I still count my first mile as a warmup and don't push the pace on it. I've run this distance so many times now. (Pretty much every weekend) that I know starting out too fast ends up biting you in the end. This isn't a 5k. Give yourself a mile to just relax and have fun then start working on the speed. Even if the first mile is a 10:00 pace you're going to easily make up that minute over the course of the next 12 miles and you'll probably feel much better for it. If you run a 10:00 and then 6 at a 9:00 you're back under a 2 hour pace again. The half distance done correctly seems to build speed with each mile for me. Typically I keep it reigned in for the first 6 and then just run however I feel the second half.

Your goal times sound good to me.

What did I learn from the two races I actually did? You know both of my official halves sucked so much. Both were at around 80 degrees with rain and high humidity and wind. I suck at picking good races evidently. I did start out too fast on my first one. At mile 8 I was averaging an 8:30 pace. Then it quit raining and I got hot, hot, hot! I ended up walking some to cool down. I paced myself much better on the second one and kept things reigned in the first half. This was still brutal due to the heat that day but with the controlled front half I was still able to get a 1:54 time. Moderation on the front end pays off very nicely. It's great to hit mile 6 feeling like your legs are still fresh and raring to go.

The last 3 miles aren't a 5k but don't hold back too much on these. You're nearly there. You should be working pretty hard on these and if you saved some energy you'll be passing people left and right. That feels really good.

_Waffle_ - wouldn't you just do a warm-up before the race instead of wasting your first mile on warming up?

_Waffle_ - wouldn't you just do a warm-up before the race instead of wasting your first mile on warming up?

I do for the 5k but I don't do much of that on the half. I do this more for fun than being competitive. I can do 1:50 on a good day probably but I'm not breaking any records so enjoyment is more paramount to me than knocking a minute off my time. I'm not saying go super slower but rather that killing yourself the first mile (Like so many people do in those races) never pays off for me.

I think your goal sounds very doable, assuming you have been putting in the training. I have learned that I can run a HM at least 20-30 seconds per min faster than my fastest (long) training run, and I suspect even more than that because I don't feel like I have really ever exerted myself to the fullest. I would suggest splitting the difference between your goal pace and your fastest training run for your first few miles and adjust it from there. There is so much written on the subject of race planning, but I think it really all comes down to starting off smart then going with how you feel.

I was just thinking back to my first half and I've remembered that I had absolutely NO idea what I was doing so I didn't know people generally run faster in races than they do in training. I had assumed I'd be slower because it was the furthest distance I'd run.

Anyway, two minutes in, I realised I'd been wrong, wove my way through a load of people running at what HAD been my target pace, and accelerated through the next 13 miles all the way to the finish line, where I nearly puked.

So yeah, I agree with essjay - the second one is a great chance to have a more sensible target!

I run my second half in 18 days.. My first was in May of this past year and I did a 2:15, which I was proud of. The course had some hills but not a ton.. but a hill at like 11.5 miles was not fun.

This second one is totally flat. so my dream goal is to make a run at a 2hr

Questions;

1. How much did you improve from your first half to your second.. (I realize this may differ greatly due to time between races, course etc) just want to hear some stories
2. if you are going for a certain pace.. in my case 9;09 per mile to do a 2hr.. how far off that pace do you start.. assuming you want to shoot for negative splits?
3. is having a goal time for only my 2nd HM advisable? I have three "goals" in my head.. First , makeable.. to finish the race .. Second , to beat the 2:15 and third the dream of under 2hrs
4. Finally what did YOU learn most from your first half that you took into your second

any thoughts on any of these appreciated

Q1:
Depends upon how much you trained. My first HM was a 2:13 in March 2014 (after running two full marathons and preparing for the third) and was relatively flat. My second HM in May 2014, was 2:06 (after completing the thrid full marathon and a 10-miler). The course was relatively hilly. The third one was in June 2014 on a much hillier course than the previous two and was 2:08. The 4th HM was in early September in really high humidity, and though the course was relatively flat, I finished in 2:03. My last one was two weeks ago on basically the same course as my third and I ran it in 2:01.

I will be running on 10/19 in Myrtle Beach. Can you say flat?

Q2. In the first 2 miles try to hit that pace if the weather is right. You'll know pretty quickly whether you can do it or not. DO NOT go too fast, you'll never make that time up even on a flat course because you'll burn-out at between mile 10-11 (YMMV).

Q3. Nothing wrong with having a goal as you have some sense of how you did and felt after the first one. It depends upon how your training has gone. Most of my HM's are training for the full, so the HM gives my body a sense of what it's going to take to run at a faster pace during the full 26.2 miles. I expect to pass through 2 hours in Myrtle Beach but won't be disappointed if I don't because, again, its just a training taper speed run for the full that I'll run on 11/2. As I run the longer distances in training and races, the HM has become easier for me.

Q4. A consistent pace without going out too fast is much more satisfying than going out so fast that I feel like I'm just hanging on at the end. In my first, I went out just a little faster than I wanted, slowed a bit in the middle but had enough to really kick it up a notch in the last two miles. In the HM that I ran in early September in the high humidity, there was a group coming for me as I approached mile 13 (I had my sights on two people in front of me). When I realized that they were gaining on me I was able to kick it up a notch, catch the two guys in front of me and keep going. Only one person in the group that was trying to chase me down was able to catch and pass me right at mile 13. That lasted only as far as being able to get 15 feet in front of me and then I ran past him at a very nice clip and through the finish chute. That was a nice feeling knowing that I had power left in the tank for the very end.

I don't like the feeling of being totally wasted at the end, but knowing that I ran well, and could still run faster this time and the next.

One other thing. I start a warm up process approximately 30 minutes before the race. No sprinting but a progression from a walk to a slow jog and then a faster jog. Not constantly in motion during the 30 minutes but enough to get the muscles and the heart going.

Good luck on your second half! I have completed 3 so far, 6 months apart. I learned from both of the first two. My training wasn't great for any of them (less mileage than you) but it did improve each time and I got a PR each time too.

1. My first half was 2:13, my second was 2:07. Third was 2:01. So close!

2. I'm not an expert but I would say try and hit an even pace, so begin with the pace you need rather than start out slower with the hope of catching up later. You definitely don't want to start too fast either.

3. I think you learn a lot from your first half so if you trained well (it sounds like you did) then you're very likely to PR. Definitely good to have a goal to shoot for on your second.

4. I learned how to fuel on the race. Actually I learned this after the second. Personally if I don't take in any fuel at mile 6 (energy drink for me), even if I feel fine, then by mile 9 I'm completely flagging. Also I drink at every water stop, even if it's only a few sips.