Half Marathon Running tips

Bump- I'm interested in some tips as well.

I just completed my first half in October. I am a fairly new runner too. I started running last year (up to 3 miles).

For training, i googled half marathon training and a lot of different programs came up. Just find one that works for you.

I ran at least 3 times a week, sometimes 4 and one day was a long run (Sundays for me). I always took Mondays off to recover. My long run days were the days i increased my miles and i did not worry about speed or time on those days, they were long slow runs. I also incorporated a farkel run one day a week (just google farkel).

Days i did not run i usually biked but i always took Monday off completely (except for maybe a dog walk). I also did some weight lifting 2-3 days a week but nothing too strenuous.

I was up to 12 miles the week before the race. I was hoping to be over 13 to feel better the day of but it just did not work out for me that way (vacation and other stuff popped up). But i was ok for the race.

I completed it much faster than i had in training (2 hrs 8 min - good for me) and i think that was due to keeping up with all the people.

One recommendation - use the bathroom before you get to the race. I was not prepared for that many people and the lines for the bathrooms were extremely long. So i was not able to go before the race, i had to stop at one of the port a potties.

Biggest downfall is the amount of time you have to set aside for training. Otherwise it was a nice race and i would maybe do another one.

When I ran my first half, I had slowly built up my mileage over a few months. That being said, you can also look at Hal Higdon's plans (halhigdon.com). I follow his marathon plans to prep for those.
That all being said, you're going to have a hard time with it if you "hate running". Doing 13.1 miles is no small feat and it takes a lot of miles beforehand. If you don't like to run, you're not going to enjoy that. Hopefully, as you do more of it and feel more comfortable with it, you'll like it more.

Shoes. Get yourself fitted for running shoes at a proper running store. They will put you on a treadmill and determine if you are a pronator, supinator, high arch, low arch, etc. It makes a freaking HUGE difference in comfort and safety!

I have ran half marathons with worn out shoes and felt the pain for weeks.

I recently ran a full marathon with proper shoes and insoles and I had zero pain. A bit of soreness and stiffness but no pain.


Edit: because I didn't read the OP original post!

x2 for hal higdon plans, he has great training plans for all types of runners. Just trust the training plan you choose and don't overdo your training, some people will add days of running or run longer than the plan says and feel burnt out by race day

There are a ton of training plans online, you can do this!

A note about going to a shoe store and getting fitted for shoes: I did this last week. I was told I was "normal" I ended up buying a pair of $120 shoes because that's what the sales guy suggested. I ran in them once and walked in them for 3 days and they hurt so bad. My feet and calves were cramping just walking a mile. I took them back to the store and had them order the same shoes I was training in (because I never had issues with them). Just sharing a different experience with a shoe store. I felt taken advantage of (my own fault/issue) and spent $120 when I could have bought the same shoes I was already using for $60 somewhere else. More expensive does not equal better in my experience.

I also "hated" running. Except then I realized I didn't really hate it. I love the way I feel when I am done, even if I was dreading the run earlier in the day. That feeling is addictive - it's what keeps me going. Some good advice I've received - focus on the mile you're in. It's really easy when you are running 3 miles to get down on yourself because you're imagining 13.1 and it seems impossible. Focus on what you're doing today, not what you will be doing 3-4 months from now. Follow the training plan and you'll be ok.

Good luck!

Agreed. Do some homework about arches, pronation, supination, neutral, etc. Check the running forums and maybe yelp.com when investigating your local running stores. There are places out there that will try to sell you crap with alot of broscience and marketing buzzwords.

http://www.runnersworld.com/shoeadvisor

I went from a run/walk 5k to running a half without stopping in ten weeks. I am not at my goal weight or super fit, imo. I just put my mind to it and got it done! Since I could already do a 5k, I cut the first two weeks off of this schedule and had at it: http://www.self.com/images/pdf/run-a-half-marathon-plan.pdf

Tips: dedicate to your long runs, find a running buddy (even if they just walk and you loop around them), find new paths, sign up for a 10k, experiment with GU's, energy beans, and the like. Buy a water belt - when you pass 7 miles, you're gonna start getting thirsty. Try your hardest on the sprint days - bring a cheerleader! My performance always skyrocketed the week after sprints. Put your run schedule on your calendar and make it a priority... especially once your training runs get longer. It's so easy to bump them down or commit to something else! Keep your head high, and GOOD LUCK!!

I started running last year (October, 2013). I ran two 1/2 marathons this year (June and October) and already have signed up for 2 next year and 1 marathon next year (my first).

I researched some online training schedules, but came up with my own based on looking at them. You need to make one that will work with your schedule, otherwise, it won't work and you will give up on it (in my opinion).

I only ran around 3x/week when training for my first 1/2. Each week I tried to do 2 short runs (around 5K) and one long run. I tried to only add 1 mile to my long run each week; to where I would run 13.1 miles at the end of week 9 (3 weeks prior to my race). As you can see, however, I failed at that and it wasn't that rigid. Sometimes I went out with a given distance in mind and decided to run longer. There are times I shoudn't have done that, but I did.

Here was the schedule I used for my weekly long run; personally, I don't recommend this exactly, since you can see I added more than 10% in my distance for a given week. That being said, I think the idea works.

week 1: 5 miles
week 2: 6 miles
week 3: 7 miles
week 4: 7.5 miles
week 5: off
week 6: 9 miles
week 7: 10 miles
week 8: 11.5 miles
week 9: 13.1 miles
week 10: 10 miles
week 11: 7 miles
week 12 : race (13.1).

Again, this is just a baseline, but you will see this in most training programs: 1 of your runs / week should be adding distance. Also, try to avoid adding more than 10%. I failed at doing that, and I did get Plantar Fascitis, but was able to correct it with stretches and a roller.

Now after you run your first one, and you get that rush, you will probably run another looking for a PR. Just remember, running faster makes you tired, running more makes you faster. So the key is to log more miles (and you will naturally get faster at least initially).

I am just wondering about training tips from people who have run a half marathon before. Esp from people who like me hate running.

Do something else. Seriously. If you hate running, why would you put yourself through 2 hours or so of misery? Find something you enjoy and do that.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful tips. I read them all and cant wait to look up the links and get started with a plan. I guess I should have worded my 'hate' for running. I just haven't found the love for running but I do it. I just can't get to the point where I get excited to do it. I feel excited about other times of working out. With running, I do it because it burns a lot of calories and it helps me get in shape and most of all I like how I feel accomplished after the fact, but I am just not one of those people who is like whoo hooo running. but i have done several 5k's

I would strongly suggest running with a partner / group. For me that is the best part of running, and what differentiates it from a lot of sports -- you can have great conversations while you are running. Indeed, most training should be done at a "conversational" pace, so that's an opportunity to connect with folks.