Training for a half marathon

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  • CALake
    CALake Posts: 269 Member
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    Awesome suggestions! I'm aiming for an August half marathon- planning on using the Hal Higdon 12-week prep program. I love all the suggestions from people who have completed this distance of race!
  • bsmith404
    bsmith404 Posts: 333 Member
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    bump.
  • runner475
    runner475 Posts: 1,236 Member
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    Nice Advice
  • plcowner
    plcowner Posts: 106 Member
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    No stopping nature. Some people run with fanny packs and keep toilet tissue in them in case of an emergency :)

    On days leading up to the race and on race day itself, try to eat and drink the same things that you've eaten during your long training runs. If you normally eat two eggs before a long run, then eat 2 eggs on raceday. Don't try anything new or different. This goes for gel packs and bars also.
  • mkatetay
    mkatetay Posts: 18
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    I have run two half marathons for my college team and I am training for another one now... I am writing about it in my blog...
    My coach tells us that you want to go up to 12 miles two weeks before the race and then taper down.. and while you are running the race make sure that you use all of the water places..

    I am also posting my works on my blog
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    thanks OP for posting your question. i'm running my first half in june. started training a few months ago. the longest race i've done is a 10k. over the weekend i ran 6.44 (my longest to date). great suggestions/tips everyone. question what is GU? is it really important to use chafing cream? i've never had any problems so i'm not sure if i will need it i'm also not sure what's it's like to run 10 miles so who knows maybe i will need it? good to know there may be porta potties on the route. ;)
  • Codefox
    Codefox Posts: 308 Member
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    thanks OP for posting your question. i'm running my first half in june. started training a few months ago. the longest race i've done is a 10k. over the weekend i ran 6.44 (my longest to date). great suggestions/tips everyone. question what is GU? is it really important to use chafing cream? i've never had any problems so i'm not sure if i will need it i'm also not sure what's it's like to run 10 miles so who knows maybe i will need it? good to know there may be porta potties on the route. ;)

    Gu is one brand of gel packs. I like Gu personally but there are plenty of brands out there. Basically its just some extra calories during the run to keep you going. Generally eat one every 45 - 60 minutes. They're about 100 cals of sugars and electrolytes. I couldn't survive without it!

    I do't use any creams myself.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    thanks OP for posting your question. i'm running my first half in june. started training a few months ago. the longest race i've done is a 10k. over the weekend i ran 6.44 (my longest to date). great suggestions/tips everyone. question what is GU? is it really important to use chafing cream? i've never had any problems so i'm not sure if i will need it i'm also not sure what's it's like to run 10 miles so who knows maybe i will need it? good to know there may be porta potties on the route. ;)

    GU is brand of energy food.

    For half-marathon or shorter it's totally unnecessary as your body has more than enough stored carbs for that distance and time. Unless you are going out full-blast - in which case other things are going to fail before your glucose levels probably.
    Or you've totally trained your anaerobic carb burning system instead of your aerobic fat burning system, which is bad for bigger distances.

    You can also use the compression shorts under other shorts instead of creams. Or find clothes that don't cause such a problem in a short time.
  • brandyk77
    brandyk77 Posts: 605 Member
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    GU is brand of energy food.

    For half-marathon or shorter it's totally unnecessary as your body has more than enough stored carbs for that distance and time.

    agreed...that is why I like 10 miles - HM distance. No need to eat but for trudgers like me, enough time to break down the speed demons. :)

    I would agree with doing over 13 miles for a HM training schedule. Mentally this helps you a great deal. I would also suggest running your long runs on tired legs (i.e. don't take a rest day before). Nothing prepares you for running your race like doing the distance on tired legs.
  • aswearingen22
    aswearingen22 Posts: 271 Member
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    thanks OP for posting your question. i'm running my first half in june. started training a few months ago. the longest race i've done is a 10k. over the weekend i ran 6.44 (my longest to date). great suggestions/tips everyone. question what is GU? is it really important to use chafing cream? i've never had any problems so i'm not sure if i will need it i'm also not sure what's it's like to run 10 miles so who knows maybe i will need it? good to know there may be porta potties on the route. ;)

    What others said about GU, there is also PowerBar, etc. And if you don't like the gels (my stomach doesn't tolerate them well), there's also chomps (kind of like big fruit snacks), sport beans (like jelly beans), etc. Experiment during long runs and see what works for you. I'm surprised others don't fuel during a half marathon, they must be faster runners and not out there as long! I'm out there for 2:20 and I need something. If I'm going out for 1.5+hours I usually eat something during my run (so 9ish miles or more for me). No need to using chafing cream unless you chafe! I know where I tend to (underwear line and sometimes where my arms might rub on my tank) and also lube up there. I never run in tempo running shorts only after my first painful chafing half...now I either run in capri's or wear compression shorts under my shorts. Good luck!
  • mkatetay
    mkatetay Posts: 18
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    thanks OP for posting your question. i'm running my first half in june. started training a few months ago. the longest race i've done is a 10k. over the weekend i ran 6.44 (my longest to date). great suggestions/tips everyone. question what is GU? is it really important to use chafing cream? i've never had any problems so i'm not sure if i will need it i'm also not sure what's it's like to run 10 miles so who knows maybe i will need it? good to know there may be porta potties on the route. ;)

    for a half are coach would never had us take any GU... for us he would say "every two things of waters you drink, drink one poweraid" and he would always have us put I chafing cream he would give us Vaseline on are arm pits and legs... he always told us you never know what my happen when you run faster in a race..

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