My First half marathon!

Jessie__86

I am doing my first half marathon on saturday. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I would love any pointers from you awesome racers out there! I am most nervous because I had to take like two weeks off because my knee was hurting pretty badly. Before I had to take a break my furthest distance was only 10 miles, which i did multiple times but the most recent was over three weeks ago! I know most training plans only have you run up to 10 miles and say that addrenaline will carry you the rest of the way, but i was hoping to get at least one full 13.1 in before race day. HOw many of you guys only did 10 miles before your half and your race ended well? Im just so nervous since ive only done 10 and I feel like i haven't run long distance in so long! Any help, pointers or encouragement would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

quiltergirlar

I only did a 9 miler before the big day. It would have been more, but it started to rain, so I went home. When I did a marathon, the longest scheduled run was 20 miles. Not sure I agree with that.

A few pointers:

Start off on the pace you have decided to do. At the beginning of a race always it is easy to start off too fast and you'll pay for that later. If they have pacers, use them.

Line up in the right spot for your pace. Don't start ahead of your pace and make people run around you because you're slower.

When you drink the water/gatorade, pinch the cup so it's easier to drink. If you walk thru the water stops (or anywhere else), check who is behind you so they don't run into you.

CarsonRuns

It's cumulative miles over time that build your fitness. Before my first HM, in 2006, my long run never exceeded 10 miles. I made out just fine, running under my goal time. There are only a couple pieces of advice that I will give.

Don't go out too fast
Don't do anything new the night before of the day of the race
Don't go out too fast

BrianSharpe

It's cumulative miles over time that build your fitness. Before my first HM, in 2006, my long run never exceeded 10 miles. I made out just fine, running under my goal time. There are only a couple pieces of advice that I will give.

Don't go out too fast
Don't do anything new the night before of the day of the race
Don't go out too fast

Yup +1 (except my first HM was in 2011, Carson has been running a lot longer than me...)

flabulous4

Yes, Carson has it right!
I would also add: enjoy it! And don't worry if you do feel the need to take a little walk. I did my first HM in early September and I was worried because I'd done 13.3 and didn't feel prepared...it was fine and yes I did have 3 or 4 walk breaks and finished under goal time :glasses: I'm doing my second one this Sunday!
Good luck!

ATclassof2021

Walk through the water stops.....you will make up the few seconds you lose walking and will not spill your drink all over yourself. I always do this and my PR for a half is 1:54 and hope to get that down to less than 1:50 this fall/winter. The tiny walk break is great for your legs too. Good luck and enjoy the race.....you will never forget your first.

Jessie__86

Thank you guys so much for your advice and input! Im so excited!

vmclach

i ran a 30k (18.65 mi) in 2 hrs 30 min and never ran more than 13 miles.. you'll be okay. what they say is true

before my boyfriend ran his first marathon, he never ran more than 17 miles, and he broke 3 hours.

you'll be fine!

wanda9501

Congratulations......always said I would do a marathon, than I realized I was just lying to myself. I love watching them though! Good Luck....

JustRenea

Good Luck!!! I did one 2 years ago back when i was down about 70 pounds :grumble: ...Hydrate! Get your protien that morning but dont eat too much!!! Get plenty of rest the night before! And after the race..hydrate, walk around a little, .get a healthy snack.... I was fine till about half way through...i died the last half ..then almost passed out once i finished...i should have walked around a bit and rehydrated myself

DangerJim71

I just finished my first half last weekend. Many good tips so far. What I did that helped me:
-STAY HYDRATED walked through water stops and took two cups. You should be getting 8oz every half hour and if water stops are every 2-3 miles and the 10oz cups are half full you will need two.
-PACE YOURSELF it would be really easy to take off and try to keep pace with everyone else. You have done some long runs so you know where you are with your pace. Just find it and stick to it. After a few miles you may have a tendency to start trying to hang with other runners just make sure it is at your pace and not too fast OR to slow. I caught myself going to slow a few times.
-LISTEN to your body, you said your getting over a knee injury. If it starts to bother you there is no shame in stopping and not finishing. I was injured last week and ran anyway. While I finished and was proud of the accomplishment I have set my training back by weeks by injuring myself even further.
-HAVE FUN, get there early, warm up, soak it in, hang out at the finish, make sure you have someone at the finish or on the route to root for you.

Good luck. I was very glad to finally get my first half done. As soon has my leg heals I will be traning for the next one.

CarsonRuns

-STAY HYDRATED walked through water stops and took two cups. You should be getting 8oz every half hour and if water stops are every 2-3 miles and the 10oz cups are half full you will need two.

I'm sorry, but this just isn't true. As a matter of fact, it can lead to over hydration which can bring on a dangerous condition called Hyponatremia where the excess fluid retained in the body dilutes the sodium concentration in the body.

There was a time when the recommendation was to drink ahead of thirst and this has been revised in the last 10 years to drink to thirst. Even this mantra is currently being challenged as research shows that some dehydration during a race is not only normal, but safe and desirable. Dehydration rates of up to 7% of total body weight have shown no degradation in performance nor shown to medically dangerous.

So, don't get hung up on trying to drink x ounces of water. Just drink if you are thirsty, as thirst is the only physical manifestation of early dehydration.

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=26481

drgndancer

Also, in case it wasn't clear: "Don't go out to fast"

I definitely made that mistake on my first half a couple of weeks ago. I paid in both a slower time, and more pain. (In my defense I thought i was going out at a reasonable pace based on my training runs, but the route was a lot hillier than my training route and I didn't take it into account.)

marynificent

omg watch what you eat!! i've done two and the second one had me on the couch the whole day with runner's tummy. i am still waiting for my enthusiastic runner's group that likes to sleep in because not having my morning time kills my stomach!!! no fiber or heavy stuff the morning of - don't overdo it on anything the day before and keep it low fiber/low fat. i stick with water instead of gatorade during the race too for the same reason. i just finished one last weekend in 2 hours, hoping to hit a 48 minute 10k this winter too. wooo!!!

oh and don't wear any new clothes/shoes/bras/etc.

Jessie__86

Thanks guys so much! wow two hours is awesome! Im hoping to eventually get under 2 hours. So far I havent been doing any speed work. I just wanted to get the miles down first and after this one, I will work on getting faster. Im still a little nevous about my knee i ran 4 miles yesterday and my knee wasnt't 100% better. I saw a pysical therapist when it first starting hurting. He told me that basicly I wasnt stretching enough and that my hamstrings were so tight it was causing pain and friction in my knee. He gave me a list of stretches to do daily and said that I should be better by my race day. I hope and pray that Saturday it holds up well for me!

waskier

It's cumulative miles over time that build your fitness. Before my first HM, in 2006, my long run never exceeded 10 miles. I made out just fine, running under my goal time. There are only a couple pieces of advice that I will give.

Don't go out too fast
Don't do anything new the night before of the day of the race
Don't go out too fast

THIS!!!
Also, don't push too hard on your first half. When I am trying a new distance for the first time I set my goal to finish. I work on time in the races after that. My first half I set a time goal and ended up getting hurt at mile 6. Made the next 7.1 not so good. Took it easier on my next and had a blast.

Good luck and have a great time!

FemininGuns

I've done like 7 half marathons and haven't gotten to do a full yet (but will get there)!

My advice: like previous posts, make sure you don't do anything different the day before. Make sure you wake up early to have a great breakfast to have some energy during your first half marathon (so exciting!!). You might want to consider eating more carbs the day before (or 3 days), called carb loading. I've never done this - I was always afraid to mess up the "routine". Make sur eyou have some tunes if you are running alone. If you have a 'special someone' that can run the last 5k with you, it's awesome! Dress accordingly, have nutrition during your run - if that's how you prepped... Get a good night's sleep But most importantly, don't start too fast, that can ruin this awesome experience. Enjoy the run and take it all in!! Remember, finish upright and smiling! Hope you have 3 goals: 1) finishing the half marathon 2) finishing at desired time 3) finishing under desired time. These can be re-evaluated as you go along. Did you run the route of your half marathon? I feel that's a great way to visualize... even driving it to get some idea of what it looks like. And as far as missing a few weeks of running, be mindfull of your injury - you don't want to come out of this worse than going in... Ego is easier to get over than a serious injury! For one HM I had the flu for a month - bad... I ran anyway, did great, but had got an injury and it still bothers me sometimes now - especially when not stretching very well. SO BE CAREFUL and GOOD LUCK!!!

Sox90716

Have fun and enjoy the journey. You've put a lot of time and energy into training for your first race, the least you can do is enjoy yourself along the way. There are no style points awarded on race day and it isn't a final exam. You've trained hard, you're well prepared, and race day is truly about the celebration. Soak up the excitement of the crowd and take it all in because you only run your first half marathon once and it's a special moment. Good luck!

FemininGuns

Oh, and HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE the few days before and throughout your run!!

marathon_mama

My longest run was 18 miles before my full. I was fine but I also trained for 20 weeks at least 4-5 days each week.

Epicmum54

Good luck!! I've run 2 halfs - The Hypothermic in February! The first I never "trained" for - I had just started running longer distances and a gal at work said she had a friend who couldn't race, would I like the bib? My longest run at that time was 18 km and, like you, was worried about the last 3...but it's true what they say, if you can run 18, you can certainly finish the last 3!! I see here that no one trains with 10 and 1s...run 10 minutes walk 1 minute. It's a great way to stay motivated for long runs, gives your legs a bit of a breather and just mentally, especially if it gets tough, you know that in a few minutes you're going to take a 1 minute walk!! As others have said, my advice would be find find the pace you're comfortable with and stick with it. I found it always helped to have someone in my sights just ahead of me who is running about the same pace and always keep them the same distance...gives you something else to focus on! Be mindful of your injury...your body will overcompensate to protect it and you may start to feel pain or discomfort in other areas of your body! Having said all that...truly enjoy the experience!!

Heaven71

My training plan only called for 10 miles before the race and taper started 2 weeks out so it looks like you really are on track. My Half was actually a mountainous Half. 3 miles straight up and some steep inclines and down hills all throughout. It went amazingly well. Finished in 3:27. They said whatever your normal time would be add an hour. so I look at it this way...had it been a flat course my time would have been 2:27 and that's not too bad for a first but the fact that I did 13.1 up and down steep trails with lots to trip over...without hurting myself was an accomplishment in it's self.

Don't carry too much stuff. A small hydration bottle, a carb gel or whatever fuel you use, whatever electonics you use but hide a ziplock somewhere on you incase it rains (it did during mine and I was happy to have it). I carried a small amount of TP just in case but thank goodness, I didn't need it.

Make sure you rest the legs starting a couple of days before.