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Hi there! I am new to MFP and to half marathons! I am going to be running my first in August eek!!! I am actually newish to running too. I am a hibitual yo yo exerciser. I'll work out for a little bit and then quit, but this time I am committed! I signed up for my first 5k in 2 weeks and a 10k in 2 months an then my half marathon! I would love to hear any tips or tricks of the trade you have. I am currently running about 3 mile runs and will start my 20 week training program in 2 weeks :-)

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  • mmk137
    mmk137 Posts: 833 Member
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    i started running in oct 2011. by july 2012 I had run my 1st half marathon. So it's totally possible.

    I've been running for over a year now and I must say I have learned loads in that time frame.

    If you can join up for your local running club.

    Also get the runner academy podcast. It has loads of tips, tricks and stories. I really enjoy it.

    And good luck!
  • brenstar05
    brenstar05 Posts: 70 Member
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    Welcome!! I started running in April of 2011, did my first 5k in July and then did one race (of varying length) a month for a year, ending with a half marathon in June of 2012. I then followed it up with another half in August and have continued to do at least one race a month ever since. My next half is scheduled for this June. I know it sounds cliche, but if I can do it, you definitely can.

    I will say that I hated running when I first started, I haven't gone so far as to say that I love it yet. But I definitely feel better about myself and my day on days when I run. :) My advice is to listen to your body and stick with it. Running is a love-hate relationship... we love to hate it. :) Good luck on your races!!
  • ssmit103
    ssmit103 Posts: 5
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    Whoopsies I just saw these posts sorry!!! Thank you so much for the support though! I will definitely look into the podcasts! And I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one who has a love/hate relationship with running :-) I know this is a stupid question, but how did you go about finding a local running club? I have been wanting to find some others to run with, but am not sure where to look to find them. I thought about craigslist, but craigslist killer always comes to mind and scares me away before I look haha
  • brenstar05
    brenstar05 Posts: 70 Member
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    I know this is a stupid question, but how did you go about finding a local running club? I have been wanting to find some others to run with, but am not sure where to look to find them. I thought about craigslist, but craigslist killer always comes to mind and scares me away before I look haha

    Not a stupid question at all... I run with a local group in my town that I actually found at a local coffee shop. There were flyers posted about a group that boasted runners of all abilities. I started showing up on Saturday mornings to run with the group and now we are all great friends on and off the road. :smile: I would just look around your town to see if there is a group that gets together... runners are generally very welcoming. Another option that I've used is meetup.com. It's similar to Craigslist (so your fear may not go away), but so far I've had good luck with all the groups I've met on meetup. Maybe see if someone will go with you for the first meeting to see if anyone seems sketchy... even if you don't run the first time, you just go to meet people, you can at least get a feel for the group dynamic. Good Luck!!:happy: