Half Marathon runners....

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  • notdancinganymore
    notdancinganymore Posts: 57 Member
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    Mine was 2:35 something like that.
  • jdelot
    jdelot Posts: 397 Member
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    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
    skingszoo Posts: 412 Member
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    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
    ball858 Posts: 395 Member
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    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
    Chagama Posts: 543 Member
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    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
    katcod1522 Posts: 448 Member
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    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
    HeatherMN Posts: 3,821 Member
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    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
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
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    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. :smile:

    EDIT: oh, and there's another calculator in the post right about me...whoops!
  • ATLMel
    ATLMel Posts: 392 Member
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    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
    rmdaly Posts: 250 Member
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    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!
  • katcod1522
    katcod1522 Posts: 448 Member
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    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.

    really? wow...and the shoes I have now..(Asics Gel Kayano only shoe I wear) tend to slip a little at first. They never feel tight..never hurt. Alot of runners have black toenails...no?
  • ATLMel
    ATLMel Posts: 392 Member
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    What I usually do for long races is to take my goal time (usually derived from McMillian's Calculator that another poster linked to) and then break down my mile splits into an excel sheet. I add about 10-15 seconds a mile for the first 2-3 miles and then do the math to make that up throughout the next 11-24 miles. Forcing myself to hit slower spits for a couple miles makes me settle into my pace and relax. I usually carry this taped to my handheld bottle or on the inside of a hat. It helps to check every mile to see where I'm at and adjust based on race day conditions.
  • ATLMel
    ATLMel Posts: 392 Member
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    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.

    really? wow...and the shoes I have now..(Asics Gel Kayano only shoe I wear) tend to slip a little at first. They never feel tight..never hurt. Alot of runners have black toenails...no?

    A lot do, but most are due to ill fitting shoes. I got black toenails when I first started distance running, but now I almost never have them ( a brutal trail 18 miler being the exception with all the pounding downhills). You might want to try some alternative lacing to open up your toe box a little and tighten them up on your heel.

    ETA: I still don't have pretty feet (ugh, callouses) but eliminating/minimizing black toenails will make your feet happier :)
  • katcod1522
    katcod1522 Posts: 448 Member
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    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.

    really? wow...and the shoes I have now..(Asics Gel Kayano only shoe I wear) tend to slip a little at first. They never feel tight..never hurt. Alot of runners have black toenails...no?

    A lot do, but most are due to ill fitting shoes. I got black toenails when I first started distance running, but now I almost never have them ( a brutal trail 18 miler being the exception with all the pounding downhills). You might want to try some alternative lacing to open up your toe box a little and tighten them up on your heel.

    ETA: I still don't have pretty feet (ugh, callouses) but eliminating/minimizing black toenails will make your feet happier :)

    good advice..thanks :)
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
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    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.

    ^^I am experiencing this RIGHT NOW. I don't think I'll ever sign up for another long race, ever again. The training has sucked the very joy out of running for me.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    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.

    ^^I am experiencing this RIGHT NOW. I don't think I'll ever sign up for another long race, ever again. The training has sucked the very joy out of running for me.

    My husband and I had talked about doing a full marathon but nixed the idea. The training just sucked for me. The most I will do is a 5k or this 7 mile run that I do every year that's in June. That's all the races for me. Very minimal training needed!
  • Eaglesfanintn
    Eaglesfanintn Posts: 813 Member
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    My first half time was 1:58 something...
    As others have said - don't go out to fast. Seconds saved at the beginning are minutes lost at the end.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    I had a 2:31 my first one. I took it easy, because it was a super-humid Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles, and I was HOT as all getup.
  • jmy1975
    jmy1975 Posts: 56 Member
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    My first half was a bit over 3 hours, but I had to stop for about 7 minutes to wait for a portapotty at mile 9 and then had to do a lot of weaving in between people. My phone said I actually ran 13.5 miles vice the 13.1. I also was recoveringin from a cold for the week previous and hadn't really ran more than 8 miles total before doing the whole thing. I figured I had a lot of room for improvement.
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
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    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.

    ^^I am experiencing this RIGHT NOW. I don't think I'll ever sign up for another long race, ever again. The training has sucked the very joy out of running for me.

    My husband and I had talked about doing a full marathon but nixed the idea. The training just sucked for me. The most I will do is a 5k or this 7 mile run that I do every year that's in June. That's all the races for me. Very minimal training needed!

    Exactly! I have a 5 miler and a 10K that I want to run this summer. I'm happiest just running for me.

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