miles...its a beautiful thing...a thing to be proud of ..kinda like those mommy stretch marks..you earned them

HeatherMN

Here's a link for a race results predictor. Just punch in information from a previous race or run (like your 9 mile training run) and you'll see what looks realistic for you. Best of luck!

http://www.marathonguide.com/fitnesscalcs/predictcalc.cfm

kunibob

This calculator has proved pretty accurate for me in terms of estimating race times and goals:

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/calculator

I haven't finished a race half yet, but my first 21.1 km in practice took me 2:28 last fall. Doing one next month, and hoping to break 2:15 for my debut...we shall see!

Really, though, your starting speed is your starting speed and it will be right for you. I know people who did sub-2-hours for their first, and though it's hard not to compare myself to them, I try not to, because what matters to me is how I improve upon what I could do before.

EDIT: oh, and there's another calculator in the post right about me...whoops!

ATLMel

ah yes..Ive had black toenails since I started long runs of 8 miles...its a beautiful thing...a thing to be proud of ..kinda like those mommy stretch marks..you earned them

Eep. You might want to go up a size in shoes. Black toenails are usually a result of having too small shoes...my running shoes for anything over 10 miles are 2 sizes bigger than my usual shoe size.

rmdaly

I ran my first half marathon in 1997 and have run a number of them since. What I have learned is if I start out too fast and think to myself "I can keep this pace up" as I'm already kind of out of breath, then I am in trouble. The best races I have done were when I started at a pace that felt too slow.

Good luck and have fun doing it!