First Half Marathon

Six months should give you plenty of time to train. I did my first half marathon last fall and am currently training for a 10 mile in a couple weeks and debating on whether to do a half the beginning of June. If you are able to run a 5K most programs that progress to a half marathon are 3 months long. Biggest thing is take your time. Make dang sure you have good shoes and that they are in good shape. Other than shoes, spend money on decent socks. The rest of the clothes that are touted for runners are optional but the shoes and socks are essential.

In my opinion a half is still not a long enough race to worry about eating during a run to keep yourself fueled but I know some people have to. I guess each person is different.

Running can be addicting. I love the high after completing a long run or a distance you have never done before. Sometimes hate it starting out though. Especially at 5AM in the morning when it is only 15 degrees above zero outside.

I am training for my first half also. It is on May 5th. Reaching distances that you have never run before brings a huge rush! I ran 10 miles for the first time last Saturday and it was so rewarding. You will do great, just keep at it. You are only racing against yourself, so just do what you can.

I ran two half marathons (which included another two practice races) last year, and am training for my next one which is on May 26. Agree with the shoes and socks. I'd recommend Body Glide as it does help chafing. Also if you are going to be fueling during the race (gels, drinks, gummies- whatever you choose), make sure to be testing them during training. This should not be left to chance, as if you do something different on race day- you could end up with some gastro problems. If racing, I always bring my own gels, just because I know how they affect me on my runs.

Other than that, go out and have a ball. Remember to take it at your pace, and really take in the sights. It is definitely amazing to see all the crowd cheering and encouraging you.

Make sure that you work your mileage on your long runs up to the full 13.1 or close prior to the race. The training program that I did for my first half only got me up to 9 miles on the long runs and by mile 10 in the race I was wiped. For my 2nd half I worked up to 12 miles a few weeks before the race and I think it helped a lot that my body and mind knew that I could go the distance.

Biggest thing it is have fun! I am running my second half in about a week and a half Find what works for you and don't change that on race day. If you bring energy chews on your long runs, do that at the race. If you haven't been practicing with food, don't do it at the race. For me I always carb load starting the day before.

Feel free to add me! Anyone can add me...I love my running friends!

I agree with don't overtrain..that will just cause injury. Steadily increase your mileage-you have the time to do it. Good luck! My first is on May 5th!

My first half is in October.... *listening in*

I ran a 10k first. My next race was a half. Last fall I ran my first full marathon. I currently run 120-140 miles a month, 6 days a week on average.

Find a plan. Hal Higdon has some really good novice training plans for half marathons. They are usually about 4 months long so you are in good shape as far as time goes.

My single best piece of advice for you when you set out on those scheduled runs, is sllooowwww down. People worry way too much about how they look, and how fast they train. If your goal pace is a 10:00 mile. Run your long runs up to a full minute slower. You will get a chance to go faster with progressive runs, tempo runs, and speed work.

Running faster, or adding miles to fast will just get you injured, and set you back. Plus, you need to go less intense during a plan like that. The cumulative fatigue on your body after a few weeks breaks a lot of people down. So stick to the plan, and run slower.

The second piece piece of advice I would give is add core training and strength training. It's absolutely vital. If you don't get stronger, especially in the core, your form will break down and you will fatigue sooner, race slower, and possible even injure yourself.

Running form/stride is big too, but everyone is different, and that is something that you will have to focus on and evaluate to see what works best for you, but at a minimum you should concentrate on mid to forefoot strikes when you land (middle to front of foot). If you are crashing down on your heels you are braking and running inefficiently.

Proper running shoes is insanely important based on what kind of arches/shape of foot you have, combined with your gait. Nutrition is important as well, but with me it wasn't a huge deal until I ran a full marathon. There, it is critical to prevent hitting the wall.

What else? Water, water, water. Hydrate!!

My first is in September so thank you for all the awesome advice! :flowerforyou: