Half marathon HELP!!!

Agree with the above. Half Marathons are my favourite distance at the moment - they are a challenge but they are not the sort of distance where you are likely to hurt yourself as long as you build up to them slowly. Right now I'm doing at least this sort of effort every week (either in distance or when fell/trail running in time/calories). This time last year I was starting to train for a 10K and it seemed like a big challenge.

So, advice:

1) Pick a program, tailor it to your personal needs and stick to it

2) Sign up for loads of races. Race experience is important as running in a pack is different to running alone - Most people who burn out in a race do so because they go off too fast at the start following the crowd. As the race progresses your body warms up and speed comes naturally - so going fast at the end of a (long) race is less effort than the same speed at the start. Furthermore, at the start you have to put a lot of effort into weaving around people whereas towards the end the crowd has generally thinned out. I normally overtake a lot of people in the last 3-4 miles of a half!

3) Try to find a training buddy. Running with someone is fun, it helps keep you motivated and being able to chat as you go helps the time pass more quickly. You will be out training for a couple of hours in your longer distance sessions

4) Get used to drinking whilst running. I try to take a small sip every half mile: drinking a large amount in one go gives me stitch.

5) Once you are running for over an hour start taking Energy Gels... A Gel takes about 10 minutes to kick in and you should take one every 20-30 minutes. It takes some time to find what works for you. The difficulty is that when you use them properly you never feel 'out of fuel' so they seem kind of pointless... Its only when you don't take them you notice the difference they have been making.


6) Get quality trainers. Get new ones after 300 miles and throw out your old ones at 400 miles (you will need several short runs to break in the newbies, so keep the old ones for long runs in this period. I also try to use my old ones when I know I'm doing some mixed road/trail running because they get muddy and I'm vain). Good trainers reduce the chance of injury significantly.

7) Read up on running technically. There are several lines of thought on the best way to run. If you can mentally filter out the hippy blah blah from the good stuff I recommend you read about Chi Running. A running club will also help you out massively in this area. Good technique = less injuries, less effort and more speed.

8) Don't be afraid to eat your exercise calories. A half ~1650 cals for a 164lb guy (i.e. me) and if I don't eat properly before & afterwards I feel rubbish all week.

9) Run outside whenever possible. I'd rather run in the cold and wet than run on a treadmill. I'm not against treadmills exactly but they are depressing if you are on them a long time, plus they generally shorten your stride which is good for improving your cadence - hence your speed work - but tough for longer runs.

10) Enjoy it. Whether its all about listening to music, or the scenery, or chatting with friends - enjoy the journey.

Hal Higdon is the best training plan out there. I followed this religiously to train for my first half. I not only completed it, but completed my goal time of being under 2 hours. It is fool proof!!

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program