The Half Marathon - How did YOU train?

Hi Have a look at Hal Higdon's Marathon, half marathon training plans. I used Novice 2 for my first marathon and it was very doable. Builds up gradually

Definitely find a training plan. The website for my half marathon supplied a suggested plan. For my half, I had 4 runs a week of varying lengths with a long run on Saturdays. Mileage increased weekly with a taper the week before the race. I really enjoyed this plan and have already created a new spreadsheet with updated dates for my next race.

http://www.emeraldcityhalfmarathon.com/pdf/emeraldcity_half.pdf

I'm certainly not an expert, but I have run 2 half marathons recently, and felt I was well-prepared for them. I started out running 5 times a week and quickly discovered that was too hard on my body. To train, I mostly ran 3 times a week with cross training days in between runs. I would usually do something like this:

Sunday: long run (started my long runs at 6 miles, worked up to 16 miles over the course of about 8 months)
Monday: rest/yoga
Tuesday: 5k
Wednesday: strength/cross
Thursday: 3-5 miles
Friday: walk
Saturday: light exercise/cross

No science, no plan, it's just what worked for me. The first race went great, felt good, injury free. I did not rest enough after my first race, and quickly did a second half just a few weeks later. I'm now sidelined with a minor ankle injury. Just take it from anyone who has been injured; better to take it slow and safe than over-train and be on the bench.
Safe running!

I didn't really train...
I ran the Army Ten Miler 2 weeks before my half.
I ran like 11 miles the week before my half.

I've never run more than the 13.1...

I looked at Hal's programs and sort of adopted them.

Don't do what I did and actually train =]

I have done a half...definitely get a training plan to gradually increase your distance. I ran one long run each week. Running 3 to 4 times a week plus some cross training...for me my body could not handle running every day

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51312/Half-Marathon-Novice-2-Training-Program

I picked his Novice 2 over the Novice 1 because the novice 1 had a 10 mile run as it's longest and the novice 2 had a 12 mile run as it's longest.

My hardest part, at first, was to slow down to a 1/2 marathon pace since I am a 5K junky. Once I was able to train properly for the 1/2, pace wise, it was just a matter of lacing up and putting miles on my feet and legs.

Try to find out in advance what they'll be handing out to the runners mid race and when. As you train, stick to those things at those places to make sure they won't cause you issues. I am a big fan of the Cliff Shot Blocks, so I brought my own to have during my run and I knew I wasn't going to have issues because I've been using them during my long runs leading up to the race.

I also made sure I ran in the clothing for my race a few times on my long runs so I knew if I was going to have any problems with chafing and the like.

What that all boiled down to was this: "Do NOT try ANYTHING new on race day"

I cannot recommend the Hal Higdon training plans enough, pick one for your level of expierence/skill and follow the plan as closely as you can, but don't freak out over minor deviations.

You can do this!!

I used runners world smart coach! You input race date, distance, what your long run is starting out and how many runs per week and it spits out a custom plan!! It worked best well! And it's free