Any tips/advice for my first half marathon?
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sillyshamrock11
Posts: 43 Member
I'm running my first half marathon this Saturday and was wondering if any of you experienced marathoners have any tips/advice for me. Anything particular I should eat for breakfast to help fuel me through? I also bought some of the Gatorade energy chews...anyone have luck with these? The farthest I've ever run is 10.7mi, so I'm a bit nervous...but very excited!
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
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Best advice I was ever given: "If you didn't train with it, don't race with it" - this is particularly important for fuel, as you don't know if your body will have an adverse reaction to something you've never put in it before (and the last thing you want to do is be stopping at every port-a-potty).
Personally, I think the Gatorade chews are NASTY. If I have to take an energy chew, I prefer Clif Shot Blocks or Gu Chomp. I'll also sometimes do the Jelly Belly Sport Beans. I can't stand most of the gels. But I prefer to take my fuel in liquid form when running (I put Heed in my water that I carry with me, and just grab straight water at the aid stations)....I tend to only use the chews on the bike.
Practice fueling (both before and during your long runs) should have been part of your training regimen. 0 -
First and foremost, goes without saying that you don't want to eat anything hard to digest. You're going to want some fast and slow digesting carbs and a bit of protein. Your breakfast could be something like a can of coconut water and oatmeal with a scoop of whey protein. You want to eat this at least 2 hours before your run. To be perfectly honest, it's what you eat the night before that will help you the most.
Don't be nervous at all. With 1/2 marathons you get to a point where your body just goes on auto-pilot. You'll likely find the last quarter of the race is the most enjoyable. Make sure you take some time to notice and enjoy the adrenaline and endorphin surge from finishing 0 -
What ever you did to run 10.7 miles, do that again for your half. Don't change anything on race day, certainly not nutritionally. The excitement and competition and atmosphere of the race should make it fairly easy to do the few extra miles.0
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I usually eat a slice of toast with PB & J about 1.5 hours before the race starts, then some watered down gatorade in a bottle during the run. I like having one of those bottles with the elastic case that fits on your hand, cause it's usually when I'm a couple miles from an aid station that suddenly I REALLY need some water. I agree with PPs that it's a little sketchy to try a new food product at a race (although I have a super tough stomach and have never had an issue switching products). What did you eat, if anything, on your 10.7 mile run?
Also, DON'T start off too fast... it can be tempting to keep up with the crowd around you, and the excitement of the atmosphere can get you extra pumped up, but you definitely don't want to burn out in the first couple miles. Once you're a couple miles in, I like to pick a person who's running just a smidge faster than me to try to keep up with. And then just give it your last reserves during the last 1/2 mile!
Good luck, it'll be awesome!
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sillyshamrock11 wrote: »I'm running my first half marathon this Saturday and was wondering if any of you experienced marathoners have any tips/advice for me. Anything particular I should eat for breakfast to help fuel me through? I also bought some of the Gatorade energy chews...anyone have luck with these? The farthest I've ever run is 10.7mi, so I'm a bit nervous...but very excited!
Thanks in advance!
Do the same thing you did on your 10.7 mile run.
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What ever you did to run 10.7 miles, do that again for your half. Don't change anything on race day, certainly not nutritionally. The excitement and competition and atmosphere of the race should make it fairly easy to do the few extra miles.
Yes. Now's not the time to be asking about what you can do differently. This is what training is for. Trust in your training and you will do fine!0 -
I agree with the other poster who advised you not to try new things on race day, especially when it comes to food/ fuel. Recipe for disaster.
My overall advice - enjoy it. Don't focus too much on your time. Soak up the atmosphere, the adrenaline, and the feeling of accomplishment that will rush through you when you pass that finish line. You will never again have a "first" half marathon and there's nothing like it. Have fun!0 -
My long runs are always in the AM, so I usually just have coffee, water, some Gatorade, and something light like toast, a banana, or granola. I've never had anything to drink WHILE running, but I'm thinking I should do so for this long race. I already checked out where all of the water stations are along the route. After my 10.7 mile run, I just remember my legs being extremely exhausted. I'm just hoping they'll be able to pull through for those last few miles.
Thanks to all who've commented so far. All of this advice is very helpful and appreciated!0 -
Since you'll be new to the water stations, be sure to keep moving as you go past. Slow down to a walk, grab a water and/or Gatorade, then step aside to make room for the people behind you. The best way to make sure all of your liquid gets in your mouth is to pinch the cup a little to make a spout.
Check the weather the night before and get your clothes ready before bed.
Enjoy!!0 -
The adrenaline will get you through to the end. For my first half, I'd only run 11 miles as my longest. You'll do fine.
"If you didn't train with it, don't race with it" is the very best advice. That not only goes for food but for your gear and clothes, as well. Everything you're wearing should be something you've worn during training. You don't want to find that the new shirt chafes under your arms at around mile 9.
I ran my first few half marathons with a small bottle of water on my running belt. It's very dry in southern Arizona so it's a mouth dryness problem more than anything else. I've found that at most races I don't need to bring it anymore because there are plenty of water stations. However, if a particular race has stations more than 2 miles apart, I will wear it just in case.
A few more tips:- The night before, gather everything together that you'll need for the race. If you're going to be stowing a gear bag make sure that everything is in it (hair brush, deoderant, change of clothes, etc.) Lay out your running gear, shoes, jacket, gloves, hat, gps watch, whatever you will be running in. This way you won't be running around looking for something important at the last minute.
- Eat something easy to digest the night before. There's no real reason to "carb load" but you also don't want to eat a lot of fiber or fats. You want to limit stops at the port-a-potties. They are not only yucky but the lines are usually pretty long and you'll be wasting a lot of time.
- Speaking of port-a-potties... we usually get to the race with at least a half hour to spare. We stow our gear and then get in line for the port-a-potties at the race start. By the time we get through the line it's nearly race time and we can jump into our corral with completely empty bladders. It's very rare that I need to use a port-a-potty during a race.
- When you hit a water station, don't grab water from the first person. Go through the line and grab one near the end. You can slow down and move to the right to get out of the way of others. I haven't perfected the method of drinking from a cup while running, so I always slow to a walk at that point.
Most of all, have fun!
ETA: Be sure to thank the people at the water stations, gear check, etc. They are volunteers for whatever charity the race is benefiting. 0 -
Best advice I was ever given: "If you didn't train with it, don't race with it"
Yep. Best advice.
Stick with what you've already proven works for you. Eat what you always eat. Drink what you always drink. Wear your favorite tried and true shorts, underwear, shoes, insoles, socks, hat, sunglasses, belt, etc. Any new variable you throw in on race day has the potential to cause you a problem.
(Try to resist buying some new gear at the race expo and think "wow... this would be awesome to use tomorrow!")
Assuming the race is on Saturday, here is what I do:
Thursday - Hydrate more than usual. Eat good food and take in some extra calories. Thursday night is my pasta or baked potato meal. I go to bed early, since I often don't sleep as well the night before a race.
Friday - Focus on hydration. Eat lighter. Get my race packet. Do everything possible to make Sat morning quick and low stress. Travel plans finalized. Every article of clothing I'll wear is put in one place. GPS watch is charged. A change of clothes already in the car, plus any alternate clothing I might want depending on the weather forecast. Race belt has gels already attached and in the car.
Sat morning - My usual meal before a race is either a peanut butter & jelly sandwich or Nutella on bread. I want carbs and protein, not so much fiber. Leave plenty early so I'm not stressed by finding parking, etc.
During the race - Focus on avoiding dehydration. I make myself drink some water at the early water stops even though I don't feel thirsty yet.
I almost never drink the sports drink offered on the course. My experience is that they often mix it way too strong and I feel terrible when it hits my stomach, particularly if I'm already using a gel. I stick with water. I will violate this guideline if race day weather is unexpectedly hot. In that case, I'll sip a little sports drink and chase it with water.
Good luck and enjoy the race!
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WOW, more great tips! Thanks so much!!
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What ever you did to run 10.7 miles, do that again for your half. Don't change anything on race day, certainly not nutritionally. The excitement and competition and atmosphere of the race should make it fairly easy to do the few extra miles.
+1,000 experiment on training runs, not on race day
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