Half Marathon - Race Day experience, tips, etc.
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Perhaps we are having a communications issue? Because for a moment thought perhaps I could be wrong, and did some googling. I can find nothing that supports your definition and every link I found supports mine.0
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I never do fartleks on my long runs. I guess I could be doing it all wrong, though.0
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WhatMeRunning wrote: »I never do fartleks on my long runs. I guess I could be doing it all wrong, though.
My long runs always include a few miles at marathon race pace, but never at "fartlek pace" which would be real speed.0 -
Personally my biggest race day tip: Get in line for the port-o-potty, do your business and then HOP BACK IN LINE AGAIN. Cycle through twice, maybe even three times if you have a nervous bladder/GI tract like I do.
Other tip: have fun and try not to psych yourself out
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kristinegift wrote: »Personally my biggest race day tip: Get in line for the port-o-potty, do your business and then HOP BACK IN LINE AGAIN. Cycle through twice, maybe even three times if you have a nervous bladder/GI tract like I do.
Other tip: have fun and try not to psych yourself out
Oh yes... this. Trust me it can be hard to get everything out the first time. If the line is just long enough by the time you get back to the front you will be GLAD you did this. I can't tell you how many times I only hit the portopotty once, then went to the starting line, and immediately regretted not going back for seconds.
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a lot of different information here, which is just a testament about how unique a race is to an individual.
while some people avoid aid stations like the plague for fear of cramping or not being sure if they'll be able to start running again, i personally slow down for a few steps to a walk, chug my half cup of sports drink, and then keep moving. i've tried the "crush the cup to make the liquid flow better to keep running while drinking" method. it results in me waterboarding myself. and then the sugary liquid gets all over me and makes me feel gross. i have found that i prefer relying on aid station liquids than carrying my own, and i've tried every way from a fuel belt, to a handheld bottle, to a camelbak. on race day, i like to have as little as possible.
i don't even run with music because it can upset my tempo, and my mood. what if i just don't feel like listening to that rhianna song? and what if my phone is acting all wonky and the playlist cuts in and out? or what if people keep texting or calling me and i forgot to put it on silent mode, or it just gets through any way?
the two pieces i have for you is to not start off too fast. you will have some race day adrenaline, so try and burn that off with a mile warm up. second, enjoy yourself!! the first race of any distance is mostly a learning experience anyway. you're guaranteed a PR no matter what!!!0 -
Fartlek is absolutely for a long run. One way is called a structured run. It's 2,3,4,4,3,2 which means 2:30 fast, 2:30 easy, 3:00 minutes fast, 2:30 easy, 4:00 minutes fast, 2:30 easy and so on. But you don't have to do it at that pace, you do what's comfortable for you. If you want to run for 6 minutes and then walk for 2, you can do that. Trust me, I've learned a lot from 2 people who have won the Manitoba marathon here in Winnipeg, giving me tips when I first started running about fartlek runs and I think they know what they're talking about when they advise beginners to start off that way. Good luck on your run kirkman.
Fartlek is Swedish for speedplay, it's intended to be unstructured.
I think what you're talking about is Galloway technique, and wouldn't recommend it to someone who hasn't used the approach in training.
Personally speaking I don't like it, but each to their own. It's an approach that seems to have a lot of One True Way (tm) zealots.
Anyway, to the original poster. It's your first race, you'll work out what works for you on your own. Basics from my perspective, don't use any new kit that you haven't used on a long run. Plan your race and race your plan; don't go out too fast essentially.
The main thing is to finish, so if you need to ease back to keep going, then do that. Don't worry too much about time, it'll give you a target to beat in the future.
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There's a pace of running called fartlek. Look it up especially beacuse this is your first marathon. Everyone is saying don't stop, but as long as you have enough water in you, you WILL NOT cramp up. You get cramps from being dehydrated and not having enough water. I use to run and stop all the time before I built up my cardio and NEVER got a cramp. Fartlek is like I said earlier when you run or jog at a good pace and then walk for a bit, then run again. Unless your a olympic runner or run half marathons at a really fast pace, don't worry, you won't cramp up. As for the water stations, everyone is different. I personally stop for 5 seconds because when you run, you usually breathe through your mouth and find it's harder to catch your breath then quickly stopping for a quick shot of water. you do what's comfortable for you.
That isn't what a "fartlek" run is. A fartlek is a type of workout (literally translates as "speed play") where the idea is to do unstructured speed work. You might sprint for 50 yards, then jog for a bit, sprint 100, then jog, etc. It has nothing to do with a race strategy
Fartlek is absolutely for a long run. One way is called a structured run. It's 2,3,4,4,3,2 which means 2:30 fast, 2:30 easy, 3:00 minutes fast, 2:30 easy, 4:00 minutes fast, 2:30 easy and so on. But you don't have to do it at that pace, you do what's comfortable for you. If you want to run for 6 minutes and then walk for 2, you can do that. Trust me, I've learned a lot from 2 people who have won the Manitoba marathon here in Winnipeg, giving me tips when I first started running about fartlek runs and I think they know what they're talking about when they advise beginners to start off that way. Good luck on your run kirkman.
i think something was lost when they spoke to you. fartleks are very unstructured speed workouts. like "jog... RUN FAST TO THAT LAMP POST... recover... that don't walk sign is starting to blink RUN FAST UNTIL IT GOES COMPLETELY STEADY... recover... there is a dog RUN FAST TO PASS IT... recover..."
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MeanderingMammal wrote: »Fartlek is absolutely for a long run. One way is called a structured run. It's 2,3,4,4,3,2 which means 2:30 fast, 2:30 easy, 3:00 minutes fast, 2:30 easy, 4:00 minutes fast, 2:30 easy and so on. But you don't have to do it at that pace, you do what's comfortable for you. If you want to run for 6 minutes and then walk for 2, you can do that. Trust me, I've learned a lot from 2 people who have won the Manitoba marathon here in Winnipeg, giving me tips when I first started running about fartlek runs and I think they know what they're talking about when they advise beginners to start off that way. Good luck on your run kirkman.
Fartlek is Swedish for speedplay, it's intended to be unstructured.
I think what you're talking about is Galloway technique, and wouldn't recommend it to someone who hasn't used the approach in training.
Personally speaking I don't like it, but each to their own. It's an approach that seems to have a lot of One True Way (tm) zealots.
Anyway, to the original poster. It's your first race, you'll work out what works for you on your own. Basics from my perspective, don't use any new kit that you haven't used on a long run. Plan your race and race your plan; don't go out too fast essentially.
The main thing is to finish, so if you need to ease back to keep going, then do that. Don't worry too much about time, it'll give you a target to beat in the future.
Yeah, Galloway is what I thought of as well. Although, my understanding is that the run/walk splits are even - they don't go up as oilphins suggested. You can always tell the Galloway runners - their Garmin's are constantly beeping and they raise a hand to let others know they're slowing to walk (which is very polite of them).
Also, advice on new kit is spot on. It's important that you don't do anything different that day. Race day is not the time to try out those new shoes or that high fiber bar you've heard is really good for you. Do what you've done on your training runs. And, have fun.0 -
+1kristinegift wrote: »Personally my biggest race day tip: Get in line for the port-o-potty, do your business and then HOP BACK IN LINE AGAIN. Cycle through twice, maybe even three times if you have a nervous bladder/GI tract like I do.
Other tip: have fun and try not to psych yourself out
My race-day nerves are always havoc on my GI tract.
OP, I've done plenty of HMs and the nerves never to away. It's part of the adrenaline of race day. Soak it up and enjoy yourself!
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Everyone here doesn't seem to get my point. I'm not telling kirkland to sprint really fast and then stop. Then sprint and stop. That would be absolutely ridiculous for a marathon. I'm trying to explain that he doesn't need to run the whole way if its too much for him. That he can jog or run at a comfortable or faster level and then stop if he has to walk a bit. If your cardios not up to speed, then you need to take that break. Capt Apollo, you are right about the technical term about fartlek but I meant to tell Kirkland basically that if he needs to stop or slow down he can if its too much for him. And glevinso, you actually googled everything about fartlek just to get a point across?You obviously didnt understand what I was trying to tell him either.0
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Everyone here doesn't seem to get my point. I'm not telling kirkland to sprint really fast and then stop. Then sprint and stop. That would be absolutely ridiculous for a marathon. I'm trying to explain that he doesn't need to run the whole way if its too much for him. That he can jog or run at a comfortable or faster level and then stop if he has to walk a bit. If your cardios not up to speed, then you need to take that break. Capt Apollo, you are right about the technical term about fartlek but I meant to tell Kirkland basically that if he needs to stop or slow down he can if its too much for him. And glevinso, you actually googled everything about fartlek just to get a point across?You obviously didnt understand what I was trying to tell him either.
LOL.
To be fair, what you were trying to tell him got a little confusing when you used a term that didn't apply to what you were trying to say.0 -
Everyone here doesn't seem to get my point. I'm not telling kirkland to sprint really fast and then stop. Then sprint and stop. That would be absolutely ridiculous for a marathon. I'm trying to explain that he doesn't need to run the whole way if its too much for him. That he can jog or run at a comfortable or faster level and then stop if he has to walk a bit. If your cardios not up to speed, then you need to take that break. Capt Apollo, you are right about the technical term about fartlek but I meant to tell Kirkland basically that if he needs to stop or slow down he can if its too much for him. And glevinso, you actually googled everything about fartlek just to get a point across?You obviously didnt understand what I was trying to tell him either.
No, *you* didn't understand what you were trying to tell him. You can't misuse or make up words and then complain when people take those words at face value.
"OP, you should shopping cart your marathon. It'll go fine as long as you shopping cart it."
Wait, why are you guys confused? By "shopping cart" I obviously meant "run at your own pace after completing a proper training regimen." What, you people don't understand English or something?0 -
OP: Congrats on your upcoming race!
I've run 6 halfs and can just reinforce the basics: Don't do anything new on race day (shoes, clothes, food, etc). All your experimenting should be done on your long runs in training.
Expect to be nervous...very normal. If that affects your GI, plan some extra bathroom stops before the race. Be careful with how much and what you eat the morning of the race. Again, practice this in training.
I lay out all my clothes, bib, etc, the night before so I'm confident I won't forget anything race morning.
Water Stations: It's personal if you feel you need to use them. You could carry your own water/drink and skip them entirely. If so, stay running in the middle of the course to avoid the crowd forcing you to slow/stop. When I've used them, I call out to the volunteers as I approach what I want (water/gatorade) and they always tell me who has what (sometimes they're saying it already "water in front, gatorade at the end"). I run slow enough so that I can always look at what I'm grabbing, too. I run just past the station, slow to drink it, then toss my cup in the trash bin (I refuse to throw on the ground and litter), then get back up to pace. There can be bunching with crowds at stations, so just expect that and adjust as you need to.
Can never be said enough: Start the race at your pace. Avoid going out too fast. All that adrenaline will be pumping, but stay mindful of your pace so you don't burn out early. You can always speed up later if you're feeling good.
Thank the volunteers and enjoy yourself!0 -
Everyone here doesn't seem to get my point. I'm not telling kirkland to sprint really fast and then stop. Then sprint and stop. That would be absolutely ridiculous for a marathon. I'm trying to explain that he doesn't need to run the whole way if its too much for him. That he can jog or run at a comfortable or faster level and then stop if he has to walk a bit. If your cardios not up to speed, then you need to take that break. Capt Apollo, you are right about the technical term about fartlek but I meant to tell Kirkland basically that if he needs to stop or slow down he can if its too much for him. And glevinso, you actually googled everything about fartlek just to get a point across?You obviously didnt understand what I was trying to tell him either.
You specifically said to do fartleks for long runs. Which is an unstructured sprint/jog combination. You are trying to redefine an accepted term to mean something completely different. This is why we are all confused. You are talking about Gallowalking the marathon, which while it is a generally accepted strategy, has absolutely nothing to do with "fartlek".0 -
What I learned from my last half marathon is to make sure you have enough fuel in your tank to make it. I was ravenous after my run and hit the fruit station a little too hard. Kiwi tastes better going down.0
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Don't do anything new on the day
No new foods, clothes or tactics.0 -
Running my first half marathon made me love running again! I had a lot of trouble with my training and had reached a point where I would dread my runs. The energy and atmosphere is amazing. My first was Pittsburgh so it was a bigger half marathon but I truly felt like I was a part of something and it is so energizing to be running with so many other people who are out there enjoying the same thing you do!
Some tips...I walk through the water stations because it is just too half hazard for me to jog and drink but regardless just be sure to take your water/Gatorade and KEEP MOVING and move back to the middle of the road because others are lining up behind you.
As others said, pee as close to the start of the race as you can!! I always pee pretty much immediately prior to running because my body just seems to think it has to go again even though I just went! Must be some sort of nerves/preparation thing because my body does it even if I just going for a normal run! I digress, but there are always long lines at the porta potties throughout the marathon so avoiding that will most definitely save you time.
Keep to your normal routine. Don't mix things up on race day. Eat what works for you. Every person is unique to what works for them regarding fuel and routine so don't take any last minute advice from others in this aspect. If you use a certain brand energy gel, eat a certain breakfast, fuel up at a certain time before the race etc etc and it works for YOU then stick to it!!
Just enjoy it! I don't run with ear buds because I like to take everything in but if that's what you prefer then do it. Run your own race and just enjoy it. You will find that your nerves will quickly disappear once you start!!0 -
akirkman86 wrote: »Hi everyone!
I am running my first half marathon in just a couple of weeks. I have been training for a long time and feel very confident that I am well-prepared and will be able to do it! However, I'm getting nervous about the race day itself. I've literally never even been through a water station! The only other race I've ever done is a 5k and not a very serious one at that. Any tips or advice for a newbie? What should I expect? I would love to hear about others' experiences and appreciate your insight!
DO NOT SIT DOWN AFTER YOU CROSS THE FINISH LINE! I made this mistake and was too sore to get up and wound up crying. I know you will feel like dropping, but just keep walking. Bring some bengay and take advantage of the massage tent.
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