first half marathon on sunday ADVICE NEEDED

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tonilizzy88
tonilizzy88 Posts: 968 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
hi all,
im running my first half marathon on sunday in cardiff and im pooping myself. i did a 10k race 2 weeks ago and my finish time was 1hour 3mins i found it a nice easy race and didnt struggle but a half marathon is double that and and extra mile lol

the advice i need is what to eat before hand? what to eat a few days before that kind of thing also ive been told not to train at least 2-3 days before the race? can i still go to the gym and do the bike and cross trainer and just no running or should i stop all together?

thanks in advance

Replies

  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Oh, that's exciting!
    I ran my first half in August and I was pretty nervous leading up to it - it seemed completely crazy until I got out there, then I had a ball.
    My advice:
    - eat the same way you have been eating for training. Race day is NOT the time to experiment with a new breakfast!
    - take it easy for a few days before the race. I did my last training run (about 8k I think) on the Wednesday then just a short 2 or 3km to stretch my legs on the day before. The way I see it, you want to conserve your energy so you are ready to roll on race day.
    - check out the website or race guide to see what they are providing in the way of toilet stops (hopefully you won't need them, but it's good to know!) water points (then you can decide if you want to carry your own water or not).
    - if they are providing gels or sportsdrinks, only use them if you have used them in training, I find some gels give me a stomach ache.
    - get your outfit ready the day before - right down to socks and undies, then you don't have to think too much on race day.
    - if you haven't already - plan how you are going to carry your car keys, phone etc. Check to see if the race has a bag drop so you can leave your warm clothes etc at the start and pick them up at the end.
    - check out the race course if you can - in person if possible, or have a look online. I always like to know if there are going to be hills ahead of time!
    - I also find it useful to visualise how I'm going to tackle the race. For my race, it meant starting out slow, breaking the course into 4 x 5km, planning a drink/walk break after each 5km, keeping a pretty steady pace (except for where the hills slowed me down!)

    Most of all - enjoy!
  • katemateg
    katemateg Posts: 334 Member
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    Good luck in Cardiff!!

    How has training gone? How far and when were your longest runs and what sort of pace were you doing?

    I always eat porridge before I set off for a race (I like a sachet of Oat so Simple) and a small orange juice, then have a banana before I set off. The night before I tend to eat pasta and garlic bread.

    Getting hydration just right in a race is an art. I have raced lots over the past few years and I am still learning. Drinking too much is just as bad as drinking too little. I carry a 500ml running bottle and take a sip or two every mile or two.

    Just enjoy it and start a little slower than you want to. At 10 miles it feels so great to have energy to move up a gear and start cruising past the others who started out too fast. Good luck!!

    The idea is your legs feel rested. I sometimes do a couple of miles run 2 days before. Bike, swimming etc is fine, just conserve some energy for Sunday.
  • madmickie
    madmickie Posts: 221 Member
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    Have a big pasta dinner the night before and a normal or even light breakfast.
    What you actually eat for breakfast isnt that critical, just make sure it is digested before you start. You dont want to run with a lot of anything in your stomach. You shouldnt need to re-fuel during the race, a small amount of water would probably be welcome though.

    10k in 1:03 would suggest a HM in around in about 2:20. That's if you have trained to HM distance, if not, then expect a little longer and pace accordingly.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I do well with a half bagel with some pb and a banana about 60-90 mins before the race, and I try to get up early enough to drink coffee and get things moving before the race. The pre-race port-a-potty situation is always mayhem and gross. I would eat a big carby dinner like pasta and drink plenty of water the day before. I wear a hydration belt with elwater, but depending on the race eland the conditions you may not need it- I have run one or two where I didn't touch my water bottle except to wash down gu because the races had plenty of water stations. I've also run a couple where it seemed like forever between water stations. You should be able to tell on the race map where they'll be. I like to start using gu around the 1 hr mark- but you dont want to try new things during a race. Probably even if I hadn't trained with them I would still stick some gu or jelly beans in my pocket in case of emergency but I wouldn't use them if I didn't have to. Your attire, like food and gu, should be stuff you've already tested out on long distance runs. Nothing worse than realizing at mile 8 that the seams on your new shirt are rubbing your underarm raw or your panties start crawling up your booty.

    Get to the race plenty early, and if it's cold I would suggest wearing a 'disposable' long sleeved tee for before the start. You dont want to get stuck carrying extra clothing through the race, so you might want to just ditch your top layer. When you get there, jog around the parking lot or whatever is available just enough to warm up and then stretch. Obviously you dont want to add extra mileage, but it's good to warm up lightly.

    Try to stick to the middle of the road, as most roads crest in the center and either side puts a slight amount more stress on one leg than the other. That's all I can think of right now- if I have more I will let you know! I know you can do this. You've been preparing for a long time, and you're ready! you go girl!

    ETA - just take those last couple days off and eat at maintenance. Don't push your luck by trying to get alternate workouts in. They won't help your endurance at all at this point, the rest will be much more helpful.
  • melindadunston
    melindadunston Posts: 157
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    Great thread....my first half is in two weeks!! AHHHHH!!!! I am so nervous and have no words of wisdom but good luck!
  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
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    No words of wisdom, but watching the thread as my first is in two weeks. Good luck!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Trust in your training, if you've been putting in the miles your biggest enemy will be starting too fast - watch your pace (if the race has pace bunnies find the one closest to your goal time and latch on)
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    My 1/2 is in 2 weeks as well; are you following any type of training as this should be your taper week?? No long runs are usually advised this week but 2, 3 if you feel comfortable, short tempo runs. Most programs don't have you running the day before the race. You should be eating the same what you've eaten before all your long runs provided you've have a few higher than 10K runs under your belt. Definitely increase your carbs over the 2 days before the race and don't try anything new you haven't tried in training. You can workout still if you like but most have you go easy this week with it being the first. Good luck!! I'm getting nervous bc my IT band decided to act up on mile 12 yesterday and I woke up very stiff!!
  • reggie2run
    reggie2run Posts: 477 Member
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    Good Luck on your half!

    I completed my first HM about 3 weeks ago and all the words of wisdom spoken by the posters before me are true. Rest and hydration are important. Start out slow. Don't try anything new on race day...it could spell disaster. I find carb loading a day or two ahead is always good but nothing new. Most of all - have fun. The most important thing is that you finish. Finish - upright and standing and smiling. You will auto set a PB which you can best your next half. Enjoy!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    My 1/2 is in 2 weeks as well; are you following any type of training as this should be your taper week?? No long runs are usually advised this week but 2, 3 if you feel comfortable, short tempo runs. Most programs don't have you running the day before the race. You should be eating the same what you've eaten before all your long runs provided you've have a few higher than 10K runs under your belt. Definitely increase your carbs over the 2 days before the race and don't try anything new you haven't tried in training. You can workout still if you like but most have you go easy this week with it being the first. Good luck!! I'm getting nervous bc my IT band decided to act up on mile 12 yesterday and I woke up very stiff!!

    IT band problems are a very common overuse injury. If you don't already have one get a foam roller and use it after every run (I missed 6 weeks of running last year learning this lesson the hard way) and check out these IT band stretches.....

    http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6099

    an ounce of prevention as they say.........
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    Options
    My 1/2 is in 2 weeks as well; are you following any type of training as this should be your taper week?? No long runs are usually advised this week but 2, 3 if you feel comfortable, short tempo runs. Most programs don't have you running the day before the race. You should be eating the same what you've eaten before all your long runs provided you've have a few higher than 10K runs under your belt. Definitely increase your carbs over the 2 days before the race and don't try anything new you haven't tried in training. You can workout still if you like but most have you go easy this week with it being the first. Good luck!! I'm getting nervous bc my IT band decided to act up on mile 12 yesterday and I woke up very stiff!!

    IT band problems are a very common overuse injury. If you don't already have one get a foam roller and use it after every run (I missed 6 weeks of running last year learning this lesson the hard way) and check out these IT band stretches.....

    http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6099

    an ounce of prevention as they say.........


    Yep, Thank you!!! Been doing IT stretches this morning and I will continue to do them a few times each day along with RICE. Getting a sports massage later today and going to my local running group store and getting a foam roller!!!! It's my fault bc I couldn't run very much last week and then just went out and did 12 at close to my PB. NOT SMART. :/ My nerves got the best of me.

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