1st 1/2 marathon, any advice?

Find a comfortable pace you can keep for a long time.

Though this may not be the smartest advice, it is the simplest for me. I over train for my race day runs. Before my 1st 5K on 6/7, I was training with 5-7 miles run before that point. Before my 1st 10K on 6/15, I was training with 10 mile runs. Now I am training 15 mile runs for my 1st 15K race on Sunday.

I just need more $$$ to enter all these runs.

One of the doctors I worked with challenged the night shift crew to a 1/2 marathon in October 2014 and 3 of us accepted the challenge. The race must be completed in 3 hours. I have been training since about the end of April beginning of May . The only race I have done is one 5 k obstacle course and an 8k that I will be doing in July.

*about me - I have been logging here for 605 days and achieved my goal weight of 120lb. So I am healthy and in decent shape. But I work nights making it hard for a steady schedule. I try to do some type of exercise on my days off. Including running,walking, hiking, tabata, weight training.

My goal. Is to complete this run in the time allowed

I already went to the shoe specialist store and have been fitted for my shoes.

Problems: knee pain. Muscle soreness from leg day I can handle, arm day soreness no problem.

What kind of exercises to you recommend? Different diet? How much calories should I eat back since I am burning so much more? Constantly hungry now. What type of clothing during race? And any other advice is appreciate for this noobie who has gotten addicted to running.

I'm slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter... But I run...lol

Look up the running plans for half marathons. It will depend on your fitness level on which one will work best for you.

Most do advocate cross training but the one thing I usually stayed true to was the long run for the week. The other days I took the plan as just some advice and did my own thing, but that long run of the week you really do need to stick to.

Search for local groups to run with. There are some in my area for the full and half coming up this fall Those long runs can suck by yourself.

As for race day? Biggest advice is to not start too fast. I cannot stress that enough. DO NOT START TOO FAST. That can kick you butt for the rest of the race. I use a GPS watch.....it is very usefull to be able to guage how you are doing.

IN the beginning i always find myself having to slow down. Alot. YOu have the adrenaline going and it is so easy to go way too fast. As for race day..most have diff things you can have on the race path like energy GU's and gels. I would suggest only using them if you used them during your training. I loved them, and used them, buddy of mind chucked in the race after having them and he told me he never used one before.

I have used the Hal Higdon plans and adapted them to suit my lifestyle. For example, sometimes I trained for time not distance. I personally would not over train i.e. up to or over the full distance as it is hard enough on the body without doing extra running (I had Achilles problems and ended up needing orthotics to overcome this). If your race course has hills or any sort od undualations, do some hill practice (learnt this the hard way!)

I don't see your rest day being a work day is a major prob but learn to listen to your body and take a day off training or shorten your runs or workouts if it needs a break. I found sports massages a real help as the mileage increased. Good socks are essential, some were fine on shorter runs but rubbed in funny places as the distance increased. Wear what feels comfy - I feel the cold so on a coder day I wore a n old ong sleeve top fore before the race I could chuck away once we got going.

I found learning how to keep hydrated on a long run took a bit of time so if you have not got into the habit of drinking as you go, try that out.

Best of luck.

Compression shorts? Yes or no?

What energy gels work for you?

Night before meal? Day of breakfast? How long should I eat before the race?

All personal preference. I didn't wear compression shorts for my half on June 7th but did for some of the training runs earlier in the year. For me the temp difference was enough that I didn't want an extra layer. Find what is comfortable for you and stick with it. Short shorts, long shorts, compression under running shorts, only compression, whatever. The same goes for socks (get a moisture wicking, specialty running sock, seamless ... they make toe socks to mitigate toe rub if that's a problem for you) and/or calf compression sleeves. Some people wear them, some hate them.

I'd recommend wasting $10-15 and sampling some gels. The same alleged flavor can taste very different from different makers ... some have added caffeine ... consistency is a bit different from maker to maker. Find what you like ... gels, chews, gummy bears, jelly beans ... it's all about keeping the muscles fueled with sugar if you need it (some don't during a race).

I downed a liter of German beer and some Bavarian yumminess the night before my run. Fueling really begins days before the race. Carbs and protein are your friends during training as you need fuel and to maintain the muscle that will take a beating from now through the finish line. Play around with your timing. I can eat 60-90 minutes before a race and be fine ... I have friends that puke if they try that and only do water or a sports beverage on race morning.

You have time during your training to figure out what your body needs and how it reacts to feeding and hydration before and during runs. Play around with it some. Maybe it's a bagel and peanut butter for you .. .or dry toast and coffee ... banana and water ... donuts and cokes ... just once you figure out what works for you on longer runs, stick with it through race day.

See if your half marathon has pacing groups. If it does, check out their strategy and consider running with them. They can be a useful tool to avoid starting too fast and keeping on your overall goal pace to finish.