Half marathon training advice anyone?

When i trained for my half marathon a couple of years ago I used a training program I found on runnersworld.com. You can customize them so they work for your schedule and your starting point- and the amount of time you have to train. It worked really well. It would have worked better had I not had to take a month break from running because of a stress fracture in my shin, but I still managed to do the half marathon. I'm thinking about doing another half next year and I'll use runnersworld.com again to set up my training plan.

Good luck!

My advice is to find a good training plan also... but find one that has you running 13 miles at least twice (or more). In my own personal experience, I've trained with the plans that only take you up to 10 miles and that just leaves me wasted at the end and then I feel like crap. I ran a few other half marathons having run 13+ miles at least twice during training and felt like a friggin rock star at the end. Good luck with your training. I hope this helped a little.

Ditto on the Hal Higdon schedules. I used the Novice 2 plan last year to train for my first two half marathons. Look in detail at the explanations if you don't understand a term. . .like long run, tempo, easy run, etc. I found all the info I needed from Hal's website.

Nutritionally, eat well. Don't eat a lot of crap food. . .especially as you get closer to race time. Drink plenty of water, regularly, but be sure to really hydrate well for several days in advance of your race.

Make sure you try out all the gear you plan to run in on race day. Don't wear a new shirt/bra/shoes on race day. Things may chaffe or cause blisters that won't be pleasant. And, I've learned that wearing the tech shirt given away in the race packet for the event you're participating in is kind of a faux pas in running circles. So, don't grab the shirt outta of your swag bag to run the race in. LOL

Have fun. If you've been able to complete 13 before, you'll have no problem finishing. You may find yourself getting a bit competitive. I don't try to win anything when I run halfs, but I DO try to place well for my sex/age group. I like to be in the top 10% if I can make it happen. That's my way of "competing" during a race. That, and chasing a new PR at each race is definitely motivating for me.

Good Luck!

I just ran the Runner's World Half in October and, like you, I wanted to finish and feel good afterwards. You have already some good advice posted here about looking up training plans.
It looks like you're putting in enough mileage per week. Pick one day a week for your long runs. Long runs should be at an easy pace, just to build up endurance. Plan to run about twice as long (timewise or distance-wise) on your long day. Also, for a few weeks prior to your race, you'll want to taper off your training to allow your body to get ready for the big day. You can Google "taper", although most training plans just build that reduction in training at the end into the plan.
Nutrition: I regularly see a registered dietician and this was her advice. Eat your regular breakfast about two-three hours before the race. Hydrate before the race. Her advice to me (I'm 5'10" 200 pounds-ish) was to take in 36 to 48 ounces of water during the run. This next bit is key: take in 100 grams of carbs just prior to the start, and every hour you are on the course. This will keep you from "hitting the wall" during your race. You should do this in your regular training as well.
How to do this? There are lots of different kinds of energy gel packs out there just for that. Experiment on your long runs with different ones until you find some you like. I use GU Lemon Sublime.
My final piece of advice is your post-run recovery. In the hour after your runs, your body is primed to recover if you give it the right nutrition. Believe it or not, and again this is from a registered dietician, chocolate milk has the optimal ratio of carbs to protein to aid recovery. You will notice that you are much less stiff and sore the day after tough workouts if you take this simple step regularly. I should say, in the interest of full-disclosure, that I use Muscle Milk instead of chocolate milk, as I have a problem with lactose. It is arguable that the Muscle Milk is better, as it is supposed to be more easily digested, but there is no doubt that it costs much, much more.
In conclusion, my race day could not have gone better from an energy standpoint. And, I felt good at the end, afterwards, and the next day.
I apologize for going on and on. In the event you'd like more info or clarification, my email is ssumbrella@yahoo.com

There are no silly questions PR is personal record some also use PB/ personal best. I ran my first half in Oct. I also think a person should train up to and beyond the 13 miles. Around mile 11 I really started to tire. I also increased carbs to 60%. I will race another half in May and I am lifting more weights than I did in the last race. It looks like you pretty well are there so just go and have fun. Having the crowd really helps.

race the way you train. dont try different race tactics and dont eat anything weird or new day of the race (like a new energy gel).

Thanks for asking the PR question OP and thank you runningforlife68 for answering...I've been wondering what that was. I was thinking personal but couldn't come up with record. :bigsmile:

I was coming up with personal too...but couldn't figure out the R!

Thanks runningforlife68! I guess this half will be my benchmark time

That's the great thing about first races, always a PR by finishing.