Half marathon pointers for (fairly) new runner

I am also interested in the replies you receive here. I started the C25K in August and I ran my first 5K in Nov and 4 since. My goal is the same as yours, to run a 1/2 marathon this summer (probably late August, early Sept). So please, runners, give us your advice. Thanks!

I'm running my first half in April. I did my first run today. I've done a few 5Ks and 8Ks but I don't really train for those. I'll be watching this thread!

My first half is in May. I currently have not done anything farther than a 10K, so I would love to hear these tips also.

one more, do NOT refuse the warming blankets at the end of the run!! Again, this is personal based on how your body reacts, but my body temp PLUMMETS after a run, as does my BP, after my first race I didn't take the blanket/aluminum wrap thing and i nearly blacked out. You need to take the blanket and walk for a long long long long time to cool down. Of course, not everyone reacts to long distance running like I do - these are just my personal tips!

I decided last December to sign up for a half marathon on the 1st April 2012. That gave me 3 1/2 months to train. I hadn't run for around 16 years, was overweight, and when I started I did the C25K thing as well. Very disheartened to start off with, I managed 12 mins on a treadmill, and only about 6 of those were actually running.

I found that once I started running outside instead of in the boredom of the gym, and I found my pace (ie running but not completely out of breath), it got better.

I did the half marathon, and didn't stop once. OK, so I was pretty slow (2h29) but I did it

In retrospect, I shouldn't have pushed quite so hard - I had a previous knee injury which has now gone beyond the point where I can go running any resonable distance. So here are my tips:

1. Shoes, as emgel9 says. I got ones that were a size bigger than my feet, very comfy, and never had the horrible problem of toenails falling off (this happened when I started, I was using the trainers I'd been using in the gym).
2. I found I didn't need to buy all the fancy other stuff. It turns out my legs work just as well in an old pair of joggers as they do in fancy running leggings.
3. Always take water
4. Build it up slowly
5. Map out your route before you go, decide how many miles to go and stick to it.
6. The hardest thing - getting out there and doing it, in the snow and ice, rain, dark, whatever. A bright day-glo vest is a good idea in the dark!
7. Interval training - on your run sprint all-out for 30secs then back to normal pace. Build this up by increasing number of intervals and duration of them.
8. Don't wear anything new on the day of the race. I wore a charity vest which was far too big and still have the scars from where the skin was rubbed off the inside of my arms.
And finally...
9. Listen to your body - if your knee swells to twice its size after every long run perhaps it's a bad idea!

I used this schedule: http://www.marathontrainingplans.co.uk/training-for-a-half-marathon/#more-141

Good luck!

I def second the body glide...chafing sucks.

As for socks: I wear feetures light when I wear my minimalist running shoes for cross training.

I also love my Garmin Forerunner (which is a watch that tells me my distance, pace, time, etc...) but I love gadgets.

1) Get fitted for running shoes at a real running store.
2) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
3) Don't over run. Find a good plan and follow it.
4) Don't do anything race day you haven't done in training. So only eat things the days before a race/morning of race you are use to and have eaten before. Drink water and gatorade on your LSD (most common drinks at a race). If you use gels or other energy boost items (chomps, etc) use them on your LSD runs first. Use your training to test food and drink.
5) If you can afford wicking clothing, get it. Even the cheap stuff at Walmart/Target is actually good stuff. It helps.
6) Take liquid with you on any run 1 hour or longer. Can be a hand held bottle, waist belt holder or back pack. Besides what you eat or drink before a race, how you drink during your run will have the most affect on your outcome. Find where the aid stations are on your race and practice drinking at those distances in your training. Drink at every aid station and walk through the aid stations.
7) Have fun and enjoy the training.
8) Finally, don't have a set time goal for your first race. No matter how you do, you will set a PR. My first HM goals were: Don't die, Don't get injured, Finish the race (running/walking/both).

I agree with all of the above. I did 3 half marathon's last year, and have my fourth coming up in May. One more thing I would add:

Do Not Overtrain, by that I mean follow a training plan and stick with it. If you have not done more than 4 miles at a time you want to bump up your distance by no more than 10% at a time. I learned the hard way, I went from running 5k's to doing a 10k with little training in between, big mistake. I could barely finish and could hardly walk for a week.

When I started training for my first half, I followed Hal Higdon's beginner plan, and never had a problem with the training. Come race day I felt prepared but was surprised how I ran out of gas the last couple of miles. I think some of it was excitement mixed with nervousness. That is the one thing I would change from his plan, and I think someone mentioned it. Run at least on 13 mile training run.

Good luck, and enjoy !!

I bought Asics 33 from an actual running store after trying on several pairs. I can already tell they're not the right ones for me, so I'll be shopping for a new pair in the near future.

A good running store will have you bring in your old pair of shoes (to observe wear), watch you run to understand your gait and a few other test. If you are just trying on shoes, it's just a shoe store not a running store. If there's a local running club they will have suggestions where to go.

i have 2 half marathons and find them very rewarding. it's enough of a challenge for this slow ex-non-runner. i don't think i'll ever do a full marathon, as slow as i go, it would take too long to train!! i'd love to do the disney princess half marathon though. if anyone has done that, let me know what you think!

i second the suggestions above, here are a few things that worked for me

- i have terribly flat feet and had to go to a running store to find one that wouldnt give me blisters. the shoes were over $100 but worth the investment!

- i use a lot of bodyglide - between the thighs, on my arches of my feet, under my sports bra. it definitely cuts down on the chafing and once it chafes, it is hard to keep from chafing there again if you're running regularly

- i like the running socks you find at the running stores that wick sweat. my favorite ones are the ones that actually state left and right on them, i don't know what brand mine are, but there are several that have that.

- i used some free half marathon runner app on my ipod touch mostly just as a guide as to how often and when to increase my runs. i was only able to run about 2- 3 times a week, so i just made sure to get my long run in each week.

- i was only ever good if i hydrated well the day before i ran. if you're drinking a lot of water when you're running, it's too late. i did use the gel cubes for the races, not sure it made a huge difference but it also helped me stay goal oriented (one - two cubes every few miles)

- i have to be motivated and distracted, so i made sure i had a good playlist and knew about how many songs i would need, it helps me to count them so i feel like i'm getting somewhere

- i chose to run my first half marathon in vegas - that was great because the whether was fabulous. of course, the year i did it, it was a morning run. now it's a night run which would be so neat. it helped me stay motivated and i knew i couldn't back out. also, i got to really celebrate after it was over!! i've decided to try to run a few more in some fun cities. it was one of the rock n roll marathon series.

i just had a baby and am gearing up to pick my next half to train for, any suggestions are welcome. i have only run two but i definitely noticed i trained better for the december one because the weather was better for running. training for the october one was terrible sometimes due to the heat in july and august.

hope it helps! thanks for starting the feed, i'm learning new things too!